Excerpt 7

I hear the phone ringing, but nobody answers it.

“Hello,” I say, breathless from running to grab it before the person on the other end hangs up.

“Hey Billie, it’s me,” Sarah says.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“The Spring Review is sold out both nights. Can you believe it?” Sarah’s on the ticket sales committee.

“How many people are coming?” I start to feel a little sick to my stomach, thinking of all those people in the audience watching me sing. Imagining being in the spotlight and actually being in the spotlight are definitely not the same.

“The auditorium holds two hundred and fifty people, plus we’re setting up fifty more chairs behind the last row. So we’ll have a full house. Three hundred people each night!” Sarah says. “Marki Kapnicky told me it’s the biggest crowd the school has ever had for the Spring Review.”

“Well, Sarah, you did a great job selling tickets.” I am so proud of my best friend.

“I can’t believe it’s only two weeks away,” she says. “Are you scared, Billie?” Her voice tells me she already knows the answer.

“If I think about being up there and having all those eyes staring at me, I want to run and hide. What if I can’t get that last stanza right? What if I get so scared that I can’t even walk onstage?”

“Someone will have to carry you out there, Billie Kramer!” Sarah always makes me feel like I can do anything. “Billie, it’s normal to be scared, but I know you can do this. You’ll be great! I’ll be there, cheering for you.”

“You’d better be … or else!” I threaten her.