I woke up with anticipation. I barely slept last night. This was the day when I finally would get my opportunity to shine. Now that Shara went on to high school, I finally could be a star. So I sat in my bed smiling as I watched the last rays of the sun come up in the sky.
“Rain! I hope you’re awake because breakfast is almost ready.” My dad shouted upstairs.
“Yes, I am awake!” I yelled. I was nervous and excited. I almost wanted to stay in bed and say I was sick. Then, taking a deep breath, I swung my legs over the bed and stood up.
I had planned my outfit the night before. I was going to wear my blue jeans with my cute pink button-up top. I planned to put my braids in two ponytails and braid them down, so they fell over my shoulders.
After getting dressed, I grabbed my bookbag and ran downstairs. The smell of bacon made my stomach growl.
“Well, look at my smart, beautiful girl. Are you ready for today?” My dad said when I walked into the kitchen.
“Yes, I’m ready, and I hope I get the role. I just have to dazzle Mr. Oswald.” I sat at the table. Dad sat a plate with sizzling bacon, steamy eggs with cheese, and toast down in front of me.
“Wow, that looks so yummy,” I said.
“Well, thank you, dear. Now, go ahead and eat up so we can get you to school on time.” Dad sat down with his plate.
There was a brief silence as we ate our breakfast. Then, finally, I got up and put my empty plate in the sink.
“Okay, I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Hold it! You know what we can’t forget.” My dad placed his plate in the sink and walked over to face me.
“Right!” I took a deep breath.
“You are loved. You are smart. You are beautiful. You can achieve your goals, and today will be a good day.”
“I am loved. I am smart. I am beautiful. I can achieve my goals. Today will be a good day.” I repeated after dad.
“Can we go now?”
My dad smiled in response and motioned towards the door.
When we pulled in front of the school, I felt my stomach drop. I was finally here, and in 8 hours, I was going to show everyone exactly what I had to offer.
“Alrighty sweetie, you got this. I will be cheering for you from my office. I love you and have a great day,” My dad said, looking through the rearview mirror.
“Thanks, Dad. I love you too.” I blew him a kiss and stepped out of the car.
“Can you believe they are doing the little mermaid? Oh my gosh, you’d be the perfect Ariel.” My best friend Chelsea ran up to me.
“Thank you, but let’s not get too excited. I still have to audition. I do hope I get the role. It’s one of my dream roles.”
“Well, if you don’t get it, you can always get it later when you’re on Broadway.” My other best friend, Jax, walked up behind us.
“You know, you’re right, Jax, that is a possibility. I hope I don’t have to wait that long, though.” The bell rang for homeroom. After the sixth-grade incident, we weren’t allowed to be in the same homeroom.
“Let’s plan to meet at lunch and practice, so we’re ready for the audition,” I said.
_______________________________________________________________________
“Hello, everyone, and thank you for coming. I’m excited that this year we will perform our first musical. So take a deep breath, and you will all be fine. I look forward to seeing everyone’s performance. First up, we have Gina,” Mr. Oswald said.
My stomach had dropped to my feet by this time. I was so nervous. Good thing I wasn’t first. I hate being first. We waited two years for this opportunity, and I was ready, yet I wanted to run. I looked over at Jax and Chelsea, and they looked as nervous as me. The three of us have dreamed of this moment since sixth grade.
I watched as each person took the stage and did their audition song. Chelsea and Jax went before me, and they were terrific.
“Okay, next up is Rainbow,” Mr. Oswald said.
My heartbeat began to speed up, and I had to focus on slowing it down. I looked at Chelsea and Jax, and they smiled. I walked over and up the stairs to the stage.
______________________________________________________________________
Now we can walk,
Now we run,
Now we can stay all day in the sun,
Just you and me,
And I can be,
Part of your world.
The curtains closed, and the crowd went wild. We lined up to prepare for the cast bow. It was the last performance of the run. When the curtain rose, everyone was on their feet. We took our bow.