Chapter 085
HANNAH
Could they see how scared to death I was? Was my nervousness written all over my face? Could they tell?
Maybe they could. Perhaps that was why they kept joking around a lot. Or maybe they couldn't tell. Willa told me that I sometimes had a poker face.
"Isn't it exciting?" Willa asked, smiling and poking her head out the window of the moving car.
Jace stopped telling his joke about the time he had accidentally broken Chase's arm during football practice. He gently squeezed my shoulder and leaned over the front seat. Maybe as my mate, he had sensed my growing tension.
"Today is your day, Hannah," he said in my ear. "You're going to kill it."
Willa scrambled excitedly out of the car when Cade brought it to a smooth stop in front of the building. I slowly got out. So did the triplets.
"Big competition," Chase said, looking around at the crowd of people milling around. “It seems everyone is here to watch it.”
Jace nodded. "Bummer that we have football today."
"It's okay," I assured them. "Just wish me luck."
"We'll do better than that," Cade said and promptly pulled me into a hug.
I found myself relaxing as I passed around them. The good, warm, fuzzy feeling lasted right until they released me.
"Let's go. Let's go. We still have to sign in, you know," Willa chirped, emerging again from the car with her arms full of the books I would be using for the talent contest.
"That's our cue," Jace said.
I stood waving until the car was out of sight, and then Willa tugged at my arm. Some of the books slipped, so I shouldered my backpack and helped her carry some.
"We're burning daylight, Hannah," she complained. “You don’t want to be late.”
Inside the auditorium, at the registration desk, I found that at least fifty girls had registered for the pageant.
That meant I had one in fifty odds of winning. I felt my heart sink. I mechanically wrote my name in the attendance register.
"It's okay," Willa said softly. "Be confident. Believe in yourself, and you'll do well, okay? I-"
Loud, mocking laughter interrupted Willa. Julia and her stupid crew were standing close to us. How could we have missed them?
"Don't give her false hopes, Willa dear," Julia said, batting her false lashes. “Not even the moon goddess can save a disaster like your friend.”
The girls with her laughed as if she had said something funny. No matter where Julia went, she had her minions with her. They often offered their laughter to make her feel better about her stupid jokes.
Julia noticed the books I was gripping tightly to stop myself from maybe punching her in the face. Her eyes bugged out in comical surprise.
She pointed a pink nail at the books and giggled. "Wait a minute. Are those books? Did you come here to join a book club or to participate in a talent contest?"
More laughter from her minions erupted. Some people standing close enough to hear her laughed, too. A glare from me sent them scampering away.
I met Julia's stare. "Go away, Julia. Mind your damn business unless your talent is poking your long nose into other people's business. You’re awfully good at that.”
She tossed back a lock of her hair. "I'm just trying to help."
"Get lost, Julia," Willa growled.
Julia ignored her. "I don't want you to embarrass yourself in front of the whole school, which is exactly what will happen the moment you go on that stage." Her girls fell against each other, giggling. "Come on, girls. Let's move."
Julia sashayed down the corridor and out of sight.
"Blonde bitch," Willa hissed. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Don't let the bullshit she said get to you. You'll get on that stage and prove her wrong, okay?"
I answered with a nod. It felt like if I opened my mouth, all my anxiety would come pouring out. I didn't know if I could do this anymore. Maybe Julia was right; I shouldn’t have come with my books. But I couldn’t think of any special talents I had. I couldn’t sign, dance or paint. I sighed and shook my head.
A man's electronically amplified voice boomed out, "Attention everyone. All participants of this contest should round up their registration now. Those watching the show should proceed to the auditorium and get seated. The talent competition starts in ten minutes."
The voice clicked off.
Willa got me the best spot backstage where I could watch the contestants. She wished me luck and hurried to her seat in the crowd.
The judges called the contestants in one by one. A few of them were horrible. A lot were actually good. I started to feel nervous when I saw how talented some performances were.
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