Heads swivel. There’s no spotlight shining on me, and Lynn didn’t point me out, yet I feel likeeveryone’sstaring at me. I sink low in my seat.
Real low.
“Angie, you might hate me for this, but I’d really like it if you joined me out here and performed it with me,” Lynn says.
Heat engulfs me. I start shaking my head, but people clap.
Rae pinches my arm. “Surprise!”
I whip my face toward her; she’s smiling.
“I’m going to kill you,” I hiss.
“Fine, but wait till after you sing. And try to avoid puking.” Rae literally shoves me off my chair, so I have no other choice than to stand.
Laney starts clapping, and then more people join in.
Oh my God oh my God oh my God.
Once I’m standing there’s no sitting back down.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
I paste on a bright smile even though all I want to do is crawl underneath the table.
The crowd bellows my name.
I’m going to murder Rae. Lynn and Laney, too.AndSteffi. None of them will get out alive.
I thread through tables, resisting the urge to fan my cheeks.
Lynn makes me sit beside her and squeezes my knee lightly. I swallow and swallow, and yet can’t seem to stanch my production of saliva—my glands are in overdrive. What if I open my mouth and drool?
“The song’s called ‘Made,’” Lynn says. “Ready?”
Even though my heart palpitates from my collarbone down to my toes, I nod.
“You got this, Angie!” Rae’s voice cuts across the room.
Trembling, I lock eyes with her. I hate her for doing this to me even though I know her heart is in the right place. This time when I swallow, it doesn’t feel like I’m about to drown in my own spit or regurgitate an organ.
“One. Two. Three.” The melody rises from underneath Lynn’s fingers.
The instrumental opening offers me a couple more seconds of respite. But then, it’s time to sing. I open my mouth, and like in my absoluteworstnightmares, I squeak.
A shrill.
Loud.
Mousy.
Squeak.
Without missing a beat, Lynn repeats the opening.
Tears pool behind my lashes.
At our table, Laney’s mouth moves. I think she’s trying to offer me silent encouragement. I look into one of the burning spotlights, then open my mouth and my voice springs out.
