I could feel my heart in my mouth, and I could hear my heart beating in my ears. I peeked out the heavy red curtains that separated the backstage from the main stage. One of the competitors was doing their solo, and I was next. I took in a deep breath, watching as the girl spun around the stage, earning a round of applause from the crowd. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I blinked turning to look into my dance instructor's eyes.
"It'll be okay," she said, pulling me by the shoulder until I wasn't able to look behind the curtains anymore. "Don't do that, you'll make yourself nervous," she reasoned, and I nodded, sighing. This was the first serious competition I was getting to at a tertiary level, and the nerves in my stomach were killing me. Somewhere in the crowd, George was standing wit
