Diana’s POV
The hallway pulsed with excitement, laughter spilling like bubbles, footsteps scurrying, the crackle of a microphone being tested, but all I felt was a slow, suffocating dread wrapping itself around my chest like a vice.
My palms wouldn’t stop sweating. My breath short.
This was supposed to be my moment, my first time singing on a public stage. A memory I should tuck into a scrapbook someday, glowing with pride.
But instead?
I felt like I was going to throw up.
The auditorium shimmered under soft lighting, cool blue and warm gold flickering like fireflies across the velvet seats that filled with students, teachers, and proud-eyed parents. There was laughter, clapping, the rustle of programs being flipped through. The air buzzed with anticipation, electric and restless.
B
