Taking the Plunge (continued)

I sang long and hard, never wavering.  I didn’t want to stop, but soon came the moment when I had to leave.  The few adults who were there nodded and murmured secrets I would never share.    When I walked out, my friends patted me on the back.  I turned to Jasmine, who would be auditioning next.  She was bouncing on the balls of her feet.  “I don’t think I can quite compare to you.”  she laughed nervously.  I groaned, suddenly feeling tired.  I told my friends that I would go sit down.  I must have seemed quite mad then, sitting there giggling, partly from hysteria, partly from exhilaration.  I laughed until my head ached, until I was rendered breathless.