The girl's locker room was empty after school hours, or should have been. Jasmine, avoiding the usual afterchool crowd, had waited until the building was nearly deserted before retrieving her gym clothes. As she rounded the corner to her locker, hushed, panicked voices stopped her short. "I can't do it, Allison. I've been practicing for weeks, and I still can't get it right." Whitneys voice, stripped of its usual arrogance, sounded brittle with fear.
"The showcase is in 3 weeks, Wit. Your parents are expecting you to win, especially since they're sponsoring it. Allison, Whitney's loyal second in command, sounded exasperated. Don't you think I know that? Whitney hissed.
If I don't win, my father will cut my allowance, and if anyone finds out I copied the routine from that viral video. Jasmine pressed herself against the wall, barely breathing. No one will know, Allison reassured her. Just keep practicing. Your parents practically own this school.
The judges won't dare give first place to anyone else. Their voices faded as they moved toward the exit. Jasmine remained frozen, processing what she'd overheard. Whitney, for all her bravado, was a fraud and terrified of being exposed. That night, Jasmine sat at their small kitchen table, the showcase entry form glowing on her laptop screen.
Her finger hovered over the submit button. If she entered, she risked everything. Her scholarship, her invisibility, perhaps even her future. But the $2,500 prize could change everything, opening the door to the national championship and potential college scholarships beyond. She thought of Whitney's panic in the locker room, of Ms. Powell's challenge, of Master Park's belief in her abilities.
Taking a deep breath, she typed J. Taylor into the name field, anonymous enough that Whitney wouldn't recognize it until the actual performance, and clicked submit. The confirmation page loaded. Thank you for your entry. Performance slot number 14.
She'd done it. There was no turning back now. The next morning, Grandma Ruth's coughing woke Jasmine before dawn. She found her grandmother sitting on the edge of her bed, struggling to catch her breath. It's nothing, Grandma insisted, waving away Jasmine's concern.
Just a cold. But the coughing persisted through breakfast, and Jasmine noticed the unnatural flush on her grandmother's cheeks. "You need to see a doctor," she insisted. "Can't miss my shift, Grandma Ruth wheezed. Bills due next week." After much arguing, Jasmine convinced her to go to urgent care, accompanying her before school.
The diagnosis, pneumonia. The doctor prescribed antibiotics and strict bed rest for at least a week. Who's going to cover your shifts? Jasmine asked on the bus ride home. Mental calculations already running.