Nina clutched the script tighter than she meant to as she walked home, the pages slightly crumpled from how many times she'd reconsidered her decision during the walk.
Her footsteps were heavy, matching the weight of the role now hanging over her. It wasn't the stage fright.
Not entirely.
It was everything else—the instructor's eagerness, the class's unspoken desperation, and now, her own reluctant involvement in something she never planned to touch.
As soon as she opened the door and stepped into the hallway, her mother was there, waiting like a lioness catching the scent of something juicy.
"Nina."
She said, her voice too calm, too pleased.
Nina stiffened. Her fingers curled instinctively around the edge of the script behind her back.
Her mother's eyes sparkled.
"I heard the good news."
Nina didn't move.
"…What good news?"
"Oh, don't be shy. I heard you're going to be the lead in the academy's next play."
Her mother waved a hand dismissively.
