Shadows in The Spotlight

The following week brought the announcement of Westbridge High's annual talent show, a much-anticipated event that had students buzzing with excitement. Posters were plastered across the school, and the morning announcements were filled with reminders to sign up.

"Are you going to enter?" Rachel asked Sophie as they walked to their lockers.

"Me? No way," Sophie said quickly.

"Why not? You're a great writer. You could perform something," Rachel suggested.

"I don't think poetry is exactly talent-show material," Sophie said, laughing nervously.

Rachel shrugged. "You never know. Besides, it's not about winning; it's about showing everyone what you've got."

Sophie thought about it but quickly dismissed the idea. The thought of standing on stage in front of the entire school was enough to make her palms sweat.

---

By lunchtime, the talent show buzz had reached Max's usual spot in the courtyard. Sophie sat across from him, watching as he sketched a group of students practicing a dance routine nearby.

"Are you entering the talent show?" Sophie asked, half-joking.

Max shook his head. "Not my thing."

"Why not? You're incredibly talented," Sophie said, gesturing to his sketchbook.

"It's different," Max said. "Drawing is… private. Performing is public."

Sophie nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. "I feel the same way about writing."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the hum of the schoolyard filling the space between them.

"Do you ever wish you could share it?" Max asked suddenly.

Sophie looked at him, surprised by the question. "Sometimes. But it's scary, you know? What if people don't like it? Or worse—what if they do, and then expect more?"

Max smiled faintly. "Sounds like you've thought about this before."

"Maybe," Sophie admitted.

Max didn't respond right away. Instead, he flipped to a blank page in his sketchbook and began to draw. Sophie watched as the lines took shape—a tree, a bench, a girl with a notebook in her lap.

"Is that supposed to be me?" Sophie asked, smiling.

"Maybe," Max said, a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Sophie laughed softly, but the drawing stirred something inside her—a quiet yearning to be as fearless as Max seemed to think she was.

---

The rest of the day passed in a blur, but Sophie couldn't shake the conversation. That evening, as she sat at her desk with her notebook open, she found herself scribbling down fragments of thoughts and ideas.

By the time she finished, she had a poem—a raw, heartfelt piece about finding courage in unexpected places. She stared at the words, her heart pounding with a mix of pride and fear.

Could she do it? Could she stand up on that stage and let the world see a piece of her?

She wasn't sure. But for the first time, she felt like she might want to try.