I eased my violin from my shoulder and squinted feverishly for the millionth time at the music on my stand. My violin teacher's most recent words spoken to me rang through my head: "Remember; without everything perfect, you will be nothing..." I knew it was true; it was the reason I'd practiced my competition piece day after day, hour after hour, for six months. If I didn't win tomorrow, It would all have been for nothing. Drowning in my thoughts and worries, I spaced out for a short moment.
"Kelly!" Mom's voice knocked me out of the drifting swirl of my thoughts. "Which is more important, your health or a competition? It's nearly three!"
I guessed that meant I was supposed to eat my lunch. Yelling to her that I was coming, I rolled my eyes at the place I knew she was: standing planted like a tree with hands on hips at the bottom of the stairs. Sometimes, I wished my mom would care for my love and need for violin a little bit more. But she would never do that.
I ate my lunch. I hurried upstairs. In two minutes you couldn't tell I had left my bedroom at all. I practiced, standing in front of my music stand, until nightfall, only snatching two pieces of bread for dinner. When I went to bed, violin, case, and music sat by my bedroom door, ready for tomorrow. My heart was thudding all the way from my chest to my throat, and I was surprised everyone within a block of me didn't hear.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BE-! I slammed my hand into random buttons on my alarm clock the next morning at 6:40. Blinking heavy sleep from my eyes, I sat up. I hadn't slept at much, and not well at all. Throwing off my bed covers, I trudged over to my closet, pulling on a long black dress. Then, I carried my violin case downstairs and sat it with me on the couch, waiting for my mom to get up and drive me to the place I needed to go.
When my mom was finally ready, I put all my things into our car's trunk, and climbed into the backseat. As soon as I got into the car, my mom pulled out of the garage. We sat in silence as she drove; I was too nervous and scared to engage in conversation. This continued for nearly an hour.
"Check in over here," said a lady standing behind a desk. "What's your name?"
I approached her. "Kelly Liu?"
She checked me in.
Half an hour later, I had warmed up and was sitting backstage awaiting my turn to perform. The other violinists were all very talented, and not one had messed up. I knew I could win if I tried hard enough, but I also needed a little bit of luck. Sometimes I could just freeze up. And mess up.
Too soon, it was my turn. I stepped onto the stage, trying to smile to loosen up. Then I began to play.
I didn't make a mistake! I remembered everything my teacher had told me, which was many things. When I finished, I hastily ran backstage for the next performer to be announced, drenched in sweat, relief, and a bit of looming dread. I hadn't messed up, but would what I had done be enough to win?
Two hours later, the judges had made their decision. Out of the twenty or so people that entered, three would win prizes, and one would win a scholarship. I stiffened in my seat.
"In third place, winning fifty dollars in prize money... Sarah Chen!"
Applause, and Sarah went up to claim her prize.
"In second, winning one hundred dollars... Mike Peters!"
As Mike went up, I snapped my eyes to the announcer. I tried not to grind my teeth or look too desperate.
"And in first place..." He paused. "Winning a hundred and fifty dollars, and a scholarship... Kelly Liu!"
As I walked to him, I felt a grin welling up inside me. I'd never won anything like this before. My future was set now, and my feet —or at least my fingers— were on the road to victory.