His interview is exactly as he's expected it to be.
Atticus Wolfe dedicates nearly a whole minute to Wonder's mother, and Wonder answers as honestly as he can about her influence on him. The crowd whistles at the mere mention of her name.
But then Atticus brings up Chiffon, and Wonder's blood freezes in his veins.
The whole audience falls silent. Wonder could have heard a pin drop from the back row. From somewhere nearby, the President's eyes burn a hole through his skull.
There is nothing he can do except bring up all his memories of getting ice cream with her. Or of crawling through the bushes together. Or the scar on his nose.
All supposed to be private memories. Ones that he keeps locked away in his brain and takes them out every so often when he needs to remember the good times. How he was living through them without even realizing it.
Now he has to bare them, if he wants to save his own skin and Chiffon's dignity. It's just a girl being a girl. No rebelliousness here. None whatsoever.
If he blurs his eyes just right, he can hide the uncomfortable looks on the audience's faces.
Too bad he can't hide his own.
Atticus stares at him with something that might have been pity.
When the buzzer sounds, he runs off stage like he's on fire. It takes all of his willpower to not burst into tears.