It was the night before the show.
And Minnie? Was spiraling.
"I CAN'T DO THIS," she wailed from the living room floor, surrounded by three open outfits, five mismatched socks, and a collection of stress snacks that used to be a neatly organized bento box.
Then, without missing a beat, she popped up and shouted:
"ACTUALLY I TOTALLY GOT THIS. I GOT THIS!!"
Kayla peeked into the room mid-protein bar bite. "Confidence arc speedrun. Proud of you."
"I'm serious this time! I'm gonna be so sparkly they're gonna go blind!! …Wait, is that a bad thing? Do I want them to see me? Or should I blind them so they can't see if I mess up?!"
Kayla backed out slowly. "Okay! Let's call backup."
---
Ten minutes later: the support squad assembles.
---
Mona was already heating water in her tiny ceramic kettle. "Peppermint. Calms nerves and nausea. I added a sprinkle of honey."
Robin had brought emergency glitter lashes. "Not because you need them. But because they need to know who's in charge."
Luna silently held something out. A small, beat-up keychain shaped like a bunny, its bow fraying at the edges."It's lucky," she said quietly. "I used to hold it when I was scared before a tournament."
Minnie took it with trembling hands. "Luna... that's so sweet... I'M GOING TO SOB."
"You already are," Robin pointed out.
---
Minnie paced like a wind-up toy.
"I can't feel my legs. What if I forget the lyrics? What if my mic explodes? What if I forget my own name?!"
Kayla, perched on a speaker, yelled, "Then just shout 'MINNIE!' and act like it's part of the performance!"
Robin added, "And if your mic explodes, make it fashion. Nothing says 'pop star' like spontaneous pyrotechnics."
Jasmine (braiding Luna's hair nearby): "You've practiced this a hundred times. You've got this."
Mona checked her clipboard, then looked up with a rare smile. "You're ready, Minnie. The rest is just glitter."
Minnie looked at all of them — loud, weird, wonderful — and clutched the bunny keychain tighter in her pocket.
"…Okay," she whispered. Then shouted, "OKAY!! LET'S GOOOO!!!"
---
The curtain rose.
Spotlight. Silence. Crowd buzzing like soda pop static.
Then—
Music. Lights. Minnie's voice — a little shaky at first, but honest, warm, real.
She danced like she meant it. She sang like her heart was on fire. And when the lights hit just right, it looked like she was on fire — pink and gold and fearless.
In the front row, the girls cheered like maniacs.
Kayla stood on her chair, screaming.
Robin had two glowsticks and absolutely zero shame.
Mona clapped in rhythm, smiling with quiet pride.
Jasmine held up a homemade glitter sign that read "MINNIE = STAR 🌟"
Luna didn't shout. She just stood, hands folded, soft smile on her face. Proud.
After the final beat, after the roar of the crowd and the encore chants, Minnie ran offstage, breathless and shaking.
"I… I did it," she said, blinking. "Wait—I DID IT!! I LIVED!!!"
She was immediately tackled by five girls in a group hug so tight it knocked the keychain out of her pocket.
Robin picked it up and held it like it was a trophy.
"We are never letting you doubt yourself again."
"I was… good?" Minnie whispered.
Mona fixed her glitter lash. "You were phenomenal."
"Next time, two solos?" Kayla grinned.
Minnie shook her head. "One brush with death per month, please."