Miss Julia warned, holding the door open. Of course, at that moment, Mom had just walked up to the microphone to start a new song. The crowd had fallen silent. Into the silence, Lulu shouted, “Hi, Mommy!” Mom looked over at the girls—actually, everyone in the entire hall looked their way. Maddie cringed, feeling all those eyes focusing in on them. Behind her, she felt Miss Julia tensing up too. “Glad you could join us,” Mom said, smiling wide. Maddie let out the breath she was holding and smiled back. “Come on up here to your spot, girls,” Mom said, waving them to the front. Lulu led the way, waving to the crowd as she went. Maddie stuck close to Mia, relieved to have her sister right there by her side. Sometimes, Maddie wondered how Mom could stand it, being up on stage with all those people—strangers, most of them—watching her perform for hours. Maddie occasionally liked putting on a costume and acting, but that was different. That wasn’t being yourself up on stage.
