I was so upset about my poor performance during practice, that Nicole, noticing my deep frown, insisted I go out with her and Aimee afterwards. Which was how I found myself at my favorite café, sipping on lemonade at our usual table.
“Everyone has bad days,” Nicole said. “No one is perfect at every routine all the time.”
“It couldn’t have been that bad,” Aimee said. “You are being too hard on yourself.”
“It was that bad,” I admitted. I was grateful that they were trying to cheer me up, but there was no need to sugarcoat what had happened. Not with the qualifying exams fast approaching. “Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it at all.”
Nicole and Aimee shared a look.
“This isn’t like you,” Aimee said. “Usually nothing can hold you down.”
“Yeah, well. Some things are out of my
