falling | wyatt oleff [ ON HOLD ]

27 | reality

WHILE WAITING, I fidget with my stress ball and lightly shake my leg. As time passes by, the more nervous I get. My phone from my pocket vibrates and I flinch in surprise, only to find Wyatt's name popping up on my screen.

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IMESSAGE

noodleff😋
get those jitters out of your system mimi! you're going to do great :)

mimi!
haha i'm trying
but ty wyatt you're so sweet❤❤

noodleff😋
💘

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Someone taps me on the shoulder and once again, I flinch. I turn around to find one of the backstage workers.

"Sorry I scared you there," he apologizes, "but you're up in 5. I'm here to set up your microphone and then I'll lead you to the entrance of the stage."

I smile, shaking my head. "It's fine, really. I'm just a bit anxious."

"Don't worry, once you're up there, a rush of adrenaline will kick in and you won't feel scared anymore. Now let's put that microphone on, yeah?"

I nod my head and he attaches the cord to my back and the collar of my top. He leads me backstage and instructs me to stay there. My foot softly taps the floor, waiting in anticipation to enter. Just then, music starts to play and I can bear Ellen talking about me.

"A video of a girl attempting to do a backflip has gone viral for weeks, thanks to star of Stephen King's IT, Sophia Lillis. The short clip soon turned into many versions of memes, and a user created the hashtag, #faceplantchallenge. The girl turns out to be her very own cousin. Will she flip out again when she comes on stage? Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Michelle Lillis!"

"Okay, it's time for you to go," The man whispers, tapping my shoulder.

I take a deep breath in, exhaled, and walk on stage, taken aback by the big audience and the loud cheering and clapping. I can see Sophia and her family at the front row, and I wave to them.

I walk towards Ellen and get greeted in a quick hug. I take a seat across from her and I scan the whole room again, looking at the big crowd in front of me. Just the thought that even more people are watching behind their television screen made my heartbeat faster.

"Sure is a lot of people, yeah?" Ellen chuckles.

"Huh?" I blink out of my daze, "Y-yeah, haha. Sorry, I just still can't believe I'm here."

"All because of your beloved cousin." She smiles. I look at Sophia and she winks at me.

"Before we continue, let's watch the video." I look at the screen behind us and painfully watch the 3-second video. Laughter erupts and people applaud. I turn around, a deep blush forming on my face.

"So, Michelle," Ellen starts, then stopping for a few seconds. "What the heck happened?"

The audience chuckle and I shake my head while shrugging. "I don't know, really. I used to do gymnastics but I quit a few years ago, but I can still do a few tricks. We were at a really pretty beach, so I wanted Sophia to take a video so I can post it on my Instagram account, but I obviously messed up. I was too embarrassed to do another try because so many people already saw my fail, so I told her to delete it." I look at Sophia, "And I guess she didn't."