In these Bright Lights, can you feel our pain??

     You hear your name called, but you can’t bring yourself to step forward to the microphone. You’ve made it to the top three, but you have trouble understanding why you deserve to be there. Competing has never really been your “thing”; the idea of sacrificing someone else’s happiness for your own personal success is discomforting. But spelling means everything to you. You can’t imagine a time in your life that your mind, thoughts, and actions weren’t encompassed with words and language.

     You realize you’ve been stalling, and it’s your turn to spell. You step up and listen for the word. Axiom. You know the definition (a universally accepted rule or principle) but you ask for it anyways. Spellers almost always ask for the definition; it gives them a chance to think. You think to yourself how this itself is an axiom, and find that correlation amusing. Axiom. A-X-I-U-M. You know that doesn’t sound right. You take a prolonged breath, in, then out, and spell. A-X-I-O-M. Axiom. Through the fuzzy sound system of the auditorium, you hear the words “that is correct” and know you’re safe to sit back down.

     You return to your seat and realize you have time to think. You think about the competition, but it makes your palms sweat, which makes your heart race, so you begin to think about the nerves of the kids around you. The rest of the spellers choked. You and the two kids next to you are the best of the best. This concept is difficult to grasp. You contemplate why you deserve to be in the top three, ahead of them. You envision winning the whole bee, which makes you wonder why the two kids next to you shouldn’t win. The idea that they’ve worked as hard as you have and care just as much as you do makes you nervous. This thought just strengthens your dislike of competition, but you know you’re in too deep to turn back now. You think about how you’re the youngest one there. It’s your turn to spell again.