#Chapter 169: Burst Bubble

Abby The sun is barely up when I begin to stir, but I can’t sleep any longer. Today is the day. My second chance. My redemption. I stretch, feeling a blend of excitement and nerves course through my body. My second chance with the judges, a redemption—or another fail, depending on how things go. I’m hoping for the former. But despite everything, my heart dips as I roll over and check my phone. No new messages; I guess, in my own naive sort of way, I thought that Karl would have answered my voicemail with at least a “good luck” text, but he hasn’t. Maybe my fears weren’t unfounded. Maybe he really doesn’t want to hear from me. Either way, there’s no time to wallow over it, no matter how much it pains me. I’ve got a restaurant to run, meals to cook, and judges to impress. Leah waits for me downstairs. We fall into step alongside each other on our way to our respective workplaces, coffees in hand. “Someone looks like she’s ready to conquer the world,” she says, a smile p