#Chapter 141: Secret Exposed

As soon as I shouted, “Stop!” the music cut out. For the length of a few unsteady heartbeats, silence filled the auditorium. Then one of the judges clicked on her microphone. “Cynthia. Do you intend to start again? We will have to penalize you this time.” “I-I can’t do this,” I said, my voice shaking. The gravity of what I was doing weighed heavily on me. I knew I was giving up on my dream. But for my baby, I had no choice. “I’m sorry.” “Are you saying that you intend to withdraw from this qualifying exam?” the judge asked. I swallowed down the rising lump in my throat. “Yes.” The judge covered her microphone to speak with the other judges. Then she lowered her hand to say, “We require an explanation.” I tried to come up with an excuse, but in my panic, the only thing that I could think of that would make sense was the truth. So I took a nervous breath, and said, “I’m pregnant.” Another bout of quiet fell over the auditorium. All of the cheerleaders knew my secret, but t