None of the newsies have ever heard you sing before. Not a single one. But that's about to change. You are about to make your vaudeville debut, and Medda invited the entire Lodging House to support you backstage. You almost wish she hadn't. It's one thing to mess up in front of strangers. It's a completely different one to mess up in front of your friends.
You take a deep breath and force yourself to smile into the mirror. No more of these negative thoughts. They're not doing you any good. Your (fav/c) costume dress shimmers and looks most becoming on you, despite being a little too long and having to be pinned in the back. You adjust your matching hat on your (h/c) hair and take a deep breath. You feel ready. But upon coming out of your dressing room, you overhear something you wish you could un-hear.
"Is she really that good, Medda?" Jack asks his friend. It takes a moment for it to register with you. He doesn't think you'll do well. It feels like he has stabbed you in the heart.
"Jack Kelly!" Medda exclaims. "Have some confidence in (y/n)! She's got real talent!
Drawing off of Medda's belief in you, you approach her and ask, "Is it almost time for me to go on, Miss Medda?"
"Sure is sweetie! Here comes the stage manager now to get you. Break a leg, (y/n)!" she encourages as she gives you a big hug.
As you walk out to the stage, many newsies wish you luck and try to encourage you in their own ways. Singing for an audience has been a dream of yours for as long as you can remember. Meeting Medda has given you that chance.
The night you met Medda, you were huddled under the stage door awning to escape the downpour, ear pressed to the door, straining to hear any bit of music that might come through. The door opened, and you fell through, right into Medda. She had taken you in, had given you a place to stay and other necessities in exchange for help at her theater. You had met Jack Kelly, the artist who painted some of Medda's backdrops. You two had become fast friends, and soon you were a regular visitor at the Lodging House.
You now enter the stage as you're introduced. You sing your song with all the energy and excitement you can muster. Breathless, you start to cry happy tears as you receive a standing ovation.
Backstage, you wind your way through the ecstatic newsies. Not watching where you're going, you run smack into Jack.
"That was amazing!" Jack exclaims when he realizes that it's you. "Truly, I didn't know what ta expect, since I neva' heard ya sing before, but that was really spectacular!"
"Thanks, Jack," you smile, forgiving his earlier words. You drink in the moment. This is truly a dream come true.