Derek had told Vijay he would look through his music before tonight—but he just hadn’t had the time!

Now he was at a loss for words. He looked over his collection but didn’t see anything that really excited him. Some of the songs were too slow for break dancing, some weren’t high-powered enough—and some, he’d just plain gotten tired of.

In fact, the whole idea of being in the talent show was beginning to feel tiring. And beyond that, there was something else bothering Derek about it.

He’d told Vijay he was tired, but really, it was more than that. While being in the show had sounded like a fun idea way back in the summer, Derek now found himself getting cold feet. That little seed of doubt Gary had planted in his brain had begun to grow and flower.

Derek had never performed on a stage before—ever. What if he messed up royally? What if the audience laughed at him?

Still, he didn’t want to let Vijay down. Besides, he didn’t want to feel like he was running away.

“Well? What have you got?” Vijay said impatiently, bouncing his knees up and down with pent-up energy. Obviously, he hadn’t been losing sleep over anything like Derek had.

Derek knew his friend must have sensed that something was wrong. Vijay always seemed to know what was in Derek’s heart. He was going to have to be honest—but maybe not just yet… he had to find a way to explain his second thoughts without upsetting Vijay.…

“Derek? Vijay?” It was Derek’s mom, calling up from downstairs. “Time to wrap it up, guys. It’s getting late!”

Saved by the bell, thought Derek. Whew!

Vijay sighed. “So when can we get back to it?” he asked.

“I’ll… let you know tomorrow, okay? I’ve got to see what this week looks like.”

“But—”

“We’ll do it soon, don’t worry,” he assured Vijay. “And I’ll have the song picked by then.”

“Don’t I get a vote?” Vijay protested.

“Of course! But I know you’re going to love it.”

Derek sure hoped so. Because he had no idea what song he was going to pick!

After seeing Vijay out, Derek went back upstairs. It was already late, but he still needed to put in some time going over the test review booklet.

He sat down at his desk and tried to concentrate—but it was too hard. He was dog-tired, and his eyes kept wanting to close.

“Derek?”

His mom, a look of concern in her eyes, was standing in the open doorway. “It’s past ten. You’ve got school tomorrow.”

“I have to study, Mom,” he protested.

“You should have gotten that done earlier,” she countered. “You know studying has to come first.”

“But we had our family picnic!”