“You got that right!” Derek said with a laugh. He couldn’t stand not knowing whether he’d made the cut for the next round of tryouts. Not when the list was already posted on the bulletin board at the Y!

He didn’t want to hear it from Dave over the phone. Derek knew that Chase would have driven him over there straight from school. If he stayed home, the phone would ring any minute, and it would be Dave, who would give him the news secondhand.

Besides, Derek wanted to know who else had made it through the first round. That would tell him who his competition was in the next round—if he got that far.

Although he liked dancing and was good at it, dance class would never have been Derek’s thing. Plus, this was something called “jazz dance.” Derek had no idea what that even meant—he guessed he’d find out now, sitting there watching Sharlee and the other kids.

At any rate, it would please Sharlee that he was coming to one of her activities. “I’ll go get my book,” he told his dad.

“Are you going to come to my recital next month?” Sharlee asked on the drive, her eyes wide with hope.

“Of course!” Derek assured her. “Would I miss something that fantastic?”

“It will be!” Sharlee said. “You can sit in the front row, because I have a big solo!”

“Wow!” said Derek. “That’s so cool, Sharlee! Hey—don’t you ever get scared, getting up and performing in front of people?”

“No,” Sharlee said matter-of-factly. “Why would I do that?”

Derek laughed and shook his head. He tried to remember if he’d been that sure of himself back when he was her age.

At any rate, it was pretty inspiring. If Sharlee could shake off any doubts about herself and her abilities, he figured he ought to be able to do the same.

“Well, I can’t wait to see you up there, kickin’ it,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

Dancing was only one of Sharlee’s many dreams—she wanted to be a soccer player, a black belt in karate, and a thousand other things. But Derek knew that she cared just as much about each of her dreams as he did about his. And that family and friends helped each other’s dreams come true.

No sooner had they gotten to the Y than Derek took off at a run. “See you in class!” he told his dad and sister. He couldn’t wait any longer, running at full speed until he made it to the bulletin board.

There was the notice.

Derek’s heart was pounding—more from suspense than from running in from the parking lot.

There was his name! He’d made the cut!

“YESSS!” he cried out—then put his hand over his mouth, realizing that he was standing in a crowded lobby.