Ivy Green stood before the mirror, taking several deep breaths. She patted her cheeks gently. "You can do this, you can do this." She tried to pep herself up, but the more she did, the more nervous she became. Her hands grew colder and colder, her fingertips icy as icicles.
"Why are you being such a coward!" Ivy scolded herself, frustrated at her own inadequacy. She rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them, but it didn't seem to help much.
She took a few more deep breaths, but her heartbeat only raced faster.
Ivy consoled herself inwardly: "It must be because we just attended the awards ceremony today—I'm just too excited. It's definitely not because I'm afraid I'm not skilled enough."
To ease her anxiety, she began undoing her hair in front of the mirror. That way, when Kate asked why she'd been in the bathroom so long, she'd have a reasonable explanation.
"I'm such a clever girl," Ivy didn't forget to praise herself even now.
