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He pauses, and in that moment, my heart feels like it’s about to collapse. Bora’s definitely not going to vote for me, so without Gary’s vote, I’m doomed. I close my eyes, praying to whoever’s out there that he’ll vote for me.

“Gah,” Gary says, sitting back in his seat. He waves at Davey. “Come back to me. I still need some time to process.”

When it’s her turn, Bora doesn’t even look at me. “Melinda, you were fantastic. You are truly talented.”

She then, of course, votes without hesitation for Melinda. My heartbeat grows louder and louder, and my ears are ringing by the time Gary picks up his mic again.

“Okay,” he says. “I think I’ve made my decision.”

“The anticipation is killing us!” Davey exclaims, and the audience roars in agreement. “Who will Gary vote for? Melinda or Skye?”

I know Davey’s only amping up the suspense because that’s his job, but at this moment, I want to hit him. As even more seconds pass, my legs start shaking, and I feel like I’m aboutto collapse onto the ground.

“Melinda,” Gary says.

My stomach drops.

“I am so proud of you. You’ve come so far.”

Melinda smiles.

But then Gary turns to look at me.

“But Skye, you were the superior singer tonight. I don’t think I can ever listen to the original song again without thinking of your version of it.”

Cheers erupt from the audience. Melinda starts screaming angrily, and she rushes forward like she’s about to attack me. Luckily, Davey steps in between us and holds up my arm.

“Congratulations, Skye!” he says. “You are the fourth member of the final five.”

He then turns to the cameras and says, “Remember: the final performance will be broadcast live and you—yes, you—will have the chance to vote for your favorite competitor to winYou’re My Shining Star! December fifth, six p.m. PST, and December sixth, eleven a.m. KST, right here on SBC. Please tune in to vote for your fave!”

We’re then escorted offstage, with Melinda cursing at me the entire time. But I don’t care, because at that moment, I spot Henry waiting for me backstage.

“You did it!” he says. “You knocked Melinda out of this competition.”

My heart’s still pounding from the judges’ evaluations, and the huge smile on Henry’s face only makes it beat faster. BeforeI realize what’s happening, he wraps his arms around me in a big hug that makes me melt.

The cameras are all around us, but in this moment, I couldn’t care less.

“Yeah,” I reply. “Congrats, she’s gone.”

He laughs. “I’m the one who should be congratulating you. I’m so proud of you.”

“All dancers should remain in the green room!” the stage manager yells then, with a pointed look at Henry.

He lets go of me and says, “Hey, listen. Let’s hang out soon. I’ll text you, okay? There’s somewhere I really want to take you.”

“Okay,” I reply, trying to keep it cool despite the blush burning on my face. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Henry gives me his genuine lopsided grin before leaving backstage.

Chapter Thirty-One

COMPARED TO HOW JAM-PACKED THE LASTmonth was, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving break crawl on by. In my new moments of free time, I find myself checking social media. Before, I occasionally saw a post or tweet because my school friends linked me to them. But this is the first time since the premiere that I let myself fully immerse in Twitter and Instagram.

When Clarissa learns I’ve lifted my self-imposed social media ban, she shows me the #QueenSkyeFanClub hashtag, with which so many other plus-size girls from all over the world have posted personal messages about howIinspire them. I really want to reply to everyone and tell them how much they mean to me, but Rebecca stops me.

“It’s better not to engage,” she warns. “They’re not your friends. At best, they’re fans. And fans can turn nasty at any second.”