Dropping the First Beat

A sudden pulse buzzed through my paper fingers. My hand clenched tight around my microphone, and my cardboard knees bent into a crouch. Right across from me sat that bulky orange-and-brown cutout figure, completely frozen in place. I leaned forward on the polished wood floor, tapped my shoe twice to set an upbeat rhythm, and let out a quick, confident beatbox click. Hearing the sound echo against the white cabinet door made my wide grin widen even more—the stage is officially mine!