🎬 Scene: Backstage – Quiet Corner Near the Dressing Rooms

Maddie stands by a mirror, fiddling with a bracelet, her expression a mix of nerves and determination. A faint trickle of dried blood stains her fingers from her recent nosebleed, but she’s brushing it off with a small sigh.

Amie approaches, and Maddie straightens up quickly, trying to look composed.

Maddie: clears throat, voice steady but a little shaky “Hey… I’m okay, really. Just this stupid nosebleed again. Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.”

She smiles, but her fingers twitch a bit—like a glitch in her own rhythm.

Maddie: glancing at Amie “You’re the reason I keep going, you know. Watching you move like that—it’s like you own every step, every fold of space.”

Maddie: pauses, blinking rapidly as if trying to reset herself “Sometimes I think I might… malfunction if I don’t keep up. But then I remember who the lead is.”

She nods firmly, eyes steady now.

Maddie: “And that’s you, Amie. No one else.”