She stood in front of the class. Her notes were on the podium within reach, but they seemed a million miles away and out of focus. The entire class was looking at her; she felt every eye and knew there was judgement by them all. This speech was a big part of her grade and she was frozen with anxiety. She remembered what her teacher had said and took a deep breathe and centered on the wall in back instead of a person. She cleared her throat, glanced at her notes briefly and began her speech on the American Revolution.
(100 words)
Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – speech