Chapter 6: The Back Row Anchor

When Lily subsequently struggled through her very first high-stakes public speaking presentation in the eighth-grade auditorium, her palms slick with nervous sweat and her knees knocking audibly against the wooden podium, she looked past the sea of staring classmates straight to the back row. There was James, sitting comfortably with his arms over his chest, nodding with such fierce, unconditional encouragement that her trembling voice instantly steadied. He did not care about the awkwardness of the assigned topic or the muffled giggles from the front rows; his only concern was ensuring she knew she was not alone standing up there under the harsh fluorescent lights.