"Girl."
Really? James wondered, that can't be what she said.
"Repeat the word, please." He asked the judge.
"Girl," she repeated. Still, it couldn't be. He had to be mishearing her.
"Could you use it in a sentence, please?" he asked.
The judge locked eyes with James, and with a subtle smirk, she said, "This spelling bee could use another girl."
That was a strange sentence, James thought, but there was no chance that he misheard her. Composing himself, he began to spell:
"Girl. G..."
He felt a tingling in his chest as his shirt was pulled taught, as thought he had taken a deep breathe. James felt his heart rate intensify--why was he so nervous over such a simple word?
"...I..."
He could have swore his voice shifted up half an octave. The judge was watching him intently, still sporting a sly grin. It was like she was trying to get the better of him and throw him off his game.
"...R..."
James felt his hair moving down his neck as it lengthened. It must be sweat, he surmised. Keep it together, there's only one more letter.
"...L. Girl." As he finished the word, he reached up and rubbed his right eye. He felt like he had an eyelash caught in it. It disturbed his poise, but technically he couldn't get points deducted because he had finished the word.
"That's correct," the judge replied, looking back at her dictionary. James returned to his seat with a sigh of relief. He made it another round! He continued to shuffle in his seat as he adjusted his tightly-fit shirt, and scratched the back of his head.
Ashley now stood and took her place at the mic...