"You were awful to me, Dion," I began reciting the first line of the monologue.
I stood right in front of the camera while the judges watched my performance through a monitor, allowing them to observe even the smallest changes in my expression.
Somewhere in the background, I faintly heard someone whisper that I looked completely different once I started acting, as if the girl they saw on the screen and the cheerful woman from earlier were two completely different people.
For my first take, I chose to show sadness because I've always preferred to cry first and save the anger for last.
Since Mia was the kind of girl who had a heart as soft as silk, I had to make sure I could deliver that fragility through my voice, making her sound vulnerable, but not the kind of vulnerability that frustrates people.
