Fear and nerves overwhelm Jamie as he gets onto the stage in New York. Looking into the crowd, Jamie sees Uncle Frankie and the other coworkers at the diner, and he also sees his friends, Mr. Burdzecki, his teacher, his principal, the Smileys, and hundreds of other people. Having never performed in front of such a large crowd before, Jamie admits, “I petrified” (225).

As Jamie waits for his turn on stage, which will be last, he talks to the other contestants and finds that most of them have more experience and training than he does. One girl, Judy, even claims to be working with Disney. A boy named Shecky, who is dressed in a plaid suit with combed-down hair, comes up to Jamie and starts telling jokes about people in wheelchairs. Jamie feels trapped and tolerates the affront, and when the boy tells Jamie that he will lose and will not garner any sympathy for being in a wheelchair, Jamie doesn’t reply.

Shecky continues to mock Jamie and then moves on to his new friend, Judy. Through the veil of humor, Shecky calls Judy untalented, stupid, and ugly. The other kids watch him in disgust.