A quick little hack. Next time you’re wondering if something should be cut or not, read it with and without and listen for what sounds better. Here’s an example, my character was watching his friend, Dave, approach the best basketball player in the country, Tony.

Originally —

Dave cooly sat down. “What’s up?” he said. In my panicked state I couldn’t help but think and then quickly dismiss how Dave looked completely at ease.
The whites of Tony’s eyes flicked up at him.

Edited —

Dave cooly sat down. “What’s up?” he said.
The whites of Tony’s eyes flicked up at him. Beads of heat formed on my palm.

When cut, it reads much more emotional and alarming and like they walked into a dangerous situation. And that’s the writing process in a nutshell: get an overabundance of words and thoughts onto the page, then hack away until you arrive at emotional writing.