Starring Me

by Krista McGee

  “I thought that was Shakespeare.”

  “William was, of course, quite good,” Flora said. “But no one can compare to Jane Austen.”

  “It’s all manners and balls and, ‘Oh, Miss Bennet, I daresay you have such fine eyes.’”

  Flora stopped and stood on her tiptoes, making her eyes reach Chad’s shoulders rather than his chest. “There is no such line in the book. And if you persist in mocking Jane Austen, I’ll make you read Persuasion next.”

  Chad laughed and patted Flora on the head. “Not that, please. Anything but more Jane Austen.”

  Flora turned to say something else but tripped over a root and fell to the ground. Her tie-dyed jumper bunched up around her knees, revealing socks with yellow smiley faces.

  Chad put his hand out to help her up. “Nice socks.” He smiled.

  “I know.” Flora fluffed her orange hair and wiped the dirt off her socks. “I’ve named the faces, you know. Poor Geoffrey Chaucer has a stain right by his right eye. We’ll have to fix that up. Emily Dickinson is fine, though. So is Walt Whitman.”

  “How about Jane Austen?”

  “Jane Austen?” Flora stood and put her hands on her hips. “I would never name one of my sock faces Jane Austen. That would be crazy.”

  Chad looked up at his house. Modeled after the turn-of-the-century Florida estates, it was a sprawling two-story wood home with a wraparound porch. The house was painted white—every year. That was one of Chad’s chores. Flora always worked with him, giving each of the two dozen shutters a new coat of red paint. The front door was painted red also, and the porch housed two large swings, rockers, and hanging plants.

  The red door opened and Mom came out, wiping her hands on her apron.

  “All finished with your pottery, Mom?”

  “Almost,” she answered with a smile. “I just need you to load it into the kiln for me.”

  “You got it.”

  “Then it’s time for US history,” Mom said.

  “Where’s Dad?”

  “On his way. He said to read the next chapter in your textbook and be ready for a quiz.”

  Flora released Chad’s arm. “And after that, Maria, I think he needs a little more time with literature. He said some shocking things about my Jane just now.”

  Mom laughed. “Chad, you know better than to speak disrespectfully against the great Jane Austen.”

  “Thank you,” Flora said. “And we’re just about to find out something scandalous concerning Wickham and Lydia. But that’s all I’m going to say. You’re just going to have to keep reading to find out what it is.”

  “I can hardly wait,” Chad sighed.

  “I know.” Flora clapped her hands. “No matter how many times I read Jane, I always experience a thrill. That’s what makes her the best.”

  “Flora.” His mother stopped her assistant before she walked into the house. “I got a call from the executives this morning. They plan to have the top ten girls for Chad’s show chosen in the next couple weeks. Would you be ready to be ‘housemother’ on July first?”

  “Of course. I have been praying every day that God will show me just the right girl. In fact, I believe he’s going to show me the one the very first day. I’m praying for a sign, like a spotlight on the right girl, showing me who she is. We won’t even need a whole month.”

  “I appreciate that, Flora,” Mom said. “But it takes more than one day to know a girl’s character.”

  “Perhaps,” Flora said. “But it doesn’t take long to see her true heart.”

  “As long as you’re ready. A houseful of teenage girls will be quite a challenge.”

  Flora smiled. “I am already reading up on teenage girls and their habits. I am even watching some of their shows so I can understand their language. I will be beast.”

  Chad laughed.

  “That means ‘really great,’” Flora said. “It’s being used as an adjective now. Which is quite humorous since that word has only been used as a noun since its first appearance in Middle English almost a thousand years ago.”

  “Those girls are going to be in for a shock,” Chad said as Flora walked into the house.

  Mom smiled. “Yes, but we both know Flora is an excellent judge of character.”

  “True.” Chad nodded. “She knew right away that roofing contractor last year was a scam artist.”

  “I just wish we’d listened to her then,” Mom said. “This time, we will. She’ll be able to spot the good girls from the fakes.”

  “I just hope the girl she chooses is fun. And pretty.”

  “And a Christian.” Mom patted Chad’s back.

  “Of course, Mom.” Chad smiled. “That goes without saying. But a pretty, fun Christian. Who, preferably, does not want to sit around discussing Jane Austen.”

  “We’ll see, honey. Now go down to my studio and put my pottery in the kiln.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Chad kissed his mother’s cheek and jogged inside, still thinking about his costar.

  Chapter 6

  Where do we go next?” Addy looked at the subway map, trying to decipher the myriad colors and lines.

  Kara snatched the map away from her friend. “Addy, just follow me. I know where we’re going.”

  Ten minutes later, the girls came aboveground.

  “You know where you’re going?” Addy looked down the dirty street lined with shops advertising items Kara knew Addy’s uncle wouldn’t want her seeing.

  “I thought I did.” Kara put her hand to her nose to avoid breathing in the foul stench of the neighboring sewer. “The auditions are on Fifty-Third and Seventh. We should be right there.”

  Addy looked up at a street sign. “That says Eleventh Avenue, Kara.”

  “Great.” Kara smiled. “So we’re close.”

  Addy groaned, and the two made their way down Fifty-Third Street.

  “Aren’t you worried we’ll be late?” Addy asked. “The auditions start at ten o’clock. It’s nine thirty. We won’t make it.”

  “Sure we will.” Kara pulled Addy into a faster walk.

  “Hey, long legs,” Addy groaned, “I can’t walk as fast as you. Slow down.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t want me to be late.”

  “Why don’t we just hail a cab?” Addy said.

  “For four blocks? We’d look like tourists.”

  “I am a tourist.”

  “Well, I’m not.” Kara stepped over a huge crack in the sidewalk. “Now, let’s go.”

  “Maybe you should have let your mom come.”

  “No way. She hated the last auditions. Besides, this is why you came to New York, Addy. To be my good luck charm.”

  Two women stopped Addy and Kara before they could cross the street. “You two are from The Book of Love, aren’t you?”

  Kara beamed. “Yes, we are. I’m Kara.”

  “Could we have your autograph? My daughter just loved that show. I’m sorry you didn’t win.”

  Kara signed the woman’s Playbill from a Broadway show. “We may not have won the show, but my friend Addy here won the boy.”

  “Really?” The second woman leaned in. “Are you two an item? What about Lila? Did he dump her after he took her to prom?”

  Addy didn’t speak so Kara jumped in. “We don’t kiss and tell, ladies . . . Oops, I guess we just did. Gotta run now.”

  “Kara,” Addy said once the two crossed Ninth Street. “Why did you say that? I’m so embarrassed.”

  “They are going to tell that story to everyone they know. We just made their day.”

  “But you said I kissed Jonathon.”

  “No, I said we don’t kiss and tell,” Kara said.

  “Implying that there was kissing to tell about.”

  “Addy, relax. So what if people think you kissed him. What’s wrong with that?”

  “But I didn’t.”

  “You want to.” Kara smiled.

  “Kara McKormick.” Addy walked faster, forcing Kara to lengthen her stride. “I s
hould just leave you to go into those auditions by yourself.”

  “Right.” Kara laughed. “And how do you think you’d get yourself home?”

  “You brought me all the way out here to hold me hostage?” Addy laughed.

  “Hey, I can’t help it if you have a bad sense of direction.”

  “Hey, what ‘New York City expert’ got us lost?”

  “Who’s lost?” Kara pointed to a building the next street over. “The Holt. And we’ve even got three minutes to spare.”

  Addy shoved Kara with her shoulder. “That was just dumb luck.”

  “I thought you didn’t believe in luck.” Kara pushed Addy back. “And who are you calling dumb?”

  Addy stepped off the curb just as a car was speeding through the red light, heading right toward the spot where Addy was standing. Kara grabbed Addy’s arm and pulled as hard as she could. Addy fell backward, crying out in pain and pulling her legs back just as the car sped past. The driver stuck a fist out the window and yelled something.

  “Addy, are you all right?” Kara bent down. “Can you stand?”

  “I don’t know.” Addy’s face was white, and Kara worried she was going to pass out.

  “Deep breath.” Kara looked up and saw a crowd had gathered.

  “I got his license plate numba,” a woman with big hair and bright red lips said. “You wants to sue him, I’ll testify for ya. He was a maniac. And then he yells at you for crossing the road when you had the green light.”

  “No, no.” Addy pushed herself up. “I’m fine, really.” Kara knew from the grimace on Addy’s face that she was not fine. But Addy hated for people to feel sorry for her.

  “Give her some space, folks.” Kara shooed the crowd away with her hands. “Let me help you up.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Addy.” Kara grabbed her friend’s hands. “I am going to help you up, all right?”

  Addy sighed and stood slowly. “Are my pants ripped? ”

  Kara turned Addy around. “No, just some dirt. And you got a piece of asphalt in your hair.” She pulled the gravel out of Addy’s long brown hair. “You sure you’re okay? I pulled you pretty hard.”

  “You are surprisingly strong for someone so thin.” Addy gave a half smile.

  “And you’re even lighter than you look.” Relief flooded through Kara when she saw Addy’s smile. “I thought I was going to fling you up into the air.”

  “I wish you had.” Addy rubbed her bottom. “I’m going to have one nasty bruise.”

  “Sorry.” Kara patted Addy’s shoulder. “Next time I’ll just pick you up.”

  “Next time?” Addy’s eyes widened. “I’m triple checking before I cross the street from now on.”

  “Smart girl.”

  “We better go.” Addy looked at her phone. “One minute until auditions.”

  The girls were still talking about the near accident when they entered the building, but they were quickly silenced. Kara’s last experience—a noisy soundstage full of girls—was the exact opposite of this. The carpet in the century-old building was plush and red, the furniture was very high end—mahogany wood and chocolate brown, butter-soft leather. A receptionist sat behind a formidable desk and eyed the young women with an unhappy glare. No one else was around.

  “May I help you?” the receptionist asked.

  “Yes, I’m here for auditions,” Kara said.

  “Speak up, please.” The receptionist drummed her fingers on the desk.

  “I’m here for the auditions.” Kara stepped closer to the woman. “The auditions for the Teens Rock show.”

  “And what is your name?”

  “Kara McKormick. Kara with a K.”

  “And who are you here with?” The receptionist looked at Addy and frowned.

  “M-my friend Addy.”

  “Where is your agent?” The woman took her time gazing down the list of names on the sheet in front of her.

  “I don’t have one.”

  After highlighting Kara’s name, the receptionist looked up. “All the other girls have agents.”

  “Good.” Kara stood up straighter, refusing to let this woman intimidate her. “Then I’ll stand out.”

  “You certainly will.” The receptionist gave Kara the slightest of smiles. “Go through the door to your left and find a seat in the waiting room. When your name is called, give these to Ashley.” The woman gave Kara a clipboard with several sheets of paper. Before handing them over, she marked the top with a small star.

  “Did you see that?” Kara asked as she and Addy sat in the waiting room. “She put a star on my paper. I think that means she liked me.”

  “She was awful.” Addy shook her head.

  “I think she’s supposed to be.” Kara looked at the other girls’ clipboards. “I don’t see any other stars.”

  “I don’t see any other friends,” Addy said. “I feel so out of place.”

  Kara glanced around the cramped room. Beautiful teenage girls sat next to equally beautiful women and men, all of whom seemed to be coaching their protégés. “You’re right.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No, I don’t mean that you’re out of place.” Kara placed a hand on Addy’s knee. “But I do wish I had an agent. I’m the only one here without one.”

  The door to the inner room opened and a petite Asian woman walked out. “Good morning, girls. My name is Ashley Win, and my company is casting the show you are auditioning for. First, let me congratulate you on making it this far. Almost five hundred girls auditioned here in New York. We narrowed our pool down to fifty. We have had similar auditions in Los Angeles and Chicago. Those have been completed. This is our final callback audition. We will choose ten girls from the three audition locations, and those ten will be sent to Orlando.”

  Several of the girls clapped, but Ashley Win silenced them with a glare.

  “Once in Orlando, the auditions will be taped. You’ll live with the other girls in a house outside of the city, and you’ll have cold readings, perform in front of a live audience, and more. It will be a busy month.”

  Kara grabbed Addy’s arm and squeezed so tightly Addy screamed. Ashley Win shot Addy a death glare before continuing. “Today we’ll give you a script just ten minutes before your audition. If we like you, we’ll ask you to stay. If we don’t like what we see, you’ll be sent home. No second chances. So be prepared to give the audition of your life. Got it?”

  The girls, too afraid of the tiny woman to speak, simply nodded.

  “Excellent.” Ashley looked at her clipboard. “Chelsea Stockton and Elise Hart? You’re up first. Give me your papers, take your scripts, and be ready to perform in ten minutes.”

  Chelsea and Elise jumped up from their seats and did as they were told, exiting with their agents to rehearse the scene.

  “This is so scary,” Addy said.

  “But amazing,” Kara sang. “This is it, Addy. My dream. It’s so close I can almost taste it!”

  The girl next to Addy spoke to her agent, loud enough for Kara and Addy to hear. “So only ten are chosen out of all the auditions?”

  “Yes, Deb,” the agent said. “But I know Ashley. We go way back. And believe me, in this business, it’s all about who you know.”

  “Good.” Deb threw a smug glance in Kara’s direction.

  Kara felt like she had been punched. I’m never going to make the top ten. All I have is a few weeks on a reality TV show. These girls have training and help and “connections.” Kara tried to breathe deeply, but she couldn’t suck enough oxygen into her lungs.

  “Kara, you okay?”

  “Sure. Just auditioning for the role of a lifetime with little to no chance of getting picked. No biggie.”

  “Take a deep breath,” Addy instructed. Kara obeyed. “Let’s think about something else.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe we could play a game.”

  “Seriously? A game?”

  “I just downloaded this great wo
rd game on my phone.”

  “Only you would think a word game would be fun.” Kara rolled her eyes.

  “Come on, it would give you something to think about other than the auditions.”

  At the word auditions, Kara’s tongue felt like it swelled up in her mouth.

  “Okay. Mind off of the you-know-whats.”

  After forty-five excruciating minutes playing Addy’s word game, Kara’s name was finally called. She was paired with Deb, whose agent pulled her into a huddle as soon as they received the script.

  “Don’t you want to practice?” Kara called.

  “She is, my dear.” The agent glared at Kara. “With me.”

  Kara looked at Addy. “She wants to make me look bad. That is ridiculous. We’d get a lot further if we worked together.”

  “It’s all right. I’ll help.”

  “I’m just so nervous,” Kara said as they walked outside. “They’ve hardly called anyone back. All these girls keep leaving, crying.”

  “Or having their agents yell at the receptionist.”

  “True. What makes me think I can compete? What am I doing here?”

  “Kara, take a deep breath. Focus on the audition. You only have ten minutes. Spend them rehearsing.”

  “You’re right. Okay. Let’s go.”

  Kara read over the script quickly. “This is cute.” She laughed, having finished reading. “I’m the fan, though. That part is tougher.”

  “Why?” Addy took the script to look it over.

  “Not as much fun as the other part.” Kara tried to think of a creative way to play a less-than-thrilling role. “I wonder if Deb’s agent got her the cheerleader part because of her ‘connections’?”

  “Stop worrying and practice.” Addy shook her finger at Kara.

  “You’re right. I need to be fairly serious. Normal. Deb’s character is the one that’s crazy.” Kara stopped pacing and looked at Addy. “And no matter what Deb does, I’ll be serious. That’ll show the directors that I won’t break character, no matter what happens.”

  “What could happen?”

  “I bet you anything Deb’s agent is in there with her right now, telling her tons of ways she can be ridiculous in this scene and make me laugh. I’m sure that’s why she didn’t want to practice with me.”