I can’t believe I am sleeping in the White House.” Kara jumped up out of bed. “Four days ago, I was auditioning to star in a TV show, and today I am waking up in the White House. My life is amazing. Can you believe it?”
“I can’t believe you can be that loud this early.” Addy pushed herself up on one elbow.
“But we’re at the White House.” Kara shook Addy. “And Mrs. Jackson is going to give us a grand tour. The First Lady is giving us a tour!” Kara’s voice got louder as she spoke, and Addy grabbed Kara’s hands and pried them off her shoulders.
“Kara, it’s seven thirty. We should still be sleeping.”
“We can sleep later—when we’re not at the White House.”
Addy threw her pillow at her friend and reluctantly walked to the bathroom for a shower.
“I’m at the White House,” Kara belted out. “Three days at the White House. Gonna get a tour of the White House. The White House, the White—”
A knock on the door interrupted her solo. Kara opened it to find Jonathon Jackson, First Son, smiling at her. Beside him stood an incredibly good-looking boy who looked very familiar.
“Chad Beacon?” Kara said, trying to smooth back her long red hair and look somewhat presentable. Chad, at a few inches over six feet tall, tan, muscular, with blond hair and hazel eyes, reminded Kara of the pictures of the Greek gods she had seen.
Jonathon smiled. “We were afraid you’d be sleeping, but we heard the singing, and . . .”
Kara’s face burned. “You heard the singing?”
Chad spoke up. “Yes. Very nice. Did you make that up yourself?”
Greek god stands outside my door and what does he hear? Me singing the White House song. Kill me now.
“Let me shut the door so I can die of embarrassment in private, okay?” Kara hid behind the bedroom door.
The boys laughed and pushed the door open.
“We won’t stay long,” Jonathon said, his brown eyes scanning the room for Addy. “I forgot to mention Chad was coming in today.”
“Forgot, huh?” Chad laughed again. “You’ve got him so wrapped around your finger, he can’t even think straight.”
Now it was Jonathon’s turn to have a red face. He ran a hand through his light brown hair. “Chad, this is Kara, Addy’s friend. And, Kara, that does not go further than us, all right? ”
“Jonathon.” Kara put her hands on her hips. “That girl is as crazy about you as you are about her. I don’t know why you guys are acting all shy about it.”
“We’re waiting on God’s timing,” Jonathon said.
“You are?” Chad wrapped a muscular arm around his friend’s shoulder. “You didn’t tell me that. That’s awesome.”
“And how can you not know who Addy is?” Jonathon pulled himself away from Chad’s arm. “Didn’t you watch the show?”
“You know my parents don’t let me watch much TV.” Chad shrugged.
“Not even my show?” Jonathon asked.
“Nope. When I wasn’t doing a concert, I was working on my science project. I built a telescope and charted the stars.”
“Wow,” Kara said. “I want to go to your school.”
“He’s homeschooled,” Jonathon said. “And we all want to go there. Right now, he’s on a field trip. For a month.”
“During the summer?” Kara asked.
“My parents own an orange grove, so we take our big break at harvesttime, November through January. The summer is the middle of my school year.”
“Oh yeah. I remember you talking about that on America’s Next Star.”
“You watched it?”
“I voted for you,” Kara said. “A lot. I’m pretty sure I’m the reason you won.”
Chad laughed. “Well, thanks then.”
Addy came out of the bathroom, a towel on her head and a White House robe wrapped around her thin frame.
“Jonathon!” Addy pulled her robe closed at the top.
“I’m sorry, Addy,” Jonathon said. “I was just introducing Chad to Kara.”
“Chad Beacon.” Kara pointed to the handsome boy standing at her door. “He won America’s Next Star the year before last. Not that you’d know. Addy watches about as much TV as you do, Chad.”
Addy stuck her hand out. “Nice to meet you. And excuse my friend.”
“Nice to meet you too. And you, Kara.” Chad put his hand in Kara’s and she thought her heart would explode.
“Yes, nice to meet you too . . . Chad. Nice to meet you, Chad.”
Jonathon winked at Addy. “We were on our way to work out. How about if we meet in the living room at nine? Mom’s on a pretty tight schedule.”
Kara leaned against the door frame and looked at Chad. “Nine o’clock, sure. We’ll be in the . . . the living room. Right. At nine.”
The door shut and Addy burst out laughing. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you tongue-tied. You think he’s cute.”
“Me and every other teenage girl in the world.” Kara sighed, looking at her hand. The hand Chad Beacon touched just moments before. “Why do you think those two boys are such good friends?”
“They have a lot in common. Jonathon told me they met last year and hit it off. They do a lot of things together—”
“Wrong,” Kara said. “They are friends because they are both beautiful specimens of maledom.”
“Beautiful specimens of maledom?”
“That’s right. And there are very few of those species in existence presently, so they need to stick together in order to survive.”
“Or they could just be friends who have a lot in common.” Addy rubbed her wet hair with the towel.
“I have less than an hour to get myself presentable enough to spend a day with Chad Beacon.”
“What about me?” Addy asked, hands on her hips.
“No offense, Addy”—Kara grinned—“but Chad is way prettier than you are.”
Kara ran to the bathroom before the tip of Addy’s towel could reach her behind.