concert.
Kara sighed. All she really wanted to do was lose herself in the dream of Johnny and her sharing the spotlight, singing before a crowd, basking in their love—
Shouts and screams broke her thoughts. Hundreds of kids were suddenly pouring out the front door of the school.
What now? Kara thought as she followed and bolted from the building.
Suddenly, everyone turned to look at her. Silence fell as the crowd parted like a sea to reveal a long black limo parked by the curb. Johnny leaned on the car’s trunk, grinning as the horde of fans flocked around him.
Laughing, he signed notebooks, articles of clothing, even one kid’s arm. Then he looked right at Kara.
“Good luck with the contest, everyone. We’ll be seeing you all at the show tomorrow.” He raised a fist into the air. “Ravenswood!”
“Johnny!” the crown yelled back. “Johnny!”
“Let’s hear it for the other star of this concert. The one responsible for the entire show,” Johnny said, holding out his hand in Kara’s direction. Kara walked through the crowd in a daze.
Johnny opened the rear door for Kara to climb in. “Your coach awaits, princess. Where to?”
“Home is cool.”
He hopped to the other side, and in seconds they were off.
Kara was startled by the cheers and cries from behind them, and shocked when she looked back at the expressions on the faces of so many kids; they were calling Kara’s name just as often as Johnny’s. Many looked at her with the same awe they had reserved for the singer.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Adriane yelling something. Ooo, she must be so jealous! Smiling to herself, Kara turned and settled back in her seat.
“You know, anyone who tells you it isn’t fun being a star is either lying or crazy.” Johnny smiled as they drove on, heading toward a scenic road that skirted the woods and fields surrounding Stonehill.
Kara nodded. For a moment, she had been the one so many people were looking at with adoration...
“But I’m not a star, I mean, like you are,” she said self-consciously.
“Don’t be so modest,” he said. “You put this whole show together. Everyone in this town knows you’re special.”
That pretty much was true, Kara thought. Not to brag, but the facts spoke for themselves. She'd been the most popular girl in school even before all this stuff with the concert started.
“The way I figure it, sometimes that light’s already there, inside a person,” Johnny mused.
“What light?” Kara asked.
“The light that makes someone shine like a star. The only difference between the people who make it and those who don’t is doing whatever it takes to make the whole world see that light.”
Kara raised her chin and tossed back her golden hair. “I want to make the whole world see what I’m about.”
“There you go,” Johnny said, his voice once again sounding like music, a perfect, enchanting song that made her feel better about everything. She felt more confident than she had in days. She had done the right thing taking the horn. She knew that now.
Johnny continued, “You’ve got to play to win. And why take the long road around if someone’s pointing out a shortcut?”
Thinking about the karaoke contest, Kara couldn’t have agreed more.
Cool as it was listening to him, being with him, Kara had something more urgent to do. She had to practice for the audition! Luckily, Johnny had to get back to Ravenswood for a round of interviews. She asked to be dropped off near the orchard. She could walk from there.
Johnny signaled to the driver and the limo stopped by the side of the road.
Kara smiled as she hopped out of the car. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Anytime,” Johnny said, rummaging in a bag. “Wait… Here, take this.”
He placed a small locket on a slim gold chain in Kara’s hands.
“I was given this before my first big show. It brought me luck.” He shrugged. “Now you can use it to bring you luck.”
“Wow. Thanks.” Kara
Kara sighed. All she really wanted to do was lose herself in the dream of Johnny and her sharing the spotlight, singing before a crowd, basking in their love—
Shouts and screams broke her thoughts. Hundreds of kids were suddenly pouring out the front door of the school.
What now? Kara thought as she followed and bolted from the building.
Suddenly, everyone turned to look at her. Silence fell as the crowd parted like a sea to reveal a long black limo parked by the curb. Johnny leaned on the car’s trunk, grinning as the horde of fans flocked around him.
Laughing, he signed notebooks, articles of clothing, even one kid’s arm. Then he looked right at Kara.
“Good luck with the contest, everyone. We’ll be seeing you all at the show tomorrow.” He raised a fist into the air. “Ravenswood!”
“Johnny!” the crown yelled back. “Johnny!”
“Let’s hear it for the other star of this concert. The one responsible for the entire show,” Johnny said, holding out his hand in Kara’s direction. Kara walked through the crowd in a daze.
Johnny opened the rear door for Kara to climb in. “Your coach awaits, princess. Where to?”
“Home is cool.”
He hopped to the other side, and in seconds they were off.
Kara was startled by the cheers and cries from behind them, and shocked when she looked back at the expressions on the faces of so many kids; they were calling Kara’s name just as often as Johnny’s. Many looked at her with the same awe they had reserved for the singer.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Adriane yelling something. Ooo, she must be so jealous! Smiling to herself, Kara turned and settled back in her seat.
“You know, anyone who tells you it isn’t fun being a star is either lying or crazy.” Johnny smiled as they drove on, heading toward a scenic road that skirted the woods and fields surrounding Stonehill.
Kara nodded. For a moment, she had been the one so many people were looking at with adoration...
“But I’m not a star, I mean, like you are,” she said self-consciously.
“Don’t be so modest,” he said. “You put this whole show together. Everyone in this town knows you’re special.”
That pretty much was true, Kara thought. Not to brag, but the facts spoke for themselves. She'd been the most popular girl in school even before all this stuff with the concert started.
“The way I figure it, sometimes that light’s already there, inside a person,” Johnny mused.
“What light?” Kara asked.
“The light that makes someone shine like a star. The only difference between the people who make it and those who don’t is doing whatever it takes to make the whole world see that light.”
Kara raised her chin and tossed back her golden hair. “I want to make the whole world see what I’m about.”
“There you go,” Johnny said, his voice once again sounding like music, a perfect, enchanting song that made her feel better about everything. She felt more confident than she had in days. She had done the right thing taking the horn. She knew that now.
Johnny continued, “You’ve got to play to win. And why take the long road around if someone’s pointing out a shortcut?”
Thinking about the karaoke contest, Kara couldn’t have agreed more.
Cool as it was listening to him, being with him, Kara had something more urgent to do. She had to practice for the audition! Luckily, Johnny had to get back to Ravenswood for a round of interviews. She asked to be dropped off near the orchard. She could walk from there.
Johnny signaled to the driver and the limo stopped by the side of the road.
Kara smiled as she hopped out of the car. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Anytime,” Johnny said, rummaging in a bag. “Wait… Here, take this.”
He placed a small locket on a slim gold chain in Kara’s hands.
“I was given this before my first big show. It brought me luck.” He shrugged. “Now you can use it to bring you luck.”
“Wow. Thanks.” Kara
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