With Friends Like These by Reshonda Tate Billingsley Page B

Damali Keith. I remember I used to imitate them, dreaming of the day I could take their places. And to think, I could actually be working in the same building as them.
    I checked in with the receptionist, who led me down a long hallway into the TV studio, which was freezing cold.
    Alexis, Jasmine, Tameka, and Angel were already inside, seated in chairs next to a huge news desk. I immediately recognized this as the place they taped the news every day.
    I spoke to everyone. They all looked just as nervous as me. Even Angel looked nervous, and she wasn’t even auditioning.
    “You ready?” Alexis whispered as I sat down.
    I shook my head from side to side. She laughed. “Me neither.”
    We didn’t have time to talk, as Shereen and five other people came in.
    “Hello, ladies,” Shereen said as she walked to the front of the room. “You ready to do this?”
    We all smiled and nodded our heads.
    She clapped her hands together. “Well, good. This is Bernadette, LaShauna, LaQuanta, and Dana,” she said, pointing to four of the people on her right side. “They are the producers for the show, and they’ll be judging your on-air test. This”—she pointed to the fifth person—“is our intern, Danielle. She will be helping us out today.” Shereen turned to a stage, which was sitting under some huge lights. “Now, this is our set. We have actually decided to combine your interview with the on-air test. So you’ll be answering your questions on camera.” She looked at us and smiled. “Let’s get started.” She glanced at her clipboard. “Camille, you’re first. Followed by Jasmine, then Alexis, then Tameka.”
    Shereen took her seat behind a big TV screen sitting on a table. Three of the other producers sat at a big table. The producer named Bernadette sat in one of the chairs on the set.
    “Sit down. I don’t bite,” Bernadette said with a laugh.
    Dang. I wanted to kick myself. I didn’t want to appear nervous. I tried to smile as I walked over and sat down next to her.
    Bernadette didn’t give me time to relax; she just jumped right into the interview.
    “So tell me, Camille, why do you think you have what it takes to be our new host?” she said.
    Why did I have to be first? “Well, ummm, I’m what you guys are looking for.” I went on to talk about all the qualities I would bring to the job. The interview lasted about ten minutes. I actually got better as it went on. The first few minutes were rough, though, with me stumbling all over the place. But after that, I think I did all right.
    After I was done, Bernadette thanked me and quickly shuffled Jasmine up. I couldn’t judge what she thought by the look on her face. Shoot, all the producers had these blank looks. That was really frustrating.
    Jasmine’s interview was okay. Honestly, she’s my girl and all, but she looked uncomfortable sitting up on the stage. She kept gaping her legs open—I guess it was a hard habit to break from her tomboy days.
    Alexis did pretty well. She seemed a lot more relaxed than both of us.
    By the time they got to Tameka, I wondered whether the producers were getting tired, because I saw Dana yawn and stretch.
    Bernadette pretty much went through the same spiel with Tameka. I watched in awe as Tameka worked her jelly. She made jokes, looked at the camera, and even had Bernadette laughing.
    “Bernadette, I know we’re just about out of time,” Tameka said, sounding all natural, “but I just have to say, if you’re looking for a teen who’s in touch with the happenings in the community, who has what it takes to make Teen Talks one of the more talked-about shows in town, that would be me.” She reached out and shook Bernadette’s hand. “And I’d be honored to be your host.”
    Why hadn’t I thought to make a last-minute pitch for the job?
    “Thank you, Tameka,” Bernadette said, obviously pleasantly surprised.
    “No, thank you, Bernadette.” Tameka turned toward the camera and flashed a smile. “And thank