Struck by lightning

Chapter 2: Being careful

“Good morning!” Squeals Andrea. Her high pitched voice is like a sharp drill through my brain, an agonising pain.

“Go away,” I groan, turning away from her underneath my twisted (but warm) bed sheets. “It’s too early to be up.”

“It’s time to get up, Lea!” She reminds me, with a swift prod into my stomach.

“Ow.”

“Get up!” She can be violent when she wants. “Oh,” she adds, “I forgot to mention- Danny called. He wants to meet us there.” She giggles. “I hope he’s wearing those jeans again.”

I roll my eyes, and push her off my bed. Andrea’s had a crush on Danny since she was six. Another contestant of ‘Team Danny’ she confided in me. We’re roughly the same age, three months apart, and I share a room with her. I feel guilty not confessing to Andrea concerning Danny and I’s relationship, but I can’t trust her. As much as I enjoy her enthusiastic, girlish energy, she can’t keep a secret. She’d blurt it out to the producers almost instantly, and then where would Danny and I be? I’d be disqualified, and Danny would be facing serious problems.

There’d been gossip circulating about us for weeks, but Danny managed to laugh it off smoothly and say we were just friends. We took every chance we had to see each other.

“Sometimes I wish you’d shut up about Danny,” I complain to her. I have no time to shower, so I yank on my best leggings and a striped vest. “It’s getting annoying.”

She gapes at me. “But how can I? You can’t deny he’s gorgeous.”

“Sure I can.”

She shakes her head at me, disapproving. “I don’t understand you. Almost every girl in the country’s in love with him and would give anything to work with him, but you just shrug it off.” There’s a hint of admiration in her voice.

“I guess I’m that small percentage of girls who aren’t madly in love with him, then,” I joke, but her eyes are narrowed, suspicious.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with him, lately.”

I freeze. “Not to mention the number of times he praises your singing. It’s like there’s something going on between you two.”

“I’m sure it’s just-“ my throat’s dry, so I swallow. Not now. Oh God, please don’t let her find out-“Danny being Danny. He’s my coach, I’m his mentor, and that’s all. Besides,” I swiftly change subject, “he’s been looking at you a lot, I’ve noticed.”

This successfully averts her attention. “You think?” She puts a hand over her mouth. “No, you’re lying.”

“I don’t know,” I act casual. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he has a crush on you.”

Along with Andrea, are eight more contestants in Danny’s team. A few I’ve got to know well, a few have refused to make any contact, and a few are too shy to talk.

There’s an even number of boys and girls. One, a red-haired girl with piercings and a snarky tone, slightly intimidates me. She’s called Angel. Anything but. I admire her voice, though. Deep and sultry. Then there’s a few older men and women, over forty, but can belt out any Whitney Houston song you want. There’s another boy, Andrea and I’s age, called Jake, who’s prone to severe flirting, with anyone. He’ll switch on the charm as quickly as you can snap your fingers.

Today, we have the misfortune of being the only two people there, along with Jake. He’s leaning casually against the wall, hands in his pockets. “Hey ladies,” he greets us, grinning.