Awe-Struck: Video Magic, Young Adult fiction ebook preview

Chapter One

Kimberly Lange stood by the long row of classroom windows, closed her eyes and wished really, really hard. Please, please let it be me. Everybody loves a winner.

The video club meeting was about to begin, and in a matter of minutes Kimberly's fate would be decided. The thing she wanted most in the world was to be the intern on the senior video project at Houston's Northrupp High School. Kimberly pictured Mr. Jeffries, tall and thin, standing in front of the room ready to call out the name of the one junior who would be chosen to work on the project. "Me, me, me," she whispered, allowing her imagination to carry her forward in time. "And the winner is...Kimberly Lange."

"You wish." Behind her, an irritating bur familiar voice broke into her fantasy. "Jeffries isn't about to pick you. After all, Greg asked me to run for the spot. He is the head of the project this year."

Embarrassed at being overheard, Kimberly turned to find Marla Morgan, the reigning drama diva, standing barely three feet away. Marla was one of those girls you love to hate. With long, silky copper-red hair that hung down her back and barely brushed her tiny waist, she grabbed the attention of everyone in the room when she made an entrance. Of course, the short leopard print skirt, chocolate brown lacey wrap top and kick-ass wedgie shoes didn't hurt. She had that runway model look. Not surprising since she'd been doing the local model thing since middle grade.

"No one was talking to you," Kimberly defended herself, and stood her ground as Marla gave her the once over, a long, exaggerated look that took in all of Kimberly's tall form from head to toe. "I've got as good a chance as you to win."

Marla growled--that's what it sounded like to Kimberly--and turned away, dismissing Kimberly and stalking to the front of the class where she dropped her pink and black bag on the floor and curled her body into a chair, front row center. Kimberly stared after her. She watched Marla pull out her phone and begin text messaging someone. She knew Marla had the inside track to the internship. Everyone knew she and Greg Winters were big time pals. Marla had somehow made her way into the group that surrounded Greg and helped him with his video projects the last couple of years. She had even "starred" in several. Because Greg had been chosen as the one junior to work on the senior video project last year as the intern, he would be in charge of this year's production. If the pick depended upon Greg only, Kimberly was sure the choice would fall to Marla.

The door opened again to allow in the only one at Northrupp who could surpass Marla in the drama diva department. Carol Nelson, the reigning Goth Queen of Northrupp, entered wearing her Goth proudly. Deep purple slashed across the top of her raven black hair and accentuated the short style that framed her face. Wayward wisps highlighted her pale skin, black eyebrows and black pouty lips. Dressed all in black, Carol garnered plenty of attention everywhere she went. Next to her, Kimberly was a ghost--and way too normal looking. Ricardo also came into the room, following in Carol's wake, but instead of joining Carol and Kimberly, he wandered over to Marla. Kimberly could tell by the look on Carol's face that she was not pleased.

"I don't know why Ricardo has to talk to that girl when he knows I hate it," Carol said, joining Kimberly at the long row of windows.

Kimberly knew Ricardo worshipped the ground Carol walked on but that never seemed to get through her best friend's thick skull. The two had a constant battle because of Carol's insecurities. Sure, Ricardo was one cute guy but Kimberly knew Carol didn't need to worry. Ricardo bent over Marla, probably to look at the messages on her phone, and Kimberly heard Carol take in a quick breath that sounded more like a hiss. What was up with all the cat metaphors today, she wondered and made a mental promise to stop.

"You've got nothing to worry about, girl," she said and turned back to the window. "He's not interested in her."

Carol chose to ignore Kimberly's reassurance and said, instead, "You're here early. Waiting to give Mr. J one last pitch?"

"Mr. Jeffries isn't here yet, can't you tell?" Marla called out, not bothering to look at either one of them, preferring, instead, to keep a tight focus on Ricardo. "I'm sure he's seen and heard enough of your friend."

"And you," Carol answered and leaned closer to Kimberly. "Why they let Miss It's-All-About-Me in to this thing is beyond me."

"I heard that."

"Oh, I forgot, m'lady is blessed with bat ears."

"Will you stop?" Kimberly said before Marla could respond. "Give it a rest, both of you."

Marla turned back to Ricardo and kept him talking but the constant tap of her pencil on the table top was a clear giveaway that she, too, was nervous. Maybe Marla's not so sure of herself, Kimberly thought.

Carol leaned in and whispered into Kimberly's ear. "Maybe it's not Mr. J but Greg you were hoping to catch early."

"Stop," Kimberly said and pulled away from Carol. She felt the quick hot flash that warmed her neck and tried to check the blush blooming on her cheeks. "I just want to get this over, all right?"

The rest of the video club streamed into the classroom and let their back packs drop to the floor or pile on the tables as they pulled out chairs and sat down. Some flipped open their cell phones to make calls or text message friends. A few mumbled a hello here and there.

Carol gave a quick exasperated sigh and signaled for Ricardo to join them, and the three slid into chairs at the back of the room.

"Don't worry, chica," Ricardo said to Kimberly. "You're gonna beat Cat Woman over there."

Kimberly groaned inwardly and smiled. "Thanks."

"No, I mean it."

"You know something? Did Marla say anything?" Carol whispered. "What is it? Tell me."

Ricardo shrugged. Before he could say any more Greg Winters entered the room. Tall and broad-shouldered, with unruly, curly brown hair that refused to be tamed, Greg had a boyish charm that made the girls of Northrupp High melt. Dressed in worn jeans, a t-shirt, and wearing his Northrupp High baseball team cap facing backwards, Greg walked to the front of the room. He carried a large folder full of pages, probably the script for his film, and pulled out several sheets of paper.

His quiet presence commanded even more attention than Marla's. She slipped out of her chair and joined him. Greg smiled when he saw her. Friends for years, they had history. Kimberly wasn't exactly sure what kind of history, but Carol swore the two had been boyfriend-girlfriend at one time. Whatever. Greg had made it clear he wanted Jeffries to choose Marla.

Marla rushed forward to pick up a couple of the papers and taped them to the blackboard, all the while talking to Greg. Kimberly wished she could hear their conversation. Even more, she wished for a little history of her own with Greg. He had to be one of the most popular seniors but he didn't date much. She'd seen him around, and they'd bumped into each other during the video club meetings, but they'd never said much more than a hello to one another, which was strange since he was Ricardo's best friend. Carol had been trying to fix the two of them up for months but their schedules never meshed. Ricardo said Greg had way too many family responsibilities and he seldom had time to date.

"Hey, everyone, listen up," Greg said.

Chairs scraped as the kids turned to face the front, push aside their back packs, and flipped shut their cell phones. He had their attention.

"I'll just go over a few things while we wait for Mr. Jeffries."

One of the kids called out, "Hey, you gonna tell us who got the intern job?"

"Are you?" Marla asked. "I know you know."

Greg shook his curly head and Kimberly had a sudden desire to run her fingers through his hair. She imagined his hair was soft and easy to twirl. "Nope," he said. "Not a chance and I don't know." Pointing to the pages on the blackboard, he continued, "Here's the storyboard for the video. I've been working on it for months, and I think we're going to have a good entry."

"Yeah, we know. You and Marla have been working real hard," said one of the boys sitting next to Marla.

Greg flashed a rare kilowatt smile and shook his head. "Marla hasn't even seen this yet."

"True, so true," Marla said. "I tried but he wouldn't let me. He's like a big old mama bear with his storyboard. Won't let any of his baby bears touch it."

"Oh barf," Carol said and rolled her eyes.

Everyone in the room chuckled. Everyone knew about Greg's storyboard obsession. While most filmmakers keep their options open and their storyboards loose, Greg was the opposite. No one could touch it once he had it blocked out. And everyone knew how he felt about making changes late in the filming. At least he knew what he was doing. Last year's senior video made the top three in the annual district competition. He had been the intern and had played a big part in its development. Kimberly could only guess at how much pressure he had to be feeling this year now that he was the head of the senior project. Everyone expected Greg would take them to the number one spot this year. She certainly did. That's why she wanted the internship so much. An award-winning video would be a big plus on her resume. Of course, getting to know Greg Winters better had to be another big plus.

"Okay, so you all know how I feel about these pages," he said, smiling. "Don't touch them. Stay on the schedule. Got it?"

Everyone yelled back, "Got it."

Mr. Jeffries, teacher and sponsor of the video club, walked to the front of the class. With each step, Kimberly's anxiety level increased. It would only be a matter of minutes now.

He took a moment and looked out over the room full of students, then grinned. "Guess we better get this over, right?"

Kimberly had to agree.

He opened a folded piece of paper and began calling out names and their positions on the film. "Greg, director/writer/camera, of course; Barry, producer; Ricardo, camera; Carol, make-up and casting; Nelson, audio; Sam, lights.... " No surprises there, Kimberly thought.

He continued to call out names until only two remained: Marla and Kimberly.

Chapter Two

Major butterflies flitted about in Kimberly's stomach. It was now or never. She couldn't tell from Mr. Jeffries's face whether she or Marla had won the intern position, but it was clear what Marla thought. She had a big, disgusting, happy grin on her face as she smoothed her long copper-red hair and played with the ends.

Carol leaned over and squeezed Kimberly's hand. "Don't worry, it'll be you."

Kimberly nodded but she didn't have as much confidence as Carol.

"Really," Carol whispered. "You can't miss with that video you submitted. You did way more than you had to. I doubt Marla did anything."

"She didn't have to," Kimberly replied. "She had Greg."

Ricardo leaned in front of Carol to talk to Kimberly. "Hey amiga, don't worry. Jeffries is a fair man, you'll see."

Kimberly hoped he was right.

Mr. Jeffries held a sheet of paper up and began, "This year we had two great candidates apply for the internship; both came with impressive experience and both would do the job equally well; but there can be only one." He glanced around the room then settled his gaze on Kimberly, who suddenly realized she'd become the center of attention. "This year's winner went the extra mile and spent the summer months shooting a video to include in her submission--a very good video."

She'd done it. Butterflies took flight and were replaced by a new inner calm. Kimberly knew Mr. Jeffries had chosen her even before he said her name.

"Kimberly Lange is our intern for this year's project," Mr. Jeffries announced and began clapping. "Congratulations."

The rest of the students joined in the clapping while Carol jumped up, nearly knocking her chair over, to give Kimberly a big hug, saying, "I knew it. I knew it. I knew it."

Ricardo smiled and walked around to give her a hug. "Told you," he whispered.

Kimberly was at a loss for words. In a matter of seconds, the video club swarmed around her. Not only would she be this year's intern, but she'd head next year's project. In the midst of the congratulations, Kimberly saw Marla standing off to the side talking to Greg. Her hands were in motion as she spoke and Greg leaned in, listening intently. She couldn't help but notice how good the two of them looked together. Would they come over and join everyone else? Kimberly wasn't sure.

"Marla," Mr. Jeffries called. He towered over the group of students crowding Kimberly.

Marla broke off her conversation and looked up. Jeffries waved them over to everyone else. Greg had his arm around Marla's shoulders and Kimberly couldn't help but wonder again if they were dating. Marla couldn't be that upset. She'd made it plain that she was only running for the internship because Greg had asked her to. Marla had one big desire: to be a famous actress. Nothing else really seemed to matter to her. Everyone knew she joined the club so she could star in the video club's films and documentaries. She had become part of Greg's inner circle. Kimberly knew who made up the in-crowd because they all hung out together in the cafeteria during lunch and after school. Ricardo had invited her to join them several times but Kimberly had declined because of Carol's intense dislike of Marla. She couldn't leave her best friend just to be part of the Greg Winters crowd.

"Good job," Marla said, the big smile still plastering her face.

By now the smile had to be fake. Probably just another acting job for the glorious diva. Still, Kimberly smiled back hoping the tension between them would drop a level or two now that their competition was over.

"Marla's been taking care of the camera equipment, but as of today, you'll take on that duty," Mr. Jeffries said. "Greg will fill you in on what jobs he'll need you to do."

For the first time that day, Greg smiled at Kimberly and she noticed how the corners of his eyes crinkled into a sudden burst of lines like the sun's rays. "Glad you'll be working with us, Kimberly."

She liked the way he said her name. His soft Texas drawl made it inviting. She watched as his eyes picked up the filtered afternoon light streaming through the blinds. They reminded her of clear, running mountain water, and a warm feeling washed over her as she returned his smile. "Thanks. I can't wait to begin."

"I know Marla will show you around the equipment," he said, seeming to respond to her enthusiasm. "Thanks to some generous alumni, we have a new digital camera, the Canon DV24P, that is really awesome. Instead of 30 frames per second like we get from the other cameras, this one has a 24 frame rate. It'll make a much softer, more film-like image."

"Yeah, wait 'til you see it, amiga. You'll love it," Ricardo said, his black eyes gleaming at the thought.

"Cool," Kimberly answered. "That should put us way out in front of the competition."

"Definitely," Mr. Jeffries added. "Why don't you and Marla plan to meet after school tomorrow so she can show you all the equipment. We start shooting Saturday." Turning to Marla, he finished, "Don't forget to show her the new lenses."

Before she could ask anything, Greg spoke. "You'll be working a lot with the camera crew--that's me, Ricardo, Sam, and Nelson--so you need to stay on top of the storyboard and make sure the equipment is ready to go." He turned to include Marla. "Anything you need to know, just check with me or Marla. We've worked with the equipment for the last month or two and are pretty familiar with it by now."

Greg's voice filled with passion and she noted how his speech revved up whenever he talked about the camera or some other aspect of the video. She understood. She had the same reaction. Marla, on the other hand, did not. All she cared about was being center stage and emoting all over the place.

"Listen up, everyone," Greg said, his voice getting slightly louder to be heard over the various conversations as the students went back to their chairs to gather their stuff. "We'll be shooting at the Henderson Building Saturday morning. Be there at eight, sharp."

A couple of the kids groaned but Kimberly knew it was all in fun.

Then Greg turned back to Kimberly, Ricardo, Marla and a few others. "The rest of you meet me here in the parking lot at five a.m. We'll load up the equipment and head on out to the building to set up."

"Omygod, you surely don't expect me to be here at that hour, do you?" Carol asked, her eyes saucer-like.

Ricardo grinned at Carol's horrified reaction. Carol had the internal clock of a vampire preferring the night to day and definitely preferring to skip mornings all together whenever she could. Kimberly wasn't a true morning person, either, but for her it was less of a struggle to get up early. She figured Carol would be setting multiple alarm clocks to be sure she made the early call.

Greg rolled his eyes. "You'll need to be at the building and set up for make-up before the eight o'clock call, okay?"

"Definitely," Carol said and made a quick cross over her heart.

Greg and Marla pulled down the storyboard and gathered up their things, while Kimberly digested the fact that she was now the official intern. In the corner, Carol and Ricardo said their good-byes.

Thirty minutes later Carol dropped Kimberly off at her house and drove off. Kimberly couldn't wait to tell her parents the news. She'd practiced how she'd tell them all the way home with Carol first playing the role of her mother, then her father. She pushed open the side door, dropped her back pack on the washing room folding table, and burst into the kitchen.

"Mom, Mom," she called but her mother wasn't in the kitchen. She gave a second yell. "Hey Mom, anyone here? I've got BIG news."

Kimberly opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a diet cola, then grabbed a warm chocolate chip cookie from a plate piled high on the kitchen counter. "Mom," she yelled. "I'm home."

"What is it?" her mother called as she came into the kitchen. "You'd think there was a fire in here."

"Umm, Mom," Kimberly mumbled in between cookie bites. "You won't believe what happened today--"

"I'm so glad you're home--"

"Mom, I'm trying to tell you something."

"I hear you, honey, but I have a surprise, too."

Kimberly stopped eating the cookie. "I got it. I got the intern job."

"What? Oh, that's nice, honey. We knew you could do it," her mother said, "but come to the living room. Guess who's come home for a visit? Talk about good news."

Kimberly groaned and her stomach flipped. Only one person could account for her mother's lack of reaction. She tossed the rest of the cookie into the garbage and tried to hide her disappointment.

"Hey there, Kimbo, ready for a bear hug?"

Chapter Three

Bobby.

Kimberly didn't know whether she should be glad or mad to see her older brother. As tall as she was, her big brother was the Jolly Green Giant. He had to duck whenever he walked into the kitchen so he wouldn't bump his head. When they were growing up, her father had to take up the chain to the dining room chandelier because Bobby kept bumping into it whenever he leaned across the dining room table. Kimberly considered their tall gene a curse. Bobby seemed to revel in his size. She and Bobby were seven years apart and he'd been living in Austin ever since he graduated from high school. They rarely saw him except for holidays, so she had no idea why he had driven all the way to Houston in the middle of the week, but she was sure it wasn't to say hello to his kid sister.

"Hey, Sis, what's up?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Kimberly, that's no way to say hello to your brother," her mother said. "He's got some great news to share, don't you hon?"

Kimberly's heart sank. She loved her brother, but why did he have to upstage her every time? "Figures. So what's your great news?" she asked, not really wanting an answer. Wasn't it just like Bobby to mess up her plans?

"Oh, shouldn't we wait until your father gets home?" her mother said, giving her brother a little pat on the chest.

Kimberly couldn't believe it. Her mother had apparently already forgotten about her good news about the internship but couldn't stop talking about Bobby's. No way did she want to wait until her father got home. She wanted him to spill it now.

"Oh just tell me," she said, not even trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She stared at her preppy brother and waited.

Bobby laughed, his voice deep and rich, which only served to irritate Kimberly even more. "You won't believe it, Kimbo, but I got a phone call the other day telling me I've been awarded a Macarthur Fellowship."

"What's that?"

"Oh, just a little award that comes with a big check: $50,000.00."

"Isn't that wonderful, honey?" her mother said, gushing. She patted his chest again. "Your father and I are so proud of you."

Oh, that's wonderful, all right, Kimberly thought. As if skipping grades at Northrupp and attending college two years early wasn't bad enough for her to deal with--plus that little matter of being a U.S. Senate Page one summer--now he'd won a major prize that overshadowed anything Kimberly could ever do. Kimberly felt her confidence seeping away.

"Terrific, Bobby. That's really good." Her words sounded hollow but she didn't care. She was tired of always coming in second. Why bother? Her own mother didn't think her getting the internship was any big deal, so why should she? She didn't need to share her news with her brother or with anyone else, for that matter.

"Do you know your brother is the youngest ever to receive a Macarthur Fellowship?" her mother asked, seemingly oblivious to Kimberly's reaction to her brother's news. "I looked it up on the computer--"

"Don't tell me, you googled it?" Kimberly said, trying not to groan. Ever since she'd shown her mother how to do searches on the Internet, her mother had gone Google-happy. She looked up everything: recipes, family history, book reviews, you name it.

"Yes, I looked it up," her mother said. "What's wrong with that? I wanted to know all about this Macarthur thing."

Yeah, so you can share it with the whole world, Kimberly thought. "I'm going upstairs."

"That's all you're going to say?" Her mother asked, her disappointment clearly showing. "That was hardly a rousing 'congratulations' earlier. I would think you'd be happy for him."

"I am happy, Mom," she said and barely gave her brother a glance. "Congratulations, Bobby."

With that, Kimberly left the kitchen and took the stairs two by two. She slammed her bedroom door shut when she was safely inside her sanctuary. She had to get as far away as possible from her boy-wonder brother who could do no wrong and from her mother who only seemed to have eyes for Bobby.

It just wasn't fair, she thought. Even now, after Bobby had been out of the house for so many years, she still fell under his large and looming shadow. Would it ever lift?

She remembered how happy she was when Jeffries called out her name. She believed she'd never come down off of that high, but she had been dead wrong. Just once, she thought, couldn't her mom be happy for her--just her? Kimberly's disappointment increased with each thought. All her life it had been Bobby, Bobby, and Bobby. Why couldn't her parents see her and her accomplishments? Why couldn't they love her the way they loved her brother?

Tears slipped out of her eyes and slid down her cheeks despite her best efforts to keep them from falling. The comfort of her room with its competing purple, lavender and lime green striped walls barely lifted her mood. She tossed her shoes off, kicking them high in the air only to land on the hot pink bean bag chair Carol had given her as a birthday present the year before. Her fingers found the CD player. Maybe she could drown out her self-pity with music.

After a few minutes she looked over at the computer. Surely Carol would be online by now. Kimberly got up and logged in to her email account.

She stared at her empty buddy list. Where was everyone?

Disgusted, she threw herself onto her bed, piled high with pillows and stuffed animals. She nestled deep into them and tried to forget all about her mother and her brother. She replayed Jeffries calling out her name. If only she could hold onto that sweet memory forever. She'd worked so hard for it. For two years she'd planned and prepared to apply for the internship. Now she had won. Not only that, she had the great luck to work with someone like Greg.

Thoughts of Greg tumbled through her mind and she remembered the light in his eyes and the warmth of his voice. Cute didn't even come close. She'd had her eye on him ever since she first saw him. She remembered how excited he was when the club's documentary placed in the last year's contest. She'd almost swear his hair curled tighter and grew more out of control. Everyone said the video couldn't have made it without his help. Even the seniors said so. No wonder everyone had such great expectations this year with him as project leader. Now, with the new camera, how could they do anything but come in first?

She couldn't wait for Saturday. Surely, her video would help them see her as the huge asset she knew she could be. She'd spent most of her summer vacation making the video. She'd actually gotten the idea from the TeensTakeAction.com site. Every year they held a contest with a $500 award going to the best community service project done by a teen or a group of teens. Kimberly knew of a teen who'd started a simple food drive for the hungry last year that turned into a major deal between two rivalry schools. Using the annual football game as the centerpiece, she'd urged everyone in her school to bring canned goods for the food drive to the stadium that night. When the other school heard about it, they decided to match them. The food drive raised so much attention that the local media came out and covered the event. Kimberly knew the event was a good idea for a video, so she contacted the teen. A couple of months later, she had her submission for the TeensTakeAction.com contest. It would be months before she'd know if she'd won the contest.

When it came time to put in her application for the internship, Kimberly had almost left the video out. It had been an afterthought, really. Now she was glad she'd thought of it. If she hadn't, Jeffries might have given the internship to Marla instead.

But he didn't. Saturday she'd be working side by side with Greg--a thought that made her really happy. She hoped Greg would take advantage of her skills and let her help Ricardo with the camera. For sure, she didn't want to wind up being some little gopher, going here and there, doing odds and ends for everyone. She had a lot more to give to the project than that. If Greg didn't see it right away, she'd just have to show him.

Visions of working with Greg flashed through her mind. Then she thought about Marla. Kimberly wondered again if Marla was upset. Why would she be? She had no interest in the technical stuff. If it weren't for Greg, Kimberly knew Marla would have never applied for the position. She hoped Greg's obvious preference of Marla over her wouldn't get in the way of their working together.

Together. There's that word again, she thought. She had to admit Greg was a true hottie. Was she foolish to think he and Marla were just pals? Carol seemed to think so. Of course, Carol was always pairing up people. She even suspected Marla of going after Ricardo--and that was really stupid. Ricardo insisted Greg and Marla were just friends. He should know. If so, Kimberly realized, it was a close friendship.

What was it like to be close to Greg? Hot, she thought. Real hot. If his smile made her warm, what would his touch do? After a mere nanosecond of that thought, Kimberly knew she had to shift gears. That was a little too hot.

But she couldn't deny Greg was really passionate and intense. What would it be like working with him? He really cared about making films. She understood that; she lived for the camera. Nothing calmed her down more than to be behind the lens. One day she'd be a cinematographer; she'd go to Hollywood. She knew she had the talent--just like Greg.

Kimberly stared up at the photographs that lined her bedroom's four walls. She had done them all and each one carried a memory of days past. Days when she and Carol had gone to the park and visited the zoo; days when she had done weekly walkabouts to capture the varied face of Houston's cityscape; days when friends posed for more and more photos while Kimberly developed her photography skills. Her absolute favorite had to be the one that showed Carol being Extreme Goth Woman poised over a water fountain at the zoo. A giraffe had leaned over the fence and managed to get low enough to get his face in the photo. Talk about a strange contrast. Kimberly loved it.

About contrast, she thought. What about the differences between her and Marla? Kimberly hoped Marla wouldn't become a drama queen tomorrow when she handed over the equipment. The last thing Kimberly wanted was some big scene with Marla displaying major attitude.

She shook her head as if by doing so she could prevent it from happening. No more Marla. Kimberly needed to keep her focus zoomed in on the important things like the internship and all she'd be able to do during this project.

She couldn't wait.