Freshman for President by Ally Condie

Author:Ally Condie [Condie, Ally]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Youth
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Published: 2008-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

September

Letter held at the Sage police station

* * *

Good Morning USA’s female anchor, Carly Crandall, was very beautiful. Milo told himself that didn’t make a bit of difference, not one bit.

Relax, he told himself again. You’re used to good looking, articulate females. You hang out with Eden and Paige all the time and they’re pretty cute.

“You can do this,” Eden had told him on the phone, right before he went on air, and he tried to convince himself that she was right. He could do this, all of it. He could wear stiff and scratchy clothes with a red tie and a little bit of makeup (applied despite his protests). He could sit on an uncomfortable chair in a television studio with lights bearing down on him. He could be coherent and polished on live television with a beautiful woman talking to him and smiling at him. Of course he could. This was not a problem.

Not a problem. Not a problem. Not a problem. He followed the station employee out onto the set, repeating the refrain like a marching cadence that kept pace with his steps. He tried not to look at the cameras and all the people milling around them and pretend that this was just a normal living room with really nice furniture and a really pretty, really famous woman smiling right at him.

He settled down onto the chair the station employee pointed out, and his parents sat on either side of him. Like obedient kindergartners on their first day of school, they all folded their hands in their laps, nervously looking at Carly, waiting, as the introductory music played in the background.

Someone gave Carly a cue, and she smiled encouragingly at Milo as she started the segment. “Today on our show, we’re lucky to have the youngest-ever candidate for President of the United States of America, Milo Justin Wright. Milo and his parents are here in the studio with us today.”

Milo glanced over at his parents to see how they were doing and then he wished he hadn’t because it was hard not to laugh. His dad grinned blankly, a deer in the headlights. His mom was trying to look thoughtful and serious, which apparently meant that you tipped your head at an odd angle and looked sort of like someone in the early stages of rigor mortis.

“Welcome to the show,” Carly said.

“Thank you,” said Milo and his parents at the same time. Milo caught himself folding his arms across his chest, which Eden had reminded him time and time again was a defensive posture, so he dropped them quickly.

“So, Milo, tell us about your campaign.” Carly leaned in toward him. “It’s a little different from the campaigns of the other two candidates, isn’t it? For example, you can’t exactly quit your day job. You’re still enrolled in high school, aren’t you?”

“That’s right,” Milo said. “I have school during the week so I don’t do much traveling, except on the weekends.”

“Is it hard to keep track of everything you have going on?” Her voice was sympathetic.

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