Shaking Up the House by Yamile Saied Méndez

Author:Yamile Saied Méndez
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2020-11-16T00:00:00+00:00

9

Skylar

If this was a dream, Skylar never wanted to wake up.

If, five years ago, someone had told her that one day she and Zora would be the guests of honor at a party in the Green Room of the White House, she would have thought the person was lying to her. Or worse, mocking her. But here she was. She brushed her fingers over the silk wallpaper Jackie Kennedy herself had commissioned.

“It’s really green, isn’t it?” a girl asked. She had long, light brown hair, and a smattering of freckles covered her nose. The pink blush on her cheeks and the wide smile made her look very friendly.

“Yep,” Skylar said. “When I saw it the first time, I was shocked the rooms really are named after the color of their wallpaper.”

The DJ played “YMCA,” and Ingrid led a group of tweens in the dance.

“I’m Margarita,” the girl said.

“And I’m Skylar Williams,” she replied. “How do you know Winnie and Ingrid?”

Margarita shrugged. “I really don’t. My father’s the new Argentine ambassador. This is my first party at the White House.”

“Mine too!” Skylar exclaimed. “I like your dress, by the way.”

“And I like your headband,” Margarita said with a smile. After a couple of seconds of silence, she asked, “What school are you going to?”

“Freedom Academy.”

“Me too!” Margarita said, positively beaming, and then she sighed. “In Argentina I just ended seventh grade, but here they’re having me do the second half again. To catch up on my English.”

“Your English is really good!” said Skylar, realizing that Margarita’s English sounded a little British and wondering how that had happened. “But at least we’ll be together, and this way you’ll have a friend already. Two friends, actually! My sister, Zora, will be in our grade too.”

They spent the next few minutes talking about how different the school system was in Argentina, and how sad it was that Margarita was missing a whole summer of her life. The seasons are the opposite in the Southern hemisphere. She was supposed to be on summer vacation until March.

“But like you said, at least I already have friends.”

“Let me call Zora over. You’ll love her.”

Skylar searched for Zora among the kids dancing.

She saw her next to Ingrid, who was apparently introducing her to a line of kids waiting to meet one of the Williams sisters. The tension of Skylar’s shoulders eased when she saw Zora having fun.

Javi Rojas joined Zora and Ingrid, and soon they were all laughing. Ingrid took a little notebook from her dress pocket and wrote something in it.

“Come on, Margarita,” she said. “Let’s go join them.”

They walked over and saw that Ingrid was now in her entertainer mode.

A hand on the side of her head as if she had an earpiece, she said, “All clear. Troublemakers One, Two, Three, and Four are asleep. Time to party.”

“That’s Agent Sisco,” Skylar said to Margarita while everyone who knew Sisco laughed. Even the pitch of the voice was perfect.

When the laughter died down, Skylar said, “Everyone, this is Margarita.

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