“She’s beautiful. She’s talented. She’s got the smarts. And she’ll be competing in the Miss USA pageant next month in her home state, which they named after her. Please welcome Miss Georgia, Georgia Peterson.”
The crowd cheered as George came onstage wearing a beautiful plum-colored suit and her “Miss Georgia” sash. She waved at the audience as she sat down. Kevin tensed up when the two guys sitting behind him started making suggestive comments. Just when he was about to say something to them, Richie tugged on his arm.
“Is that your friend?”
“Yeah, that’s George.”
“She’s real pretty, Kevin. You don’t kiss her, do you?”
Kevin chuckled as he watched his friend converse with the talk show host. “Sometimes.”
“Well,” Richie thought for a moment. “I guess that’s okay because she’s all grown-up like you. But I still don’t see how anyone would want to kiss Hailey.” Both guys grinned and turned to watch the interview.
“What was it like when you were crowned Miss Georgia?” Rosie asked.
“It was amazing. I remember standing there waiting to hear the other girl’s name, and then they were putting the crown on my head and everyone was congratulating me. I think that I made it though everything alright, but it really didn’t sink in until that evening when one of my housemates commented on how lucky I was that they personalized everything for me.”
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The crowd laughed and back in Florida, the girls burst out laughing as Liv buried her head in AJ’s shoulder.
“That was you?” Howie asked.
“Yup, that was Liv’s Blonde Moment #432 broadcast live on national TV.” Erika laughed as Liv threw a pillow at her. The two couples were lounging in the TV room in the girls’ house watching their friend on TV.
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Brian and Nick laughed as Lindsey shared the same story as they gathered around the Carter television set. The outer door slammed open and shut as Amanda and BJ raced into the room.
“What did we miss?” BJ dropped to the floor next to Leslie and Angel as Nick made room for Amanda on the couch.
“Just the intros and Liv’s Blonde Moment,” Lindsey commented as she reached for some popcorn. “We’re taping it.”
“Oh, the personalized one?”
Nick was a little surprised. “You know which one she was talking about?”
“Yeah,” Amanda nodded. “It’s part of George’s intro comments. Reporters always ask her that question, so she answers honestly, and well, you know Liv.”
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Rosie and George continued chatting about her career in pageants.
“Since I was an only child to a older parents, they pretty much spoiled me rotten. One day after church, we stopped by a local mall and they were taking entries for a child’s pageant. I saw the tiaras and I decided I wanted one, so my parents entered me, and I won the title for my age group. Since I was a tomboy who would rather play in the mud than put on makeup, my mom loved it when I decided to compete. I think that she liked to dress me up more than I did, but I loved being in the spotlight and competing.”
“As a former child pageant winner, and a current member of the pageant world, what are your feelings about the controversy surrounding the death of Jon-Benet Ramsey?”
“It’s a tragedy, plain and simple. Little girls will always love to play dress-up and parents will always love to dress them up. Unfortunately, participation in pageants has dropped because of the negative publicity following Jon-Benet Ramsey’s death. I was reading an article the other day about child pageants, and I have to agree with one of the final quotes: ‘Pageants didn’t kill Jon-Benet Ramsey, a terrible person did.’ “
Rosie nodded in agreement. “Your big night is coming up in a few weeks. Do you have any big plans or preparations?”
“Not really. I do have meetings with my stylist and other various people, but other than a few more appearances, that’s it.” George grinned as Rosie looked out into the audience.
“Are you a music lover, George?”
“Yes, I am.”
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AJ looked up from the TV. “Where is she going with this?” He was shushed as they watched the show in fascination.
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“As a matter of fact, my best friend is an accomplished songwriter. Recently, some of her material has been recorded by Britney Spears, NSYNC, and the Backstreet Boys.”
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Amanda blushed as Brian and Nick started applauding.
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Rosie smiled. “Are you a fan of the Backstreet Boys?”
“Very much so.” George smiled as Rosie turned to the audience.
“And as far as I can understand it, there is a certain Backstreet Boy who is a fan of yours.”
Kevin grinned as he heard the gasps of the audience members around him. Richie started laughing and bouncing in his seat.
“It’s true. He’s a good friend, and since he had the day off, he flew up to New York with me today.”
Paige had a hard time keeping a straight face as the camera panned over the crowd to land on Kevin. Rosie could barely be heard over the girls in the audience who started screaming when they saw him.
“Would you like Kevin to come down here and chat for a few minutes?” The crowd went crazy. “Okay, stay tuned. We’ll be back with George and Kevin right after this.”
[ chapter 20 ]
