It's All Good by Nikki Carter Page B

Susan’s pictures online. It wasn’t Valerie, but just drop it. If you know what’s good for you.
    What in the world? Is someone trying to threaten me? I don’t roll like that. First of all, how you gonna threaten somebody and you don’t even leave your name on the text?
    â€œWho is it?” Ricky asks.
    â€œSomebody tripping. Hold up and let me see whose number it is. Y’all know somebody at 216-447-5511?”
    Ricky shakes his head. “No. Call them back.”
    I press Send on my phone to dial the number. Of course the voice mail comes on, with no greeting, and the box is full so I can’t leave a message. Hmmm ... sounds like I need to revisit the suspect list.
    â€œSomebody just sent me a text saying that Valerie didn’t post those pictures,” I say. I leave out the part about me leaving it alone, because holla ... I’m not leaving anything alone!
    â€œHa! It’s probably Valerie trying to get Gia all pumped up to investigate,” Kevin says.
    â€œI don’t know where to go with my investigation,” I say. “Kelani doesn’t give me any guilty vibes and my gut tells me that Romeo isn’t smart enough to navigate Facebook without a tutor, much less post some pictures.”
    Kevin laughs. “For someone who used to be completely gone over Romeo, you sure can clown him!”
    â€œI was blinded by the beauty. But nonetheless! I have no suspects! This might end up being an unsolved mystery.”
    Ricky laughs. “You watch too much TV, Gia!”
    How about if someone would man up and be my boo, maybe I’d spend less time watching TV and more time convincing Gwen to let me go out on a date.
    How ’bout that?

15
    S o it’s Wednesday—three nights before my birthday party—and I’m wondering how much of Longfellow High is actually going to attend. Because it would be straight catastrophic to throw a party and only five people show up. That’s why I was leaning more toward having a get-together. Then, if only my bestie circle was in attendance, it would be all good.
    I flag down a lonely looking Valerie in the hallway. She’s on straight pariah status right about now. The entire senior class is getting underway with planning the second half of their final year of high school. After winter break (which starts on Friday at 3:00 p.m.—woo hoo!) the seniors will start picking prom dates and all that.
    I so cannot wait until senior year.
    But Valerie is not joining in on all the fun, because she’s been banished from it all. Susan has pretty much recovered. In fact, the boys are chasing her right now because of her “fake” pictures. She’s probably got a long list of prom date choices.
    â€œWhat up, chica?” Valerie asks as she stops at my locker.
    â€œYou coming to my birthday party?”
    â€œOver Rick’s house, right? Yeah, I’ll be there.”
    â€œYou don’t sound too thrilled about it.”
    Valerie gives me a weak smile. “Gia, you know what it is. My senior year is not supposed to be going down like this.”
    â€œI know. But you don’t have to let it completely bum you out.”
    â€œYou’re right, but it’s crazy, because I didn’t even do the stuff they’re saying I did.”
    I lift my eyebrows with interest. “I’ve been saying that since the beginning. It just didn’t sound like something you’d do.”
    â€œFirst of all, I’m hardly ever on Facebook. As a matter of fact, I tried to log in the other day, and the password I have isn’t even right.”
    I grab Valerie’s arm because flashbulbs are going off in my brain. “Your password doesn’t work?”
    â€œNo. And I don’t know why, because I wrote it down in the back of my diary.”
    â€œSounds like your page has been hacked. Did you answer any strange e-mails asking for your Facebook ID and password?”
    Valerie