die!”
Arm around Brooke, Ms. Carter led her from the room. Jeri glanced at Emily, then at Brooke’s retreating back. The girls in the hall disappeared upstairs. “You okay?” Jeri finally asked Emily.
“I don’t know. I still can’t believe this! Why didn’t Brooke tell me her family was having trouble? I would have tried to help her.” A shudder ran through her, and she dropped her head in her hands. “She didn’t have to poison me.” Her voice was barely a whisper. A moment later she looked up. “I’m sorry I ever thought it was you—or Abby.”
“It’s okay. You think you can compete at the science fair tonight?”
“I don’t know. I hope so. I
have
to!” She glanced at the clock on the mantel. It was 2:40. “By eight o’ clock I should be okay.” She shook her head. “Well, better anyway.”
“Want to come somewhere with us first?” Nikki asked. “My horse show’s at four. I think Dallas is coming too.”
Jeri nodded. “It might help take your mind off Brooke and all this.”
“And relax you enough to perform for the judges,” Rosa added.
Emily smiled slowly. “Okay. You convinced me.”
The equestrian contest went exactly as Jeri and Rosa had predicted. Nikki took first prize, earning another blue ribbon. In a surprise to them all, though, Nikki gave the judges a letter from her parents, which they read over the loud speaker. It stated that the scholarship should go to the
second-place
winner instead. The applause was thunderous. Looking stunned at the news, Janeen rode her Palomino into the ring to accept it.
Jeri worked hard Sunday afternoon and evening. She finally had the story of the year — and just in time to write it up for the media fair. Only it wouldn’t come together. She discarded one version after another.
To make the article outstanding, she needed to report the whole story. But that would mean telling the truth about Brooke and Emily, about Nikki getting poisoned and Abby getting blamed. She knew Emily and Brooke (and their parents) wouldn’t want the publicity. The Head might not either. She was finishing her fourth attempt at the article Sunday night when Rosa burst into the room.
“Brooke got expelled!” she said breathlessly. “Her parents have to pick her up tomorrow.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Jeri said, shaking her head. “I thought she might even get arrested. I still can’t believe she did that just to win the scholarship.”
Rosa flopped down on her bed. “I guess she was desperate.”
“Why didn’t she just talk to us?” Jeri asked. “We could’ve figured something out. I guess wiping out the competition was her shortcut to winning.”
“While others, like Sierra, cheat to win,” Rosa said. She was quiet for a long time. “Well, if you don’t have God in your life to help you, you’re kind of stuck trying to get things to happen your own way.” Rosa smiled with a lopsided grin. “I don’t have their excuse though.”
“What do you mean? Excuse for what?”
Rosa sat up and wrapped her arms around her bent knees. “Instead of being friends with guys—like you are — I take shortcuts of my own to get attention.”
“It takes guts to admit that,” Jeri said. “I’ve noticed the changes you’ve made already. My mom says God will give us boyfriends when the time is right—someday.”
“Ya think?” Rosa hopped off the bed. “I just hope he doesn’t take too long!” Grinning, she flounced out of the room.
Laughing to herself, Jeri turned back to her article. Now, where was she? Oh, yes, the news about Brooke. What should she do with the information? Brooke getting expelled
was
news. Could she include it at the end of the article? It seemed mean and unkind—but reporters had to tell the truth.
Jeri leaned back in her chair. Maybe she wasn’t cut out to be a news reporter after all. It had been her dream
all year, but when her friends were involved, it put her in a tough spot. Should she tell the
Arm around Brooke, Ms. Carter led her from the room. Jeri glanced at Emily, then at Brooke’s retreating back. The girls in the hall disappeared upstairs. “You okay?” Jeri finally asked Emily.
“I don’t know. I still can’t believe this! Why didn’t Brooke tell me her family was having trouble? I would have tried to help her.” A shudder ran through her, and she dropped her head in her hands. “She didn’t have to poison me.” Her voice was barely a whisper. A moment later she looked up. “I’m sorry I ever thought it was you—or Abby.”
“It’s okay. You think you can compete at the science fair tonight?”
“I don’t know. I hope so. I
have
to!” She glanced at the clock on the mantel. It was 2:40. “By eight o’ clock I should be okay.” She shook her head. “Well, better anyway.”
“Want to come somewhere with us first?” Nikki asked. “My horse show’s at four. I think Dallas is coming too.”
Jeri nodded. “It might help take your mind off Brooke and all this.”
“And relax you enough to perform for the judges,” Rosa added.
Emily smiled slowly. “Okay. You convinced me.”
The equestrian contest went exactly as Jeri and Rosa had predicted. Nikki took first prize, earning another blue ribbon. In a surprise to them all, though, Nikki gave the judges a letter from her parents, which they read over the loud speaker. It stated that the scholarship should go to the
second-place
winner instead. The applause was thunderous. Looking stunned at the news, Janeen rode her Palomino into the ring to accept it.
Jeri worked hard Sunday afternoon and evening. She finally had the story of the year — and just in time to write it up for the media fair. Only it wouldn’t come together. She discarded one version after another.
To make the article outstanding, she needed to report the whole story. But that would mean telling the truth about Brooke and Emily, about Nikki getting poisoned and Abby getting blamed. She knew Emily and Brooke (and their parents) wouldn’t want the publicity. The Head might not either. She was finishing her fourth attempt at the article Sunday night when Rosa burst into the room.
“Brooke got expelled!” she said breathlessly. “Her parents have to pick her up tomorrow.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Jeri said, shaking her head. “I thought she might even get arrested. I still can’t believe she did that just to win the scholarship.”
Rosa flopped down on her bed. “I guess she was desperate.”
“Why didn’t she just talk to us?” Jeri asked. “We could’ve figured something out. I guess wiping out the competition was her shortcut to winning.”
“While others, like Sierra, cheat to win,” Rosa said. She was quiet for a long time. “Well, if you don’t have God in your life to help you, you’re kind of stuck trying to get things to happen your own way.” Rosa smiled with a lopsided grin. “I don’t have their excuse though.”
“What do you mean? Excuse for what?”
Rosa sat up and wrapped her arms around her bent knees. “Instead of being friends with guys—like you are — I take shortcuts of my own to get attention.”
“It takes guts to admit that,” Jeri said. “I’ve noticed the changes you’ve made already. My mom says God will give us boyfriends when the time is right—someday.”
“Ya think?” Rosa hopped off the bed. “I just hope he doesn’t take too long!” Grinning, she flounced out of the room.
Laughing to herself, Jeri turned back to her article. Now, where was she? Oh, yes, the news about Brooke. What should she do with the information? Brooke getting expelled
was
news. Could she include it at the end of the article? It seemed mean and unkind—but reporters had to tell the truth.
Jeri leaned back in her chair. Maybe she wasn’t cut out to be a news reporter after all. It had been her dream
all year, but when her friends were involved, it put her in a tough spot. Should she tell the
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