Rock 'n' Roll Rebel by Ginger Rue Page B

about the subject of her essay. Then Haley took her seat.
    Will passed Tig a note on a tiny scrap of paper. She’s kidding, right ?
    Tig couldn’t even look up from her desk. She knew her face was red, and she was afraid she might cry. She was so angry and frustrated. She shook her head. Will grabbed the paper and wrote something else, then tossed it back onto Tig’s desk. Don’t let her get to you. She’s a fake, and everybody knows it.
    If everybody knew it, though, why did they clap and cheer?

Chapter Twenty-Four
    C laire had social studies a different period than the rest of the band, so she hadn’t witnessed the theatrical production Haley had put on to destroy Tig.
    Lunch was like a funeral visitation, Haley receiving visitors in the line and then at her table. The news of Haley’s victimization had spread throughout the entire seventh grade, and girls eagerly awaited their turn to console the poor, persecuted martyr . . . all the while glaring at Tig. It wasn’t that anyone actually believed Haley’s story—they all knew what Haley was capable of and many of them had been on the receiving end of it at some point—but they played along because it was a chance to join in the drama while sucking up to the Bots.
    â€œI think I’m going to throw up,” Tig announced as she, Robbie, Olivia, Kyra, and Will watched the scene.
    â€œEven the non-Bots want a piece of the action,” Robbie said.
    â€œTheir grudges go viral fast,” said Olivia.
    â€œYeah, hating Tig is about to become the cool new thing to do,” Kyra said. “We’ve got trouble.”
    â€œSo, thanks to Haley’s ‘anti-bullying’ essay, everybody’s going to start bullying Tig. Ironic, isn’t it?” Will asked.
    â€œYes, but nobody will think of that,” Tig said. “Man, this is ridiculous.”
    Just then Claire arrived at the lunch table. “What’s going on over there?” she asked, taking her seat. “Did Haley have a death in her family or something? Is everything okay?”
    â€œHaven’t you heard?” Will said. “Tig murders puppies.”
    â€œWhat?” Claire looked confused.
    â€œHaley’s tragedy,” Will continued. “It’s all Tig’s fault. Tig, you should be ashamed for being such a big, bad bully.”
    â€œYeah,” Robbie said. “Poor Haley will probably never recover. Oh, I feel so sorry for her. I know all this attention she’s getting right now is tough on her, seeing as how she’s so shy and all and doesn’t enjoy people fawning over her.”
    â€œTig,” Claire asked, “what is all this about?”
    Tig sighed. “Here’s the deal . . . ,” she began. “Haley used to be the lead singer for our band.”
    â€œFor about five whole seconds,” Robbie added. “Five screechy, horrible seconds.”
    â€œShe wasn’t a good singer; that’s true,” Tig replied. “But it wasn’t just that. She was bossy and hard to work with. We ended up having to part ways.”
    â€œIt wasn’t Tig’s fault,” Olivia said. “She never asked her to be in the band in the first place. Kyra asked her.”
    â€œIt seemed like a good idea at the time,” Kyra said. “How was I supposed to know what would happen?”
    â€œOkay,” Claire said. “So why is it all of a sudden a big deal now? How long ago was this?”
    â€œA couple of weeks ago,” Tig said. “I thought it was water under the bridge. Guess not.”
    Will chimed in. “Today in social studies, Haley read an essay about how Tig had bullied her and hurt her feelings. Now Haley’s got the sympathy vote and Tig’s the bad guy.”
    â€œWere you mean to her?” Claire asked.
    Tig looked down at her lunch bag. “Not at first,” she said. “I mean, I tried not to be, but it sort of . . .