Free Hannah Smart, Operation Josh Taylor by Melody Fitzpatrick

found out that he’s coming to Glen Haven to do a concert, we of course told our parents right away. Well, Maria, I can tell you it was quite a shock when they said there was no way they would be paying for our tickets.”
    â€œIt must have been.” Maria nods supportively.
    â€œIt’s a responsibility thing .” I nod back.
    â€œSo you started the business to earn money for your tickets?”
    â€œThat’s exactly what we did!” I answer proudly. “We started our business to earn money for our …”
    Suddenly, I notice Scarlett Hastings, her eyes like slits, standing directly behind the cameraman. My hand flies up to my mouth, clamping it shut as I realize what I’ve done. My head is spinning … Scarlett … Rachel’s lie … her aunt … the fake tickets …
    Scarlett silently mouths to Rachel, “I-knew-you-were-lying.”
    Rachel’s eyes are filling with tears. I can’t believe this is happening, that I made this happen; I took over the entire interview and even worse than that … I’ve ratted us out. I’ve ratted Rachel out.
    â€œWell, thanks, girls. I think we have enough mater­ial to work with here,” Maria says.
    â€œThat’s a wrap!” the cameraman adds.
    â€œHannah, you did super! You’re not only a great little businesswoman, but you’re a natural on camera,” Maria exclaims, giving my shoulders a little squeeze.
    Suddenly, a crowd of kids swarms around us, and before I can get free to talk to Rachel, she’s gone.

11
    Attention-Grabbing, Backstabbing Jerk of a Friend
    I t ’s official. I am the worst friend on the face of the earth. I’m so ashamed of what I’ve done, I couldn’t even bring myself to call Rachel last night, not that she would have talked to me. Who would, unless it was to say, Hi, Hannah, you attention-grabbing, backstabbing jerk of a friend .
    I march into school, fully prepared for the attack. I’m hoping no one saw me on TV last night. It was horrible. They barely showed Rachel at all, and worse than that, they cut out so much stuff they made it look like I was totally taking credit for everything! I’ll be surprised if Rachel ever wants to speak to me again.
    I rush through the lobby, trying to shield my face so that no one notices me. It’s no use though;

    they were all waiting. Kids start storming at me from all angles, and in like three seconds I’m surrounded. I stop in my tracks, squeeze my eyes shut and brace myself for what’s coming. Everyone is yelling at me. I just want the ground to open up and swallow me so I can get out of this place.
    Wouldn’t it be great if that could actually happen, and a supernatural force could just suck you up and then magically drop you on some tropical island, where you’d be lying on a beautiful beach, and sipping a delicious, frozen strawberry smoothie? I don’t know what I would do without these little daydreams. I think they keep me from going crazy when everything around me is falling apart. But they’re only daydreams; they’re not real, and no magic vacuum is going to swallow me up and spit me out in Aruba.
    I open my eyes, squinting from the light. As I try to focus on the swarm of kids around me, I suddenly realize something strange is happening. It’s almost like I really have been transported into an alternate universe, and that’s when it hits me: these kids aren’t angry, they’re excited. No one is blaming me for stealing Rachel’s spotlight. No one mentions the lie, either.

    â€œHow did you get to be on TV?” one kid yells out.
    â€œThey just asked me,” I answer, smiling with relief.
    â€œSo, how was it? Was it fun?” another kid asks.
    â€œWell, it was actually, really fun.”
    â€œWhat was Maria like?” one of the girls asks.
    â€œShe was really pretty, much prettier in real life, and really cool. She