Free Rival Revenge by Jessica Burkhart

lead line. Alison’s face was pink and she was sweating, even in shorts and a tank top.
    â€œSo you’re working him over the lanes, huh?” I asked.
    Alison patted his neck and turned Sunstruck to follow Charm and me. “Yeah. Mr. Conner loved your idea—he thought it was a great way for me to keep my bond with Sunstruck and for both of us to work out together.”
    â€œI know it’s not even close to riding,” I said. “But Sunstruck just wants to spend time with you—no matter what you’re doing.”
    Alison nodded. “You’re right. He’s been an angel the entire time.”
    We walked the horses, silent, for a few minutes.
    â€œSo, how are you doing with … things?” Alison asked, her voice soft.
    I took a long, deep breath. I had nothing to lose bytalking to her. “Honestly? Not so great. Callie. Eric. Jacob. The whole thing’s just a mess. And Jas has been her usual charming self and I feel like she’s stalking me in Winchester.”
    Alison frowned. “I’m sorry. That’s not fun. It’s enough to deal with what happened, and of course she’s in your face.”
    I looked at Alison. “But she did say something really interesting. We were in the common room and she accused me of trying to be the new ‘bad girl’ on campus.”
    Alison scrunched her nose. “Why? Because of the Jacob thing?”
    â€œYeah.” I wanted to move past that part of the convo ASAP. “But she said she’d already done something much worse than I’d done and could ever think up.”
    Alison sighed. “Julia would kill me for talking to you about this.”
    â€œUp to you, but who am I going to tell?” I asked. “I have zero friends except for Paige, and even that’s weird right now.”
    â€œWell, I just know Jasmine’s talking about what she did to Julia and me,” Alison said. “She framed us. I know it. I’m positive. I don’t know how, but I swear—Julia and I didn’t cheat on our history exam. Jas did something and now she’s bragging about it.”
    â€œShe’s too smart for that,” I said. “Even if she did frame you—she’s not stupid. She’d never brag about something that serious—she’d be expelled if she got caught.”
    â€œI never said she was stupid. Just cocky. She thinks she can do whatever she wants and get away it.”
    I hesitated. “If you’re really sure she framed you, then you’ve got to get proof. You, Julia, and Heather are all smarter than she is—figure out something and get back on the team.”
    Alison nodded. “We will. Somehow, we will.” She checked her watch. “I want to jog him another half mile before it gets dark. See you in English?”
    â€œOkay, bye.”
    Alison turned Sunstruck back in the opposite direction and started jogging beside him. I led Charm down the lane and into the stable.
    If Alison was telling the truth, then what Jas had said would make perfect sense.

FOR OUR HEALTH CLASS
    I walked into my dorm room, smiling when I saw Paige typing on her computer and blushing.
    â€œLet me guess,” I said. “IMing with Ryan?”
    Paige ducked her head. “Yeah. But he was just asking me if I wanted to eat breakfast together sometime.”
    â€œAnd you said yes, right?” I asked.
    â€œI told him Friday would be fine.”
    I walked over and gave Paige a high five. “Perfect. You weren’t like, ‘Omigod, tomorrow!’ You played it cool.”
    â€œYou think?” Paige asked.
    â€œAbsolutely. That was great.”
    Paige closed her laptop. “How was your lesson? You look a little stressed or something.”
    â€œIt was kind of tiring,” I said. “But okay. I’m just gross and need to get cleaned up.”
    â€œI’ve got the perfect solution to make you feel better,” Paige said,