Free Step It Up by Sheryl Berk

to be on crutches?” she asked. “Maybe Liberty’s really hurt. Maybe it’s serious.” She pointed to Liberty who was now in tears and cradling her bandaged knee.
    Rochelle pouted. “Fine. Lean on me,” she said. She offered her arm to Liberty, who looked positively horrified. “Come on. Do you want to stay here all day?”
    â€œI don’t think I can put pressure on my leg,” Liberty said through gritted teeth. “I think you’ll have to carry me.”
    Rochelle’s eyes grew wide. “Carry you? Are you nuts? There is no way I’m gonna carry you!”
    â€œWe’ll all take turns,” Scarlett volunteered. “We can make a chair with our arms and carry Liberty down the mountain.”
    â€œOoh! Can I get carried, too?” Gracie asked. “That sounds fun.”
    Rochelle rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She linked arms with Scarlett, and Liberty sat between them. “This is the worst day of my life,” she said as they struggled to make their way with their teammate in tow. She sneezed again, this time in Liberty’s hair.
    â€œ
Eww!
Cut it out!” Liberty screamed.
    â€œWould you like me to cover my nose and drop you?” Rochelle asked her. “ ’Cause that’s my only option.”
    Liberty made a face. “This is the worst day of
my
life! A bloody knee
and
a shower of boogers.”
    Three hours later, they were nearly at the bottom of the trail. “It says to bear to the right,” Bria pointed out. “Past Chickasaw Cave.”
    â€œDid you say chicken and slaw?” Anya asked.
    Bria shook her head. “I said Chickasaw. It’s an old Native American tribal name. Not a KFC!”
    â€œOh.” Anya sighed. “I’m so hungry, I’m hearing things. I think I’m delirious.”
    Liberty dug into her purse and pulled out a box of Belgian chocolates. “Here. Have one,” she said.
    â€œOMG! You have truffles in your purse and you didn’t say anything?” Anya grabbed them out of her hand and began stuffing them in her mouth.
    â€œI forgot,” Liberty explained. “I was a little busy bleeding.”
    â€œThis is heaven,” Anya said, licking her fingers. “Liberty, I never thought I’d say this, but I love you!”
    â€œHey, save some for me!” Gracie said, trying to wrestle one away from her.
    â€œAre you kidding? You ate everything in our food bags! You were as piggy as your pink piggy, Gracie!” Anya held the box of chocolates high above her head so she couldn’t reach it.
    Gracie’s eyes welled up.
Oh, no
, Scarlett thought.
Here we go …
    Anya saw the look on the little girl’s face and stopped herself from popping the last one in her mouth. “I’m sorry, Gracie. Here, you can have one. Please don’t cry!” She handed her a dark-chocolate candy with a hazelnut-cream center.
    Gracie gobbled it down and smiled. “Thank you. That was yumilicious.”
    Scarlett was too busy trying to figure out the map to think of food. “I’m not sure what this little red leaf symbol here means,” she said, showing it to Bria. “It’s not anywhere on the key.”
    Bria shrugged. “Well, it’s pretty. It must be those pretty red leaves over there.” She pointed to a patch growing around the base of a tree. “Maybe I’ll pick one for my scrapbook at home.”
    She was bending over a leaf when Anya suddenly screamed
“Nooooooo!”
and tackled her to the ground. Bria landed facedown in a pile of leaves and mud with Anya on top of her.
    â€œGet off!” Bria said, spitting out a mouthfulof dirt. “Just because I made costumes you didn’t like doesn’t mean you have to beat me up!”
    â€œNo, I wasn’t trying to beat you up,” Anya said, helping Bria to her feet. “I was trying to save you from getting poison ivy. I remember it from