Free It's All Good by Nikki Carter Page B

Shoot, I put the U and the N in too. She can bounce with that foolishness.
    â€œHurting someone else is not fun to me. Sorry, I don’t know where you found your definition of fun. It sounds like you got it out of the Valerie Mean Girl’s dictionary.”
    Candy’s eyes light up as if she’s just remembered something. “Speaking of Valerie, she’s got to have a meeting tomorrow at school with her parents, Susan, and Susan’s parents.”
    â€œHow do you know about all this?” I ask.
    â€œValerie called me, asking if I knew who hacked her Facebook page. She swears she didn’t post those pictures.”
    â€œI knew it! I knew she didn’t do it.”
    â€œWhat? You believe her? I think she’s lying. How do you know she didn’t do it?”
    â€œBecause if Valerie had done it, she wouldn’t be calling you to find out who hacked her page. She’d be calling you to figure out a plan on how to get out of trouble.”
    â€œGia, nobody hates Susan more than Valerie.”
    I tap my chin, in thinking mode again. “You’re right. And everyone knows this. But I think we should be thinking deeper here. What does Valerie really have to gain by posting those pictures of Susan?”
    Candy pauses for a moment before replying. “I don’t know. Revenge, maybe?”
    â€œBut this is going to ruin her entire senior year. Whoever did this either hates Valerie or didn’t think about prom, graduation, and everything else.”
    Candy laughs. “Well, half of Longfellow High hates Valerie.”
    â€œI know, right. But when we figure out who hates Susan enough to ruin Valerie’s senior year, then we’ll know who posted those pictures.”
    Candy rolls her eyes at me. “So you’re about to go Nancy Drew on us, huh?”
    â€œNancy Drew? Um ... no, ma’am. Try Chloe off of Smallville. She’s fly and she always gets the scoop.”
    â€œ Smallville? You are such a geek, Gia.”
    â€œI love you more,” I reply as I exit the room.

11
    â€œI ’ve got a list of three suspects,” I announce to
    Ricky and Kevin the next day at lunch.
    Ricky laughs. “Suspects for what?”
    â€œSuspects for who posted those pictures of Susan Chiang on the Internet.”
    Kevin looks confused. “I thought we’d already convicted Valerie of the crime.”
    â€œYou have, but not me. Until I see Valerie gloating, I won’t believe it. I think she’s innocent. And I don’t believe we should just say that someone is guilty without any proof.”
    â€œThe proof is that the pictures were posted from Valerie’s Facebook account,” Kevin states.
    â€œPurely circumstantial. Her page could’ve been hacked.”
    Ricky rolls his eyes and pops a ketchup-covered Tater Tot in his mouth. “Wow, Gia. You’re going all power-to-the-people on us.”
    â€œEw, don’t talk with your mouth full. That was just gross. But yeah, I’m team Valerie on this one, until someone proves otherwise.”
    â€œBut the burden of proof is on Valerie,” Kevin retorts. “All the evidence so far points to Valerie. So there.”
    â€œBoy, don’t you ‘burden of proof’ me. This is not Law & Order . I know she didn’t do it, and that’s all I have to say,” I fuss while Ricky giggles.
    â€œKevin, it looks like you’ve got her ruffled. You might make a good lawyer one day.”
    I give them both the hand. “I am soooo not ruffled. Both of y’all can kick rocks as far as I’m concerned.”
    Ricky’s eyebrows lift, nearly touching his hairline. “Really? We can kick rocks? Well, who’s gonna plan your little sweet-seventeen birthday party if we do?”
    â€œUmm ... sweet seventeen? Since when did it get that title?”
    Kevin answers, “Since you didn’t have a sweet sixteen.”
    â€œBut I don’t want a