Free Set the Record Straight! by Rachel Wise

the Beebs? Impossible!” she scoffed.
    â€œCome on, Allie! Be serious! It’s someone you really like but don’t know.”
    â€œZac Efron?” she said with a smile.
    I couldn’t stand the teasing any longer. “Argh! Mrs. Moseby!” I blurted.
    â€œHey, random! That’s pretty cool! Where?” At least Allie was reacting appropriately, even if she wasn’t as excited as I thought she’d be.
    â€œShe is—drumroll, please—our school chef!” I was pretty pleased with myself as I delivered this news.
    â€œWhat? No way! Then why does the food stink so much?” Allie asked.
    â€œWell, funny you should mention it. We were interviewing her today, and it was supposed to be all about why is the food so bad, but it turned out—”
    We were interrupted by the ringing of Allie’s phone. So annoying! And of course she picked it right up.
    â€œNo!” she said to whomever. “I haven’t had a chance to ask her yet! I will call you back when I find out.” She hung up.
    Was she talking about me?
    â€œWait, so what’s your big news?” I asked.
    Allie got all dramatic again and made her eyes go really wide. She sat forward in her chair and then said, “Do you know who Dear Know-It-All is this year at your school?”
    What? My heart began to thump in my chest, and I instantly felt hot and sweaty. How did she find out?
    â€œWait, Allie, please—”
    â€œGet a load of this!” she said, and she thrust her phone at me.
    I looked at it, not comprehending. Then everything came into focus. There was a post on the wall of the high school’s Buddybook page from someone called TiredofWaiting. It said: “Dear Know-It-All at Cherry Valley Middle School is a chicken and an idiot. Come out, come out, wherever you are!!!”
    I froze. My heat had turned to an icy chill. This was scary.
    â€œHow did you get this?” I asked. I felt my heart starting to beat really fast, and my palms were sweaty. This had just taken things to a new level. A dangerous one.
    Allie shrugged. “They wrote it on the school’s Buddybook wall that I administer. Can you believe it? What did Know-It-All do? I don’t follow middle school ‘journalism.’” She made quotation marks in the air with her fingers to show just what she thought of our paper.
    Even in the midst of a crisis, Allie found a way to be superior.
    â€œWell, there was a column this week about a girl asking a boy out. She said, I mean, he or she said to do it.”
    â€œHuh,” said Allie. “Well, that’s not bad advice, but I guess it didn’t go so well. Probably some dramatic kid overreacting. Definitely not as interesting as I thought. Nobody will care by tomorrow.”
    Right. As if.
    I stood carefully and collected my messenger bag.
    â€œWell, I guess I’ll go start my homework now,” I said casually.
    â€œListen, news hound, let me know if you hear anything. The poor kid who writes that column. He’s really in for it! I wish I could be a fly on the wall!”
    I turned to walk away, so she wouldn’t see myface. “I’ll let you know. . . .”
    Allie started texting away on her phone. “I’m going to text this post,” she said. “Maybe one of my six hundred or so Buddybook friends has an idea who is Know-It-All.”
    â€œAllie, wait—” I began. But Allie already looked up with a pleased smile. “Done,” she said.
    I got to my room as fast as I could without looking suspicious. Then I quickly closed my door, sat down at my computer, and started to shake. I was shaking so hard, I couldn’t even type to send an emergency e-mail to Trigger. I had to sit on my hands. Thoughts raced through my mind. Was Tired going to find me? Could she actually find out who I was if she wanted to? I didn’t know what to do. All I knew was this: I did not want to be the Dear