Free Poisoned by Kristi Holl Page A

stealing
    dark glances at her. No doubt Emily had told her roommate where she’d found Jeri in the middle of the night.
    In her library period that morning, Jeri couldn’t concentrate. She had the nagging feeling that she was missing something important.
God, what is it?
Had she seen something in the cupboards or the refrigerator that hadn’t sunk in? Maybe some of those foods
could
be poisonous under certain conditions. In the computer room next door, she researched more on food poisoning. Although she learned a lot about correct food storage and symptoms of poisoning, none of it was helpful.
    She slumped in her chair, wishing she could talk to her mom. But Mrs. McKane was on a business trip in Indiana, giving speeches at a sales conference. Jeri didn’t want to interrupt her presentation. She sighed. Email was better than nothing.
    She signed into her email and typed as fast as she could. She didn’t want her mom to freak out about a poisoner on the loose in her dorm. So instead, she wrote about Rosa and the high school boys at the pizza place. “I don’t want that kind of attention. Even so, I wish I got noticed too. You’ll think I’m terrible—”
    Just then an instant message popped up on her screen.
ImHis: What luck! I was just checking email and saw your smiley face icon lit up. Glad you’re online. Jerichogirl: HI I ROT U EM ImHis: Whoa! Plain English, okay? No text message gobbledy-gook!
    Jerichogirl: sorry—I wrote you an email—let me send it now.
    Jeri pushed Send and waited for her mom to read it.
    ImHis: No, I don’t think you’re terrible. You’re normal! That’s a good thing. I just think you’re maybe asking the wrong question.
    Jerichogirl: what do U mean??????????
    ImHis: Do you want the attention of a boy who only goes for mini skirts and tight shirts?
    Jerichogirl: no—but I don’t like 2 B invisible either.
    ImHis: Think about this — what kind of boy do you want attention from?
    Jerichogirl: easy — the kind that treats U like a lady — a guy that’s fun 2 do stuff with—a guy who isn’t fake.
    ImHis: Fake?
    Jerichogirl: one who only acts like a Christian at church.
    ImHis: Great list there! Boys like that make excellent friends. So … next thing to do is ask yourself this: Am I the kind of girl this kind of guy would like for a friend?
    Jerichogirl: U don’t understand—I don’t need more guy friends—I wish I could be more than a friend.
    ImHis: Well, in sixth grade, you’re too young to have boys be anything more than friends. I know it’s not a popular thing to say, but it’s true. Learn to be friends with boys. Boys who are good friends now make good boyfriends later, when you’re old enough to date. Much later, they also make good husbands.
    Jerichogirl: I guess, but that’s a long time away.
    ImHis: Yes, there’s PLENTY of time. You want to attract quality boys when the time is right, sweetie. Your job now is to
    grow into the kind of quality girl the Bible talks about. Fruity, right?
    Jeri smiled then.
Fruity
was her mom’s expression for showing the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Startled, she realized that those words pretty well described Dallas.
    Jerichogirl: I NO UR right — but fruity girls don’t get much notice.
    ImHis: I won’t lie to you. It’s true that you won’t get noticed by as many boys if you dress modestly and concentrate on developing good character. But when you DO get attention, it will be for the right reasons and from the right boys. It just takes time—which you have plenty of.
    Jerichogirl: in fact I don’t—gotta go.
    ImHis: Okay. You go ahead, but check email later.
    Just then the bell rang, and Jeri logged off. Sighing, she wished she could put boys out of her mind altogether for a couple years.
    After her second period class, she ran back to the computer lab and found the email from her mom.
    Sorry we got cut off this morning. In your email