Free Acting Out by Laurie Halse Anderson

least we know we’ll have a happy ending with them.” He leaves. I wonder if he is going to find David.
    But right now what I really want to know is more about the antifreeze puddle. “Any thoughts on how that antifreeze got to the lake?” I look at the others.
    Sunita nods. “Brenna’s dad has a pretty good idea of what happened. It makes such sense.”
    Brenna continues, “The antifreeze was right beside the boat launch. My dad said that people use antifreeze to winterize their boats and then flush the antifreeze out when they’re ready to use the boat again in the spring.”
    Maggie adds, “Someone must have flushed it right there at the launch and not cleaned it up.”
    “And too many animals found it.” Sunita’s eyes tear up.
    “So this was probably the work of an irresponsible boat owner,” Maggie says. She closes the kittens’ cage and writes on their chart.
    Which means that now it’s more important than ever that we get the word out about antifreeze. It’s time to work on my PSA project with the Vet Volunteers.

Chapter Nine

    I t’s way past lunchtime when we all invade Gran’s fridge. I try to fix us something nutritious, but everyone seems too hungry to wait for real food. David and Maggie whip up boxed macaroni and cheese for everyone. The rest of us munch on carrots and apples while we wait for the microwave to serve up the orange cheesy mess.
    “So, everybody, as I mentioned earlier today, I have a terrific plan for all of us,” I say, tossing my apple core in the trash.
    “Ahh, the mysterious PSAs?” Brenna asks.
    “Exactly,” I say. I fire up my laptop so I can show them the website I created.
    “Well, spill it. Your first idea worked out great,”David says between big bites of mac and cheese.
    Before I can begin, David adds, “As a matter of fact, all of your ideas are great.”
    This remark seems to take everyone by surprise, even David himself, who immediately goes red in the face.
    I need a moment to remember exactly what I was going to say. “We’re going to film some public service announcements.” I check to see if my computer is ready. Not yet. So I continue. “We’ll do short commercials about animal health and safety. We can start with one about antifreeze. We’ll post them on a couple of Internet video sites and on our own website. Then we can spread the word in the community so as many people as possible will see them. We can tell our friends and teachers at school, and put a link on the Dr. Mac’s Place website. And Brenna, maybe your parents can help us get the word out at the wildlife rehab.”
    I look around Gran’s kitchen to see how excited everyone is. Nobody really looks enthused.
    David just looks confused. So does Josh. Sunita’s eyes are wide and she is sitting up very straight. Jules’s forehead is all scrunched up as she turns to look at Brenna. I can’t tell what Brenna thinks, either. She’s awfully quiet. I turn to look at my cousin. She doesn’t look too excited, either.
    “What do you mean, ‘we’re going to film them’?” asks Maggie. “With your Minicam?”
    “Sure. It’s a great little camera,” I reply.
    “Brian has one, too,” David adds.
    “Great, we can borrow his as well,” I say.
And then I can see Brian,
I think. Bonus!
    “Who are we filming doing this?” asks Jules.
    “Yeah, who are the actors?” David asks.
    “We are. That’s what will make these really effective. Who cares about saving animals more than we do?”
    Sunita nods slowly. Jules looks like she’s starting to understand this, too.
    “But—we’re not actors,” Jules says, sounding more than a little anxious.
    “This isn’t a movie,” I say. “It’s a short public service announcement. Acting in this sort of thing is easy. You just have to be yourselves.”
    “Don’t you think we should hire some real actors, though?” Jules asks.
    “No, I don’t. Where would we get the money to pay them?” I look at my friends. Not one of them is