Read Online The Secret Talent by Jo Whittemore - Free Book Online Page B

embarrass yourself at this party.”
    Ryan glanced down at himself and frowned at me. “Then you’ve got a lot of work to do, don’t you?”
    And I had plenty of incentive. A lot of people were talking about the video and watching it before morning classes, between morning classes . . . even in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the tile walls made the acoustics of the song even better.
    Every snicker and joke about the video chipped away at me, so that by the time lunchrolled around, I felt about half my size. And I guess I looked it.
    â€œAre you shrinking?” Brooke asked in the lunch line. Then her eyes lit up. “Or did I finally get my growth spurt?” She jumped and tried to touch the ceiling, but her fingertips missed by a mile. “Nope,” she said with a sigh. “Nope, I didn’t.”
    â€œYou’d probably grow a little faster if you ate something besides pizza,” I said.
    â€œPizza has cheese,” she pointed out. “Cheese has calcium. I should be a friggin’ giant by now.”
    â€œCalcium doesn’t make your bones grow longer. It makes them grow stronger,” I said.
    She eyed me. “Then you must not be getting enough calcium, old man. But nice rhyme.”
    I pulled myself to my full height, and she nodded. “That’s better. Now, I know what’s bugging you, but sulking about it isn’t going to change things.”
    â€œAnd what do you suggest I do instead?”
    â€œIgnore it,” she said.
    â€œIgnore a problem and hope it goes away?” I shook my head. “That does not sound like the Brooke Jacobs philosophy.”
    â€œI didn’t say ignore the problem,” she corrected me, handing the lunch lady her meal card. “I’m saying ignore the reactions. By all means confront the problem.” She pocketed her meal card and waited for me to pay. “Have you figured out who sent that mass email yet? I could deal with the whole thing for you.”
    There it was again. My friends to the rescue against someone I should’ve been able to handle on my own. I knew Brooke could probably destroy Ryan, but I also knew how much respect I’d lose from the guys if she did.
    â€œNo,” I lied. “Looks like whoever it was just wanted a laugh from the school.”
    Brooke narrowed her eyes. “Nobody does something like that and chooses to stay anonymous. At some point, whoever posted that video is going to want recognition.”
    â€œWould you please let it go?” I asked, picking up my lunch tray. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
    â€œYou never want to talk about your private life,” she said, following me to our usual table, where Vanessa and Heather were already eating.
    â€œBecause it’s private!” I shot back. “Can we talk about something else? I’ve already gotten some requests for gift advice.” I hesitated. “Well . . . sort of.”
    â€œLet me guess,” spoke up V. “People thought you’d buy the gifts for them?”
    I lifted my eyebrows. “Yeah, how’d you know?”
    Heather and Vanessa laughed, and Brookecovered her face with one hand while she dropped folded scraps of paper onto the table with the other.
    â€œWe found these in Locker 411,” explained Heather. “At least five people got the same idea.”
    Brooke grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I should’ve been more specific on the flyer. I’ll make a new one, and tomorrow will go much better.”
    I picked up one of the notes that had a dollar stapled to it. “‘Buy my brother something,’” I read and smirked. “So much love in that family.”
    Brooke elbowed Vanessa. “Watch it be from Gabby.”
    At that moment a belch echoed across the cafeteria.
    I closed my eyes and sighed. I didn’t even have to look to know who it was.
    â€œRyan is such a pig,” Brooke said, making a disgusted