Pick Your Poison Part 9

"That's right," Brooke said. "I've already got an A in science, and I don't need a scholars.h.i.+p."

Jeri glanced at Ms. Carter, who was watching her as if she'd gone crazy. Have I? Jeri wondered. Was her conclu-sion all wrong? No, it couldn't be! But if Brooke didn't need the grade or the scholars.h.i.+p, why would she do it?

"Well?" Ms. Carter . nally said.

Jeri shook her head, as if clearing away mental cob-webs. Something didn't add up, but she couldn't put her .nger on it. G.o.d, what is it?

She studied Brooke closely. Her expression was grim, and her arms were folded tightly across her chest. Those tiny tops and tight jeans . . . Was she wearing them because they were fas.h.i.+onable . . . or because she'd outgrown them and couldn't afford new clothes?

"Brooke, are you sure you don't need the scholars.h.i.+p?" Jeri asked. "Do you really have plenty of money? Then why were you borrowing money from Nikki? I heard her men-tion loans you didn't pay back." Jeri turned to Ms. Carter. "If you call Brooke's parents or ask the headmistress, you might discover their real money situation."

Ms. Carter studied Brooke thoughtfully, a frown line deepening between her eyes. "Yes, I suppose I could do that." Brooke took a big breath. "You don't need to." Her shoulders slumped, and her breathing was ragged. "Pretty much everything Jeri said is true."

"You did poison me?" Emily's voice rose shrilly. "Why? I thought you were my friend!"

"I am!" Brooke's voice caught in her throat. She glanced at her roommate, then away quickly. "I never put enough in your food to really hurt you."

Horror was etched onto Emily's face. "I ended up in the hospital!"

"I know, and I'm really sorry! I don't know how that happened. I must've guessed wrong on the amounts." Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. "I just needed you to miss the science fair." She leaned her elbows on her knees and stared at the .oor. Tears ran in thin lines down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. "Jeri's right. My parents' .orist shop is almost bankrupt. If I don't get the scholar-s.h.i.+p for next year, I can't come back."

You won't come back now anyway, Jeri thought. You'll be expelled.

Jeri glanced at the girls now huddled silently in the hall. Nikki stood at the back. "Nikki's bigger than Emily," Jeri said, "but she got the sickest at Abby's birthday supper. Why?"

Brooke mumbled so low that it was hard to make out her words. "I don't know. I mixed some poisonous mush-rooms in with the good ones from the grocery store when I was in the kitchen."

"But n.o.body saw you," Jeri said.

"It was while Abby was changing clothes and I was helping you get tea re.lls. I wanted it to look like a bug that was going around."

Jeri nodded. "It'd be too obvious if only Emily got sick."

Brooke squirmed on the couch. "After we sat down, I knocked over Emily's gla.s.s, as a distraction. While Dallas mopped up the water, I added more mushrooms to Emily's salad. I don't know what happened to Nikki."

"I think I do," Nikki said, coming into the room. "I helped clean up afterwards. Before throwing away the leftover salad, I picked out the mushrooms. I love mush-rooms. Well, I did. Not so much now."

"And I hate mushrooms," Rosa said. "I picked mine out. That explains why I never got sick that night."

Jeri c.o.c.ked her head to one side, studying Brooke. "I suppose the other incidents during the week were to make it look even more like a virus spreading."

Brooke nodded, and then glanced up at Jeri. "I knew about the daffodil bulbs from my parents' .orist shop, but how'd you know?"

"Mr. Petrie's book listed poisonous foods, but also .owers -like hydrangea and jonquils and daffodils." Jeri rubbed her sore elbow. "You got the bulbs from the greenhouse, right?"

Brooke didn't move or answer. Ms. Carter touched Brooke's shoulder, and she jumped. "Come with me," the house mother said quietly.

"Wait." Jeri wanted to know one more thing. "What did you add to the trail mix?"

Brooke was silent.

Jeri decided to try a bluff. "Rosa didn't eat hers, but she saved it. We can have the police lab test it."

Brooke sighed. "Dried elderberries."

Jeri frowned. "Elderberries? Those aren't poisonous. My grandma made elderberry jam, and it never made me sick. Grandpa made elderberry wine too."

"Cooked berries are .ne." Brooke stole a guilty glance at Emily. "Raw ones are poisonous." Suddenly she cried out, "But I didn't mean to make you that sick! I didn't!" She sobbed and couldn't seem to catch her breath. "I th-th-thought you were going to die!"

Arm around Brooke, Ms. Carter led her from the room. Jeri glanced at Emily, then at Brooke's retreating back. The girls in the hall disappeared upstairs. "You okay?" Jeri .nally asked Emily.

"I don't know. I still can't believe this! Why didn't Brooke tell me her family was having trouble? I would have tried to help her." A shudder ran through her, and she dropped her head in her hands. "She didn't have to poison me." Her voice was barely a whisper. A moment later she looked up. "I'm sorry I ever thought it was you - or Abby."

"It's okay. You think you can compete at the science fair tonight?"

"I don't know. I hope so. I have to!" She glanced at the clock on the mantel. It was 2:40. "By eight o' clock I should be okay." She shook her head. "Well, better anyway."

"Want to come somewhere with us .rst?" Nikki asked. "My horse show's at four. I think Dallas is coming too."

Jeri nodded. "It might help take your mind off Brooke and all this."

"And relax you enough to perform for the judges," Rosa added.

Emily smiled slowly. "Okay. You convinced me."

The equestrian contest went exactly as Jeri and Rosa had predicted. Nikki took .rst prize, earning another blue ribbon. In a surprise to them all, though, Nikki gave the judges a letter from her parents, which they read over the loud speaker. It stated that the scholars.h.i.+p should go to the second-place winner instead. The applause was thunderous. Looking stunned at the news, Janeen rode her Palomino into the ring to accept it.

Jeri worked hard Sunday afternoon and evening. She .nally had the story of the year -and just in time to write it up for the media fair. Only it wouldn't come together. She discarded one version after another.

To make the article outstanding, she needed to report the whole story. But that would mean telling the truth about Brooke and Emily, about Nikki getting poisoned and Abby getting blamed. She knew Emily and Brooke (and their parents) wouldn't want the publicity. The Head might not either. She was .nis.h.i.+ng her fourth attempt at the article Sunday night when Rosa burst into the room.

"Brooke got expelled!" she said breathlessly. "Her par-ents have to pick her up tomorrow."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Jeri said, shaking her head. "I thought she might even get arrested. I still can't believe she did that just to win the scholars.h.i.+p."

Rosa .opped down on her bed. "I guess she was desperate."

"Why didn't she just talk to us?" Jeri asked. "We could've .gured something out. I guess wiping out the compet.i.tion was her shortcut to winning."

"While others, like Sierra, cheat to win," Rosa said. She was quiet for a long time. "Well, if you don't have G.o.d in your life to help you, you're kind of stuck trying to get things to happen your own way." Rosa smiled with a lop-sided grin. "I don't have their excuse though."

"What do you mean? Excuse for what?"

Rosa sat up and wrapped her arms around her bent knees. "Instead of being friends with guys-like you are-I take shortcuts of my own to get attention."

"It takes guts to admit that," Jeri said. "I've noticed the changes you've made already. My mom says G.o.d will give us boyfriends when the time is right-someday."

"Ya think?" Rosa hopped off the bed. "I just hope he doesn't take too long!" Grinning, she .ounced out of the room.

Laughing to herself, Jeri turned back to her article. Now, where was she? Oh, yes, the news about Brooke. What should she do with the information? Brooke getting expelled was news. Could she include it at the end of the article? It seemed mean and unkind-but reporters had to tell the truth.

Jeri leaned back in her chair. Maybe she wasn't cut out to be a news reporter after all. It had been her dream all year, but when her friends were involved, it put her in a tough spot. Should she tell the whole truth or not? If she left out parts that might embarra.s.s her friends, was she a real reporter? Somehow she didn't think so.

Whatever she decided to do, the project was due . rst thing Monday morning. She'd better decide soon.

Sighing, Jeri wondered why she was making such a big deal out of it anyway. Sierra would probably win with her stunning photo-essay book. Especially if Rosa was right and it really was her dad's stunning photo book.

Jeri was up till midnight .nis.h.i.+ng her front-page article and the .nal formatting of her newspaper. Back aching, Jeri stretched and rubbed her neck. For better or for worse, the article was done. She'd been as honest as she knew how to be. She only hoped it didn't get her disquali. ed.

Monday night's media fair found the group of school friends together again, this time lined up in the front row of the auditorium. Jeri was glad Ms. Carter said Dallas could join them-just in case she won! Five . nalists would be called up to sit in the .ve empty chairs on the stage. Mrs. Gludell, the Lightning Bolt's sponsoring teacher, and Headmistress Long were already onstage, waiting to do the honors.

Mrs. Gludell cleared her throat. "And now the moment we're all waiting for," she said, smiling down at the audience. "This was an extremely dif.cult decision to make this year. Several projects were worthy of winning full scholars.h.i.+ps." She turned to The Head, who nodded her agreement. "Unfortunately, that's not an option. So . . . the other judges and I chose the one girl we felt was most deserving."

Head Long stepped to the mike then. "I will read off four .nalists' names. Would those girls please come up onstage at this time?"

Jeri blinked in surprise and glanced at Rosa. Four? Why only four? There were .ve empty chairs onstage. She held her breath as The Head read off the names: "Cara Thompson, Andrea Williams, Deedee Jones . . . and Jeri McKane." Her friends broke into applause as Jeri hurried forward and climbed the stairs to the stage.

Jeri sat between Cara and the empty chair. While people were still applauding, Jeri whispered to Cara, "Where's Sierra Sedgewick? I heard she was probably getting the scholars.h.i.+p."

"Don't you know? She got disquali.ed!" Cara whis-pered behind her cupped hand. "Head Long saw some of her photos in a copy of Photography Today - with her dad's name on them. She didn't take those pictures in her media project!"

Jeri sat back, mixed feelings .ghting inside her. She was horri.ed for Sierra. She couldn't imagine being con-fronted by The Head and accused of cheating. But part of her surged with sudden hope too. Maybe her own project had a .ghting chance now!

Jeri sat perfectly still and made herself breathe deeply and slowly. G.o.d, I want your will, she prayed. If I still don't win, help me be happy for the winner.

"May I have everyone's attention, please?" Head Long said, silencing the chattering crowd with "the look." "It gives me great pleasure to award the scholars.h.i.+p to a very commendable young woman." She opened a folder. "The winning student put together a newspaper, complete with an article based on her own investigation of a recent crime on campus. The article ends with some thought-provoking ideas about the pressure students feel to win s cholas.h.i.+ps -and the lengths some are willing to go to win."

Jeri felt the heat rising from her neck to her face, and she knew she was blus.h.i.+ng furiously. She didn't dare look at Rosa or Dallas or any of her friends.

Ms. Long turned and smiled at Jeri, then added, "I would love to read the article aloud right now, but I can't. A police investigation is underway, and they don't want certain information made public. However, I can a.s.sure the audience that the article-the whole newspaper-is excellent writing. You'll read it some day. We look forward to Jeri McKane's return next year and her work as a Light-ning Bolt staff member."

Applause broke out then, and Ms. Long motioned for Jeri to come forward.

Jeri looked down at the front row of chairs as she walked across the stage. On one end waving wildly was Rosa, dressed in a cute skirt that even Jeri's mom would ap-prove of. Emily was next to her, dividing her time between watching the stage and grinning at Dallas, who sat on her other side. Jeri felt a twinge of envy there, but she couldn't blame Emily for liking him.

Jeri did too-and she hoped one day that Dallas would like her back even more. In the meantime, she'd pray about growing into the kind of girl that someone like him would want for a girlfriend. Someday.

We're all just friends, she reminded herself. For now, that's enough.

A New Series from Faithgirlz!

The Boarding School Mysteries series challenges twelve-year-old Jeri McKane, a sixth grader at the private Landmark School for Girls, to trust G.o.d's Word and direction as this amateur sleuth searches for clues in the midst of danger.

Fading Tracks Socover * ISBN 9780310714293 On the way home from a .eld trip, the Landmark School for Girls van, with the driver and six girls, disappears somewhere along the Two-Mile Stretch leading into town. Jeri McKane desperately searches for her missing friends, including her roommate Rosa.

Secrets For Sale Socover * ISBN 9780310714309 A blackmailer is victimizing Jeri McKane's best friend, so Jeri uses her investigative abilities to discover who and why. As the threats become more serious-to her friend as well as herself- Jeri dares to confront real danger face-to-face.

Smoke Screen Socover * ISBN 9780310714316 When an "accidental' .re at Landmark School turns out to be arson, Jeri Mckane is determined to discover who is se ing . res-and why.

A New Series from Faithgirlz!

Meet Morgan, Amy, Carlie, and Emily. They all live in the trailer park at 622 Harbor View in tiny Boscoe Bay, Oregon. Proximity made them friends, but a desire to make the world a better place-and a willingness to work at it-keeps them together.

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Project: Run Away Book Six * Softcover * ISBN 9780310713500 Shortly before Christmas, Emily's family must flee when her abusive father uncovers them in Boscoe Bay. But Emily's friends rally to help get them safely back home, where Emily discovers that forgiveness doesn't always come easily.

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