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something I need to do.” I stood up. “ Papi , I’ll call you later,” I said, sarcastically. “Bye, Pine-Sol.”
    She gritted her teeth, but kept her smile. “It’s Marisol .”
    â€œOh, my bad.”
    Alvin gently pushed me toward the door. Once he opened it, he stepped outside with me. “Why are you acting like that? Are you mad at me or something?”
    I had to take a deep breath. Like, seriously, why was I tripping? We were just friends, and Alvin was a good guy. Why didn’t I want him to be happy?
    â€œNo,” I finally said. “You know I’m just messing with you.” I couldn’t help it—I ran my finger along the collar of his polo. “I’m glad to see you happy. But honestly, I think you can do better than that trashy girl. But hey, that’s just me.”
    â€œOf course, you’d think that.”
    â€œI’m just looking out for your best interest,” I said innocently.
    â€œI know.” He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “You don’t want me, but you don’t want anyone else to have me either. I get it. I’ll call you later.”
    I just smiled because I was beginning to think there was some truth to what he was saying. “You do that, papi. Call me later.” I made my way to my car, still struggling to make sense of the strange, bubbling feeling in my stomach.

Chapter 6
    T he newsroom of WSVV was a flurry of activity. Reporters, producers, and interns were running around like crazy.
    â€œWhere’s the fire?” I asked Sonnie, one of the news producers, as I walked up to the main desk. I didn’t usually make my way to this side of the building, but I’d finally gotten in touch with Savannah. She was in rehab now and had agreed to give me an interview when she got out. So, I’d left school right after lunch and come into the office to try and dig up some background info on other designer drug cases.
    â€œGirl, it’s a middle school that has had seven kids overdose,” she said, scribbling furiously on a sheet of paper. Before I could reply, the desk phone rang. “Hey, this is the police department calling back,” she yelled to no one in particular before snatching the phone up.
    â€œWow.” I was grateful I worked on the entertainment side. I was only doing the drug stories as it pertained to celebrities. The idea of having to deal with that kind of stuff day in and day out, I definitely wasn’t feeling.
    â€œI guess I’ll just come back,” I mouthed to Sonnie, who had the phone nestled between her shoulder and her ear.
    â€œYeah, this is major so I’m not going to be able to get anyone to help you for a while.”
    â€œCool,” I replied.
    I had just turned to walk away when I heard her say, “Oh no, so four of the kids have died?” she said.
    I couldn’t take any more. The news side was so freaking depressing. I made my way out of the newsroom before they completely ruined my day.
    I had just sat down at my desk when my boss, Tamara, knocked on my door.
    â€œHey, Maya. Lynn from news wants to know if you have any contact information for Chanel Jackson.”
    â€œThe actress?” I asked.
    â€œYeah, apparently, her little sister is one of the middle school kids that overdosed.”
    I leaned back in my chair. “Wow, this stuff is out of control. I just left the news department and it’s chaos.”
    â€œYeah, tell me about it. We got a tip today on another celebrity. I just don’t get it. This K2 is supposed to be the cheap stuff, so why are all these rich people indulging in it?”
    I shrugged. I had long ago stopped trying to figure out druggies.
    â€œI don’t know Chanel, but I can try to make some calls,” I said.
    â€œI appreciate it. They have your story for today lined up.” She pointed to the folder on my desk. I picked it up and began sifting through it. Of course,