The Secret Talent

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Book: Read The Secret Talent for Free Online
Authors: Jo Whittemore
school did. So much for a front-page scoop.”
    â€œWhat?” I started to stand, but Brooke immediately pulled me down.
    â€œBe cool!” she whispered.
    It didn’t matter. Nobody was paying attention to me. Well, not the real me, anyway. They were too fixated on Dancing Me. Even Mary Patrick and Mrs. H.
    Different snippets of “I Feel Pretty” filled the air, along with giggles and groans at my dance moves.
    â€œWhat a dork!” someone said.
    â€œWho is it?” someone else asked. “The email said it’s someone at this school!”
    â€œI’m sure he’ll be easy to spot,” said Stefan. “Just play this song and see who leaps down the hall.”
    Several people laughed.
    â€œI actually like it,” said Mrs. H. “If you take the music away, it’s rather impressive.”
    â€œI think so too,” spoke up Mary Patrick. Then her voice started to get louder. “WHOEVER THIS IS”—she glanced our way, and Vanessa gave the slightest shake of her head—“must have trained very hard,” she finished in a softer voice.
    â€œYeah, and he’s got some serious muscles,” said another girl.
    â€œI wish we could see his face.” The girl in charge of the clubs section giggled. “I’ll bet he’s cute.”
    I should’ve been flattered and happy that at least I had some teacher and classmate support, but the guys wouldn’t stop jeering and laughing at the video.
    â€œDoes the circus still accept runaways?” I muttered to my friends.
    â€œWe need to get to the bottom of who shared this,” said Brooke. “It’s got to be one of those sports goons who are always picking on you in gym.”
    Heather and Vanessa nodded their agreement.
    â€œNo.” I shook my head. “No way. I don’t want to draw attention to myself. If whoever did this finds out I’m on to him . . . or her,” I hastily added, “they’ll tell everyone the truth. I’ll handle it myself.”
    Before Brooke could answer, Gil strolled over, grinning. “Did you guys see that video?”
    A twinge of irritation sprung up inside me. Yeah, he didn’t know it was me in the video, but he still shouldn’t be laughing at someone just for dancing.
    Then suddenly Brooke was laughing too.“Ha, ha, ha! Lame, right? We all got a good laugh, didn’t we?” She looked to the rest of us with an insistent smile.
    Best way to go unnoticed: be one of the crowd.
    I forced a laugh of my own. “Yep. And that music! You’d think he would’ve picked something better, like Beeth— OW!”
    Underneath the desk someone stomped on my foot. Judging by the weight of it, I guessed it was Vanessa, who was wearing chunky boots.
    She giggled up at Gil. “Hilarious!”
    Heather smiled and said, “I know it’s mean to laugh at someone who obviously takes his craft seriously, but the way it’s presented is pretty funny.”
    Only my tenderhearted friend could make a jab sound like an apology.
    My phone vibrated again.
    Everyone’s laughing about you. Fun, isn’t it? Unless you want them laughing AT you, meet me under the clock in the main hall when the bell rings.
    I squeezed my phone so hard I was afraid it might shatter.
    Vanessa bumped my arm. “Right, Tim?”
    I lowered my phone and looked up. “Huh?”
    â€œI was saying the guy in this video probably doesn’t really go to our school,” she repeated.
    â€œOh.” I nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure whoever sent this found it on the internet.”
    â€œI don’t think so,” chimed in Stefan. “It has an original posting date of twelve thirty p.m. today. That’s a minute before I received it.” He smiled. “Hey, I could be the first person in school to see a video that goes viral!”
    Brooke held up a hand. “But I—”
    â€œYep!” I

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