school did. So much for a front-page scoop.â
âWhat?â I started to stand, but Brooke immediately pulled me down.
âBe cool!â she whispered.
It didnât 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 âI Feel Prettyâ filled the air, along with giggles and groans at my dance moves.
âWhat a dork!â someone said.
âWho is it?â someone else asked. âThe email said itâs someone at this school!â
âIâm sure heâll be easy to spot,â said Stefan. âJust play this song and see who leaps down the hall.â
Several people laughed.
âI actually like it,â said Mrs. H. âIf you take the music away, itâs rather impressive.â
âI think so too,â spoke up Mary Patrick. Then her voice started to get louder. âWHOEVER THIS ISââshe glanced our way, and Vanessa gave the slightest shake of her headââmust have trained very hard,â she finished in a softer voice.
âYeah, and heâs got some serious muscles,â said another girl.
âI wish we could see his face.â The girl in charge of the clubs section giggled. âIâll bet heâs cute.â
I shouldâve been flattered and happy that at least I had some teacher and classmate support, but the guys wouldnât stop jeering and laughing at the video.
âDoes the circus still accept runaways?â I muttered to my friends.
âWe need to get to the bottom of who shared this,â said Brooke. âItâs got to be one of those sports goons who are always picking on you in gym.â
Heather and Vanessa nodded their agreement.
âNo.â I shook my head. âNo way. I donât want to draw attention to myself. If whoever did this finds out Iâm on to him . . . or her,â I hastily added, âtheyâll tell everyone the truth. Iâll handle it myself.â
Before Brooke could answer, Gil strolled over, grinning. âDid you guys see that video?â
A twinge of irritation sprung up inside me. Yeah, he didnât know it was me in the video, but he still shouldnât be laughing at someone just for dancing.
Then suddenly Brooke was laughing too.âHa, ha, ha! Lame, right? We all got a good laugh, didnât we?â 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. âYep. And that music! Youâd think he wouldâve picked something better, like Beethâ OW!â
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. âHilarious!â
Heather smiled and said, âI know itâs mean to laugh at someone who obviously takes his craft seriously, but the way itâs presented is pretty funny.â
Only my tenderhearted friend could make a jab sound like an apology.
My phone vibrated again.
Everyoneâs laughing about you. Fun, isnât 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. âRight, Tim?â
I lowered my phone and looked up. âHuh?â
âI was saying the guy in this video probably doesnât really go to our school,â she repeated.
âOh.â I nodded. âYeah, Iâm sure whoever sent this found it on the internet.â
âI donât think so,â chimed in Stefan. âIt has an original posting date of twelve thirty p.m. today. Thatâs a minute before I received it.â He smiled. âHey, I could be the first person in school to see a video that goes viral!â
Brooke held up a hand. âBut Iââ
âYep!â I