interrupted. âStefan, youâre the first. Congrats, bro.â
âThanks, man.â He took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. âI should talk to Felix about getting this on the front page!â Stefan tapped Gil on the chest. âYou can take my photo for it!â
The two of them walked off, and I relaxed my body. Brooke pointed to herself.
âBut I was the first person to see the video.â
â We know that.â I gestured around the square of desks. âBut if anyone else knew, theyâd wonder why you didnât say anything, like Stefan did. Theyâd wonder if you were protecting whoever was in the video.â
Brooke sighed. âYeah, I see your point.â
Heather bumped her. âCheer up. Do you really want your fifteen minutes of fame to be that you were the first to see a silly dance video?â She widened her eyes and reached for my arm. âNo offense.â
It took several minutes for Mrs. H to regain control of the classroom, and when she finallydid, it was agreed that the dance clip should get a mention in Mondayâs issue as part of a piece on how videos go viral.
Great.
After that, it was business as usual, with updates from the different sections and small group work. I mustâve had a look on my face that said I didnât want to talk because the girls all worked quietly on answering their advice questions.
When the bell rang I grabbed my bag and hurried out the door, making a beeline for the clock in the main hall. Ryan was already there, leaning against the wall with a cocky smirk on his punchable face.
âWell, well. If it isnât the video star,â he said.
âShh!â I ducked and looked around to see if anyone had heard. âHow did you even get that footage, anyway?â
âMy aunt and I were walking into the storenext to the dance building when I saw you going in. Or rather . . . running in with your bag by your head. You donât like people knowing you dance, do you?â
âItâs none of their business,â I said.
âI get that.â Ryan reached into his back pocket. âSo hereâs whatâs going to happen if you want it to stay none of their business.â
He handed me a folded sheet of paper.
âWhatâs this?â I unfolded it.
âJust a few tasks I need you to complete,â said Ryan. âYou know . . . if you want your identity to remain a secret. I still have the original, unblurred version of that video.â
I stared at him, dumbfounded. âYouâre blackmailing me?â
He made a face. âBlackmail is such an ugly word. Letâs call it . . . an agreement between friends.â
âYouâre not my friend; youâre disgusting.â Myfists clenched, the paper he handed me crumpling in one of them.
âOh, careful with that,â he said, pointing to the list. âThatâs your only copy.â
Taking a deep steadying breath, I unfolded it and read the contents:
Shovel my sidewalk
Clean my room
Do my homework
Get me into Berkeleyâs party
Get Lisa Wheeler to go out with me
I lowered the paper. âSo basically Iâm your servant,â I said flatly.
âAnd matchmaker,â he added, indicating the item about Lisa Wheeler.
âSheâll never go out with you,â I said, shaking my head. âYou call her Lisa Wheezer, and sheâs out of your league.â
Ryan pressed his lips together and took the list from me. Pulling out a pen, he scratched out the last task and scribbled something below it. âFixed.â
Make me the coolest guy in sixth grade
âI didnât put âin the whole schoolâ because I know there are some unbeatables,â he said.
âHow humble of you,â I said, balling up the paper and shoving it into his chest. âBut you can forget it.â
Instead of responding, Ryan tapped the shoulder of a guy walking past with some of his buddies.