20

I wake up Thursday morning raring to go. Today’s mission: spread the truth about Milan around Average faster than the flu. First step is to e-mail the town board again as Helpful Friend. This time I apologize for the regrettable mistake and add that the sex tape is a fraud and that Milan was here in Average with us when it was filmed.

At school I tell anyone who will listen to me about my poor cousin Milan getting framed. I make sure to keep repeating how impossible it would have been for her to have made the tape in the first place. This is our solid undeniable proof and it has to get around fast. I even tell Joyce, the lunchroom monitor, the story. Joyce is pretty gossipy so I figure it will only help in getting the news spread around town.

After school I head straight for the Patch, but before I go to work, I have to make a stop. I get in line behind a mom with two kids. When it’s my turn I step up to the register and order. “Hi, one raspberry sno-cone and a bag of kettle corn, please.”

Sno-Cone Sammy and Kettle Corn Girl eye each other as they put together my order. What? So I never usually stop at this booth. Can’t a girl change up her after-school snack once in a while?

Sno-Cone Sammy hands me my sno-cone.

“Thanks,” I say. “Oh wait, maybe I should bring Milan a sno-cone too, you know, to cheer her up. You got any flavors back there with no calories, no preservatives, no additives … Uh, well, maybe you should just fill up one of those paper cones with some plain ice shavings.”

Sno-Cone Sammy looks concerned. “How’s Milan?” she says in a low voice.

Perfect. I was hoping she’d ask me that. “She’s okay,” I say slowly. “As well as you’d expect, considering the lies spreading all over town about her.”

“Lies?” Sno-Cone Sammy inquires, obviously hoping I’ll spill, which of course is my plan.

“Yeah. You know,” I say, and lean in close, “about the t-a-p-e.” I’m not sure why I felt I needed to spell that out.

“It’s not true?” Sno-Cone Sammy asks, and then flips around to look at Kettle Corn Girl. “See? I told you Milan would never do that.”

“Oh God,” I say, “of course it’s not true. Milan doesn’t even know Brandon Days. And if you look at the date stamp on the movie you’ll see it was made while Milan was living here in Average.”

“Really?” Kettle Corn Girl says, moving closer to us.

“Yes! And I have no reason to defend Milan, she doesn’t even like me,” I add.

“That’s true,” Kettle Corn Girl replies.

Ouch.

“Well, I never believed it for a minute,” Sno-Cone Sammy says, shaking her head for emphasis. “April kept saying it was true, but I couldn’t see Milan doing something like that. It’s not her.”

“She wouldn’t,” I agree. “Thanks for the food, guys.” I drop some bills on the counter. I take my sno-cone, the ice, and the kettle corn and head for home. I need to change and get back out here to work.

Mom asks me to be the break reliever this afternoon, which, really, couldn’t be any more perfect a job to fit in with my plan. It gives me a chance to tell everyone I relieve about Milan being framed with the sex tape. I tell Jeff and Teegan at the pumpkin chucker, Petey and Hannah at the haunted house, and Kate and Laurel at the funnel cake stand. I know my plan is going to work and people will forget this stupid story about Milan and go back to, well, I guess worshipping her like they were before the rumor leaked. But even if they are worshipping her it’s better than them ignoring her and making fun of her behind her back for something she didn’t do.

My last stop is to see Sara. She’s straightening up the display case when I reach her.

“Hey, where’ve you been? No apple today?” Sara asks.

“Nah, I had kettle corn and a sno-cone,” I say.

“What? Since when? I think I’m insulted.” Sara fake-pouts and I laugh.

“Don’t worry, it was a one-time thing,” I insist.

“It better be. I don’t like throwing away my creations.” Sara picks up the Jamie Special and acts like she’s going to throw it in the trash.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I say. “Let’s not be hasty. I’ll take it home.”

She grins. “I knew you would.” She hands me the apple and leans over the counter to glance at the concession stand. I look too and see Milan busily making her pumpkin spice lattes. “Did you hear?” Sara asks me a minute later.

“Hear what?” I turn and face her.

“About Milan’s sex tape being a fake?” Sara says. “Someone set her up. That wasn’t her in the movie. It was someone else.”

“That’s terrible,” I say, faking shock and disgust. “Even Milan doesn’t deserve that!” Yes! If Sara has already heard the news I’ve been telling people then it must be spreading well throughout the Patch.

Sara nods. “Even though Milan has been so dang rotten it still must be hard being a kid with famous parents. Those gossip sites and tabloids don’t attack only the celebrities, they attack their whole families.”

“Yeah,” I agree. Sara’s right. I never thought about how hard it must be for Milan to have such famous parents.