On Monday at lunch, the Renegade Reporters’ table was positively buzzing. Brielle’s parents had been so proud of her, they’d bought her professional software called Final Cut Pro. She’d downloaded it Friday night and spent the whole weekend editing The Underground News. Ash and Maya had spent the weekend in the studio recording Ash’s anchor spots, which meant Brielle just needed to add them in, and the Van Ness Media episode would be ready to air.
“Is Final Cut Pro better than Van Ness Movie Maker?” Ash asked.
“It’s so slick,” Brielle said dreamily. “Our episode is looking amazing.”
“Maya’s family can’t wait to share it with everyone they know,” Ash said, elbowing her best friend.
Maya looked down at the table, but she smiled so big, it seemed like rays of sunshine could be radiating from her face. “My mom called Dev to tell him about it. She said, ‘Have you heard about your sister, the activist?’ ”
“I’ll stay up all night adding those anchor spots, if I have to,” Brielle promised. “The sooner people know what Maria Van Ness is doing, the better. That woman is evil.”
Ash didn’t think it’d be possible for Maya to look any happier, but somehow, she did. “You mean you don’t want companies tracking what you do online anymore?” Maya asked.
Brielle shrugged one shoulder. “I still don’t think it’s a big deal that they tell advertisers about me,” she clarified. “But Maria Van Ness is trying to hide it, so she clearly thinks it’s bad. And she lets her dog poop all over the sidewalk and doesn’t pick it up. The world deserves to know.”
The girls laughed. But then Ash got serious. “Do you think what Maria Van Ness said is true?” she asked her friends between bites of fried chicken. “That no one will watch it or care? We don’t exactly have a ton of subscribers.”
“I was thinking . . .” Maya took a sip of her juice, then continued. “Maybe we can send this episode somewhere bigger. Like one of the Baltimore TV channels, or even CNN.”
“They probably wouldn’t bother watching our clip, though,” Brielle said, “because we’re kids.”
“We can at least try,” Maya said. “Unless you can think of a news show with lots of viewers that won’t care if we’re kids.”
Just then, a raucous clatter came from the boys’ table. They’d been using their lunch trays like Jenga blocks, and the whole tower had collapsed.
Ash looked at Damion, Khalil, and Harry, then at her team. It pained her to say it, but it was for the greater good. “There is one show that has three hundred viewers every morning,” she said. “And I happen to know the lead anchor.”