Harry stared at the screen. He pressed his hands into his eyes, then stared at the screen again. “How’d you get this interview?” he asked.
“She just happened to come to Federal Hill Park while we were there,” Ash said.
Harry snorted. “Lucky break.”
“I know.”
It was Tuesday after school. Brielle had finished the episode the night before, like she’d promised, and everyone agreed it was ready to air.
Brielle had wanted to take it straight to Ms. Sullivan, but Ash knew how important it was for a lead anchor to have control over his or her reporting. If she wanted Harry on board, she needed to go to Harry directly. Even if it meant offering her rival the scoop of a lifetime. So after the bell rang, Ash had stopped Harry in the hall outside their classroom, before he could go to The News at Nine.
“Well,” Harry said, leaning against the wall, “you weren’t lying. You got the bigger story on Van Ness Media. I guess you win.”
“It’s not a competition,” Ash said.
Harry gave her a look.
“Okay, it is a competition. But no one’s winning right now. Except Van Ness Media. They know everything about all of us, and no one knows anything about them.”
“Well, you’ve got proof now,” Harry said. “You can report this on your show.”
“I can, but not many people watch my show.”
“So?”
“The whole school watches yours.”
Harry drummed his fingers against the wall, finally catching on. “You’re offering me this story?”
Ash nodded. “No one else has seen it yet. I’m offering you the exclusive.”
The anchor’s eyes widened. “You want me to air this on The News at Nine? Which is sponsored by Van Ness Media?”
The other anchor chanced a smile. “They kind of deserve it, don’t you think?”
Harry let out a low whistle. “I don’t know if Ms. Sullivan will approve it. Or did you want me to do it without telling her?”
Ash was impressed with his nerve, but not with his idea. She knew better than anyone that Ms. Sullivan didn’t like surprises on The News at Nine. “Don’t do that. You don’t want to get kicked off the show.”
“I doubt she’ll let us report it,” Harry said, thinking.
Ash held her breath. Harry wanted to do it, she could tell, but he was nervous. Now it was time to seal the deal. If her rival anchor was anything like herself, she knew exactly how. “Just ask her,” Ash said casually. “If she says no, we’ll take it to CNN.”
Sure enough, he took the bait. “You’re offering this story to me before CNN?” Harry asked incredulously.
Ash shrugged. “For now,” she said coolly. “But we can’t sit on it forever. How about you let me know by tomorrow?”
But Harry had already decided. “All right,” he said. “Let’s go talk to Ms. Sullivan.”
Yes! Ash thought. She said, “Go ahead. I’ll wait here.”
“No,” Harry said. “You have to come with me.”
“You’re lead anchor.”
“It’s your story.”
“But I offered it to you.”
“It’s on your phone!” Harry pressed it into her hands, walked to the stairs, and waited. “Come on.”
Ash dragged her feet along, her stomach in knots. The last time she’d talked to Ms. Sullivan, it was right after the first News at Nine broadcast of the year. When Ms. Sullivan had told her to be a team player or get off the team. For weeks, Ash had been angry at her, furious that a teacher she’d looked up to for so long—the person who’d inspired Ash’s love of reporting to begin with—had let her down. But as she forced herself toward the studio now, Ash realized it was the opposite. Ms. Sullivan hadn’t let her down; she’d let Ms. Sullivan down. First with the Dancing Gym Teacher, and then with her attitude. What had she said back in September? That the show was bad without her, and that since she wasn’t lead anchor, she was going to quit? She must have sounded like a spoiled brat. And now here she was, facing Ms. Sullivan for the first time since then—with a negative story about The News at Nine’s sponsor. What would Ms. Sullivan think of her now? I can just quit journalism again, Ash thought. That’d be easier than showing my face in the studio.
But she had major news that she needed Harry to report. It was a wonder he was willing to help her at all—she hadn’t exactly been nice to him the past few weeks. The least she could do was swallow her shame and help him help her.
The News at Nine crew was sitting around the big tables, planning their next show. The scene was so familiar, it hit Ash like a gust of wind, almost knocking her over. Ms. Sullivan looked up and saw her. “Hello, Ashley,” she said, cautiously friendly, like Ash was a kitten that might scratch.
“Hi,” Ash said.
“Ash brought us a story to report,” Harry said. “With exclusive footage.”
“Is that so?” said Ms. Sullivan, head cocked. “Well, let me see it.”
From the corner of the room, Brielle gave Ash a thumbs-up with one hand and a fingers-crossed with the other. Ash handed her phone to Ms. Sullivan, who stepped out into the hallway to watch the video in private. Ash stood in the doorway, staring at Ms. Sullivan’s back and praying that she would find the reporting halfway decent.
When the episode ended, the teacher let out a big breath and looked Ash in the eye, her face still unreadable. “Why did you bring this to The News at Nine?” she asked.
It felt like a test. Ash gave the truthful answer, hoping it was also correct. “Because my show doesn’t have that many subscribers, and I think it’s important that people know what’s going on.”
Ms. Sullivan blinked at her.
“I’m not trying to get revenge or anything,” Ash added nervously. “For real. I deserved to be kicked off The News at Nine. And Harry’s a pretty good anchor. I mean, a very good anchor. The show is very good too. It keeps everyone at school informed. And I really want them to be informed about what Van Ness Media is doing.” Then she made herself stop talking and breathe.
Ms. Sullivan handed Ash’s phone back to her. “Coach Kelly told me you sent her a very nice note.”
“Yeah,” Ash said, her face getting warm. “I apologized for invading her privacy.”
The corners of Ms. Sullivan’s mouth were inching upward. “Do you want to report this on The News at Nine yourself?”
One little question, and Ash’s heart caught. She felt a physical pull toward the anchor chair. But she resisted it. “Harry’s lead anchor,” she said. “He should do it.”
Ms. Sullivan’s lips were now in a full smile. “You made this news episode all by yourself?”
“With Maya and Brielle. We started it using Van Ness Movie Maker.”
That made her teacher laugh. Ash laughed too.
“I’m proud of you, Ashley. You’re an excellent reporter. But you’re an even more excellent person.”
Ash couldn’t help herself. She rushed up to Ms. Sullivan and wrapped her in a hug. The teacher laughed and hugged her back.
Harry, Damion, and Brielle stuck their heads into the hallway. “Does this mean we’re going to run the story?” Brielle asked.
“If the anchors are up to it,” Ms. Sullivan said. “It’s not very good publicity for our sponsor.”
“I stepped in dog poo twice last week,” Damion said. “Let’s make that lady pay.”