Reality Check Read Online Free

show?” I want to know.
    “A reality show about regular everyday teens. Nothing flashy and overdone, just as real as it can get,” Susan explains. “I've been looking for my next stars and having a tough time.”
    “Shut up!” says Brooke and Keiran nudges her. “Tell us more.”
    “It gets better,” Susan adds, pulling her umbrella out of her bag. I notice it is Louis Vuitton. She pulls a twenty from her wallet and hands it to me as a tip. I try to protest but she waves me off. “I think I've found my star.”
    “Who is it?” Hallie wants to know.
    “You've got to tell us,” says Brooke, leaning across the table anxiously. “Is it Marleyna Garrison?” Hallie groans. “We know every teen in this town and we can tell you if you've made a huge mistake.”
    Susan looks at me. “It's Charlie.”
    I audibly gasp. Hallie squeals. Keiran just looks stunned.
    “Charlie on her own TV show?” Brooke practically stutters and looks at me in shock. “That's… I mean, wow, Charlie! How cool!”
    “Me?” I feel dizzy. “You're joking, right?”
    Susan shakes her head and smiles. “You're exactly what I've been looking for, Charlie. You're vibrant and real and sweet and you have great friends.” She looks at the girls. “With them at your side, I think you could have an amazing show and hit home with our viewers.”
    Brooke practically cries. “You want us too?” The color flushes back to Brooke's face. “You want all of us?”
    Susan nods. “Charlie's Angels.”
    “That's what Charlie's mom calls us,” Keiran marvels.
    “I always thought it should be Brooke's Angels, but it doesn't have the same ring,” Brooke says with a smile.
    Susan laughs. “I want you all. Obviously there's a lot to discuss together and with your parents. So if my proposal sounds at all interesting, maybe we can meet before the party to chat. Lunch on me?” We're all still too stunned to respond. “Anyway, I'll talk to you, Charlie. Call me tomorrow and I'll have invitations messengered over.” Susan looks at me. Brooke nudges me and I finally manage a nod. “I know this is a lot to process,” Susan says. “I'm going to give you guys some space to think about things. I really hope we can make this work. This is an opportunity you don't want to pass up.”
    Susan gets up and gathers her coat, Hermés bag, and umbrella. The rest of us can barely move, let alone squeak out a goodbye. Is this woman for real? Does she really want me to be the star of a show on the Fire and Ice Network?
    The bell on the door jingles and snaps me out of my fog. I look up and Susan's already gone, leaving the four of us behind, our mouths hanging on the floor.
     

two
    Trust the Ones Who Know You Best
     
    Three minutes after the bell rings we've already claimed the lone picnic table in the student-run garden outside the cafeteria. Brooke, Keiran, and I unpack our lunches while Hallie hits the lunch line to test out today's Philly cheesesteak. The air is breezy and I button my spring coat before sitting down.
    The weather is still crisp during the first week of April—barely sixty degrees—but since we didn't want anyone learning about our TV show offer till we'd decided whether to take it, we needed a covert meeting place. I guess the garden was probably the right spot. We're the only people here. I'm sure everyone inside the cafeteria thinks we're freaks.
    If my friends knew what I was thinking right now, I'm sure they would think
I'm
a freak. It's been five days since Susan dropped her bombshell on us, and the girls are ninety-five percent on board. I'm the holdout. The sun suddenly pokes its head through the clouds as if to listen in on mydecision.
    I wish I had one. I can't sleep. I can barely eat. I don't know what to do! I pull a small spiral-bound notebook out of my messenger bag and place it on the table, opening it to the appropriate page. It says Reality Show—Pros and Cons . Pros are obviously the money (duh), the chance to impress