Ex-Rating by Natalie Standiford Page A

It’s—”
    Rod cut her off. “Enough. I said I won’t argue about it. This is the way it is, period. Please leave my office now.” He started
     shuffling papers around on his desk as if he were busy. Mads felt like spitting at him. She got up and left the office, followed
     by Holly and Lina.
    “I can’t believe it!” Mads cried once they were out in the hall. “What are we going to do now?”
    “We could move the Dating Game to a site of our own,” Lina suggested.
    “Or one of those blog sites like Autumn uses,” Holly said.
    Mads stamped her foot. “No. It’s not right. It’s the principle of the thing. The Dating Game is a special RSACE feature. It’s
     only open to us and is protected from infiltration by anyone outside the school. It’s part of the community. It brings us
     all together, gives us a common place to say what’s on our mind. That’s what’s cool about it. And, anyway, this is totally
     unfair. We can’t let Rod and those control-freak parents do this to us!”
    Holly and Lina stared at her in surprise. “Wow, Mads, you’re really fired up. I’ve never seen you like this,” Lina said.
    “We may be kids, but we have rights! They can’t tell us what we can and can’t write!” Mads said. “There are things we can
     do. We’re not beaten yet.”

8
As Usual, Eavesdropping Proves Useful
To:
linaonme
From:
your daily horoscope
    HERE IS TODAY’S HOROSCOPE: CANCER: You will solve a mystery using dubious methods. If you don’t like what you find out, that’s
     your problem.
    T hat blows!” Ramona said. “Rod is a total fascist.”
    Lina and Ramona were walking to the lunchroom, and Lina had just told her how Rod had shut down the Dating Game. She and Ramona
     didn’t agree on everything, but she knew Ramona would be sympathetic to any resistance to authority.
    “I know,” Lina said. “It’s so unfair.”
    “You’re not going to let him get away with it, are you?” Ramona said. “Typical, you three are such goody-goodies. Always doing
     as you’re told—”
    “Stop it, Ramona,” Lina said. “You’re so wrong. We’re definitely going to do something. We just don’t know what yet. We’re
     meeting tonight to come up with ideas.”
    “Good luck with that,” Ramona said. “Let’s sit over there.” She pointed to a table in the center of the lunchroom.
    “Why this one?” Lina asked as they sat down.
    “Because it’s prime eavesdropping real estate,” Ramona whispered. “Duh. The only thing that makes lunch bearable.”
    Lina wasn’t used to eating lunch alone with Ramona—she ate with Holly and Mads when she could, and Ramona was usually surrounded
     by her Goth goons. But this afternoon the goons—Chandra, Maggie, and Siobhan—and Holly and Mads all had a history test next
     period and were huddled in the library cramming. Lina and Ramona were in the same history section, and they had taken their
     test third period. So Lina was left to eavesdrop with Ramona.
    “It’s not very polite,” Lina said.
    “Who cares?” Ramona said. “Neither is gossiping, which is what I believe is going on behind me, if I’m not wrong. Let’s zoom
     in on it with our bionic ears and see.”
    She cupped her hand to her ear as if it could send out sonar signals.
    “We should at least try to not
look
as if we’re eavesdropping,” Lina said.
    “Shh. Tell me who’s sitting back there so I don’t have to turn around and make it completely obvious that I’m listening.”
    Lina looked at the group of girls sitting behind Ramona. They were a glossy trio of juniors, all blond or at least blondish:
     Bridget Aiken, Flynn Hawley, and Rachel Stromm. Flynn was the blondish one, more of a light brown with blond streaks.
    “I’m spending the summer in Canada,” Flynn was saying. “Aunt Lacey hired me as an intern on her next movie. They’re shooting
     in Vancouver.”
    “Wait—don’t tell me,” Ramona whispered to Lina. “Flynn Hawley. She’s always bragging about