Everyone's a Critic Read Online Free PDF

I did think of the logistics and thought that Michael and I should go to see the play together, like an almost date, even if it might be a working one. I even thought of the perfect outfit to wear, a flowing white peasant blouse, black leggings, and Allie’s black suedeboots if she’d let me. The way Michael asked his question, it did not seem like he had the same plan in mind.
    â€œOh, well, since my sister’s in it, probably opening night?” I said, wondering if I should have just said I didn’t know.
    â€œGreat! That’s just what I was thinking,” he said, and took a big bite of his burrito. He couldn’t talk, because he was chewing, so I took a bite of mine and sweated out the next few seconds while I wondered what he was thinking. I finished my bite first.
    â€œSo we’ll both go that night?” I ventured. Hailey would be proud of me for being so proactive.
    He laughed, “No, no. I thought you meant that you would go then, and I could go for the second performance. It would make a much fairer review. That’s what a lot of professional reviewers do—they go a few times to get a well-rounded picture. We wouldn’t want to give them a bad review if opening night didn’t go so well but the other two performances did.”
    As much as it made my heart hurt, the journalistin me knew he was right. We had to see more than one performance, and it probably didn’t make sense for the two of us to go to both. I nodded back at him, not able to summon the energy to actually say yes.
    â€œSo you go opening night and I’ll go to the Saturday matinee. I believe we have a plan,” he said with a pleased look on his face, taking another bite of burrito as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He grinned and held out his free hand for a high five.
    â€œAwesome. Sounds perfect,” I said, trying to muster up a smile and gave his hand a slap. I saw Hailey out of the corner of my eye and she gave me another thumbs-up, probably thinking I was having a blast. I examined my half-eaten burrito, but I wasn’t really hungry anymore. Hailey was going to love hearing the real story. Young Reporter Attempts to Win “Proactive” Medal. Fails Miserably.

Chapter 5
INNOCENT GIRL DISCOVERS SHE’S A BIG FAT LIAR

    I didn’t talk to Hailey for the rest of the day. I knew she was dying to know how my conversation with Michael went, but I just needed time to think about it. She left the cafeteria before me anyway, and then had soccer practice right after school. I was sitting in my bedroom, turning it over and over in my head. What could I have done differently? Should I just have come out and said to Michael, “Why don’t we go together on opening night?” But the truth is, I didn’t want to have to be so . . . well, honest.
    An IM from Hailey popped up on the screen.
    Are you avoiding me???
    Of course not! I sort of lied. I wanted to spend more time with Hailey, and normally I couldn’t get enough boy talk, but lately I’d been wishing she’d back off from the Michael thing a little.
    So are you and Michael going to the play?
    Sigh. I spun around in my desk chair a few times before giving my superexciting answer. Not.
    Yeah, on separate nights, I answered.
    What??? So bummed for u!
    It’s ok. Better for the review, I wrote back. But it wasn’t okay. For some reason, I didn’t feel like telling that to Hailey just yet.
    After dinner Allie walked around the house “in character,” dressed up as Anita from West Side Story , wig, fake eyelashes, and all, rehearsing her lines and songs. She said it helped her get into character to walk around the house as if she were Anita. I decided it would be a good time to hang out in my room. I noticed my mom was hidden away in her office as well. I decided to get started on the Dear Know-It-All letter. Here went nothing. I gently opened the fragile, freshlywashed