Rose Gagliardi and the Muckraker's Toll (Book #1 of the ALA Series)

Cream Beans

The first newspaper came out that Friday. Andrew had asked her to do a poll. She had to go around asking people questions about something, and she had to get their opinion and then try to make an entire article about it. When she was brainstorming questions, Alec had come into her dorm. Then she knew she wanted to ask, "Would you rather never talk again or always have to say what you're thinking?"

Andrew read her question and immediately declined it. "How about you ask, 'Would you rather age from the neck up or from the neck down'?" Rose felt defeated. The Newspaper was supposed to be her saving grace. Instead it was becoming more of a hinderance to her freedom and creativity.

Just as Carter said... He did seem so ecstatic to be writing for the Newspaper when she first met him though. Something must have changed... Or maybe he was keeping up appearances until he was in the classroom full of people who know how crap Andrew is. Maybe there's a rule for being apart of the Newspaper: You aren't allowed to slander it to outsiders.

Maybe it's their duty, the writers and reporters, to make everyone believe that it's the best thing at this school. Maybe they're supposed to make everyone believe that it's all high and mighty... When really it's the most dull thing Rose has ever been apart of (and she's been apart of one of Blake and Eve's conversations).

Of course after asking her boring question, she got somehow even more boring answers. As if everyone here is operating on one brain cell— as if everyone here is expecting a boring question, so they've been holding these incredibly boring answers hostage in their brains. It sucked. When the Newspaper came out, Rose was expecting everyone to be indifferent to it. After all, she knew all the entries in it. She knew just how lackluster they were.

"Really? A two page article about construction updates? WHO CARES???" Rose mentally rolls her eyes.

She was surprised when the first batch of Newspapers were put out and sold in a matter of minutes. Students lined up out the corridor. She truly didn't understand it. What is so great about it? Do they put crack in the middle or something?

Then... She saw it... The cover...

"ROSE GAGLIARDI: THE IMMIGRANT WHO HATES DISABLED PEOPLE!?" She was astounded. There was even a picture of her— one from when she was at a banquet. The photographer had done some lighting editing that made her look sinister. Or maybe that was just her face.

Who could have written that? Who would have? Carter Lewis Tade Quinn: the OG Conspiracy Theory Columnist. She looked down looked down at the credits for the journalist.

Anonymously submitted. Her mouth fell open. How are they even allowed to publish this? Surely this is defamation. She flipped through the Newspaper, her eyes lingered for a moment on her two-paragraph, half-page article. It was garbage. She doubted anyone would even look at it. The next two pages were about her hating disabled people. She skimmed through it.

They had direct quotes from "a source whom would like to remain anonymous":

"She [Rose Gagliardi] moved here recently. I saw the way she looked at the student body. She looked disgusted. I'm not sure if it's because her brain is so little that she can't fathom treating people with disabilities and disorders with respect, or if she hates America. If she was a terrorist, I wouldn't be surprised. I think the headmaster [Dr. Duvall] should force her to live off-campus, that way if she snaps and wants to go on a killing spree, none of us will be hurt. That or kick her out altogether!"
I asked Source about whether or not they had any examples of Rose showing hatred for our student body. They seemed rather confident.
"She's always calling them inbreeds. I heard her myself. In class on the first day, she looked me up and down and said that I was a fat and ugly spawn of Satan and that my mother should have aborted me. I was horrified for my safety." Source says and wipes tears from their eyes. "How could someone be so cruel? I'd done nothing to her. I don't even know her!"
I asked them about the whole "HATING AMERICA" thing. They seemed rather distraught.
"She hates our country. I heard her. She was complaining about our pizzas. She said Switzerland had better. She said it in a mean way though. You could tell she wanted to bomb us."
You've heard it from Arlington Lockwood Newspaper first. Is Rose really a hateful prick or just misunderstood? You decide for yourself.