30 Days of No Gossip (11 page)

“You want to?” Sarah threw out, looking down at her food.

“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do,” I said, giving Vi
a meaningful look. I meant it, too. Now that I knew I might be in my final minutes of being Vi’s BFF, even picking out curtains with her would be nice.

I suddenly thought back to a time when I was crying on the playground in first grade. We’d all been working on an art project and I was put on a team with Chelsea, her neighbor Erica, and a girl named Mary Jo Myers. We were all supposed to work together, but the three of them cut me out completely, acting like I wasn’t even there. If I spoke, they ignored me. If I tried to do something, they pulled it out of my reach. I was in tears by the time we broke for recess, sure nobody in the world liked me.

But Vi hung out with me. She told me that those girls were mean and she didn’t know why I wanted to be friends with them anyway. She was right, I realized back then. I had Vi as a best friend, so why did I need anyone else? For the rest of the day and a few weeks afterward, I tried to focus on the people I liked who liked me back and to forget about those mean girls, but it was only a matter of time before I was once again trying to get them to like me.

That was how I felt right now, sitting next to Vi, with Jessica and Sydney across from us. We even had a new friend Sarah, who was gushing about how I’d introduced her to Aiden and she really thought she might like him and
wasn’t I the awesomest person ever? I didn’t want to talk about some reality TV show. I wanted to hear what Vi had to say about her redecorating project.

I sat up straight, my eyes widening, as I realized I really did want to listen to Vi’s decorating plans. What was happening to me? Was this no-gossip project making permanent changes to my personality?

“Are you sure we won’t have something else to do this weekend?” Jessica asked. “I mean, you know . . .”

I flashed her a warning look, as did Sarah. We didn’t know when
24-Hour Makeover
was taping, but that wasn’t why I was glaring. Vi was looking down at her tray, but Jessica’s words brought her head back up again.

“Like what?” Vi asked. She didn’t sound too concerned, so maybe we could just blow it off.

“Nothing,” I said. “Jess was just thinking we might want to come hang out at her house, but we can do that anytime.”

“No way.” Vi shook her head. “Maddie is mine this weekend. She promised to help me with this. My mom’s out of town Saturday, so it’s my chance to do whatever I want. Otherwise, she’ll be standing over me, talking me into some kind of ruffly, checkered thing.”

“Yikes,” I said, mostly to keep Jessica from speaking up.
But Jessica’s attention was on something just past my right shoulder.

“Red alert,” she said.

Not that I could have done anything about it, but by the time I turned around, Chelsea was already right behind me. She slid onto the seat next to me. Kathina moved around to sit next to Sydney.

“So . . . let’s talk about the show,” Chelsea said.

“You still haven’t told us how we get on it,” Kathina said. “We want to be on camera.”

I was all too aware of Vi, sitting next to me and watching every bit of this. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. I knew that if I looked at her, she’d have a big question mark on her expression.

“We aren’t supposed to talk about it until it’s announced,” Jessica whispered. “It’s top secret.”

Chelsea rolled her eyes. “By the time it’s announced, it’ll be too late. We need to know how to be first in line when
24-Hour Makeover
comes here to shoot their show.”

“What are they talking about, Maddie?” Vi asked. “Is
24-Hour Makeover
really coming here?”

I looked at her, not sure what to say. If I denied knowing anything about it, everyone around me would correct me. If I told her it was all just a rumor and we weren’t 100 percent
sure about it, I’d be busted for gossiping for sure. Even if I said it was definite, it was pretty obvious here that I was the one who’d started everyone talking about it. They were coming to me for answers.

“Maddie met the producer,” Kathina explained. “Hey, maybe there’s a way we could get Travis Fisher to be on the same team as us.”

That wasn’t helping. It was as if Kathina’s mention of Travis’s name reminded Vi of what had gotten me into trouble with her in the first place. And now, here we were, in the middle of the biggest gossip session I’d been involved in for as long as I could remember. I wanted out.

“May I speak with you a moment?” I asked Vi. I figured it was better if we did this alone.

Vi wasn’t looking at me, though. Her attention was fully focused on Kathina.

“So you’re telling me that Maddie found out about this
24-Hour Makeover
thing,” Vi said slowly.

“Yes,” Kathina answered.

“And she told everyone it was happening,” Vi said.

“Yes.” This from both Kathina
and
Chelsea.

“And now everyone’s talking about it,” Vi finished.

“They’re supposed to be keeping it quiet,” Sarah said. “Talking about it could blow it for us all.”

Vi looked over at me. That settled it, I knew. Not only had I been starting gossip, I’d told people something I wasn’t supposed to. That was gossiping of the worst kind.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go to the girls’ room before class.” Vi stood, picked up her tray and her books, and left.

“I have to go,” I said. I had to at least try. I didn’t really stand a chance, but she was my best friend. Even if she didn’t forgive me today, maybe she’d get over it eventually and forgive me.

“Wait!” I heard Chelsea call out as I took off after Vi. I just ignored her. There was nothing Chelsea could say that was more important than what I had to do now. I ignored the fact that everyone in the cafeteria was probably staring at me and ran until I was out in the hallway. Vi was only a few steps away.

When I spoke, I echoed Chelsea. “Wait. Vi.”

She didn’t wait. I should have expected that. I’d just have to catch up with her.

As I walked alongside her, she kept her gaze focused forward, not even glancing my way. This was it. She’d completely ignore me. That was fine. I just had to say what I needed to say and hope it got through to her.

“I know I messed up,” I said. “I know I did. I know what you’re trying to tell me and I’m working on it.”

Still nothing. I had to keep talking anyway.

“Everyone was asking me,” I defended myself. “They were all waiting for me to say something. I felt like if I didn’t say something, they wouldn’t like me anymore. When they’re all staring at you, you feel the pressure. It’s so hard. It’s like a bad habit that I can’t get rid of.”

It wasn’t the best speech I’d ever given, but it was all I could come up with at the last minute like this. I knew I had to think quickly, because pretty soon the bell would ring and she’d go to class and I’d have to give up. So I did my best.

“Doesn’t it count that I’m trying?” I asked. My voice sounded kind of high-pitched, like I was begging. “I’m trying because you’re my best friend and I want it to stay that way. Our friendship means that much to me. Doesn’t that count for something?”

Nothing. Nothing but silence. Was I wasting my energy? I had to keep going.

“No matter what, you’re always going to be my best friend,” I said. “That won’t change. I’ll prove to you I’ve changed somehow.”

Vi stopped and turned to look at me. There were tears in her eyes. That was the worst part of all. I could take it if she yelled and screamed at me, but this look of disappointment made my heart hurt.

“I just don’t think I ever really knew you at all,” Vi said. She took a deep breath and blinked rapidly until the tears seemed to go back where they’d come from. I knew she didn’t want me to see her crying and would probably do everything she could to keep it all inside until I was gone. “I think what hurt most of all was that you didn’t tell me. You told everyone but me.”

I tilted my head slightly. “Tell you?”

“You know I’m into decorating. How could you keep something like this a secret from me, your best friend?”

“But—”

“You weren’t supposed to gossip.” She pressed her books to her chest and stepped stiffly back from me. “But you did. If you were going to tell the whole school and break your promise, you could have at least told me.”

“You weren’t speaking to me at first,” I pointed out. “And once you were, I was afraid you’d get mad that I was gossiping.”

“It’s always this way,” Vi said. The tears that had pooled in her eyes now spilled over onto her cheeks. “You talk to Sydney and Jess and share all these secrets and completely leave me out. I’m your best friend. I’m the one you’re supposed to tell those things to.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out.
She was really upset. One thing was clear to me: She’d been upset about this for a long,
long
time and it was coming out now. How many signs had I missed? How long had Vi felt left out of our conversations?

Vi obviously took my silence as a sign that I had nothing to say. Shaking her head, she stepped away from me, finally turning to continue down the hall in the same direction we’d been walking, her head low and her shoulders slumped. That was it. I’d completely blown it. There was nothing I could do.

Chapter Twelve

The Troy Tattler

By Maddie Evans

We’ll just call her the queen of ice. Everyone’s noticed how Vi Lakewood has stopped speaking to her BFF, Maddie Evans, this week. Rumor has it she has a very good reason for giving Maddie the cold shoulder, though. Maddie knew something that was very important, and she didn’t share it with Vi. Both Vi and Maddie are devastated at the loss of their lifelong friendship, but no matter what Maddie does, Vi won’t break her silence. Can this friendship be saved?

One good thing came out of Vi getting mad at me over all this. I was free to gossip. And I hated every minute of it. Every time someone called me to talk about the show, I wanted to throw up. It just reminded me that Vi was no longer my friend. Unfortunately, Jess was calling me every fifteen minutes to talk about it.

“What are you going to wear?” Jessica asked. We’d just hung up about three minutes before that, and I was settling down onto my bed with my social studies textbook.

“When?” I asked, even though I knew what she was asking about. I was just so tired of talking about
24-Hour Makeover
, I’d welcome a discussion about anything at this point. Even the square footage of Vi’s bedroom in direct proportion to the square footage of her brother’s room.

“For
24-Hour Makeover
, silly,” Jessica said. “It’s only going to be national TV, so whatever you wear will be famous. That’s so cool, when you think about it. I hear they’re shooting this weekend.”

The mention of this weekend reminded me that Vi and I were supposed to work on her room. We had planned to go shopping to pick out bedspreads and curtains. I wondered if she’d still do that without me. Maybe she’d get Syd to go with her and Sarah. The thought of that was like a stab to my heart.

“We’re going to be painting and tearing up stuff,” I said. “You should probably wear something you don’t care much about.”

“Don’t be silly.” Jessica laughed. “It’s national TV.” If she said that one more time, I was going to hang up on her, I swore. “What you do is wear something that looks like you’re trying to be casual but you accidentally look cute. That’s the key.”

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it. Was this the normal type of conversation Jessica and I had? Not that it wasn’t fun. It just seemed like there should be something more important to talk about than how we looked.

“So, anyway,” Jessica said. “Do you think Vi is mad at you?”

Those words pulled me out of my thoughts. It was the one thing I wanted to talk about right now. Maybe Jess would have some thoughts on how I could win Vi back to my side.

“She said I wasn’t the person she thought I was,” I told her.

Jessica was silent for a moment, probably thinking that one over. “What does that mean?”

“I’m too gossipy.”

I stopped short of telling her about our no-gossip deal. I don’t know why. It would have been perfectly okay to
tell her at this point, since Vi was probably never speaking to me again anyway, but I was embarrassed about it. I couldn’t even go thirty days without gossiping. What kind of person was I?

“Too gossipy?” Jessica said the words as though they were completely crazy.

“I talk about other people and spread secrets,” I said, trying to throw the blame back on me. The last thing I wanted was to make everyone mad at Vi. I was the one in the wrong here.

“Don’t we all?” Jessica asked. “And what’s wrong with that, anyway? It’s human nature.”

“It’s wrong,” I said. “Especially when it hurts others. How would you feel if people were talking about you behind your back?”

We’d all had this conversation before, and Sarah had said she was sure people did talk about us. That didn’t make it right, though.

“I wouldn’t like it,” Jessica replied. “Chelsea Tucker calls me ‘frizz head’ right to my face. I’ve tried every kind of conditioner, mousse, gel . . . you name it that my mom can find, and my hair’s still frizzy. I can’t help it.”

“My point exactly,” I said. “Talking about people hurts them.”

“Not if they don’t know about it,” Jessica said.

“But they don’t have to know about it. The point is,
we
know about it. We have to find a way to be nicer to people. We have to find a way to be more like . . .”

I hesitated. Did I dare say it? Oh, why not? I had nothing to lose at this point.

“Vi,” I finished.

“Vi?” she asked. “You’re saying we need to be more like her?”

“Yes.”

“No, thanks. Talk about a bore. She just sits around drawing all the time. Talking about people is more fun.”