The Gossip Web (4 page)

“Oh my god, he didn’t,” Sarah said into her phone, laughing softly as she took her seat.

I looked over at Heidi and we locked eyes. We both knew what was about to happen next. It always did.

“Please, God, no,” Heidi whispered, flashing me a wide smile.

After giggling at Heidi’s remark, I glanced back at my Chemistry notes, hoping that God would hear my friend’s prayers and shut Sarah up.

“Are you kidding me? Oh, tell me he didn’t!” Sarah’s voice grew louder.

She did this often, especially when I was trying to study. I hadn’t figured out if she was just trying to irritate the hell out of me, or if she was just so disrespectful she didn’t care how loud her voice became. I sighed and cleared my throat, hoping Sarah would look over in my direction and take the hint. Of course she didn’t; she was in her own little world now.

I swear the class was dead silent, not one person was talking, and all you could hear was the slight tapping of someone’s pencil against their desk. All of a sudden, like I knew she would, Sarah busted into hysterics as she yelled, “He didn’t!”

“Ms. Dunder!” Mr. Acker boomed, sending her a death glare from behind the book he was reading. “Get off of that phone now, or not only will you have detention this Saturday, but I will confiscate it and turn it over to Principal Waters!”

Sarah smiled sweetly at him and shut the phone, pocketing it quickly. “My bad,” she mumbled as she bit one of her brown curls.

Returning my attention back on my notes, I tried to ignore the laughing around me, except this time it was at Sarah’s expense, not mine. Then, the morning announcements flickered on the television, distracting mostly every one in the classroom but me. I rarely paid attention to them, because honestly, it was just a bunch of populars trying to get some face time on the TV. People like the beautiful Lana Mills, and Ken-like Rodney Naples. Those two made the perfect on-air couple, but I heard that they couldn’t stand each other off camera. They rarely said anything important or of interest, but today was different. After Lana said the words “winter formal”, everyone’s eyes were glued to the television, including mine.

After giving the camera one of her bright, cheery smiles, Lana continued, “You heard me right, West Haven High! In honor of the West Haven Rams victory over East Ridge, Principal Waters and the PTA have agreed to throw us a winter formal!”
             
The whole class cheered and I too couldn’t pretend like this wasn’t good news. It was unusual for West Haven High to host dances, besides the typical: Homecoming and Prom. Since I didn’t attend Homecoming this year, (I got stood up by one of Heidi’s drama friends) I was sort of looking forward to this dance. I don’t know why, but I enjoyed dancing and dressing up like a princess. Maybe because, for once, people could see me in a completely different light, instead of the boring old Jade Cannon they laughed at and ignored in the hallways.

I must’ve been smiling because Heidi started snapping her fingers against my left ear, shattering my eardrum. I grimaced as I whispered, “Cut it out!”

“Why are you so happy, hmm?” She asked me with a smile.

Shrugging, I replied, “No reason.”

I felt an odd urge to glance at that the back of the class, where Trace and his friends sat. My gaze flickered over my shoulder, peeking in Trace’s direction, only to find him staring at me. Blushing, I moved my eyes away and started fixing my hair to distract my concentration off of my pounding heart. I debated with the idea of glancing back over at him, but I decided against it. I didn’t want to seem like a stalker or anything.

The minutes passed by agonizingly slow, and when the bell for the next class rang, I quickly hurried out into the hall with the rest of the class. Heidi walked next to me, blabbing about Jason’s relationship with some girl in her drama class, but I wasn’t really hearing what she was saying. My thoughts were occupied by the news of the winter formal, and by Trace as he walked in front of me down the hall. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t look away. Even his backside was lovely.

I watched him hang his bag nonchalantly over one shoulder as he talked with Freddie. Then, suddenly, as if he could feel my eyes on him, he turned his head around and stared in my direction. I bit my lip as we locked eyes, and I could feel tiny butterflies tickle the inside of my stomach. It seemed as if time stopped as we stared at each other, but then he smiled suddenly and turned back around, and our moment was over. I frowned and wished he would’ve came over to say hello.

“I’ll catch you later, Jade,” Heidi said before walking off in the direction of the auditorium, where the drama class usually met. I stumbled to history, forgetting about what Ms. Heller had said the day before when she discussed the lesson plan for today. All I could concentrate on was Trace and why he had looked at me the way he did earlier. It was a long shot but maybe, hopefully, he was thinking the same thing I was. Which was simply this: how much I wanted him to ask me to the dance.

Of course, it was just a stupid fantasy. He was never going to ask me to that dance. He was Trace Gibson and I was Jade Cannon. I knew my status and where I stood. No matter how much I wanted him, it was never going to happen.

5

LATER THAT AFTERNOON
, Trace approached me before third period. I was at my locker, checking my reflection in the mirror that hung on the inside of the metal door. It was never my idea to put a mirror in there because I could really care less how I looked, but since Heidi and I shared it, she insisted that we get one. Knowing how Heidi operates, I agreed. If she couldn’t check to see if her face was perfect 24/7, she would go completely insane and her whole world would end. Besides, letting Heidi decorate it proved to be beneficial. Not only was it clean, neat, and didn’t reek of gym socks, but the people who passed by always gave us props for its dazzling appeal.    

While I applied a small amount of cherry Chap Stick to my lips, I watched as he strolled towards me, looking hotter than humanly possible. I almost swooned on the spot. After making eye contact with him through the mirror, I panicked and closed the door swiftly, overlooking the hand that was rested on the inside near the bottom.

“Ouch!” I yelled loudly, pulling my throbbing hand out of the locker. I tried my best not to cry as I rubbed it, but I couldn’t stop the few tears that had slyly slipped out of the corner of my eye and down my cheek. It hurt like hell and I cursed myself for being such a klutz.

“Are you okay?” I heard Trace ask, his tone sounding concerned.

Trying to ignore the pain from my crippled left hand, I mumbled, “Yeah. I just slammed my hand with the locker door.”

He grinned at me and chuckled, “You really know how to grab people’s attention, don‘t you, Jade?”

Distracted by the aching from my hand, and his manly appeal, I barely heard what he had said. “What are you talking about?” I asked him.

Trace’s eyes shifted left and right, and I too looked in both directions, finding people staring at me, pointing and laughing. I felt like déjà vu had just slapped me in the face, and I was forced to re-encounter the same embarrassment from the day before. Sighing as I glanced back at him, I growled, “Why can’t they pick on someone else? Why does it always have to be me?”

“Maybe because you don’t stand up for yourself,” Trace said.

I narrowed my eyes at that statement. “How can I, when I have Gloria breathing fire down my neck every chance she gets?”

“Don’t let it get to you.” He was so nonchalant about it, and it made me feel even worse.

“Are you kidding me? Yesterday, she told everyone that I---” My voice switched off and I closed my mouth, not wanting to rehash yesterday’s terrible experience. Especially in front of him.

He frowned when it dawned on him. “I know, Jade, but it’s no big deal. You and I both know it isn’t true. It’s just gossip.”

Looking towards the floor, pained and amazed that he could act so inconsiderate about what she had done to me, I murmured, “Right. It’s all in my head.”

I knew he could detect the grief in my voice, which is why he asked, “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Giving him a long, cold stare before shoving past him, I tried to forget about what had just happened between us as I walked down the hall. My face heated in anger, and I realized I couldn’t get over what he had said. It was no big deal? How the hell would he know? Did he have Gloria devising new ways to make his life a living hell? No! He was popular, I wasn’t. He had absolutely no idea what I had to go through every day!

“Jade, wait!” Trace called out as he ran up behind me. I quickened my pace, hoping to avoid what ever else he planned on saying, but I had no such luck. He grabbed hold of my arm and I froze from the touch of his hand. I was so angry at him that I had to resist the urge to smack his head.

             
Gazing steadily at my face, confusion swimming inside his blue eyes, he asked, “Will you stop trying to run away from me, Jade, and just tell me what‘s wrong?”

             
“No,” I replied sharply. “Let go of my arm.”

             
He shook his head. “Not until you tell me why you’re so upset.”

             
“It doesn’t matter. You won’t understand.”

             
“Try me,” he replied softly.

             
I sighed, irritated by persistence. “You just don’t get it, do you?” Then, I felt my anger bubble up, and I couldn’t hold back what I was feeling. Narrowing my eyes, my temper caught him off guard as I spat, “You obviously have no idea what it’s like to be me. You, with your popularity and thousands of friends! You haven’t got a clue as to what I have to go through each and every day. I’m not like you, Trace! I’m the girl everyone makes fun of and judges. How can you think it’d be so easy to just ignore the people who laugh and humiliate me, when you’ve never had anyone bring you down for being you?”

Raising his eyebrows at me, he replied, “A thousand friends? Don’t you think that’s a little exaggerated?”

Growing even more frustrated with him, I shouted, “It’s not funny, Trace! All I’ve ever wanted was to be accepted, to know that it’s okay to just be myself. I’ll never have that. People treat me like dirt just because I’m not a clone of Gloria Malone!”

Without a word, Trace gently placed a hand upon my shoulder. My face burned from his touch, and tiny butterflies fluttered around inside my stomach nervously. I stared shyly at him, and my eyes grew wide with shock when he pulled me into his arms. I simply stood there, dumfounded by Trace’s warm embrace. Being held by him this way was like a dream come true, and I didn’t want the moment to end.

Trace’s voice tickled my ear as he said, “You should be proud of yourself for not wanting to be like Gloria.”

My heart beat rapidly at his remark; I was surprised that he had said such a thing.
             
“Why?” I whispered. “No one else feels that way.”

“I do, Jade. I’ve always admired you for staying true to yourself.”

“Really?” I couldn’t strain any other word out of my throat.

Unfortunately, he dropped his hold on me to look at my face. “Of course! Why do you think I want to hang around you all of the time? You’re not like every other girl. You are truly unique, Jade Cannon.”

I should’ve been happy---overjoyed even---that Trace Gibson was saying such lovely things to me. But in all honesty, as glad as I was to hear him say what I had forever longed to hear, I still couldn’t forget the past. Trace had hurt me too deeply before. Maybe he didn’t remember, or he chose not to…but it didn‘t matter either way. I remembered, and the past still haunted me. His betrayal still hurt me.

“You didn’t always feel that way,” I said faintly.

“What do you mean?” Trace mumbled. He avoided my stare, but I saw his guilt. It was there, within his blue eyes. He knew what I was referring to.

As I studied him, I realized I was looking at the face of the boy who broke my heart back in ninth grade. He had that same expression of guilt on his face that day too; the day he decided to choose his newfound popularity over our friendship. The memories of that year flooded back into my head, and I was forced to remember how cruel he had treated me; how awful it had felt to be rejected by my best friend. I had been tossed aside by the one person I thought understood me. Trace had mistreated me so badly, and I was afraid that I would never get over what he had done.

“You were my best friend, Trace,” I whispered painfully. “How could you do that to me?” 

When he didn’t respond, I searched his face for an answer, but I found nothing but a panicked stare. Well, he had disappointed me for the last time.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to ignore the familiar pain I was feeling. How could I have been so stupid? Trace would never be mine. Removing his hands from my arms, I was embarrassed for acting so foolish. I couldn’t bear to look at him as I whispered, “Goodbye, Trace.”

“Jade, please---” Trace started to say, but I had already moved away from him and down the hall. I refused to glance back as I kept walking forward, and this time, he did not follow me. In a way, I was glad he didn’t, but it broke my heart all over again.