30 Days of No Gossip (12 page)

I wanted to defend Vi, but Jessica’s words had me too shocked to respond. As she started talking about what she thought Chelsea would do once cameras were on her, my mind couldn’t let go of what Jessica had said. What Vi had said. And the contrast between the two.

It just confirmed what I’d already been thinking: Vi was right. She’d been right all along.

•  •  •

Seeing Vi the next morning felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. She was at her locker with Kelsey and another girl I recognized from elementary school. Both were supersmart, and, like Vi, both had better things to
do than gossip about some TV show coming to our school.

I tried not to look over at them as I stepped up to my locker and turned the combination. The good news was that they were so caught up in whatever they were reading in a book Kelsey was holding, they’d never see me.

I pulled my books out of my locker, closed it, and turned to look at the group gathered down the hall. Did Vi think they were better friends than I was?
I
, who had been there for her since we were born? Impossible.

She’d just forgotten. She’d forgotten it all. There had to be some way to remind her, and I had a feeling it had something to do with
24-Hour Makeover
. If
24-Hour Makeover
was coming here—if I hadn’t blown it for everyone—maybe I could somehow make things right between me and Vi. It would be the only way to get her back. I just had to show Vi that I would do anything for her, while somehow finding a way to stop myself from gossiping. I’d work with Miss Golden and make this work out for Vi somehow.

I wasn’t sure how yet, but I had to try.

•  •  •

“I need to speak with Miss Golden.”

I was standing in the principal’s office, speaking to whoever would listen. They’d told me I couldn’t see Mr. Shelly, who was in his office with the door closed, so the plan was
to stand here until someone got tired enough of listening to me to open the door and tell Mr. Shelly I was here.

Or call someone to pull me out of here.

“She’s not here,” the woman behind the desk said. “I haven’t seen her since last week.”

I saw her yesterday, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. She could have bypassed the office altogether when she entered the school. But as I stood there, staring down the woman whose name I didn’t know who usually sat way back at the back wall, working away, doubts started creeping in. Maybe Miss Golden wasn’t coming back.

It wasn’t a crazy thing to assume, since the entire school was pretty much buzzing about
24-Hour Makeover
by now, thanks to me. The fact that word of their show had gotten out could very well have scared them off. They might have a rule that they didn’t want to shoot in a school where the students knew they were around. Didn’t some reality shows have that?

As I stood there, weighing my options, the door to Mr. Shelly’s office opened and he stuck his head out. “Miss Evans, so nice to see you again.”

He said it in a way that told me it wasn’t nice to see me again. But I was definitely glad to see him. He could answer my questions.

“I’m looking for Miss Golden.”

Mr. Shelly didn’t look surprised by that at all. He did, however, look like he didn’t want it shouted out in front of everyone in his office. He stepped back, holding his door open and ushering me inside. I rushed into his office before he could change his mind.

No, Ashley Golden wasn’t hiding in there, nor was her camera crew. I didn’t really expect they were. They’d probably do their work when school wasn’t in session.

“Please, have a seat,” Mr. Shelly said. He closed the door behind him and took his place behind his large, old wooden desk. Maybe
24-Hour Makeover
could start with his office. I was sure Miss Golden thought of that while she was talking to him. “What can I help you with today, Miss Evans?”

He knew my name now and wasn’t afraid to use it. I wasn’t sure having the principal know your name was a good thing. I took a deep breath and stated my case.

“My friend Vi Lakewood is an aspiring interior designer,” I rushed to say. “She’s really good. She redid her brother’s room and is now redoing her own bedroom. I’ve seen her paint walls, pick out carpets, and do all kinds of great work.”

Mr. Shelly was giving me that look now. It was a look I
knew all too well. He had no idea where I was going with all this. I had to just spit it out.

“I know who Miss Golden is.”

He didn’t look surprised at that, which surprised me. Okay, so it was easy enough to search someone’s last name and figure out who the person was these days, but I’d counted on Mr. Shelly not figuring out that much. If he knew that I knew who Miss Golden was, did that mean . . . ?

“Who is she?” he asked, clasping his hands together in front of him on his desk. He was waiting patiently for me to explain. He even had a slightly amused look on his face. Like he couldn’t wait to watch me dig myself in deeper.

“She’s with a reality show called
24-Hour Makeover
. She’s here to redo this school. She’s specifically interested in the language arts wing and creating a break area for us.”

He made no expression at all at that news. He just continued to look at me as if waiting to hear more. I told myself that just because he wasn’t surprised that I knew who Miss Golden was, it didn’t mean he knew the whole school knew who Miss Golden was. But I wasn’t so sure about that.

I decided to focus on what I’d come in here to say. “Vi is, like,
24-Hour Makeover
’s biggest fan,” I continued. “She could tell you every place they’ve been. She could probably
also tell you that they usually get people to help out with the work. In this case, I think it would be better for the students to help out than the teachers. It would make the people watching at home connect more with the show.”

I’d worked hard preparing this argument, learning everything I could find out online about the show. When I was practicing, I’d assumed Miss Golden would be the one I’d be talking to about it. If I had to go through Mr. Shelly first, though, I’d do it.

But Mr. Shelly wasn’t talking. He was still staring at me, and the look on his face wasn’t a good one. Had I said something wrong? Oh, I knew what it was. He wanted me to talk to Miss Golden first.

“I could talk to Miss Golden about all this, but we aren’t supposed to know, right?” I asked. “I mean, we could get in trouble if word gets out, I assume.”

Those words broke his silence. “Miss Evans, I can assure you that we appreciate your input,” Mr. Shelly said. “But the participants in the work have already been chosen.”

What?
No.

Okay, I admit it. I panicked. I had been fully planning to use
24-Hour Makeover
to win my best friend back. If I didn’t have the show, what did I have?

Nothing. Vi would never speak to me again, and the
rest of the school would hate me for getting their hopes up about all this. I’d be a total social outcast. I wouldn’t even be able to get anyone to read the
Troy Tattler
anymore.

“Are they teachers?” I asked, my voice far more high pitched than I meant for it to be. “Teachers get to do everything. This school isn’t about teachers. It’s about students.”

Mr. Shelly’s brow furrowed and I knew I was pushing it. Oh well. I’d already gone this far, so I might as well keep going.

“My friend Vi is really good,” I continued. “She could work circles around any of these teachers, but you aren’t even giving her a chance. It’s not fair.”

I knew I sounded like a big baby at that point, but I didn’t care. The image of all those teachers standing in the language arts wing with their hammers and nails got to me. Cameras would be zooming around them, showing how much they cared about the students of this school. But what nobody at home would know was that the teachers were just hogging the spotlight, taking it away from the kids.

When Mr. Shelly spoke, his voice was calm, especially in contrast to my half-hysterical ramblings. “Miss Evans, do you know what happens when people make assumptions?”

His question threw me for a second. “No?”

It was a question, not an answer. I waited for him to
continue. He stared down at his hands, and I wondered if he was trying to gather patience.

“People spread incorrect information,” he finally told me. “I have not yet said who the participants are, yet you’re already making assumptions, aren’t you?”

His words had silenced me. I couldn’t seem to speak. All I could do was stare at him as the things he was saying sank in.

“For instance, I did not say that those participants had been notified, nor did I say the school had chosen those participants, did I?” Mr. Shelly continued. He was looking directly at me now, and it made me want to sink into a hole.

I shook my head.

“I’m well aware that the word has gotten out about
24-Hour Makeover
. I’m also aware that you produce a publication called the
Troy Tattler
. Is this information correct?”

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but what could I say? Not only did I write and publish the
Troy Tattler
but I was responsible for the word getting out about the show. I had no defense.

“If one were to draw conclusions, one would
assume
you spread that little piece of gossip,” Mr. Shelly said. “Especially since you were the only student who met
Miss Golden. But I wouldn’t assume any of that. Do you know why?”

I had a feeling that whether I knew why or not, Mr. Shelly fully planned to blaze forward with his speech. So I just sat there quietly.

“Because making assumptions gets you into trouble,” Mr. Shelly finished. He sat back in his chair and looked at me. “I have a feeling you’re figuring that out now, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I said. My throat was suddenly very dry, making my voice sound like it was coming through sandpaper. “I’m sorry.”

And I was. I’d made such a mess of things, and I wasn’t sure how to make it right. It seemed like the harder I tried, the worse it got, until I felt like I was sinking deeper and deeper and deeper. . . .

Mr. Shelly stood and walked around his desk. “The funny thing is,
you
were actually on the list to help out, but now the entire future of the project is in jeopardy. Do you know why?”

I bit my lip. “I think so,” I admitted. I was the reason. Whether he knew it or not, it was all because of me.

“Miss Golden does not yet know word has gotten out, but it’s only a matter of time,” he said. “We were expected
to reveal what was really going on the morning of the shoot. The instructions were to tell the entire school we were doing this project and anyone who wanted to participate could show up, and that was when it would be announced that it would be televised.”

That made sense. If they asked the school to show up and work hard all day, a completely different group of people would show up than if they asked everyone to show up and be on national TV. I could totally see why my big mouth could blow it all.

“Miss Evans.” Mr. Shelly said the words sternly, a frown creasing his forehead. He would never say that he knew I spread the gossip, but I was pretty sure he knew I had. And, like every other grown-up, he wanted me to learn my lesson. He wanted to scare me into thinking that I’d blown it for everyone when maybe I hadn’t.

But maybe I had. . . .

“Please don’t punish Vi because of me,” I begged. “She knew nothing about all of this. In fact, she’s mad at me because she says I can’t stop gossiping. She doesn’t believe in gossip. Vi’s the greatest person ever and she’ll be really, really good on the show.”

Mr. Shelly was at the door by then, his hand on the doorknob. “I don’t know who this Vi is—”

“Vivienne Lakewood,” I said, hoping like crazy I wasn’t messing it up by telling him that. He might head back to his desk and write her name on a bad list or something. I stood and walked over to where he was standing. “She’ll make this school look good, I promise.”

He paused, his hand still on the doorknob. “I don’t think you understand what I’m saying.” He looked me directly in the eye. “This has nothing to do with your friend. It’s not up to me. If the show finds out people knew about it—”

“They won’t find out,” I pleaded. “I promise. I’ll make sure everyone acts surprised. Please give us this chance.”

“It’s out of my hands now.”

I didn’t know what that meant, but it was clear that he had no plans to tell me. He opened the door and gestured for me to leave, giving me that one last look that told me the same thing Vi’s looks had told me lately. He was disappointed in me.

I couldn’t blame him. Or Vi. I was more disappointed in myself than anyone else could ever be.

Chapter Thirteen

“WHAT’S WITH VI?”

“She’s mad at Maddie.”

“She’s not mad at us. Why isn’t she sitting with us?”

This conversation was going on around me as I sat, quietly eating my pizza at lunch the next day. Vi continued to make it clear that she wasn’t speaking to me. Maybe ever again. I, meanwhile, wasn’t sure how I could make things right between us.

“Sitting with us means sitting with Maddie, and Vi can’t stand to be around her right now.”

They all looked over at me. I wanted to shrink down in my seat. Was the whole school mad at me now? They’d really be mad when they found out that because I couldn’t stop gossiping, the whole
24-Hour Makeover
thing would be canceled.

“Vi doesn’t believe in gossip,” Sydney said, turning to look at Jessica and Sarah. “Haven’t you ever noticed? She refuses to talk about other people. She doesn’t approve. All you have to do is look at her when Maddie’s gossiping.”

I gasped. “When
I’m
gossiping? We all gossip.”

“Guys . . . ,” Jessica said.

“You talk, we listen,” Sarah interrupted. “That’s the way it usually goes. Half of what you say doesn’t even come true. You just tell us something you overheard someone say.”

Now Sarah was turning on me? “I always tell you if it’s something I don’t know for sure,” I said. “You guys tell everyone else like it’s fact.”