The Gossip Web (12 page)

14

             
AFTER
TUGGING THE GOWN OFF,
I dressed myself quickly and hurried out of the small dressing room. I was glad that I had found the dress for the formal, but the mall was beginning to irritate me and I was eager to go home. After spending a countless number of hours searching for just one dress, I honestly had enough shopping for one afternoon. As I ran down the short hallway, I passed by an open door just as Gloria was walking out. Out of all the department stores in West Havenbrook, she had to be in the exact same one I was in? Figures.

             
Gloria stepped deliberately in my path, wedging her body in-between the corridor. She prevented me from an escape, and I watched her with raised eyebrows as she gave me the once over. I couldn’t help but notice the unpleasant expression on her face.

             
“What are you doing here?” She asked me snootily. After catching a glimpse of the dress in my hands, Gloria rolled her eyes and snickered. “You’re going to the winter formal? I didn’t know they let girls like you in.”

             
Controlling my temper, I forced a smile and replied, “I guess they made an exception this year.”

             
She tucked a blonde strand behind her ear and asked evilly, “Who do you think you’re going with? No guy in his right mind would ask you---and you can’t show up by yourself, you know. That would be so pathetic.” Gloria laughed suddenly and added, “Oh wait, I forgot I was talking to you. You’re the queen of pathetic.” She laughed some more, causing my eyes to burn.

             
I took a deep breath, remembering it would do no good to retaliate. Noticing that she too was carrying a dress in her arms, I let it distract my attention. The dress was bright red and looked to be very short. It seemed identical to her usual style, which many would refer to as cheap----or skanky. But of course, she’d look amazing in it; she did in everything and anything. It was one of the reasons I hated her so much.

             
“So, Jade, why don’t you do everyone a huge favor and not go. I’m afraid you’d just blend in with the decorations anyway. It’s not like you to stand out.”

             
As I stared at her perfect tan face, my knuckles twitched, and I played with idea of smashing in her cute little nose. I knew that punching her would give me great satisfaction, but even that wouldn’t make up for everything she had done to me in the past. However, I wondered how embarrassed she would be if she was forced to go to winter formal with a huge bandage covering up her nose. I almost laughed at the mental image.

             
I wasn’t given the chance to hit Gloria though, because Erika came strolling down the hallway, looking between the both of us. Erika must’ve noticed the word bitch written all over Gloria’s face, and it’s why she asked me, “Is everything alright, Jade?”

             
“Yeah, just peachy,” I mumbled as I tried to ignore Gloria’s fixed stared on Erika.

             
“Who’s this, Jade? Your mother?” Gloria asked, the corners of her mouth curving upwards.

             
“No, she’s not,” I replied hastily, and my face burned from her remark.

             
“Well,” Gloria said with a slight grin. “I can see where you don’t get your looks from.”

             
Erika seemed taken aback by Gloria’s nasty comment as she stood there quietly, noticeably uncomfortable as Gloria and I glared at each other. No words had to be said for the hatred to be confessed; our narrowed eyes said it all.

After a few minutes of heated silence, Gloria was the first to speak. Tossing her perfect blonde hair behind her shoulder, she smiled innocently before saying, “Well, I have somewhere more important to be.” Her green eyes were still narrowed at me when she turned to leave the fitting room. “See you later, Jade.”

When she finally sauntered out, I allowed all of the air I had refused to breathe to come crashing into my lungs. Ignoring Erika’s concerned expression, I hurried out of the fitting room hallway and walked over to the register. Thankfully, Gloria was nowhere to be found…but the echo of her words cut into me like tiny daggers. Even though I felt like crying, I held my tears in and waited patiently for Erika to come pay for the dress. When she joined my side, I kept quiet. I didn’t want to hear how sorry she felt for me, or how evil Gloria was. I was over it. All I wanted to do was go home and forget this encounter with Gloria Malone had ever happened.

On the walk back to the car, Erika asked me gently, “Do you want to talk about it?”
             
It was the way she said it (like she knew how I was feeling) that made me want to pour my feelings onto her shoulder. But how would she know? She was probably just like Gloria when she was in school, picking on innocent and unsuspecting girls whose only wish was to merely fit in. How could I tell Erika that I’d always wanted to be just like Gloria? That I’d always wanted to know what it felt like to be popular and pretty. Heidi didn’t even know that and she was my best friend. If Erika had any “Gloria characteristics” she’d laugh in my face, or more likely behind my back.

I just shook my head at Erika’s question and remained mute. I had gotten used to keeping all of my emotions bottled up, so it would be easy for me to just add this latest episode in with all the other humiliating memories. Besides, Gloria couldn’t bring me down! I had Trace as my date for the dance. I didn’t want to use him as a weapon, but I couldn’t wait to see her face when I showed up with him at the winter formal. The look of rage on her face would be the ultimate payback.

15

             
THERE WERE ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT
before the formal, and the hallways of West Haven High were rowdy and chaotic. Everyone was excited, and there was only one topic they all wanted to discuss: who was going with who. It seemed to be the most important news around school, and I was more than relieved that no one knew about Trace being my date. If word got out, I knew I wouldn’t be able to shake the populars off.

             
When I headed to my locker before lunch, I caught sight of Gloria and Camille walking out of the girl’s bathroom, giggling and whispering. Today they were wearing matching outfits: a white polo with a bright pink ruffled skirt. Camille was wearing sparkling white high-tops, but Gloria had on pink flats. Leave it to Gloria to be the most glamorous. I tried to evade them as I hurried down the hall, but they zoomed towards me, leaving me no route of escape.

             
“Jade, hi,” Gloria said with an fake smile. She tugged on her blonde hair as she looked me over. “So, what are you doing right now?”

             
“Uh…” I had no clue as to why she was taking time out of her busy social life to talk to me. She seemed harmless at the moment, but she always did before she attacked. I kept my guard up as I replied, “Nothing much…just going to my locker.”

             
“Okay, so you’re not busy. Can you help me out with something then?” She asked seriously, taking a step closer towards me. I could smell her perfume, and I recognized it as one of the scents I tried on at the mall once. I always liked it, but just one tiny bottle of it costs around a hundred dollars. So, of course I didn’t buy it. I didn’t have that kind of money lying around, and I didn’t want to beg my dad for the money either. Surveying Gloria’s high fashion, I realized that a hundred dollars must’ve been chump change to her.

             
“What is it?” I replied warily.

             
“Well…” She looked over at Camille, and I noticed her best friend was staring at me with an odd smile on her face. Then Gloria laughed. “I told Camille that I saw you shopping for a dress the other day---for the formal, and she didn’t believe me. She said…what did you say, Camille?”

             
Camille smirked before replying, “I said, Jade Cannon doesn’t have the guts to show up at the winter formal alone.”

             
“Oh?” I coughed, my face turning red. I silently reprimanded myself for falling into their stupid trap.

             
“Yeah, but I guess I was wrong because someone told me that you have a date to the dance.” Camille had an expression of disbelief etched across her pretty face as she asked me, “Is that true Jade?”

             
Oh no. They knew about Trace and I. This was not going to be good. What was I going to do? After swallowing the lump in my throat, I replied, “Yeah, I have a date...”

             
Then, Camille giggled loudly and nudged Gloria. “Wow, I can’t believe this! She actually thinks she going with someone!”

             
“I told you…” Gloria sniggered along with her. “She’s in denial. It’s so pathetic.”

             
I was shaking with anger as I glared at the two girls, but I couldn’t find my voice to contradict them---to set them straight. Then, when on the verge of spilling the truth, my judgment kicked in and I suddenly realized it wasn’t worth it. As much as I wanted to boast that Trace was my date, I knew it would only make their torturing worse. After biting down on my tongue to steady my nerves, I chose to keep my mouth shut as I quivered with fury.

             
They continued to laugh at me before Gloria said, “Jade, honey, just remember that when you show up to the dance all by yourself and everybody laughs at you, it’ll be your fault. I told you to stay away.”

             
After forcing a smile, I shoved past their judgmental barricade and I hurried on towards my locker. I was amazed that the two of them could be so cruel, but they had bitch in their blood so I guess it was natural for them to act that way. I was used to them making fun of me and putting me down for they way I looked, but what right did they have to criticize me about the formal? If they didn’t believe me when I said I had a date, then that was their problem…but I was going to that dance, no matter how hard they tried to frighten or embarrass me. No way was I going to let their cruelty bring me down.

             
As I walked to the cafeteria, I envisioned the gigantic scene at the dance when I walked in on Trace’s arm. I smiled, feeling overconfident for once. I couldn’t wait to prove Gloria, and all of her conceited friends, wrong.

16

TRACE WAS ONLY SEVEN MINUTES LATE,
but I couldn’t help feeling a little paranoid that he wasn’t going to show. I was waiting patiently for him by the front door, sitting in my dad’s favorite arm chair as I daydreamed. It wasn’t as if I didn’t trust him (me staking out the window and everything)…I just couldn’t believe that this was happening in the first place. I mean, I was going to the winter formal with Trace Gibson! It was hard to believe and absolutely terrifying. Glancing eagerly out the window, I stared down the dark street and wondered where he was. He couldn’t still be getting ready, could he? Leave it to Trace to be the one fashionably late.

I, on the other hand, had gotten ready rather early. Erika had taken me to get my hair and makeup done in the afternoon, at a salon she visits frequently. I was a little skeptical at first to trust her, but I really didn‘t have a choice. It‘s not like my Dad would’ve enjoyed taking me somewhere and waiting hours for me to get all fixed up. When we arrived, I found that it was actually a really nice salon, and the lady that worked on me was friendly enough. Her name was Tiffany, and she listened to all my worries---making a few suggestions here and there. All in all, she did a good job, and when she was finished I was awestruck.