The Gossip Web (25 page)

             
“Yeah!” Lacey agreed with a smirk. “Bad things happen to girls that Gloria doesn’t like.”

             
Camille glanced over at Lacey and rolled her eyes. “You just remember what I said, Jade.” Upon flipping back her hair, Camille sashayed off; Lacey hot on her heels.

             
I bit my lip and hurried out of the lunchroom, and relief washed over me when I caught sight of an empty hall. Even though I knew I was alone out here, I was certain that everyone back inside the cafeteria continued to whisper my name. The sad truth was that I would never ever be left alone. Camille’s hateful words echoed inside my head, and I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from screaming. How dare she threaten me to stay away from Trace! What nerve those spiteful populars had!

             
“Jade?” Trace called out to me as he emerged from the cafeteria’s double doors. “Are you okay?”

             
I turned to look at him, and with a loud sigh I replied, “I’m fine. I just really hate those girls.”

             
“Yeah, me too,” Trace agreed and I smiled slightly.

             
I noticed a bench near the end the of the hall and I wandered towards it, plopping down in exasperation. “Why can’t they just leave me alone?” I asked aloud as Trace sat down next to me.

             
He placed his left arm around my shoulders tenderly and shook his head. “It’s more about me than it is you, Jade,” Trace said.

             
“Wow, that makes me feel much better,” I replied with a frown. “Thank you.”

             
Trace reached for my hand and squeezed it lightly. “They’re pissed because I’m choosing you over them. It’s ridiculous, really.”

             
“No it’s not, Trace,” I disagreed, looking him square in the eye. “I know why they’re upset to see you hanging around me instead.”

             
“What reason could they have that justifies being complete assholes to you and I?” Trace asked bitterly. “Even if they feel burnt about this whole situation, their actions---especially Freddie’s, are unforgivable.”

             
I frowned as I was blasted back to that first day of ninth grade, when Trace returned to West Havenbrook a completely new person. Someone charming and popular---and too good for me. I’d felt so pained by his rejection, but despite his cruel mistreatment, I’d just wanted him to be my friend again. As pathetic as it sounds, after all these years it’s all I’d ever wanted.

             
Smiling at his handsome face, I said, “You’re amazing, Trace. That’s it---that‘s the reason. There’s more than two thousand students in this school, and nobody even comes close in comparison. It’s no wonder why Gloria and all her friends miss you.  I know what it feels like to have you missing from my life. I felt the same way a few years ago---”

             
Trace frowned and interrupted me by whispering in my ear. “Jade, I’m so sorry for the way I treated you. I’ll say it over and over again until you know I truly mean it.” His blue eyes flashed as he added, “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to change what happened between us. If I have to prove it to you, just tell me how.”

             
I brought a hand to his cheek and replied softly, “I know you’re sorry, Trace. You don’t have to apologize to me anymore.” My stomach fluttered when he gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “And I forgive you,” I told him with a smile.

             
Trace grinned and reached for me. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and murmured, “You’re one of a kind, Jade Cannon.”

             
“Nah,” I mumbled, gazing up at him longingly. “You’re the one who’s above and beyond wonderful.”

             
Trace squeezed me closer to him. “Jade, there’s something important I want to ask you.”

             
“What?”

             
“Why are we still talking?” He asked gently, and his blue eyes swallowed me whole.

             
I lifted a hand up to stoke his cheek. “I have no idea,” I whispered, and I grinned blissfully when his lips touched mine.

             
It was amazing that a mere kiss could erase all the thoughts and worries from my mind. I felt so safe and loved as he kissed me that I didn’t fear the horrible things that Camille had said. While I laid comfortably in Trace’s hug, I tried to give our situation some insight. A few things sprang to mind, and I came up with this hopeful conclusion: it might take a while, but the school would have to get used to our relationship. After all, once they saw how indestructible we were, they would be forced to torture someone else. I mean, they couldn’t harass us forever, right?

             
We remained in each other’s arms until the lunch bell rang, and when the students pooled into the halls, we ignored their stares as we held on to one another. I was surprised that none of them dared to interrupt us when Trace walked me to my Economics class. He kept his arms wrapped around me for everyone to see, and I didn’t even mind his public display of affection when he kissed me goodbye.

             
After he ran off to his next class, I walked into my classroom with my head held high and ignored the jealous whispers echoing around me. I simply took my seat with a smile and reached for my textbook, flipping it open to the page written on the board. As I read the requested reading, I thought about the question Trace was going to ask me later. I bit my lip as the words on the page became a blur, and I could focus on nothing but my thoughts. What if he did ask me that very big---very serious question? What was my answer going to be?

             
I took a deep breath and decided to stop stressing myself out. If Trace asked me, he asked me. If not, well…then I would get over it. But I was not going to sit here and overwork myself! Besides, today had been a good day so far---despite the incidents with the populars. For the remainder of the day I was determined not to worry, and I was not going to over think whatever he asked me later. At least, I pledged to try no to…

31

             
“THEN WHAT HAPPENED?”
Heidi asked me excitedly, engrossed by my story. “Did you flatten Camille’s pretty face?”

             
I’d just spent the last thirty minutes filling in Heidi about my day; our conversation centering mainly around the confrontations with the populars. She had overheard from Jason (big surprise he was gossiping about me) that I was assaulted by Camille in the lunchroom earlier today and she’d been so worried about me. Not wanting her to think I’d been physically attacked by anyone, I quickly cleared up all the misconceptions Jason had filled her head with. She seemed relieved that I hadn’t gotten into a fight with anybody, but I did detect a hint of disappointment in her voice after I had explained what really happened.

             
“Wait, you didn’t hit her?” Heidi asked me slowly. “Are you sure?”

             
I smiled into the phone and laughed. “Of course not, Heidi!”

             
“Well, you should have. Seriously! All three of those skanks need to get bulldozed. Maybe we could rent one from my dad. He doesn’t need every bulldozer on the site…” Heidi’s voice droned off as if she were actually considering the idea.

             
“Oh stop it!” I replied, still laughing. I had to admit though, I did enjoy the thought of flattening the wicked witch of the west and her two nasty monkeys.
             
“It would be fun though! Come on, just think of it as community service.”

             
“Yeah, I don’t think their parents would agree with that,” I replied with a grin.

             
“Ha. Their parents are just as bad as they are. It’s where they get their nastiness from. Just the other day my mom was shopping at GG’s Groceries, and she ran into Gloria’s mother. Oh my god! You’ll never guess what she said to my mom, Jade!”

             
“What?” I asked her eagerly.

             
“Well, my mom passed her in an aisle---but not before stopping and saying hello. You know how my mom is, right? She’s such a sweetie! Anyways, the ex-model got all offended and started trash-talking my mom. Mrs. Malone asked her how she could afford shopping at GG’s on a teacher’s salary…and she also said she should stick to buying her groceries at the run down supermarket on fifth. My mom told me she had to clench her teeth to keep from decking her.”

             
I wasn’t surprised. Gloria‘s mother thought she was better than everyone in West Havenbrook---her being a former lingerie model and all. When the Malone family first moved here, Mrs. Malone let everyone know that she used to parade around in her underwear. In some weird way she was proud of it, even though she only modeled in two shows. Heidi and I used to joke about it back in middle school when she’d drop Gloria off. Mrs. Malone would show up at the middle school in the most elaborate outfit, with flawless hair and makeup! But the funniest part was the look of hatred on Gloria’s face. That was priceless.

             
“Like mother like daughter, Heidi.” I told her. “What do you expect from them anyways? Compassion? Warmth? I don’t think that entire family is capable of empathy.”

             
Heidi laughed at my remark. “Yeah, that’s true---but, let’s talk about something else now,” she told me hastily, and her voice turned serious.

             
“Like what?” I asked her curiously.

             
“Like you and Trace,” Heidi replied simply. “What’s the deal with you two anyways? Are you guys a couple yet or what?”

             
I grinned as Trace’s face popped into my mind. “I don’t really know for sure. We sort of are…but he hasn’t asked me that infamous question yet.” My thoughts wandered to our first kiss, and I remembered that I hadn’t divulged that detail to Heidi yet.

             
I bit my lip warily and added, “I mean, we kissed…”

             
“What?” Heidi screamed, and I had to pull the phone from my ear. “Really? You did?”

             
I laughed at her reaction and smiled. “Yeah…”

             
“How come you never told me!” She asked me hastily, and I wondered if I had hurt her feelings.

             
“I’m sorry, Heidi. I wanted to…I’ve just been dealing with so much that I guess it just slipped my mind. Telling you, I mean---not kissing Trace…”

             
There was a pause on her end before she asked, “So, how many times have you two danced the tongue tango?”

             
I grinned, feeling my face flush. Even over the phone Heidi knew how to embarrass me. “Oh stop it!” I laughed. “But…I think it’s been at least five times.”

             
“You little slut!” She joked, and I knew that she was happy for me.

             
“Thanks, Heidi,” I replied merrily, glad that she almost as excited as I was. If no one else came to accept my relationship with Trace, I didn’t care; I didn’t need anyone’s blessing but Heidi’s.

             
“Jade, I‘m proud of you,” she said suddenly.

             
Her remark caught me off guard. “You are? Why?”

             
Heidi laughed and said, “Because you’ve come out of your shell, Jade---and you’re going after what you want. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you so happy!”

             
I smiled, knowing she was right. It had been a long time since I felt this way, and I knew it was all because of Trace. He really did make me a better person.

             
“It’s all thanks to Trace, Heidi,” I told her. “He really makes me happy.“

             
“I know it is,” she replied softly. “Remind me to thank that boy the next time I see him.“

             
I laughed. “I will.“

             
“Oh, and Jade…don’t worry. I‘m sure Trace is going to ask you very soon,” she assured me.

             
My heart jumped with excitement. Did she know something I didn’t? Maybe Trace had confided in her?

             
“What do you mean, Heidi? Did Trace tell you something?” I asked her curiously.

             
“No, but it’s obvious he’s head over heels for you, Jade. It’s so cute.”