Read Online 30 Days of No Gossip by Stephanie Faris - Free Book Online

Miss Golden was interested in what I had to say. I was a sucker for that interested look.
    “Break areas are very important,” Miss Golden said, nodding as if confirming her own idea was great. “Kids need break areas. What else would you like to see?”
    Wow. This was it. My chance to speak up for the entire seventh grade. It wasn’t gossiping, so I could still make a difference without breaking my promise to Vi.
    “Maybe it could be used for other things,” I blurted, thinking as I spoke. “There could be charging stations if people need them, and if someone has an emergency oris talking to their parents, they could take phone calls there.”
    I could see Mr. Shelly wasn’t happy. He wouldn’t go along with this, no matter what, as long as the words “cell phone” were wrapped up in it.
    “It could also be extra space for meetings,” I rushed to add. I had to get this all out in one big burst or Mr. Shelly might cut me off. Then I’d miss my chance forever. “Everyone meets right after school, and there are never good places. Nobody wants to meet in a classroom, and the gym and cafeteria are already taken. It would be cool to have a meeting place with comfortable chairs and lots of privacy.”
    In the silence that followed, I could tell that Miss Golden was really considering what I’d said. I held my breath, wondering if she’d say I was a genius and this was the best idea ever and Mr. Shelly should take it to the school board right this very second.
    Or maybe not. Mr. Shelly broke the silence by clearing his throat. The sound was so sudden, it made me jump.
    “Miss Golden, I think it might be best if Miss Evans and I take care of our business so you and I can work on our project without interruption,” Mr. Shelly explained.
    “Of course,” she said. “Go ahead.”
    She sat back, waiting for us to pick up our conversationwhere we had left off. Only now I didn’t remember what I was even here to do. I couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d said about a break area. Was she here to somehow . . . make this school better?
    But why?
    “I think you’ve learned your lesson,” Mr. Shelly said. “You may go.”
    “Wait,” Miss Golden called out. She was digging through her purse, from which she retrieved a pen and crumpled-up receipt. “What is your name again?”
    “Maddie Evans,” I called back. I was already halfway across the room at that point, my attention firmly fixed on the door. I wanted out before Mr. Shelly changed his mind.
    “I may be in touch,” Miss Golden said. Then, as I slipped through the still-open door, I heard her say, “I have a good feeling about her.”
    I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but I was smiling as I headed out of the principal’s office just in time for the end-of-class bell. At least someone had a good feeling about me.
What famous reality show producer is eyeing Troy Middle School for possible inclusion on her show? Maddie Evans has the scoop. . . . Only, she can’t tell any of you.
    My fingers hesitated, poised above the keys of my laptop. I stared at the blinking cursor on my screen, biting my lip thoughtfully for a second before going back to re-review the search results in my Web browser. If I was going to pretend-write the Troy Tattler , I had to at least get my facts straight.
    Ashley Golden was not a hard person to track down online. She was on every social networking site, plus she had an official website. Was it gossip if I was only reciting the facts I’d found on the Web?
    I knew the answer to that. I knew that no matter how much I learned about that woman in Mr. Shelly’s office, I couldn’t speak—or write—a word of it to anyone.
    If I could write about her, I’d tell the school that Ashley Golden’s website—which included a large, smiling photo of her with her dog, so I knew it was her—stated proudly that she was the producer of a show called 24-Hour Makeover , a show Vi was absolutely addicted to. It was one of a