Week 2 Story: Gossip Girl

My friend Tati is the best. That’s an undeniable fact. We’ve known each other since birth and have basically been attached to the hip ever since. She’s goofy and knows just what to say to make you explode in laughter. She’s literally the greatest friend I could ever ask for, but… she has one mortal flaw. She’s the biggest gossip that I know. Once she even catches on to the smallest whispers about a rumor, it’s always “OMIGOD DID YOU HEAR ABOUT…” and then I zone out because it gets tiring listening about the life of your classmates 75% of the time. I love her to death, but a girl needs to live her life in peace too, you know? So, one day, I hatched a plan to teach her a lesson about the consequences of her actions.

One day, Tati and I are sitting at lunch and she’s spilling the details about the latest school gossip, eyes bright and flashing as she lays down all of the details of the breakup between Chloe and John ... details I didn’t need to know or asked for. To be honest, I don’t even know Chloe or John that well, but Tati always love a good piece of gossip. I push a piece of grilled chicken around my plate and give the occasional “Yeah, of course” as Tati’s words become more muffled as I lose more interest.  I was hoping to talk about the movie we had just watched, Parasite, and discuss all of the crazy twists in the plot. But once we were seated at the restaurant, Tati immediately delved into information about the nature of Chloe and John’s breakup. 

“.... I can’t believe he just broke up with her like that. He’s already on Tinder looking for his next hookup, but he isn’t even that cute.” Tati’s voice suddenly stops and her forehead creases with worry as she notices my waning interest. 

“You okay, Liv? You seem kinda out of it today. Are you sick or tired?”

I suddenly snap back to attention. “Oh no, I’m fine! Maybe a little tired, sorry…” I lie. 

She starts to relax, opening her mouth to continue the conversation, apparently satisfied with my response. 

“Wait… Tati. There’s actually something I’ve been wanting to say for a while,” I blurted. “I love you, but you gossip too much and I feel like I can’t really have a conversation with you about anything else.” My mouth snaps shut, surprised by my own sudden boldness. 

  Tati’s eyes widen and her mouth is left a little agape as she hears my confession, and leans back in her chair. “Wow, I didn’t know you felt that way… I’m sorry that I bore you.” 

I could see the hurt in her eyes, so I try to assuage her pain by saying, “Look.. you’re my best friend, but you have a tendency to have a little too much interest in other’s lives sometimes. I’m cool with gossiping for a little bit, but I also want to be able to talk about other cool things with you too. Like the movie we just watched! It was amazing, but you just dived into gossip and that’s all you talked about for the past hour.” 

She nods, taking the information in. “I’m sorry you feel that way. I know it’s a bad habit, and I’m trying to break it, but it’s hard sometimes.” 

An idea suddenly pops into my head. “I have a bet if you’re interested. Maybe we can break this habit with a fun challenge. How about I bet you $100 that you can’t gossip for a week. The $100 will be an incentive for you. What do you say?” 

Tati’s eyebrows furrow in confusion and surprise, but then a determined look sets in her face. The girl was never one to say no to a challenge, and the next words out of her words are “Deal.” 

For the first 3 days or so, Tati does great. I know that she’s hearing rumors floating around school that she’s probably dying to talk to me or our friends about, but she keeps strong. I’m proud of her and it’s refreshing to talk about other things with her, like movies and our future goals. 

Here’s the rub though. My friend Jenny and I wanted to challenge Tati a bit more to see how committed she was to her mission, so Jenny and I made a fake rumor that Jenny was writing other student's essays for money. With a rumor with such scandal, I knew that it could probably make Tati crack. With other friends in on the plan, we spread the rumor within our friend group and waited to see how long it would take Tati to find out. 

Around 2 days later, Tati comes knocking on my door and by the look on her face, I knew that she found out. She gave me the look that I was too familiar with. She had a slightly frantic look in her eyes and flushed cheeks, meaning that she was about to explode from holding a  secret in for too long. 

And sure enough, she did. In one breath, she says “I know that I’m not supposed to be gossiping about anyone, but it’s been 6 days and I’m dying. I just heard that Jenny has been writing other student's essays for money. I can’t believe it, it’s crazy. It’s crazy, right?” 

Once she stops, she deflates and takes a breath. “Wow, that felt good. I mean, ugh, I was doing so well, but there has been so much happening that I’ve been wanting to talk about. I guess I owe you $100, huh?” 

I laugh and bring her into a hug. “No, you don’t. I’m proud of you and the progress you’ve made. But I also have something to tell you… Jenny and I made up that rumor to see if you would take the bait.” 

A silence follows as Tati digests the information. 

“WAIT, WHAT?” 

Two Friends Gossiping

Bibliography: "The Turtle and the Geese" from Jakata Tales by Ellen C. Babbit

Note: My story is retold from “The Turtle and the Geese” except with lesser consequences that don’t involve death. In my opinion, I feel like the story is a little mean-spirited since the geese trick and kill the turtle for simply talking too much. As a result, the narrator of my story is a little mean-spirited too in faking a rumor so her friend would crack. Basically, we all have our own flaws that we’re working on and don’t be too hard on others.