"So what's this thing going on with you and Tanner?" Chantal inquired innocently as she sipped a bit of her fruit punch. The two girls were sitting on the floor, their legs crossed and eyes full of anticipation. This was going to be the opening ceremony of the big summer carnival that happened every year. Of course, the most anticipated event of all was the Miss Midway Contest.
"'Thing,' Chantal? There is no 'thing' going on between Tanner and I. I'm going to be his tutor over the summer. I don't want to, but Mister Freakin' Grant made me. I don't understand why, though. He's not going to have Tanner next year," Karen griped. She'd been irritated for days over the whole situation between her and Tanner.
"It's in the stars, honey. It's in the stars," Chantal leaned back and looked up into the large domed ceiling of the Arboretum. "You'd better leave Fate alone, girlfriend. She's not one to be messed with."
Karen threw her empty cup at Chantal playfully. "You just need to shut up right now. You don't know the half of it." She looked around, searching for other people to add to their group. When she spotted someone, she smiled and waved frantically. "Jade! Jade! Over here!"
Jade ran over breathlessly to the two girls, waving her hands wildly. "You will never believe what I just saw!"
"What? What?" Chantal bounced onto her knees and clasped her hands.
"Nick Tol and Kayla Parker were just french kissing behind the building, and it looked like they were about to be doing a lot more!" Jade giggled as she began spreading the thing she loved most: gossip.
"Oh...my...God! Nick Tol? Ewww!" Chantal fluttered her hands up and down in disgust. "Isn't he the one with the big mole on his nose?"
Karen gasped. "You're right! I thought Kayla would have more taste than to go out with that...that thing. Just the other day I caught him putting his nasty, stanky bare feet on my binder. I was ready to knock him out on the spot."
Jade laughed as she took a seat by the girls. "So what's this whole Miss Midway thing going on?"
"Basically, it's a beauty contest where shameless hussies prance around on a stage showing off more cleavage than Marilyn Monroe and totally showing that they have no self-respect."
Chantal scoffed and waved Karen's rant away with her hand. "It is the contest, girl. The winner of the contest is the envy of all the girls in school. Francesca George was entered by her boyfriend Allan last year, and let me be the first to say that every girl in Midway Prep looked up to her," Chantal explained, then added coyly, "Mel entered me yesterday. He says that even if I win, no crown will be good enough for his queen."
Karen smiled, but it soon faded away when she spotted someone behind Chantal. "I think someone else might have something to say about that."
