Fake by Francine Pascal

no hurry. After all, gossip like this should be savored, doled out in tiny morsels instead of carelessly dumped in a pile.
    After a while she set down her drink and sat forward again. Her eyes roved around the circular bamboo booth, meeting the others’ hungry gazes. “Liz wanted to know why Jake was so sure Gaia had slept over at Skyler’s last night.”
    Megan felt a victorious thrill as the rest of the girls gasped in unison.
    â€œOh my God! Gaia and Skyler?”
    â€œNo way!”
    â€œWhat did Jake say?”
    â€œHe said he just knew,” she replied calmly.
    More gasps and murmurs of astonishment.
    â€œAnd,” she continued, tossing her hair over her shoulder, “he was demanding to know Skyler’s address. I think he was hoping for some big showdown, but Liz was too smart for him. She refused to give it over.”
    â€œPoor Jake,” Laura crooned.
    â€œYeah. I can’t believe Gaia!” Tina exclaimed, shaking her head.
    Megan frowned at her. “I can. This is typical man-grubbing Gaia. The girl must have some weird complex that makes her go after every hot guy on the island. And this time she thought she was so all that, she tried to add another guy to her collection without breaking it off with her current boyfriend first.”
    â€œPoor Jake,” Laura murmured again.
    â€œYeah, well, he’s not standing for it. And I say good for him.” Megan twirled the tiny umbrella between her thumb and forefinger. “The question is, what does this mean for us?”
    Laura sucked in her breath. “Jake doesn’t have anyone to take to prom!” she exclaimed happily.
    Megan rolled her eyes. “ Duh! I’m talking about the bigger picture here. Don’t you see? This fits perfectly into Operation Revenge.” She glanced around thecrowd in the tiki bar and then leaned forward, lowering her voice. “What we need to do now is tell the whole school about Gaia’s slutty ways.”
    The rest of the table exchanged sly looks, nodding and murmuring their approval. A sense of subversive camaraderie spread through the group. Megan could feel it gathering weight, crystallizing their sense of purpose.
    This could very well be the best day of her life.
    â€œGaia won’t know what hit her,” she went on, smiling with pure glee. “Even if she dares to show up at prom now, she won’t be very welcome. We’ll make sure of that.”

fish sticks and sanka
    Gaia felt the familiar prick of dread, like a hypodermic to the gut.
    Bound and Gagged
    GAIA BALANCED ON THE TILE COUNTER-TOP in Skyler’s bathroom, studying herself in the mirror. Was that really her? Something seemed vastly different.
    Her face looked worn and disheveled, hastily assembled. Two vertical furrows had been stamped into the space between her brows—an obvious weak spot that had split from the pressure of too many heavy burdens. Even the rest of her features seemed saggy and loose. Far too much wear and tear for a face that young.
    But it wasn’t that. She’d been aware for some time that she looked older than she was. Apparently being fearless made you age in dog years. So little time. So much suckage.
    Was it the panic written into her expression? Her eyes did have that overly timid look, darting this way and that, as if constantly fleeing. And her lips were continually chapped from her biting them all the time.
    No, it wasn’t that either. Something else was changed—or missing. Something she couldn’t quite pin down. She couldn’t get past the question her reflection was begging of her.
    What about D.? it asked. How are you going to watch over D. if you can’t take care of yourself?
    â€œGaia?” Skyler rapped on the door, startling her. “Are you okay?”
    â€œY-Yeah,” she replied, hopping back down. A warm tingle took shelter in her cheeks. She couldn’t help feeling slightly embarrassed at having