(Angel, I can't believe I'm doing this. I feel really stupid, and I'm scared, and if anybody finds me-)
(Just listen, will you?)
At first Gillian's heart seemed to drown out all other sounds* But then, faint but clear, she heard two voices she recognized.
Chapter 10
"But only if you absolutely swear to me you didn't do it."
"Oh, how many times? I've been telling you all week I didn't. I never said a word to her. I swear."
The first voice, which sounded taut and a little unbalanced, was Tanya's. The second was Kim the Gymnast's. Despite her brave words, Kim sounded scared.
(Angel? What's going on?)
(Trouble.)
"Okay," Tanya's voice was saying. "Then this is your chance to prove it by helping me."
"Tan, look. Look. I'm sorry about you and David breaking up. But maybe it's not Gillian's fault-"
"It's completely her fault. The stuff with Bruce was over. You know that. There was no reason for David to ever find out-until she opened her mouth. And as for how she found out-"
"Not again!" Kim the Gymnast sounded ready to scream. "I didn't do it."
"All right. I believe you." Tanya's voice was calmer. "So in that case there's no reason for us to fight.
We've got to stick together. Hand me that brush, will you?" There was silence for a moment, and Gillian could imagine Tanya brushing her dark hair to a higher gloss, looking in a mirror approvingly.
"So what are you going to do?" Kim's voice asked.
"Get both of them. In a way, I hate him more. I promised he'd be sorry if he dumped me, and I always keep my promises."
Squashed between the heavy, swaying clothes on her right and left, Gillian had a wild and almost fatal impulse to giggle.
She knew what was going on. It was just such a ... a sitcom situation that she had a hard time making herself believe in it. Here she was, listening to two people who were actually plotting against her. She was overhearing their plans to get her. It was... absurd. Bad mystery novel stuff.
And it was happening anyway.
She made a feeble attempt to get back to reality, straightening up slightly.
(Angel-people don't really do these revenge things. Right? They're just talking. And-I mean, I can't even believe I'm hearing all this. It's so ... so ridiculous...)
(You're overhearing it because I brought you here. You have an invisible friend who can lead you to the right place at the right time. And you'd better believe that people carry out these "revenge things." Tanya's never made a plan that she hasn't carried through.)
(The future executive.) Gillian thought it faintly.
(Future CEO. She's deadly serious, kid. And she's smart. She can make things happen.)
Gillian no longer felt like giggling.
When she pressed her ear against the wall again, it was clear she'd missed some of the conversation.
"... David first?" Kim the Gymnast was saying.
"Because I know what to do with him. He wants to get into Ohio University, you know? He sent the application in October. It was already going to be a little hard because his grades aren't great, but he scored really high on the SATs. It was hard, but I'm going to make it..." There was a pause and Tanya's voice seemed to mellow and sweeten. "Absolutely impossible."
"How?" Kim sounded shaken.
"By writing to the university. And to our principal and to Ms. Renquist, the English lit teacher, and to David's grandpa, who's supposed to be giving him money to go to college."
"But why? I mean, if you say something nasty, they'll just think it's sour grapes-"
"I'm going to tell them he passed English lit last year by cheating. We had to turn in a term paper. But he didn't write the paper he turned in. It was bought. From a college guy in Philadelphia."
Kim's breath whooshed out so loudly that Gillian could hear it. "How do you know?"
"Because I arranged it, of course. I wanted him to bring his grades up, to get into a university. To make
something of himself. But of course he can never prove all that. He's the one that paid for it."
A silence. Then Kim said, with what sounded like forced lightness, "But, Tan, you could ruin his whole life..."
"I know." Tanya's voice was serene. Satisfied.
"But... well, what do you want me to do?"
"Be ready to spread the word. That's what you do best, isn't it? I'll get the letters written by Monday.
And then on Monday you can start telling people-because I want everyone to know. Prime that grapevine!" Tanya was laughing.
"Okay. Sure. Consider it done." Kim sounded more scared than ever. "Uh, look, I'd better get back
downstairs now-can I use the brush a second?"
"Here." A clatter. "And, Kim? Be ready to help me with Gillian, too. I'll let you know what I've got in mind for her."
Kim said, "Sure,"-faintly. Then there were a few more clatters and the sound of a door rattling open and shut. Then silence.
Gillian stood in the stuffy closet.
She felt physically sick. As if she'd found something loathsome and slimy and unclean writhing under her bed. Tanya was crazy-and evil. Gillian had just seen into a mind utterly twisted with hatred.
And smart. Angel had said it.
(Angel, what do I do? She really means it, doesn't she? She's going to destroy him. And there isn't anything I can do about it.)
(There may be something.)
(She's not going to listen to reason. I know she's not. Nobody's going to be able to talk her out of it.
And threats aren't any good-)
(I said, there may be something you can do.)
Gillian came back to herself. (What?)
(It's a little complicated. And... well, the truth is, you may not want to do it, kid.)
(I would do anything for David.) Gillian's response was instant and absolute. Strange, how there were some things you were so sure of.
(Okay. Well, hold that thought. I'll explain everything when we get home-which we should do fast. But first I want you to get something from that bathroom.)
Gillian felt calm and alert, like a young soldier on her first mission in enemy territory. Angel had an idea.
As long as she did exactly what Angel said, things were going to turn out all right.