High School Gossip is the Pits

Summery: After Daphne has a bad date with a boy named Wesley who spreads nasty rumors about his dates, the gang must protect Daphne from getting known as the biggest whore in Coolsville high school.

Authors notes and warnings: This is a teen story, with some language and strong subjects. Shaggy/Velma, Fred/Daphne, and Daphne/Other are all referred to. The title might change but it's the best I have for now.

Daphne

I sat next to him in silence. Because I skipped lunch, I felt light headed and it didn't help that I wanted to run out of the class room. I had trouble breathing; I just wanted the next hour to be over. He was gorgeous, however. Long dark brown hair that fell in loose curls. He was as buff as Freddie and his skin was as if he grew up on an island. If my parents didn't know his family, they would think he wasn't the same race. His eyes were emeralds. His nose was thin and sharp and his ears fit him just right; however this only covered up who he really was, a scary guy who was power hungry: star football player, senior and wealthily family, his good looks only helped that.

"You'll regret running out on me." Wesley said, in a voice so low I could barley hear it. I used to think it was kind of hot; now it just creped me out.

"Why" I shifted reaching for the hydrochloric acid (HCl).

Then He grabs my hand, tight. "You don't want to add that." He said normally, but then switched the hushed husky voice, "I can ruin you. You know that Ms. Blake" By this point I was barley listening as I was loosing feeling in my fingers. "Don't think I won't. Even after I graduate you'll be known as someone who will sleep with anyone all they have to do is ask; that you want a reason to rebel against your parents." Now he changes back to the present non threatening voice. "We need the potassium chloride (KCl)" Then he finally lets go of my wrist. I was felling more than just light headed now and was fairly sure it wasn't just because I skipped lunch.

We continued to work silently but when i felt his hand on my thigh, I had to leave. "Mr. Homes, I'm feeling really dizzy and the project is almost done. I was wondering if I could go to the nurse, please?" The balding man just nodded and wrote up a blue nurses slip. I managed to hold back crying until I got out of the classroom. "I can't take eight more months with this creep." I ran to the bathroom to cry, people can't see me cry. I don't want to be asked what's wrong. I just want to disappear, go home, crawl under my covers and cry some more.

I had already felt eyes staring at me in Chemistry class. It's already started, the rumors were spreading. If the nurse didn't send me home by my word, I'll go bulimic just to get out of here.

Shaggy

After listening to Fred rand all weekend I was actually ready for Monday. Everyone but Daphne knows that Fred, like, likes her likes her, but like me with monsters, Fred is terrified of girls he likes when it comes to being more than friends. With Daphne I think he's more afraid of her parents interrogation, that they give every poor soul who wants to date their little princess.

But apparently Wesley didn't go through such integrations, or is like really good at lying because his "intentions" were certainly not pure. I assume the date went south. Wesley is the type that was, like, perfect around adults but we knew better. Velma slipping me a note confirmed that the date went bed, but I didn't ask how bad.

'Keep an eye on Wesley in health'

Was all the note had said. I shared a class with him and half the football team and no one but me in the gang; however, if he talked badly about Daphne, like he had some of his other dates, I , like, would more than likely end up suspended and in the Coolsville Hospital. She is like my baby sister and I will defend her as such, but only if I have to.

I sat tapping my pencil on the desk watching as the classroom flood with students. He came in laughing. I wanted to tackle him right there, but I wasn't about to be suspended because of Wesley if I wasn't sure. It like isn't because I was afraid of being suspended, but being beat up four boys twice my size sounded very painful.

"Hey." I say as he slapped me hard on the back. He ignores me and goes about his conversation. They all sat in the 4 seats in front of me well two in the row over. I sat in the back so I can snack without the teacher noticing, not that it mattered in this class.

"So how could I get a date with Daphne Blake?" said the biggest of the boys. Scott Grady. On first sight of him you'd think he was an escaped convent. He was a lot older than the average senior; from what I had heard he'd failed the 8th grade twice. Football was the only reason he managed to knuckle down. Scott was a B.I.G. guy and as dumb a dumb can get; however, Scott was also a decent guy when away from the rest of them. Even though his tone wasn't exactly not joking, he still wouldn't ask someone on a date just because he thought he thought he could get some tail.

"You wouldn't be able to, her parents are worst than cops. You have to go through a questionnaire and then be grilled by her father." says Gabriel Imain. Gabe wasn't much bigger than me just more muscular. "How did you get in, anyway." he adds turning to Wesley.

"Her parents set us up. Turns out they only want the rich and powerful for their little girl." He said laughing. There was something about Wesley's cockiness that I, like, can't stand. "and their little princess is rebelling in the sexies…"

I tap him on the back and slug him in the nose as hard as I could. He swung back but I dodged it hopping out of the desk and headed to the door, not looking back to the chunky football players. The last think I heard was Scott, "I told you it nots a good idea to talk about her around him." I kept running and then something threw me to the floor. I looked up to find Charlie Andrews leering down at me.

Charlie is the schools custodian. He wasn't angry or mean, like your stereotype janitor, but he was usually grumpy(mainly because the mean kids would steal his hat or purposely make big messes and laugh when he has to clean them). Charlie was a tubby man with a very distinct farmers tan from yard work. He also had a strong southern twang. He hummed Johnny Cash songs while cleaning which only added to the students bulling, but I was closer to him than any other adult faculty member. He took care of Scooby once or twice when he didn't stay home with Mama and followed me. He also told me about untouched packaged food and often gave me some saying 'Us hungry folks gots to stick together.'

"Whattcha running from son?" he barked lending me a hand, "You aint looking good, you feeling alright" forgetting that I fell running though his halls. Now that he mentioned it I ded feel a little loopy. Obviously he saw it too. "I think I oughtta take you to the nurse."

Fred

I sit back in the tree house. Velma had called an emergency meeting. She and I were the only ones with a license, well she only had a permit but had been driving longer than I have so her parents trusted her not to get a ticket as long as she didn't drive past the town. "Hey Freddie we're going to have the meeting in my room." Since Velma had two older brothers, the tree house was bulit on their land. The land is the main reason 8 acres for their cows to play, her father's always said, "A happy cow brings the best milk." The Dinkley's have ran the dariy farm for 3 generations and were going to run it a fourth. Victor the twin who didn't get the mother's smarts was going to take over when Mr. Dinkley got old. Vince was as brainy as Velma and was hoping to be a surgeon.

The rest of the gang had no room for a tree house or wouldn't have one. Shaggy's back yard is infested with mosquitoes and doesn't have the greatest of trees for a good stable tree house. My neighborhood is crammed and has very few trees and very little room. The Blake's wouldn't have a tree house in their yard, especially since they only had one daughter who they weren't thrilled about playing in one in the first place and they certainty wouldn't encourage it.

I was confused at why we would have a meeting in Velma's room. Scooby knew how to get up here and we ALWAYS had our meetings up here. It was our office if you may. It had all my nets and trap plans, Mrs. Debbie snacks under the floor board, extra hair accessories and Velma's encyclopedias.

I then jumped down, and made my way back to the house. I got to the room to see Shaggy nursing his head, with Scooby's head on his knee looking up worriedly. Velma sat at her desk typing something. "Where's Daphne?" I ask. They all look up; I apparently missed something.

"That's what this meetings about." Velma said. She had a hint of nervousness in her voice. I just stared, confused. "What? You don't know?"

"What don't I know, and what happened to you Shaggy?"

"Like, Wes is spreading ugly rumors about Daph, and I don't think we can stop it. I, like, fell because I was running away from him after busting his nose open. Doctor says I have a minor concussion and like the principal still suspended me for hitting him." Shaggy said looking up a bit dazed.

"There's more." Velma said, "But you can't let Daphne know I told you"

I swallow. "I'm going to whip his butt" I say through gritted teeth. I hold back from speeding over to duct tape the jackass to the flag poll. "You said there is more?" I get ready for more griping my legs so I wouldn't blow up on my friends.

Velma sits down she seemed torn and afraid to open her mouth. I'm not sure if it was because of me or what she was about to say or both. "Wesley has done much more than just spread rumors. If there was proof of what he's done, we probably could send him to prison, but there is nothing conclusive. He's too smart for that." Velma paused I could tell she was torn with the unwritten code of telling a friend's secret, even when it's under good conditions.

"Like what did he do" Shaggy asked still looking dopier than usual.

"Scared the crud out of her for one thing, and …uh.' She studdered there was a biggie coming up and she couldn't say it.

"What happened, Velma?" I say afraid of the answer.

"He groped her in the theater, she ran off the moment he wasn't looking, if she had stayed he might have raped her on the way home."

"Ran I right rim row Red." Scooby says, but this time he was serious. I didn't' know what we were going to do but we would have to do it without getting all of us expelled and Daphne even more vulnerable.

Velma

I only called the meeting because Daphne hadn't answered my text, finally her mother called me on the phone, saying she was sick and probably won't be available tomorrow either. By then he'd have half the school on his side. The kid had plenty of charisma. Daphne was too shaken up by the incident, to use a cliquish she was a deer in the headlights, not to mention embarrassed by her high society; she didn't want to be treated any different because of her wealth family. I'll go by tomorrow. The gang needed to know, to support her, and then there was Shaggy, who was now suspended for punching Wesley. The concussion would keep him out for awhile.

Fred could pound him, but that wouldn't fix Daphne's reputation or emotional baggage that followed the assault. She was terrified of him, and though she was trying to force herself to move on, I think she was doing more harm than good.

After the guys left, I moved to sit with the cows. "What do you think, Abigail?" I say looking up at my favorite cow. She had stopped giving milk a long time ago but she was a family cow. Meaning she wouldn't be sold and Daddy would dig a giant hole and have a mini funeral for her; most of the cows Daddy says we can't name because, "We have to make a living and we can't be feeding every cow that doesn't earn their keep." so we have about three cows at a time who are family productive or not. She mooed at me and started nibbling at my hair. "Thought so." This was too much. As her best friend I have to do something, but what can I do but offer comfort. There has to be something else.

Daphne

The nurse sent me home, and Mother came to get me. I sat in the car looking at my wrist. 'Bangles will be my accessory tomorrow' I thought seeing the darkening dots forming from where his fingertips were.

"Daphne, sweetheart, what is it?" my mom asked how could I tell her that the boy who is going to be a football star is stalking me and threatening me, whenever he gets the chance.

"Nothing Mother. "

"Why didn't you eat lunch?" Though there was genuine concern in her voice I couldn't help but shake her off.

"I wasn't hungry." It was true, I lost my appetite when Susan brought up Wesley.

"Daphne…" my mother scolded. "You're not fat and you won't gain weight if you eat." My mom looked over at me. She wasn't being mean, but really, seriously worried. Mother didn't like to worry, it put lines on her face and made her look older, that's what she said anyway.

"Mother, I'm tired, goodnight." I say as I go up to my room leaving my backpack and purse in the entryway. I'm not going to be better in the morning not until I find out what I'm going to do about Wesley.