I've been doing a little sister re-read so I might be pumping out a few more client/Karen and her friends fics. I do have a joint Stacey and Kristy chapter planned if anyone is interested in these. I've started a few stories over the last month so I'll be prepared and ready to post as I finish them.

Happy reading!

Rumors.

Karen Brewer knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of one and to start a few herself. Stoneybrook High School was a breeding ground of rumors. Some of it was mundane, such as did Jackie Rodowsky really start a fire in the home ec kitchen (even if it was by accident)? Then some rumors were crazy, like did Margo Pike really have to swim away from a shark at Sea City?

As the school gossip alongside Pamela Harding and Margo Pike (who by the way did not swim away from a shark), had to figure out what was real and what was fake. After all she enjoyed spying and gossiping about her classmates, at least to her friends. Her junior year was going to be stressful with ACT and SAT studying, they might as well make it fun.

"Jannie Gilbert is pregnant," said Pamela Harding sitting down at the cafeteria chair next to Karen. She smoothed her skirt after looking around.

"Wow seriously? Wait, who is the dad?" asked Karen, picking at the 'cafeteria surprise' that they slopped on her plate. It looked like it was moving as she ate her pudding cup instead. "It's one of the football players right?"

Despite once being one of Pamela's best friends in elementary school; Jannie Gilbert eventually stopped being her friend to know what she's been up to lately. Which is why the rumor surprised Pamela when she first heard it. Jannie had become quite prolific dating the boys on the school football team.

"Yep, I wonder which one," she mused, unpacking her lunch bag from home.

There were about 50 players in the school with 25 on the sophomore/freshman team and 25 on the junior/senior team. They gossiped about the pregnancy for about a good 15 minutes of their 45 minute lunch. It wouldn't be a freshman or sophomore. A senior was likely not it. Besides there was only one senior cute enough worth going for (at least according to Pamela and Karen) and that was Buddy Barrett.

So they turned to the juniors. It wasn't David Michael because Karen would have some idea snooping on her own family when she could get away with it. And it definitely wasn't Bobby Gianelli, since he notoriously knew that he and Nancy Dawes were dating and regularly made out underneath the bleachers or in the photography club's dark room (one person could swear they were going at it there once but a dark room is a dark room).

"Guess what I heard?" asked Margo Pike finally joining them. Chris Lamar knocked up Jannie Gilbert. And I also heard…." She took a bit of her food and looked surprised for a second. "You know the school's mac and cheese isn't that bad."

"Chris Lamar?!" said Pamela. He wasn't bad looking per say. He was blond and had these amazing green eyes. Usually he was the quiet guy that didn't say much on the team. "Well we would have gotten to him eventually. Anyway, what else did you hear?"

"Carolyn Arnold got accepted into MIT early and now her sister is trying to get an early acceptance too," said Margo. "She got a scholarship and everything even though we know they don't really need it. Marilyn and Carolyn are currently fighting about it."

Everyone in this town is pretty wealthy. There's a reason why the area they lived in Connecticut was called the 'gold coast.' The Arnold girls were both pretty smart and her dad was some fancy corporate lawyer in Stamford. Needless to say the scholarship for them was just a formality saying she got in.

"Natalie Springer is campaigning to get her girlfriend on the class best list for the yearbook," said Karen remembering her old friend from elementary school. "You shouldn't need to campaign for those. It's a popularity contest."

"That we're going to try winning too," said Margo. "I mean come on, we need to get nominated to win something. School is almost over and next year is senior year. We need to get our names out there early."

Karen looked like she considered it and Pamela just rolled her eyes. They were popular enough for their own accomplishments around SHS. Like Pamela was a shoe in for cheer captain. Karen was part of almost every club under the sun. And Margo was co-captain of the girls swim team. They were going to be nominated for something. Karen looked down at her food and nudged the mac & cheese before hesitantly biting into it.

"You know Margo this isn't that bad," she said, agreeing with her. "Oh look there's the Arnold twins, see they're not even talking right now."

They watched as they sat with two different friend groups. From the corner of her eye she could see Natalie Springer talking to a few seniors with a yearbook from last year open between them. Chris and Jannie were awkwardly sitting next to each other at the football team's table. At least they looked awkward next to Nancy and Bobby who were sharing a lunch and he had his arm around her.

She kept her eyes and ears open for anything someone else might have.