Matt and Mandy

Mandy and friend at school

Illustrations by Shauna Mooney Kawasaki

Hey, Mandy, you won’t believe what Amber did!

If it’s something nice, tell me about it.

Nice? No way! It got her grounded forever. She—

Don’t tell me!

Why not?

I’m trying to stop gossiping, and I don’t want to hear it.

This isn’t gossip. It’s the truth!

Unless we’re going to help Amber, we’re just being entertained by her problems. It is gossip, and it’s unkind.

Well …

And are you sure it’s the whole truth? What about Amber’s side of the story?

Besides, I mess up sometimes, and I don’t want everybody talking about it.

Same here. So let’s stop gossiping and go play with Amber.