Are you a gossip-friendly gal pal? what would you do if your BFF became the target of gossip gone wild? Would you jump to your friend's defense or let loose lips fly? Find out! - Quiz - Questions and Answers

Girls' Life, Oct-Nov, 2002 by Robin Baade

Gossip about your BFF is spreading through the halls faster than chicken pox in a first-grade classroom? What's a friend to do? Are you the kind, of gal who's never met a juicy tidbit she didn't want to get her mitts on and toss around? Maybe you're an as-no-questions/defend-her-to-the-end friend--even if it means stretching the truth. Or is covering for a bud just not your style? Not sure what you'd do? Oh, dear. Take this quiz to find out if you're a sideliner, heavy hitter or team player when it comes to fielding gossip that's going around about your BFF.

1: In the locker room before b-ball practice, some girls are dissing your BFF Amy's fashionista efforts for last Friday's dance. She spent weeks painstakingly perfecting her wraparound-lace/pinstripe ensemble, but these girls can't stop talking about her "Salvation Amy clown suit." What do you do?

A. Go pit bull! Interrupt the jokesters with a nice, big locker slam. "Um, hello? Who are you--the fashion police? Here's a thought Instead of focusing on someone else's business, think you could focus on actually getting the ball in the basket today?"

B. Play it cool. Those girls are always on the inside loop. No need to ruin your link to Grand Gossip Central. Besides, "Salvation Amy clown suit" is pretty funny.

C. You're tempted to shout, "So what if Amy wasn't dressed in head-to-toe GAP like you clones!?" But why cause a scene? When practice lets out, you'll kindly tell Amy what they said.

2: Word is your BFF spent Saturday night snuggling with Suzy's guy. Your BFF denies it and is telling everyone she was with you--but she wasn't! What do you do?

A. Swear on your cat's life she was with you.

B. Go along with it this time...but only because it's a rush to be in the midst of the mayhem! No denying it--this is good gossip!

C. You have no clue what went on that night, but she can forget it if she thinks you're going down with her. When asked, you shrug your shoulders and say, "I don't know what's going on. I spent the weekend at my dad's," which you did.

3: Your BFF is booted from the debate team after getting busted smoking in the girls' bathroom. Only you know the deal, and she wants everyone to think she quit the team. The girls suspect something's up. What do you do?

A. Stick with her story--it's not debatable. If she trusts you with the truth, she trusts you to do whatever it takes to keep her rep squeaky-clean. You guys are on the debate team--you can convince people the sky is pink. You'll have no trouble clearing the air. So what if it isn't completely true?

B. Go along with her story, but drop subtle hints that there's more than meets the eye: "Yeah, well, I can't say what happened. She swore me to secrecy." Technically you haven't spilled--but you've put out the vibe that you're the one with the inside scoop.

C. Remind her of the cause-and-effect phenomenon. Like, the effect of her smoking caused the debate coach to drop her from the team like a bad habit. You're friends and teammates, but it's not up to you to create a smokescreen to cover up her poor decision-making! If the team lights a lire under you for the truth, you'll say "I don't feel comfortable talking about this. You should ask her."

4: Your two best friends Amanda and Ashley are on the outs because Amanda has been spilling Ashley's secrets. Amanda has made a buddy boo-boo but, if you get on her about it, your secrets could be next! What do you do?

A. You stick up for friends, no matter what, but Amanda's disloyalty upsets you and, worse, she hurt Ashley. You can't ignore that. You remind Amanda that keeping secrets is crucial to forever friendships and to not be so outspoken with people's private lives.

B. You'd be a fool to take sides. It totally stinks that Amanda got busted blabbing, but her loose lips have brought some for-real excitement to your social life/Anyway what are you--a referee?

C. Think Switerland and stay neutral. You back off and let the two of them work it out. Why take sides? It'd just complicate things.

5: A pal slipped that your BFF's fam might be having financial problems. Your BFF hasn't said a word to you, but she'd freak if she knew people were gossiping about her family's personal biz. What do you do?

A. Give the gossipmongers a piece of your mind. When it comes to family matters, it's totally uncool to blab! So you interrogate every single person who might have gotten wind of the info and then fill your bud in on what's going 'round. What are friends for?

B. Investigate. Hmmm, you must get as much dirt as possible. This is major! Once you get the scoop, you'll hint to your friend that you know something...and then offer to spring for her caf lunch.

C. Yikes, this is serious. Before getting involved, you ask your parents for their worldly advice since you wouldn't want to do or say the wrong thing. They always point you in the fight direction.

If you got mostly A's, you're

THE BUDDY-GUARD

As far as friends go, you're at the top of the list. You've got your bud's back, no matter what! So what if you have to stretch the truth a tad? The way you see it, there's only one way--the loyal way. Your friends trust you, and that's a cool thing. It's great to be such a solid friend! But there's a downside. What happens if she expects you to cover for her, like, all the time? She could wind up treating you more like an alibi than an amigo! If she's involved in something that's truly a threat to her well-being, think twice before you staunchly defend her. Covering for her "crimes" could make you an unwitting accomplice. Even if you're clean as a whistle, you're guilty by association. Or, just as bad, a total doormat. Though people might respect your loyalty, they'll also see that you'd do anything to protect your friend--even lie to them. A BFF who expects you to put your reputation on the line is concerned with saving her own neck. Keep things in perspective and, in the end, you might decide that even loy alty has its limits!