"Christmas Wish Lists out, please," Massie Block ordered, tapping one manicured fingernail (purple of course. Massie thought purple was a royal color- meaning she had to wear it.)

Her friends quickly took out wishlists from their purses or pockets (Claire) and set them in front of them on Massie's floor.
"Alicia first," Massie said. The beautiful Spanish beauty handed Massie her list silently, and Massie carefully read her beta's wish list.

Coach Bags/Wristlets

2 pairs of UGG Boots

Clothes
Cash

A trip to Spain

Massie wrinkled her nose at the last item. She didn't know why Alicia would want to visit Spain again, where she would surely hang out with her thief cousin Nina, whose previous and only trip to Westchester had almost ruined Massie's life.

She stamped the paper, and Alicia smiled. Massie smiled back and glanced down at her new stamp, which she had custom-ordered off the Internet. It was amazing, really, swooping glittering script in which read ALPHA APPROVED. Of course, it was purple, and Massie knew that if she took it to school at Briarwood Octavian Country Day, everyone would surely have their own customized stamps by two weeks later.

"Thanks," Alicia said, carefully tucking the wish list safely in her Prada bag.

"Dylan," Massie said.

"I don't have a wish list. Give me cash and something from Tiffany and Co., and I'm set." Dylan burped, her bouncy red curls fanning around her face.
"Fine." Massie reached over and stamped Dylan's hand. "Approved."

"Hey!" Dylan giggled.

"Kristen," Massie motioned to the blonde, who nervously handed her list to Massie. Kristen wrapped her Hollister sweatshirt tightly around her and waited. Massie said, "Kristen, are you wearing Hollister?" She despised chicks who wore those poser-wannabe brands.
"It was all I had," Kristen said quietly, blushing a little. Massie shrugged, letting it go. Kristen, like Claire, was poor, and submitted to Massie's old handoffs, but recently Massie was out of handoffs, so they were forced to fend for themselves.

Massie looked at the list, which was short and written neatly in Kristen's thin handwriting.

"A laptop?" Massie asked. "Your mom's going to get you a laptop?"
"I told her it was for school," Kristen smiled.
"Genius!" Massie stamped the paper and handed it back to a beaming Kristen. Kristen was such a bookworm, her mom would probably believe her, too.

"CLAIRE!" Massie screeched, tossing Claire's list up in the air. "YOU WANT A DS AND UNDERWEAR for Christmas?!"
The other girls shrieked with laughter.
"What?" Claire blushed burgundy and snatched the list up from the floor. "This is Todd's. Mine's on the other side."
Once the hysterical laughter had subsided, Massie read aloud, "Emu Boots, an iPod touch, and clothes. Okay," and stamped the paper.
"Thanks," Claire said, admiring the sparkly letters that now framed the top of the crinkly notebook paper.
"Whew," Alicia said, rolling onto her belly, "for a second there, I thought you might have been a boy, Claire."

"Oh my god," Kristen panted, "that's so funny, Alicia." She cracked up again.

"So funny," Dylan burped again, and then the whole group was cackling, even Massie.
"Stop, stop," Massie panted, breathing deeply. "I can't breathe. My sides hurt…" She started laughing again, silent gusts of laughter escaping from her glossy lips. She clutched her sides and rolled around on the floor, making the other girls laugh even harder. Claire smiled so wide her mouth hurt, and only one thought flashed through her mind: This is what friendship is about.

"Leesh," Massie said, lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. The group was in their traditional spoke wheel sleeping bag set up; Massie could feel the weight of Dylan's thick red hair lying on hers as it fanned out in the small circle in the center.
"Mmm?" Alicia moaned sleepily. Sleep was falling down on her harder then New York December snowflakes, and she felt her eyelids get heavy, as if she had just tripled the amount of eye shadow on them.

"Do you still like Josh?" It wasn't as if Massie liked him, but it was such a sleepover LBR question that Alicia almost gasped.
"Yeah why?"
"Just wondering," Massie yawned.
Alicia kicked Kristen.
"Ow!" complained Kristen, rubbing her shin. "What?"

"How's Dune?" Alicia giggled. Since Massie asked about Josh, it had given her permission to discuss crushes further.

"We broke up," Kristen said, burying her face in the pillow. Alicia wasn't sure if it was because she was sad or just really, really tired.

"That's okay," Alicia said nicely, "he wasn't very much of a HART, anyways."

"I know," Kristen said to her pillow.

"Claire and Cam, sitting in a tree," Alicia quietly sang, nudging Claire with her painted toenails.

Claire giggled. She was surprised the Pretty Committee was tired already. It was only midnight, and back in Florida, Claire, Sarah, Sari and Mandy had practically gone to bed and then had to wake up minutes later.

K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Claire thought to herself. Cam had kissed her before, but it had just been little bird pecks on the lips, barely even touching, and now that Claire was in ninth grade, she really wanted a real kiss. And she was going to get one.