"Where is Kuh-laire?" Massie Block scowl-mumbled as she paced her cement driveway. Her long, tan legs glistened in the sun as she grumbled angrily. She smoothed her black and red Calvin dress with her newly manicured hand before she mumbled to herself more. "She's over 15 minutes late! Ugh!"

Massie glanced up toward her bedroom window where her dog, Bean's sweet face stared back at her. Massie wiggled her sparkling fingers at the dog before grabbing her iPhone out of her CC bag and pecking madly at the keys.

Massie: Where R U? Ur ovr 15 minutes late!!

Massie waited about 15 seconds before hearing the familiar ping of a new text.

Claire: So srry! Mom/Daughter Book Club ran late! Ugh, on my way!

Massie: Hurry! K , A, and D already mad! All the good clothes will be gone! ;)

Claire didn't text back, so Massie began her pacing again. Every few seconds, she'd glance at her diamond-studded watch and an expression of disapproval would cross her face. She hooked her finger around the purple streak in her hair and began twirling it around her finger madly. The ping of a text came from her handbag.

Kristen: ? ?? is up? Where R U? Been waiting 2 long!!

Massie: Kuh-laire is late…ugh…Mom/daughter book club ran late. B patient!

Kristen: OK, but hurry! Mom thinks I'm going 2 library. Running out of excuses.

Massie: OK, is A covering the $? B/C I'm covering Kuh-laire.

Kristen: Yea. Mom is doubtful. Pick me up by Alicia's!

Massie didn't respond because as she began to type, she heard the familiar sound of Claire's car. She glanced up and smile-sighed as Claire stepped out. But quickly dropped her smile as she saw Claire's outfit. A gap dress and white keds.

Claire caught her eyes and mouthed Mom made me… before shrugging and walking towards Massie. Massie glared at the outfit as if it were her enemy.

"Kuh-laire!!" She hissed through her pearly-white teeth. "You look like a five-year old! I thought you through out all your Gap and your Keds!"

Massie practically choked on the two brands as if they were lodged in her throat. Claire didn't speak for a minute, not sure how to respond to Massie's harsh words. This was the outfit that Claire's mom had bought her. Claire had no choice but to act disgusted. This was obviously nawt the moment to anger Massie.

"I…My mom bought it for me…she…I didn't want it." Claire looked at Massie's outfit and realized how hawt Massie looked and how nawt she looked. She shoved her kedded toe into the concrete. "She wanted to go shopping with me after the book club. I said no but she made me. "

Massie sigh-groaned and stared at her own Marc Jacob heels compared to Claire's sickly looking Keds. This was nawt how Massie had imagined Claire's part in the big shopping spree for Alicia's party this Saturday.

"You're lucky we're going straight to the mall. There is no way you want to be caught in that outfit. Except for an LBR, no one would think that was hawt." Massie's phone pinged and she plucked it daintily from her handbag. "It's Alicia."

Alicia: HELLO???N case U haven't noticed, I'm still waiting for you. K is here. R we still shopping?

Massie:DUH!!There is no way, I'd where something…eck…old to UR party. Blame Kuh-laire, she was late. On our way!

Massie grabbed Claire's arm and pulled her to her limo forcefully. Claire obeyed without making a noise and climbed into the limbo.

"Alicia's…and fast!" Massie barked as she sat down. She didn't bother buckling her seatbelt but simply grabbed her phone and sent an all text to the Pretty Committee.

Massie: So srry! Kuh-laire was late! On our way! No worries, we hav plenty of time to shop til we drop! Haven't heard from Dylan, u still coming?

Massie glanced at her watch and then over at Claire. Claire was jingling a set of purple bangles on her wrist and chomping on baked lays. Massie mentally cringed at the duh-sgusting noise the chips were making. Her phone pinged.

Dylan: 'Course I'm coming! U think I'd miss this? Just been doin' math! Ugh, I don't understand anything!

Massie replaced her phone and touched her gold charm bracelet. Carefully examining each charm to make sure it was in place. She peeked over at Claire.

"Kuh-laire, can you PUH-LEASE stop making the duh-sgusting noise?" Massie made a face. "I can't take it anymore. "

"Sorry, I didn't eat much for lunch." Claire lied. She'd had a relatively big lunch and she begged that Massie hadn't take notice of that. The only reason Claire was eating the chips was because she was nervous. Lately, nothing had seemed to fit her and she dreaded finding out if she really had gained weight and/or a size. "Where are we going? I mean, like at the mall."

Massie chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Ehmagawd! It's like you don't know me! We're going everywhere there's anything!"

Claire was about to respond when the limo lurched forward. Alicia and Kristen glided over to the limo and one by one climbed in.

"Heeeeeey!! Ehmagawd! How excited are you?" Alicia said in a way-too-loud-but-oh-so-alicia voice. Massie grinned and Claire laughed.

"Ummm….Claire?" Kristen said in a confused voice. "Did you by chance let Todd dress you today? Because there is no way anyone in the PC would let you dress that way!"

The four girls all laughed at Kristen's comment. "No, but sadly my mom hit me over the head with her purse, dragged me in Gap, and forced me to wear this."

The girls laughed once more before Massie's phone pinged. Dylan.

Dylan: Need to no wat every1's wearing. Think I may be out of place.

Massie: Claire-Gap dress and ked (ew! Mom dressed her) Dylan- ah-mazing sevens, Jimmy shoes, and ah-dorable halter. Kristen- IDK wat brand but an ah-dorable mini with tank. Me-Calvin dress, Marc heels, CC bag.

Dylan-THANK GOD!!!Thought I was 2 formal. Wearing Miu Miu dress.

Massie brushed her half up- half down hair away from her face and glanced at her YSL compact before applying gloss on her lips and confronting her friends

"Okay, here's the game plan. I know I should wait for Dylan but we can fill her in right?" The PC nodded and widened their eyes to take in all the info. "We have a few things to look for. There are a few basic rules. 1. No matching. Each dress had to be distinctively different. 2. Neutral and Color mixed. No plain neutral and no Carmen Miranda dresses. Look for a base colored dress with colorful accents. 3. Accessories! This is perhaps the biggest party of the year and we have to look ah-mazing and hawt! 4. Nothing too long. Longest is knee-length but don't look desperate mid-calf is limit. And the most important rule. RULE WESTCHESTER AND WE HAVE TO LOOK THE BEST!!"

The limo lurched forward and Dylan got up from the sitting position on the stoop of the hotel where she lived. Her crazy, red hair whipped around her face occasionally sticking to her lip gloss. She stepped into the limo and the PC started talking quick as lightening filling her in. Massie just sat back and watched. Glad that she was alpha.

"What about this one?" Kristen came twirling out of the dressing room in a flowing peach halter. She piled her blond hair at the back of her neck so her friends could get a view of the front and back. "I know it's not accented with color but it is so ah-dorable!"

"10."

"Perfect."

"Perfect."

"10."

Kristen squealed in delight and pranced back to take the dress off. Massie flipped dress after dress on the rack. She groan-grunted and threw her hands up in exasperation.

"UGH!! Why can't I find anything?" Massie ran her manicured fingers through her hair and started sifting through the dresses again. "I hate this!!"

Alicia, Dylan, and Claire stared at her. Amazed by their alpha's outburst.

"I can't find anything either…" mumbled Claire. She knew her mother wouldn't approve of any of there dressed. They were all too old-looking, too revealing, too blah blah blah…

Massie's mood suddenly shifted. "I FOUND IT!!! It's so perfect!" Massie grabbed the dress and shimmied to the dressing rooms. The remaining PC watched her enviously.

In the dressing room, Massie pulled the dress over her body. This dress followed all the rules. It was in a nice cream, but the skirt was accented with green and blue. It came right above her knee. Now, she just needed the accessories. Massie escaped the glare of the dressing room lights and walked over to her BFFs.

"Ehmagawd!" they all shouted except for Claire who had run off to find a dress, including Kristen who had returned. "You look so FABULOUS!!"

They crowded around the alpha and Massie had one of her I-love-these-people moments. Her whole body filled with a warm, happy feeling and she loved it. She smiled before clapping her hands.

"Okay! Now, Dylan, Alicia, and Kuh-laire! You need to hurry so we can find accessories." Massie ran back to change and buy the dress. Claire, Dylan, and Alicia hurried to find dresses and one by one found the perfect dresses. Dylan walked out in an adorable brown and blue dress. Alicia in a light green with a few red accents. Claire in…

"Kuh-laire!!!!!!!" Massie shrieked. "You can't wear that dress! That's the dress I'm gonna wear."

Claire turned scarlet and mumbled something. "I…Why can't…Massie I can't find any other dress that doesn't look horrendous."

"Kuh-laire, I found the dress first. It's only fair that I wear it." Massie growled at the scarlet-faced Claire. "I'm sure you can find something else."

"Yeah, I guess…" Claire lumbered off to change but knew that she wouldn't find anything. She'd tried on a bunch of dresses and none of them matched her coloring or fit right. "Stupid Massie….why does she always get her way? It's not fair!"

Claire flipped through many dress before groan-sighing and marching over to the cash register. Original dress in hand. She looked through her wallet and found only enough for about half of what the dress cost.

"Ummm….excuse me? My name is Claire Lyons and I think Massie Block must of left her credit card number to pay for this." Claire slapped the dress in front of the cashier.

"Hmmm…..ah here it is!" The blonde cashier wearing a white blouse said. Her voice was extremely nasal. She tapped her long red fingernails on the screen of the cash register. "Will that be all?"

"Um….yea…" Claire said warily. She knew she was double-crossing Massie, but she was just so fed up with Massie's bossy attitude and how she always got her way. She would just have to find a way to keep this from Massie until Saturday. Claire didn't know what this would cost her ,but she knew it would be a lot. More than any Calvin or Miu Miu. It might cost her her position in the PC. But Claire had been an LBR before, surely she could do it again.

"Ma'am?? Here's your bag…" The cashier said in a voice that was coated with annoyance. She obviously didn't want to be helping a prissy twelve year-old. Claire grabbed the bag and waltzed out the store, coming up with an excuse to skip the accessory shopping. A text would do.

Claire: Ugh, mom just texted. Wants me 2 help w/ Todd. Pick out my accessories!

Massie pinged back in less than ten seconds.

Massie: omg, so srry! Pick out the best for you, Kuh-laire!!

Claire felt the twang of guilt in her stomach. That was soon smothered with the feeling that she would have to walk the 7 miles to her house. Claire gulped and began her long walk. Her phone pinged.

Massie: just realized, do u hav a ride home? If not, my limo can drive there and back!

Claire: THANK U!!! where do I go?

Massie: out in front…he knows u!

Claire felt hot spit in her mouth. She sighed out of guilt and started to walk towards the exit of the mall. Begging her phone not to ping but sadly it did. It was a small ping but it was enough to send guilt and fear throughout her body.

Massie: What dress did you pick?

Claire rubbed her thumbs back and forth, not knowing how to answer. She decided to answer truthfully.

Claire: Can't really describe…cute…I think silver jewelry would look best!

Claire turned her phone on silent, not wanting to deal with Massie anymore. Once Massie found out what Claire had done, she'd be out faster than she could snap her fingers. She hope more than anything that Massie would understand.

Out in the sunlight, she stroll-ran to Massie's limo. Glancing behind her to make sure that Massie wasn't planning on surprising her. She was only satisfied when she was inside the limo and they began to pull away. Massie must've called because he seemed to know exactly where to go.

The limo pulled in front of Massie's mansion and Claire sped out. She ran to her room, closed her shades, and locked her door. Planning to tell Massie, if she found a way to communicate with Claire, that she had a stomach ache. Claire realized that she did have a stomach ache… but not because she was sick.

"Now, as you all know, yesterday was a very successful day. We all found ah-mazing dress…except Claire has decided to keep hers a surprise." Massie smiled at Claire and Claire gulped. Claire knew she looked horrible. She faked a smile. "I say we all go to my house to primp before the party. We can discuss it tonight at the sleepover."

Claire's eyes widened. The sleepover. It had completely escaped her mouth tasted like pennies. She wet her lips with a swig of Glacaeu water. There had to be a way out of this. The taste of pennies stayed. "Umm….Massie…." Claire mumbled. Massie twirled her hair around her fingers and faced Claire. "I need to talk to you…uhhh…alone." "Claire!" Alicia yelled. "How could you leave me out?" Alicia pushed her face into her hands and hid. Like a prairie dog in its hole. Alicia fake sobbed and the PC cracked up. Minus one. Massie arose and twirled on her heels following Claire out into the hall. "Yes, Kuh-laire?" Massie applied a layer of gloss on her lips. "What is so important that the other members of the Pretty Committee couldn't hear?" "Well…you see…Todd is…having some friends over!" Claire blurted without thinking. She tasted pennies. "And my parents have to …uhh…go shop for Todd's birthday. And they need me to ,like, chaperone and stuff. I can't come to the sleepover." "Kuh-laire! You're ditching me for your little brother?" Massie scowled. "That is so nawt cool!" "No, Massie! I totally want to come tonight!" Claire mock-rolled her eyes. "My parents are like making me! I really wish that I could come!" "Well, couldn't you leave…Todd" Massie spat the name out of her pearly white teeth. "at home while you run across to my house?" "Tried it. My parents think that he'll burn down the house or something…" Claire could hear her voice getting more convincing as she droned on. "I begged them but they were being so ah-nnoying!" "Well…I guess you'll just have to miss this one, Kuh-laire!" The bell rang and Massie waved to Claire before walking down the hall in her heels. Claire smiled. The penny-taste was gone.

"Mom, Dad!" Claire yelled gleefully as she saw Judi and Jay Lyons enter the kitchen. "I have a totally fab idea!"

Claire's parents stared at Claire, waiting for her to go on. Claire raced towards an easel that she had set up. Her presentation awaited.

"Okay, so this is you guys on a typical Friday night." Claire flipped a sheet of paper back to show a drawing of two people sitting on a couch looking bored. "Now, here is a picture of you guys on a fabulous date." Claire showed a picture of two people sitting at a dinner table laughing. "This could be you if you go on a date. I could babysit Todd and he could even have a friend over! What do you think?"

"Where are you going with this?" Judi Lyons said skeptically. "What do you want?"

"Nothing!" Claire shrieked. "Just for you guys to have a great time!"

"Well…Judi…looks like Claire has a plan." Jay Lyons said. "And Todd could have a little friend over…"

"I guess it would be okay," Judi said. "But what about Massie's sleepover?"

"There'll be one next week!" Claire smiled. "It's totally cool!"

"I guess so…Jay go make the reservations." Judi said with a smile. "Thanks Claire!"

Judi rushed off to get dressed and Claire did a little dance around the kitchen. She was dancing around when Todd walked in.

"What are you doing?" Todd laughed. "Late for the disco?"

"Hey Todd!" Claire swept Todd up in a hug. "You get to have a friend over tonight!"

"Sweet! Why?" Todd raced over to the phone.

"Mom and Dad are going out!" Claire said with a huge smile on her face. "I'll be babysitting!"

Claire ran to her room and plopped down on the bed. The light in Massie's bedroom flashed on ad off. Claire logged onto her computer. An IM from Massie popped up on the screen.

Massiekur: Hey! I feel bad 4 u x10! The PC will be here soon. Your rents gone yet?

Claire pounded the keys quickly before hitting send.

Clairebear: Nope, not yet. Still here. Todd's friend is gonna b here soon. 

Massiekur: Wish u luck! IK how Todd can b…with a friend…I can only imagine!

Clairebear: Yea, lucky me!! LOL Hope you hav fun w/ A, D, and K!

Massiekur: Won't be the same w/out you!

The sound of a car pulling out of the driveway entered Claire's ears. Claire peeked out of her window and saw her parents peel out of the driveway

Massikur: Your parents are gone, wanna sneak ovr? ;)

Clairebear: Wish x100 ,but Todd would tattle! His friend will b here soon, g2g!

Massikur: Bye, !

Claire shut down her computer and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. There was a pounding in her ears ,but before a while Claire realized that the pounding was coming from her door not her ears.

"Claire!!" Todd's voice squeaked. "Let me in!"

Claire groaned and got up. She flung open the door and saw Todd standing before her.