Wow. This is vintage.
I never updated this story,
because I wasn't sure what
I wanted to say with it.

Now, I'm pretty sure I know...


i ain't tellin' the truth no more,
what's the use in it?

The last day of Junior year was a glorious one. The sun shone brightly, casting a warm, golden glow over all that it touched. Claire Lyons stretched out on the grass of the Westchester Academy quad, her legs crossed at the knees and her shorts barely concealing miles of long, tanned leg. Beside her, Dylan Marvil applied yet another coat of Hawaiian Tropic SPF 60+ sunscreen to her arms.

"Dyl, I love you, but the scent of cherry soda is overpowering me right now. Could you lay off the sun block?"

Dylan glared at Claire, throwing the travel-sized bottle of sunscreen back into the large Dooney & Burke tote bag that lay open beside her. Some of its contents were spilling out, revealing swathes of angelic-looking thin white cotton blouses and denim shorts. "I'm sorry, Claire. We can't all be blonde beach-bunnies." She pulled on a chunk of flaming red hair. "And my ambition in life is not to look like a lobster."

Claire stuck her tongue out at her companion before pushing her Oliver Peoples sunglasses over her eyes. "Where's Massie?"

Dylan scanned the quad and nearby car park quickly, squinting slightly as the sunlight reflected off of the huge windows of the preppy-looking brick buildings and the paint jobs of the numerous expensive SUV's and sports cars. "Dunno. Her car's still here." Dylan's emerald eyes settled once more on the shiny black Escalade.

As she stared, a robin's egg blue Nissan Micra screamed to a stop in the next parking space. The door popped open and Kristen Gregory climbed from the driver's seat, pulling a large grey duffel bag with her. She waved and locked the car before striding over, bag slung over her shoulder, hands in her pockets, blonde hair flowing behind her.

"Is everyone enjoying their last day as a high school sophomore?" She called. Claire grinned and waved back.

Kristen crossed the quad and settled cross-legged next to Claire pulling a box of popsicles from her bag. "I thought these might be appreciated." She pulled an orange one from the box and un-wrapped it. "It's going to be the hottest summer yet."

"Ah-greed!"

Claire looked out at the busy quad. The students of Westchester had spread themselves out, all enjoying the sun. Girls were laying out on plush towels in short shorts and tank tops, enjoying the heat, while boys ran around kicking soccer balls, throwing Frisbee's, and kicking hacky-sacks. From behind her sunglasses, Claire ogled Cam Fisher.

She hadn't spoken to him since middle school, but he had grown both upwards and outwards into a perfect physical specimen – not too much muscle, and not too little. His hair was still shaggy, but he was no longer as ghostly pale as he had once been - he had developed the same tan that his elder brother, Harris, had, and it suited him to perfection. His personality was, evidently, exactly the same; on the grass nearby him lay a guitar case and an old, beat-up leather coat - both abandoned in favour of an impromptu soccer game on the quad. Girls hung about, admiring the 'talent', most concentrating on Westchester Academy's star players: Cam, and his blonde counterpart, Derrick Harrington.

Claire stared a moment more, ignoring Kristen and Dylan's excited banter about Massie's pool party that night – a party to celebrate the end of their second high school year and the start of summer. She didn't tune in until she heard the lull in the conversation. Looking back over, she noticed that Kristen had pulled two swimsuits from her bag and was now holding them aloft, looking expectantly at Claire as if asking for her opinion. Claire pushed her oversized sunglasses over her head and frowned for a moment, considering the black one-piece and the red polka-dotted bandeau bikini. "The bikini; your figure is too good to hide behind a one-piece, of course."

Kristen grinned and dropped them both. "I concur. I am definitely winning myself a summer fling tonight."

Claire lowered her glasses again and returned to her silent appreciation of Cam's shoulders, bared under the black sleeveless shirt he wore. After a moment, she nodded to the large wooden doors of the high school, now being pushed open. A sigh escaped her as she turned her head towards the sudden movement. "I spy with my little eye something that looks pissed off."

Massie Block paused in the doorway of Westchester Academy, scanning the quad and parking lot, her knuckles turning white as she clutched her Giuseppe Zanotti clutch tightly. Beside her, Alicia Rivera was muttering rapid-fire Spanish into her Blackberry. Massie pulled at her arm and marched her as gracefully as she could across the grass, trying not to get her whiter-than-white Haviana's unnecessarily dirty.

"Somethat thing wrong?" Claire called, lifting her glasses once more.

Dylan Marvil shifted uncomfortably in her pretty pastel-pink Chanel baby-doll dress, noting that there was most definitely something wrong, and wondering if this meant the pool party was now cancelled. It was a shame, really - she'd spent hours trying to pick out the perfect kaftan to cover just enough, but not too much, with her mother's stylist's assistant. She'd hate to think that she'd wasted an entire evening on a now defunct ensemble.

Massie stood above them, refusing to sit down, trying not to project her voice even though it was barely more than a low hiss. "Has anyone seen Kori?"

"Kori?" Kristen paused. "Yeah, she was with Derrick at the mall when I went to get the popsicles. How come?"

Alicia hung up and settled onto the ground, pulling Massie down with her. "Miss Goldman said she needed Kori's locker cleaned immediately for cleaning - Kori's been MIA most of the week. She asked me and Massie to do it for her because she didn't have the time and said that if anyone asked, the cleaners had done it - something about invasion of privacy or whatever." Alicia and Massie exchanged glances and Alicia pulled a small, blue notebook from her bag, handing it to Claire. "We found this. Read it."

Claire raised her eyebrows but opened the book anyway; Kristen and Dylan moved to read it over her shoulder.

"Massie Block," Claire read aloud. "Lives at – " Claire paused and looked up at Massie. "It's an address book? Okay, so, it's a little old school but it's not that weird..."

"Keep reading." Massie insisted.

Claire scanned the page, noting that Kori had included everything about Massie, down to the grades she had received for the last year and where she hoped to go to university.

"Massie's not the only one who's in there. We all are." Alicia took the book back and flipped to the halfway point before handing it back to Claire. "About halfway through, she starts listing things like... well, secrets. Secrets about us; the kinds of things that we wouldn't want other people to know."

Alicia looked pointedly at Dylan, who blushed and looked away. "Including that time Dylan was 'sick' last year; Claire's little rebellious stage; Kristen's cheating and... some stuff about Mass and me."

Claire felt the panic surging inside of her. "Does anyone else know?"

"She hasn't 'released' anything yet, but she's collected the information and that proves she's looking for power over us. It's possession with intent to deal, am I right?" Massie ignored the tears brimming in her eyes. "Why was she with Derrick? Does anyone know?"

"I didn't think anything of it!" Kristen looked at each of the faces around her. "I mean yeah, he didn't look too happy to be there but they said they were shopping for a goodbye present for Mr. Delarosa!"

"The only one who'll need a goodbye present is Geddman." Massie paused for a moment, the gears in her brain ticking over, trying to figure out some damage control. But that little devil on her shoulder was presenting a more convincing argument. Screw damage control; get rid of the book, and get rid of Geddman. Destroy her reputation and remind her that you have the power; you are in control! "Dylan, get on the phone with Derrick." She hissed. "I want you to find out if Geddman's done anything – anything! If she moved to hold his hand, I want to know."

"Derrick wouldn't – " Dylan began, jumping to Massie's boyfriend's defence. True, Derrick had hurt Massie in the past, but that was middle school. They'd come to an understanding, hadn't they?

"True, Derrick wouldn't. But Kori Geddman has proven to be the epitome of a loose cannon. Do you trust her?" Massie's amber eyes flashed. "Get on the phone, Dyl."

Dylan nodded; pulling her phone from her pocket and sliding it open with numb fingers. She pressed 1 on her speed-dial and the phone began to ring Derrick's number. She prayed he would pick up.

Massie turned to the next person on her list. "Kristen, I need you to find your mother." As Principal of the school, Kristen's mom had more power than any other parent at Westchester Academy. "I want Kori Geddman gone from this school. I want you to tell your mother she's stalking us. Understood?"

Kristen nodded and stood, brushing the grass from the seat of her shorts. "What if she won't expel her?"

"Be convincing."

Kristen nodded once more before turning and jogging across the quad. Within moments, she had disappeared through the heavy wooden doors. Massie watched with the pride of a leader whose plan was coming together perfectly, before turning on Claire.

"Claire, you were the one who introduced Kori to the group."

Claire felt the butterflies in her stomach worsen and she nodded, acknowledging the inevitable. "I know."

"How did you meet her?"

"When they had that big party after my dad's promotion – remember?" Massie nodded. "She was there. Her dad works for our dad's."

Massie absorbed the new information carefully before taking out her iPhone. "I want you to call your PR agent in LA and ask her how Kori could have possibly found out about last year."

Claire stood, tears in her blue eyes, pulling down the hem of her mint green polo. "I left my phone in the dash of my car. I'll be right back."

Massie nodded, feeling terrible for laying the guilt on Claire; it wasn't her fault. Massie had known Kori was bad news as soon as she'd met her but had let her stay a part of the group regardless. With her long, light brown hair and classic features, not to mention her seemingly bright personality, Kori had fit in.

Alicia sniffed beside Massie. "No one can find out about last year, Massie." Alicia looked pleadingly at her best friend. "I would be ruined; no one would ever want me again."

"I know." Massie slung her arm around the girl beside her affectionately, doing the best job of comforting her she could before pulling her into an awkward hug. "Call your Dad. We want a restraining order on Geddman; I'm doing damage control."

"Damage control?"

Massie waved her hand in dismissal and took the blue book from Alicia's hands, flipping through the pages and examining each, pulling out any that contained information she didn't want getting out and scrunching them up before placing them in her clutch. "I need something to keep the tiki torches going."

Later that night she would convince her father that Kori's father should be transferred to another branch of the business – say, the one in Boston. Massie listened in on Alicia's conversation with one ear.

"Dad? I need a little bit of help."


Lyrics from:
"(Ain't) Telling The Truth", Bluejuice
used with thanks.

I do not own The Clique,
and these characters are not on my
conception. I only claim a hand
in the creation of the plot.