Will TPC Break it up?

Massie Block: Still on top, and planning to keep it that way. Massie's shook up from Derrick's sudden break up. Not like she won't find a new bf as fast as you can say 'Sorry'. A new competition is forcing Massie to work her butt off. Briarwood boys, watch out!

Kristen Gregory: Marks are high up, but there's a new girl in town, ready to take the only thing she has, away from her. How far will she go when the science fair begins? She's positive she'll make it to the regionals- no matter what.

Alicia Rivera: Looking for a new bf as well. She feels neglected lately with all the Massie crowd. Someone needs to tell her how glamorous she is and spoil her. That's what she thinks anyways.

Dylan Marvil: Is giving up on the thin routine. Come on… doughnuts…junk food…gaining weight??? Something's got her wound up. But she won't let her secret slip… Will TPC have to force it out of her?

Claire Lyons: Still trying her hardest to be wanted. Really needs to stop biting those nails. Claire's surprised when she stumbles on Dylan's secret. Maybe it's just worth enough gossip points to get her in and keep her in once and for all…

The Clique…the only thing harder than getting in is staying in.

OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
THE FRONT STEPS
4:30pm

Wednesday, February 20

ALICIA: Heart it.

KRISTEN: Done.

DYLAN: Done.

MASSIE: And done :)

She snapped her cell phone closed with a sly smile on her face. Then tossing her hair back, she reached for the car door and slipped into her range rover.

"Where to, Massie?"

"Ah….Take me to the Westchester," what a better way to celebrate than buy some new clothing?

"You know what your mother told you. I can't take you there-

"Unless I'm with friends, I know, I know….We're meeting over sundaes. Take me to the doors near the food court."

"As you wish," Isaac nodded.

Then turning on the ignition, the range rover sped off, as Massie waved her jeweled hand at the window towards the school where she saw Claire talking to Layne. Layne was, as usual, dressed for disaster. She wore a mustard t-shirt and red cargo pants.

Mustard and ketchup. Hah, how typical.

At least Claire had learned to dress properly- thanks to Massie herself of course. She wore a lavender t-shirt with frills and a denim mini-skirt. The tacky Keds were gone. Instead she wore flip flops. Claire smiled and waved back.

Massie couldn't believe her luck or her beauty of course. Today she was wearing a denim jacket over a vertically-striped blazer and a pink mini. She had too many clothes. Sometimes she felt as though she didn't need to wear the same skirt twice. She loved the fact Nina wasn't there anymore to ruin the peace. This was all too good. All her friends were back, Claire had moved back to the guesthouse, and she was even considering that Claire become part of the Clique. Even though she had said there would be no exceptions.

THE WESTCHESTER MALL

STARBUCKS
4:59pm

February 20

"Oh, puh-leez, I said I wanted low fat- this is practically all sugar." She dismissed the thought of drinking something sugary.

The boy behind the counter muttered something, blushing with embarrassment; his face was going redder than Dylan's hair, "Uh. Sorry miss."

"Well sorry isn't enough, I want my money back."

"Of course…"

A girl came at the counter to order something and when she swung round, her purse collided with Massie's sugar drink which spilled all over her skirt.

Massie screeched, "What the….?"

Kristen was sitting at the little table at the corner glaring at the girl who had pushed the drink over; Dylan stood there wide-eyed, while Alicia quickly grabbed a napkin from the napkin dispenser and handed it to Massie.

"This skirt is probably worth more than you!" Massie rubbed furiously at her skirt with the napkin.

The girl grumbled, "Sorry," while staring at Massie's fearsome face.

"Watch where you're going next time!" Massie was getting madder by the minute. Such a perfect day and for it to go this way…She ruined her new mini skirt!

Massie sighed, still rubbing at the stain while Alicia talked another boy behind the counter, flirting, no doubt.

Massie was still jealous of Alicia's ways of getting guys all over her beautiful looks and easy going ways. How did she do it?

She muttered something incoherent, then trudged toward Kristen and sat opposite her. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

Kristen raised her shoulders in a would-be shrug and slid her books to the side to reassure her friend. "Don't worry about it, Mass. We'll get you a new skirt."

It was funny how she said 'we'. Kristen was usually shy about how poor she was. She lived in a little apartment with her mom who was very strict about school because of Kristen's scholarship. That was the only reason she was able to attend Octavian Country Day- she got straight A's.

Unlike some people.

Massie rolled her eyes. "That's okay Kristen. Besides, I don't need Alicia's or Dylan's money."

Kristen blushed, and raised her hand to her face, pretending to cough, hoping Massie didn't notice her burning face. Obviously, Massie was ticked about something.

Just then, Dylan and Alicia came over. Alicia was wearing her Gucci purse on one arm which was slowly slipping off as she tried clumsily to carry the tipping tray with decaffeinated coffee and smoothies. Slim shakes of course.

Dylan was using both of her hands carrying her practically empty tray with a lemon drink and desert, also to avoid having to help Alicia. She had a load of bangles on her wrist, which jingled and clinked as she walked.

Dylan pushed a chair up next to Kristen and slid her tray onto the table. It had a pink, covered with candy- doughnut on it.

"Hey, who's that for?" Massie pointed at the doughnut, smirking, as Alicia clunked her tray onto the table, slid her purse back to her shoulder, and pulled up a chair.

"What's what for?" Dylan tried to sound natural, but sounded pretty unconvincing. All her friends knew how she over-obsessed with her weight, and how she kept shoving it in their faces.

Massie tilted a bit to the left on her chair trying hard not to roll her eyes.

Alicia was facing the back of her chair slipping her brown cashmere coat off and putting it on top of the chair.

Kristen just sighed. "It's not for me is it?" She said without a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Alicia was pretending to check her coat pockets, still facing the other way, hiding her face, her giggling muffled by the glove that was still clinging on her wrist. She quickly put her gloves away and turned to face Dylan.

"Okay, okay…If you really want to know, I bought it for myself."

"No," Massie smiled an innocent smile, "Really?"

Meanwhile, Kristen burst into a fit of giggles and pinched herself on the wrist. "Am I dreaming?"

"Ha-ha, very funny." Dylan said in a remote voice, grabbing the doughnut from the tray and biting small lady-like bites to at least not look like a pig.

Alicia stirred her straw in her strawberry-blitz twist, "This tastes a bit weird. Mass would you try this?"

"No thanks," Massie crossed her arms over her chest, "I've had enough horrible experiences today. I don't need to add a strawberry colour to my shirt. It looks just fine like this."

"Are you sure you don't want anything though?" Alicia pushed the tray a bit to the left and tilted her head to the side which made her hair fall evenly to the side.

Roy or bob or whatever his name was, noticed, standing behind the counter with a goofy smile on his face daydreaming of who knows what.

"Back to work Rob!" the boss hollered from the back of their cramped 'work space'.

"Yes, of course sir!" Robert drifted out of his daze slowly, now fully alert. "Shit! I forgot! Erin, could you take this for me? I need to go pick up my sister. I completely forgot!" He quickly grabbed his jacket from the nearby stool and ran off, before Erin could complain. "Shit…shit…shit," he muttered under his breath as he hurried through the unusually empty mall.

Alicia grabbed her hair and twisted it into a bun when she saw the boy staring at her.

"Nah, I'm really not thirsty," she glanced at Dylan with a partly-disgusted look on her face, "Nor do I have an appetite for anything." Why am I here again? Massie thought to herself, Clothes, of course… Aren't clothes always the answer?

And clothes equal…money.

Massie was too twisted up in her own thoughts to think of Kristen and Dylan's odd behaviour.

Alicia noticed for her, "Am I missing out on something here?" She turned to look at Dylan, then Kristen, and Massie in turn.

"What do you mean?" Dylan lowered the doughnut from her face.

"Doughnuts…Studying, what's with you girls?" Alicia continued, pointedly at Dylan and Kristen.

"Yeah, what's up?" Massie snapped back from her misery.

"Err… nothing," Kristen started, "Mom's pushing me to study loads. I have to get good grades now. Besides, what else should we do when it's freezing outside and we're in an empty mall." Kristen waved her hands around.

"Shop," Massie groaned in reply, "Shop-till you drop."

"I don't see how long that'll last," Alicia laughed.

"Hurry up people," Massie suddenly snapped out of her clouded mood, "We've got to get shopping!"

"Don't we have to wait for Cuh-laire to get here?" Alicia questioned.

"Oh, don't worry about her," Massie flicked her wrist, "Actually, I'll ring her up." She slid her hand in her purse and searched for her mobile phone.

Massie: Hey

Claire: Massie?

Massie: Yeah, where are you?

Claire: With Layne. I was just going to call-

Massie: So you're not going to shop with us?

Claire: Not today. Catch you guys later!

Claire's phone clicked out as Massie suppressed a surprised look from on her face.

"Guess that means we'd better get going," Dylan said indifferently.

"Yep," Massie tapped her fingers on the table, "Let's go."