The Block Estate

Massie's Room

Saturday, February 14

1:23 P.M.

Massie Block snapped her fingers at the scruffy worker carrying a heart-shaped vase across the back lawn. "Over there by the DJ stand! No, to the left!"

The worker groaned tiredly but did as Massie said. As everyone always did. It was a wonder anyone got any work done with the 'highly qualified' movers and contractors her mom Kendra had recommended when Massie told her she wanted to plan a Valentines Day party. But her party started in 4 hours and the only thing put up correctly was the red tulle strung around the columns under Massie's new bedroom balcony. And it wasn't even expensive tulle! Tawk about cheapskates.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in, if you must."

It was Alicia Rivera, looking, as always, Ralph Lauren chic in a pink Ralph Lauren Black Label cashmere Jersey turtleneck, Black Label 867 Bootcut Gunmetal Jeans, and The Western Ricky bag was slung over her shoulder. "Heyyyy!"

"Leesh! Heyyyy!" Massie shuffled toward Alicia in her Juicy Couture pink suede Rhonda Mary Jane Ballerina flats. "You do know you're like really early, right?"

"Story of my life. I keep forgetting that you don't live in that room next door. Did you know Claire was asleep?" Alicia walked over to the balcony and looked over the lawn.

Massie joined her and signaled to the red-headed worker to pull up his pants. "That's my sister."

It had felt weird when Massie had first started saying 'my sister' when describing Claire Lyons. Claire's dad had gotten a new job in Paris, and even though that would be like the biggest improvement in Claire's life ever-besides meeting Massie, of course- Claire wouldn't go. She'd rather stay with Massie, and at BOCD. With her friends. Personally, Massie would've taken the Paris trip over her friends any day, but Claire didn't have to know that. So William and Kendra Block adopted Claire. She colored her hair from that white-blonde to a honey chestnut color, and now she got to have any clothes she wanted. Florida girl dream come true.

"Didn't you have an appointment at the Crystal Spa? Doesn't she have to wake up for that?" Alicia asked.

"Puh-lease. I could stuff her in the trunk of the Mercedes right now, and she wouldn't even know. She sure as heck not gonna wake up when I tell her there's a spa appointment. If anything, that's gonna make her sleep more. "Massie and Alicia laughed which woke Massie's black pug Bean up. He yawned and glared at Alicia and Massie, but he let himself out of the room, probably to use the bathroom.

"Hey Alicia," said a voice. It was Claire, wiping her eyes and stretching. She was wearing her Dreaming of Juicy cami and Juicy Daisy boy shorts. "Massie, do we have an appointment today at the spa? If not, can we make one?"



"Kuh-laire, of course we have one. Oh, and I called Jakkob to give you a blowout before the party tonight. You could use one," Massie said staring at Claire's messy, tangled bun at the top of her head.

Claire mumbled something inaudible and stumbled over to Massie's purple silk-covered Tempur-pedic mattress, collapsing dramatically. "Sorry I've been asleep all day. I had a stupid English report due by midnight last night in the teacher's inbox."

"See, that's why I don't take, advanced anything classes. They enable you to do the impossible. I can barely text and tawk at the same time, much less think about book reports."

Massie groaned at the sight of her lawn, still not making progress. "No, Leesh. The reason you don't take any advanced classes is because your brain is nawt, nawt, nawt advanced enough."

Claire stifled a giggle. "Well, I'm gonna throw something on. Maybe my green Hobson Hollister pants."

"Okay, meet me outside in say…5?" Massie dumped the contents of her raspberry Mulberry Bayswater bag onto the floor and sifted through the items. She quickly located her purple Sidekick, purple Zune, and her keys. Well, key. House key. She had a Mercedes but never got to drive it. After all, she was only 14.

Claire nodded and left, at the same time that Bean let himself back in. Strange as it sounds, he had a guilty look on his face.

"What did you do?" Massie ran over and scooped him into her arms.

"BEAN!"

"Oh no. Mom's-"

"My floors!" Kendra yelled.

"Bean, run!" Massie and Alicia yelled at the same time. Massie quickly released him onto the ground.

Bean quickly scurried under the bed.

"Isn't he, you know, potty trained or whatever?"

Massie nodded her head 'yes'. "Inez is fumigating the room he uses it in, though. And I guess he couldn't get to his puppy door in time. My puppy may be proper, but her pee still stinks."

Alicia made a face where she scrunched up her face and puckered her lips.

"Hey, hate to be a bother-"

"Since when?" Alicia was guiding the movers to carry the big heart ice sculpture towards the biggest tree.

Massie glared at her. "I was just gonna ask you to do what your doing. Taking over things while I'm at the spa with Claire. You have better taste, and let's face it; those gallons of milk might help persuade them."

"Gallons of what milk?"

Massie grabbed her boobs through her white blouse, and cracked up.

"Leave it to you to remember my boobs. I thought everyone else had forgotten about them." Alicia growled at her C-cups but continued to yell at the workers, turning to the left ever so slightly and sticking her chest out even more. That got them working.

Massie giggled and walked out.



Westchester, New York

The Crystal Spa and Salon

Saturday, February 14

1:43 P.M.

"Appointment for two. Massie Block and Claire Lyons-Block." Massie handed the brunette receptionist at The Crystal Spa William's Visa and tapped her brown Ugg-covered foot impatiently. The Range Rover wouldn't start and that had made Massie stressed out. She needed to be out of the spa and into the Jakkob's by 4:00. Then they had to continue to approve of the party décor.

"Go right on in. Claire will be taking the room on the left. Massie, the other one."

"Thanks!" Claire smiled a fabulous smile and went into her room.

Massie took her card back and wandered into her room. It smelled like seaweed and salt water, two smells that Massie didn't quite enjoy herself, but figured it would be worth it after the facial she had (okay, William had) paid so much for. The room was themed tropical. Turquoise walls, lining the massage table's base, and scratchy, sand-papery floors. Massie hoped it wouldn't ruin her Pedi.

"Hello?" asked a woman with a German accent. "Are we decent?"

"I'm always decent," Massie said turning around to face a plump woman with grayish blondish hair in a bun, wearing a pale blue smock dress.

"Are ve ready for ah-r message?" she said, pronouncing massage like 'mess-ahge'. Her nametag read 'Donna.'

"We were born ready." Massie slipped off her purple skinny jeans and her shirt and hopped onto the table, turning over to lie on her stomach.

Donna dug her hands into Massie's tan back, kneading it. Massie groaned slightly with every nudge, feeling relaxed. The massage lasted about 20 minutes, and then Donna let Massie go to the facial room, where Claire had already helped herself to one of the white recliner spa chairs, texting on her Motorola.

"Who ya texting?" Massie plopped down into the other chair and breathed deeply. "Ahhhhhh," she exhaled.

"Cam," Claire said unexcitedly. "He still wants me to get back together with him."

Massie ignored that part of the conversation and decided to change the subject to a more calming topic. "How was your massage?"

Claire ran her fingers though her light brown hair. "Heavenly. I almost went to sleep."

"Then they did it right. Some of the time when I used to come here with Mother, Holly used to act like she was kneading sourdough bread or something. My neck was sooo cramping."

"Oh, Holly wasn't here today. They had some new guy." Claire brought her knees to her chest and she hugged them.

"New guy?" Massie asked sitting up some.

"Uh-huh. Gunter the Gay Masseuse, he told me to call him."

"That is…" Massie pinched one of the sliced cucumbers from the bowl on the little table beside her and nibbled on it.

Claire braced herself for one of Massie's snappy comments.

"…really kind of clever, actually."

Claire and Massie's eyes met and they instantly started giggling. "Gunter the Gay Masseuse!" They squealed at the same time.

"Who is calling my name?" Gunter poked his gorgeous head of dark brown hair inside the room for a split second. He winked at Claire in a naughty way and shut the door back.

"You should totally make a move on GGM. It would be the perfect way to get over C-A-M," Massie said getting out her last few giggles.

"Um, one: He's like 22 years old. And two: Remember? He's gay."

Massie pulled her hair into a ponytail with one of the purple hair elastics the employees at Crystal always set out for her. "Exactly. You're like a gay magnet."

Claire's face turned instantly snarky. "What are you saying?"

"Ehmagawd, Claire. Are you a piranha?"

"No…," Claire stared at her nails, something she always did when Massie was about to deliver one of her comebacks.

"Then why are you snapping at me?"

Claire looked up from her nails and into Massie's amber eyes. "I'm nawt. It's just I didn't get what you were saying."

"I was saying you're what gay guys would spring for if they ever became strait. You're like a beginner's dream."

Claire looked towards the door again, where two slim brunettes were bringing in the facial supplies. "Whatever. I'm not even gonna try to figure out what your saying, because I think that you don't even know what your saying."

Massie rolled her eyes and then closed them as the taller brunettes made her way over to Massie's chair.