disclaimer] I don't own anything you recognize.
an] hope you guys like this first chapter.

The Game

"Everybody is playing the game,
but no one's rules are the same."
-Unknown

c1.

It was the first day of Massie Block's senior year in high school, and she was already bored out of her mind.

Massie Block and twenty or so other students were standing on the soccer field, but they weren't gathered there to play a nice scrimmage, or to have a tiny picnic. No, they were there because they were chosen to mentor one freshmen student for the first semester of the school year. Some seniors thought it was preposterous because "Shouldn't they have to figure it out themselves?" while others thought it was the cherry on the cake. Massie was indifferent; her feelings would be determined once she was assigned a freshmen.

"This blows," Claire Lyons muttered under her breath.

Massie normally didn't associate with the blonde; though they were best friends in middle school and throughout almost all of high school, their Blair Waldorf-Serena van der Woodsen friendship had to come to an end when they both received the same email from last year's winner of The Game, Nina Cabellos. It was somewhat mandatory for Massie to end her friendship with not only Claire, but with Skye Hamilton, Derrick Harrington, and Todd Lyons, three others who were thrown into the game along with Massie and Claire.

Massie turned away from the blonde, not wanting to redevelop old ties; the last thing Massie wanted to do was let feelings get involved with her and The Game.

It was almost noon on her first day, but Massie had yet to receive a hint from Nina. In the email, it was said that they would get a hint on their first day of high school. Massie was buzzing as her nerves began to set into overdrive; had the others received hints?

"Massie Block!" Principle Riley snapped, bringing Massie out of her worries. She looked up at the tall principle, and shaded her eyes with her hands; it was bright outside and Massie forgot her sunglasses on her bedside table back at the Block Estate.

"What?" she asked, snootily.

"I've called your name three times, young lady," the older woman said, with the same tone as Massie's. "Way to give off the impression that you don't listen well. Anyways, your freshmen student is Evelyn Hart."

A younger girl stepped forward from the freshmen group on the other side of Principle Riley. She was short, with long blonde hair in need of a good washing, and a face in need of some face wash and BB cream. She was wearing a light green summer dress that wasn't doing much for her figure, and white sandals that showed her hideous toes. Overall, Evelyn Hart was a piece of work and Massie wasn't really up for the challenge. She had The Game to worry about!

Olivia Ryans, another player in The Game, laughed haughtily under her breath. Massie was jealous of Olivia's partner; Jessica Winthrop, a rich freshmen with luscious black hair, a flawless skin complexion, and exceptional style. Olivia and Jessica were already hitting it off, laughing as if they'd been best friends forever.

Massie momentarily wondered if it was hard for Olivia to stop being friends with Nikki Dalton, the fifth girl in The Game. The two were super close, and in truth, they were probably closer then Massie and Claire. Nikki seemed fine, but some times Massie would see Olivia sneaking glances at Nikki as if she missed her.

Massie sighed and walked over to Evelyn. She looked the shaking freshmen up and down and said, "You'll need some work."

Evelyn flushed and looked down. Massie rolled her amber eyes and began to inspect her flawless manicure. Evelyn could definitely use one; Massie could already tell by they way she was mindlessly chewing on her fingers. Massie liked the length of Evelyn's hair, which hit the small of her back. With Jakkob's help, her hair would be full of life after one session. As for the clothes, a trip or two to the mall could meet Massie's requirements and diminish Evelyn's horrible taste in style. Massie needed to find out if Evelyn was rich or not, without completely overstepping the barrier.

Claire's partner was a pretty, innocent-looking freshmen who had auburn hair that was very thick and very curly. The girl was mixed, which probably explained how her hair was so curly. She was tall, and had a lean figure. The girl had a considerably okay style, but Massie knew Claire would fix her to the max. Her name was Gwyneth Samson, and Massie knew by her last name that she had buckets of money to spend.

Why did everyone get such amazing partners? Nikki got Henna Jackson, an athletic redhead who had flawless skin and a short build. She was obviously rich, decked out in high-end Nike. Skye Hamilton got Reagan Thompson, a freshmen with smooth, brown skin and a short bob. She had a radiant vibe and she was definitely someone Skye would associate with.

Principle Riley tucked her pen into the breast pocket of her navy blue blazer. She cleared her throat and said, "You are dismissed. Seniors, today you will be showing your partners the halls of John Adams High, you will show them the easiest ways to their classrooms, and you will provide them a spot to sit at lunch. You can resume your own classes tomorrow, but for today, you will be of aid to your partners."

Massie grabbed Evelyn's arm and yanked her off the field. The two girls trudged through the back parking lot and through the double doors that lead to a stairwell. Evelyn followed Massie up two flights of stairs, through a deserted hallway, and into a dark classroom.

"If you brought me here so you can kill me, can I please suggest turning the lights on?" Evelyn said, sassily.

Massie didn't bother to try and mask her annoyance. "Not funny. You're closer to the light switch; put some work to your arm and turn it on."

Evelyn flipped the light switch. Light flowed through the room, revealing the scenery. They were in an abandoned art classroom; there were still a few paintings lining the wall, obviously artwork that no one cared enough about to hang in real classroom. A couple of desks with chairs connected to them were shoved to the back of the classroom, and at the front of the room was a chalkboard with darkening edges and white chalk marks here and there. The classroom was a dump.

"Massie, why are we here?" Evelyn asked, warily. She backed herself against the wall right next to the door; if Massie were to try anything particularly threatening, Evelyn was ready to bolt.

Massie rolled her eyes. "Will you stop acting like I'm going to kill you? I brought you up here so we could talk. You know, face to face? Ever heard of it?"

Evelyn sneered at Massie.

Massie leaned against the opposite wall. "Alright, I'll give you the cold, hard basics. You're stuck with me for a semester, and I'm telling you now: I can be a cruel, cold-hearted person who torments you every time you see me. Or I can be a sweet, loving angel who teaches you the way of John Adams High. Which one would you prefer?"

"I'd prefer the latter."

"Oh, look at you, you've got brains!" Massie smiled sweetly. "I'm so glad you could pick the right choice. Now that that's settled, here's what's going to happen: I'm going to fix you. Let's face it; you're a mess. Your hair is limp, your clothes are horrid, and when was the last time you washed your face?" Massie shook her head and tsk-ed. "No matter. Clear your schedule for after school today. I'm taking you out shopping, on me, and then we are going to Jakkob, my hair stylist. He'll fix your mop of a mess in under an hour. Then we can go back to your house, and I'll teach you how to be alpha material."

"And what if I don't want your help?" Evelyn asked, folding her arms.

"Then you can leave," Massie snapped. "But you want my help, because you know I can make you an alpha."

Evelyn said nothing, giving Massie her answer.

"Meet me in the parking lot at four, after school today." Massie smirked. She crossed the room, ready to head to Evelyn's first class. As she was leaving the classroom, her phone buzzed with a text message.

Nina Cabellos: You may think your freshman needs you. But maybe you need her too.

James Wright stared at the text on his screen. Nina Cabellos, the winner of the past round of The Game, had just texted him his first clue, and in no way does it help James at all.

Nina Cabellos: People think that to be popular is to win. But is that how you win The Game?

"Dude, you okay?" James looked up to see Josh Hotz looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

James shook his head and shoved his phone back into his pocket. It was breaking rule number one to talk about The Game to anyone outside of it, so James couldn't tell Josh about the game. James wished he could tell Josh about it; Josh had a knack for figuring impossible things out and The Game was borderline impossible.

"It's cool." James stood up, even though lunch period wasn't over. There was still a good twenty minutes of lunch left, but James wanted to spend it outside, smoking cigarettes. He dumped his plate in one of the trashcans by the double doors, and left the cafeteria. James had suspicions that Josh would join him outside, and he was soon proved right.

"What have I told you about smoking?" Josh mocked, leaning against the railing.

"What have I told you about leaning over railings?" James raised an eyebrow as he lit the cigarette. "It's a dumb joke, when you think about it."

"You only think it's dumb because Claire started it," Josh retorted. Josh, not having any idea about The Game and James' and Claire's involvement, assumed that Claire and James stopped being friends because James was getting jealous of Claire's friendship with Cam Fisher.

James didn't respond. Ending his friendship with Claire was hard, harder then ending it with Nikki, Olivia, Kemp, or Derrick. James didn't know how he felt about Claire, but finding out Claire was in the same game as he was changed something inside of him.

"You'll get over her," Josh said, gently. He might not know about The Game, but he knew for a fact (even though James was still in denial) that James loved Claire.

James took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling the smoke. "Yeah, maybe. But it's whatever; it wasn't meant to be anything anyways."

"Are you talking about Claire?" a voice spoke, from behind the two boys.

James and Josh whipped around to find Cam Fisher and Dylan Marvil standing at the entrance to John Adams High. Dylan was somewhat of a girlfriend to Cam, but they were so bipolar to each other that no one could really tell what they were. Some times James wondered if they even knew what they were.

"Why do you care?" James spat. Claire was a sore subject between the two boys; both of them had been infatuated with the blonde at the same time, causing a rift between them. Their mutual friends (Massie, Claire, Derrick, occasionally Todd) tried to soften the boys' hatred for each other, but nothing ever worked.

Cam folded his arms. "Why do you think, Wright?"

Josh sighed, exasperated already. "I think it's safe to say that neither of you should be talking about Claire. Cam, you have a girl right behind you who is more then willing to give herself up for you-"

"Hey!" Dylan protested.

Josh paid her no heed. "-yet you're till worrying about a girl who obviously has no feelings for you." Josh faced James then. "You need to go find someone else to obsess over. Your attitude over Claire is borderline depressing, and I have no idea what to do to help."

James dropped his cigarette on the ground, and stepped on it. He looked up, his green eyes dark. "Fine, I'll move on. But Cam, if I hear anything about you trying to pull something over her, I will end you."

Cam rolled his mismatched eyes. "Wow, I'm so scared."

James walked up the steps, and stood right in front of Cam. They were both the same height, but most of the similarities stopped there. They both had black hair, but James' was spiked up and Cam's fell into his eyes. James had big, full lips and Cam had small, tight lips. Cam was pale, James was tan. Cam wore leather jackets and jeans, James wore sweatpants and hoodies. They were completely different; the only thing they had in common was their love for Claire.

"I am not joking, Fisher," James snarled, lowly. "Leave Claire alone. You know what she's involved in; we both do. Don't hurt her for your own good because you think you can't win. Play The Game yourself."

With that, James stalked passed Cam, making sure to bump him with his shoulder. Cam rolled his eyes and hastily walked down the steps, probably skipping the rest of the day. Josh looked at Dylan for the first time, since she'd stepped out there.

"What game?" he asked, confused.

Nina Cabellos: Distance, distance, distance. Is that the key to The Game?

Todd Lyons had no idea what to make of Nina's clue. He was already distance enough; he somewhat cut his sister out of his life, seeing as they were both playing The Game, and Todd had to end almost all of his good friendships because he was chosen to play the dumbest game in history.

Who decided to create The Game anyways? Were they bored one night and decided they needed to mess with future seniors?

Todd shook his head, falling face-first onto his bed. He lay in silence, listening to the other people in the house. The walls of their estate were mostly soundproof, but there were tiny kinks here and there. Todd could hear Claire in her bedroom, blasting the music through her stereo. The song was muffled, so Todd couldn't make out what she was listening to. Definitely something that had an upbeat feel to it; the walls were basically vibrating.

Downstairs, pots and pans clanging together traveled through the house as Teresa, their live-in housekeeper, made dinner. Todd wondered what was on the menu; he was hoping for hot dogs and hamburgers. He was tired of the froufrou crap they'd been eating for the past couple of days because Judi was 'on a diet' and 'needed certain proteins'. During this so-called diet, Todd was deprived of all the manly foods he enjoyed eating.

Todd didn't remember falling asleep; he was pulled out of his little snooze when he heard a knocking at his door. He groggily stood up, and ran a finger through his orange hair. It was sticking up in odd places, and it took him a couple seconds to get it to smooth down. The pounding on his door increased in sound, and Todd began to get annoyed.

"Jesus," he mumbled, yanking the door open. On the other side stood an exasperated older sister, her blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and her blue eyes snapping with annoyance.

"How long does it take you to answer a door?" she asked, icily. "I've been pounding on this door for at least five minutes."

"You couldn't walk into my room?" Todd followed Claire through the estate towards the dining room, where Todd assumed dinner would be held. "I mean, not like your legs are broken."

"In case you didn't notice, bimbo, your door was locked."

Todd didn't reply; he forgot he'd locked his door before falling asleep. They walked the rest of the way to the dining room in silence, neither of them in the mood to talk.

"What's for dinner?" Claire asked, when they walked into the dining room. Todd's stomach grumbled as he slid into his vacant seat.

Spread across the table were platters of food. There was a platter of hot dogs, a plate of rolls, a bowl of salad, a bunch of cucumber sandwiches stacked in a tower on top of another plate, and another bowl filled with mac and cheese. Scattered throughout the table was a bunch of bottled condiments.

Now this was the meal Todd had been craving.

It took no time for Todd to put together a plate of food. On his plate was two hot dogs with plenty of ketchup, mustard, and cheese, two rolls, one cucumber sandwich, and a large serving of mac and cheese. He dug into his dinner immediately, eating as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. In a way, he really hadn't.

"Jesus Todd," Jay Lyons spoke, after Todd finished his plate and began on his next one. "When was the last time you ate?"

Todd shrugged. "When was the last time we had real food?"

Claire snickered behind her roll as Judi glared at Todd. Jay swiftly changed the subject by asking about what football game was on this weekend, but Todd could still feel Judi's glare boring into his side. He hurried to finish his hot dog so he could get away Judi's glare, Jay's pointless conversations, and Claire's snide attitude.

How James and Cam loved her was far beyond Todd's understanding. Claire's a witch.

When Todd finished dinner, he didn't stick around for desert. He slipped on a pair of Vans, grabbed his hoodie, and drove his car out of the garage. He drove down the long dirt road until he reached Tiny Nathan's house.

Tiny Nathan wasn't so tiny anymore. He'd grown, and was almost taller then Todd. His blonde hair darkened to a brunette color, and he'd ditched his glasses for contacts, making his green eyes appear bigger and more noticeable. He got rid of his nerdy style and began to dress a little more like Todd: jeans, vans, and hoodies were their go-to looks.

It was safe to say that Nathan and Todd were two of the hottest seniors at John Adams High. Girls flocked them consistently, but they both turned them all down.

Nathan, who'd heard Todd honk his car, had come outside and climbed into the passenger seat. "Where are we going?" he asked, not bothering to buckle up.

Todd shrugged. "I don't know. Probably James' house, I think he has some cigarettes we can smoke."

an] probably not the best way to end the chapter, but it was starting to get really long. and yeah, it's the James from the last Clique book, and Todd is the same age as all of them. Nina Cabellos is not the Nina from the Clique series, but I like the name Nina. Alicia and Dylan and the rest of the others will come into play, but not for a few chapters.

keep in mind, not all ten of them were friends. Cam and James weren't friends, Massie wasn't friends with Olivia, Nikki and Claire weren't really friends, etc.

review? let me know what you guys think!