Westchester, NY
The Block estate
Driveway
4:45
As soon as Layne had seen Massie and Cam in their "heated romance", she had dashed out of the Food Court and ran as fast as her Mary Janes could take her. As soon as she was sure she was out of Massie's sight, she drew her cell phone out from her Forever 21 lime green messenger bag like sword, and speed dialed her dad.
"Dad can you please come pick me up? I need you to drive me to Claire's house. Yes, yes it's Massie Block's guesthouse, yes, please pick me up ASAP."
She snapped her phone shut and threw it back into her bag.
A few minutes later, her father's black Jaguar rounded the corner and she jumped in before he even came to a stop.
"To Mass- I mean, Claire's house!" she yelled.
The car zoomed past rows of mansion-like houses and other cars similar to her's.
She stuck her head out the window and her frizzy, black hair in need of a deep conditioning treatment blew in her face and stuck to her hot pink lipgloss.
When Massie's big posh house finally came into view, Layne scribbled Massie's address on her palm with a Magic Marker and yelled at her dad to pull over. He pulled into the gravel driveway and Layne hopped out and ran up the high glossed wood steps two at a time and banged on the front door. Kristin opened it up.
"Kristin go get Claire, I need her right now!"
"Um, well see the thing is…Massie called me and told me that if you came over, not to let you in."
Then Claire walked up to the door, "Layne what are you doing here?" she asked nervously shifting from one foot to the other.
"Claire can we go in the guesthouse, because apparently I'm not allowed in here," Layne said glaring at Kristin.
Kristin rolled her eyes.
"Um, sure, I guess I could spare some time," Claire said while flicking a BBQ flavored soy crisp off her fuzzy pink sweater and started walking towards the stone guesthouse.
When they arrived, Claire slid open the sliding glass door and led Layne to her bedroom. She flopped onto her bed, and Layne sank into a blue beanbag.
"Okay what is it?" Claire asked.
"Listen Claire, I don't know how I should tell you this…"
I'll be fine, just tell me," Claire reached over to her bedside table and grabbed some gummies for support.
"So, isn't the PC supposed to be on a boyfast?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, does that apply to the alpha?"
"What, you mean Massie? Yes of course!"
"Hmmmmm, well I think I'm going to break this to you in the language that you'll understand the best."
Layne reached into her bag and pulled out a tube of Smackers lipgloss. She smeared the wand all over her mouth like a kindergartener coloring outside the lines. She pretended to fluff up her hair and rolled her eyes like Massie.
"Kuh-Laire?" Layne asked in a Massie voice, "are you my favorite candy?"
"Uh, no," Claire said.
"Then why are you acting like such an Airhead?"
Claire gasped.
"What do you mean Layne?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"MASSIE'S DATING BEHIND YOUR BACK!" Layne yelled.
"What are you talking about Layne Massie wouldn't do that, she's my friend." Claire looked hurt.
" I MEAN, I say her at Dr. Juice and she was smooching it up with Cam under the mega watt glow of the smoothie sign! She knows I saw her and she tried to stop me but I just ran. I swear! On this stack of Us Weekly magazines!"
Layne placed her Magic Marker stained hand on an outdated close up picture of Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise.
"She's such a backstabber," Layne continued, "how could she lie to you like that?" Layne rolled her charcoal gray dusted eyes.
"Oh Layne," Claire's voice got very quiet, "I think I know who's lying and it's not her."
"Who? Kristin? Dylan? Alicia?"
"You," Claire practically whispered.
"What the heck are you talking about?"
"Layne, you're just jealous because you couldn't be friends with Massie for more than a week."
"Oh right, like she was just great friends with you."
"Yes actually she is what you would call a real friend! Not that you would know what that's like."
"Claire!" Layne slammed her foot against her lemon yellow CD holder and some Cam mixes fell to the hardwood floor. She kicked them under the baby blue dresser and slammed her bag down.
"Claire, I'm not leaving until you believe me." Layne yelled.
"Well then you better get used to living here because I'm not believing anytime soon!"
"You know something Claire, I came here because I care about you and I want you not to be hurt again like you were. Remember this?"
Layne grabbed Claire's Powershot 100 Digital Alph off the dresser, and clicked over to the first round of pictures taken.
It was a shot of Claire wrapped in a blanket resting her head against the headboard of her bed looking miserable.
"Remember "Rock Bottom"?" Layne air quoted Rock Bottom.
Claire looked away and let her hair fall in front of her face so she wouldn't have to look at Layne.
"Why haven't you deleted that picture Claire? Don't you remember that night?"
The truth was, Claire hadn't deleted that picture because she was still on the road to forgiving Massie and the Pretty Committee , but she kept the picture as a promise to herself to keep their friendship and not travel back to rock bottom.
Layne unwrapped a Cherry Blowpop and stuck it in her mouth.
Claire started stifling sobs but try as she might, she couldn't stop the hot tears.
"Well, Claire, I've said everything I need to say, all I can do now is hope that you believe me."
"Layne listen at this point, I don't know who to trust. I want to believe you, but I'm having a hard time believing that Massie would sink so low."
Layne raised a penciled-in eyebrow and shrugged.
"You need to decide for yourself who to believe Claire, all I can do is defend myself."
"Alright alright, give me a second to think about this." Claire clasped her hands behind her back and walked over to her desk and looked at pictures of her and Massie, then her and Layne, as she contemplated her situation.
"If I believe Massie, then I lose my best friend Layne, who was loyal to me from the start, and if I believe Layne, she would make it known to the Pretty Committee and I would lose my spot for sure, which I worked so hard to earn. Either way, somebody's lying to me." Claire thought.
"Done yet?" Layne asked.
Claire felt a sinking feeling in her abs and suddenly as if some other force was controlling her, she blurted out, "Alright Layne, I believe you."
Layne pumped her fist in the air. "Claire, you made the right choice." Layne nodded. Claire swallowed hard and glanced at her pale face in the mirror. She tugged at her bangs and let her eyes drift to the floor.
The her computer dinged with an IM.
MASSIEKUR: Wat iz Layne doing there? Wat did she tell u?
Claire turned the moniter away from Layne and typed a message.
CLAIRBEAR: Ur home! Nothin, she didn't tell me NE thing. Just hangin out. Y?
MASSIEKUR: oh, no reason. Saw Layne the mall, I wuz chattin w/ Cam 'bout homework. After I was done being sick that is.
CLAIRBEAR: Just homework? R u sure?
MASSIEKUR: ya
CLAIRBEAR: O. so wat r u doin now? Ur curtains r shut, I so I can't see u. Everythin ok in there?
MASSIEKUR: yup…im fine.
CLAIRBEAR: Cn I come ovr?
CLAIRBEAR: Mass?
CLAIRBEAR: U there?
Massiekur and Clairbear have logged off.
"Well, Layne Massie is getting suspicious, I should probably go over there and check on her."
"I'd better get going too," Layne picked up her bag and threw her lollipop stick in the metal trash can.
"Alright call me later and we can talk about this."Claire said.
"Kay catchya later!" Layne said.
"Bye."
"Bye."
