Disclaimer: Dont own the clique, duh. lisi is in

note: thanks for the reviews! please review more! here goes a new chapter for you guys, N-joy!

BOCD

The basement, under Principal Burns' office

tuesday, September 8th

3:50 P.M.

It didn't matter that Massie was older and wiser and in the eight grade. The cold, dimly lit metal staircase that led down to BOCD's boiler room freaked her out as much as it had in the seventh grade. And the smell of wet cardboard made her head throb. But, like a true alpha, she smiled through her pain. It also helped that besides the New Pretty Committee, Riley Applebaum was at her side, smiling and skipping down the stairs like if the damp, dark hall didn't freak her out. For one, Massie felt safe with Riley there, she had no idea why. And also, seeing her not scared, it made Massie try harder not to look scared too, which helped her to actually not be scared, which only made her appreciate Riley more.

"Hurry up," she called the NPC who were clinging to each other, clearly forgotten the rule "stay cool" as they took each step with extreme caution. "What are you so afraid of?"
"Murderers," Claire chattered.
"Ghosts," Alicia whispered.
"BO." Dylan fanned her sweat-drenched pits.
"Burns." Kristen pointed at the low black ceiling, reminding them that the principal's office was directly above them.
"What I'm scared of," Riley said as she waited for them at the bottom of the staircase, "is for the soccer boys to come in the bomb shelter right after you guys finish your pledge."

The NPC stared at her, wondering what she meant by that.

Massie turned around towards her friends and waved away their concerns. "Puh-lease. We snuck down here all the time last year."
"It seems scarier today." Alicia squeezed Claire's arm harder, her dark brown eyes glistening with fear.
"So do your boots." Dylan burst out laughing.

Everyone cracked up, even Alicia, who looked down at her exposed toes and giggled, as if she just noticed how silly she looked.

"How awesome will it be to have our own secret room on campus?" Massie led them into a door marked CAUTION! DO NOT ENTER. "No boys, no LBRs, no teachers. Just us. Just the New Pretty Committee!" she shouted, knowing that with the hallway's subterranean placement they wouldn't be heard. "To the NPC!" Massie lifted her arm and shook the shiny bracelet on her wrist.
"To the NPC!" they echoed back.

Then Massie noticed something. "Hey Riley, why didn't you cheer with us?" she asked, searching the girl's violet eyes.

Riley eyes widened in amusement. "I'm not part of the NPC, remember?" she told her, tugging on a gorgeous lock of chestnut-red hair.

Massie smiled. "Says who?"

"What???!!!" the NPC stared at Massie, excitement in their eyes as they all liked Riley, especially Claire, after saving her in health class and making her laugh in a long time.

"Yup. Riley, do you want to be in the NPC with us?" she asked, not knowing why she was asking in the first place. Just inviting Riley to the bomb shelter (after changing their after-school mall plans) was enough to know that she was in. What had she thought?

"Sure. Awesome." Riley smiled and lifted her arm, shaking an invisible charm bracelet. "To the NPC!" she mocked the girls, her velvety voice echoing in the basement. The girls laughed and then repeated the process, with real charm bracelets.

Fired up with renewed excitement, they fearlessly raced towards the door at the end of the hall, and went down the second flight of stairs towards the school's bomb shelter. Correction: their bombs helter, as handed down to them by Skye Hamilton, last year's eighth grade alpha, and the one in the school's Alpha history for years.

"We're here" Massie trilled, searching her platinum and black Be & D bag for the key as the girls surrounded her, practically bouncing on their feet. Claire on her left, and Riley on her right, and Kristen, Dylan, and Alicia beside them, Massie felt ready for eighth grade domination.

"Do you think the racks of clothes will still be here?" Kristen asked, rubbing her hands for warmth. "And what about the Starbucks machine Skye left for us?"

"And her Hard Candy makeup? She had the whole collection in a huge vanity in there" Alicia added for Riley's expense, who smiled in return.

"Get me to that buttered-popcorn maker." Dylan licked her lips.

"Buttered-popcorn maker? Oh yeah!" Riley said and she and Dylan high-fived, thinking of the popcorn.

Everyone glared at them with various expressions of mock doubt.

"What? Is low-fat."

"Low fat? Never mind" Riley left Dylan's side, a fake pout on her face.

"Um, buttered popcorn is to low-fat as Kristen shark-tooth necklace is to valuable," Alicia said.
"Is to Alicia's boots are cool," responded Kristen.
"Is to Claire is happy," Dylan joked.
"Is to Dylan's straight hair is natural," Claire managed.
Everyone cracked up and Riley said "It may be fake, but it looks the part."
"Thanks" Dylan beamed.

Massie stuck her key into the black key hole of the black door.

Then she turned the key. The door clicked open.

"We're in!" she announced

The stale odor of sweat mixed with duct tape flooded their nostrils.

"Ew! What is that?" Alicia pinched her perfect ski-slope nose.
"The stale odor of sweat mixed with duck tape" Riley chirped, smiling like a happy six year old.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Alicia punched Riley's leather-covered arms lightly and Riley bumped her shoulder into hers. They laughed.

"Did we forget to clean out the coffee machine before the summer?" Kristen twirled on her braids, looking around. "What happened in here?" she whimpered as the girls stood in the doorway looking at the dark room.

"Well, there is a row of lockers, a Poland Spring water dispenser, a bunch of sports magazines, aluminum benches, and a white board in here," Riley told them and the girls turned to stare at her. Massie kicked the floor switch and the lights popped on, revealing Riley's exact words, and their disco ball covered in five socks.

They stared at Riley again, wondering how she knew what was inside without even knowing there was a secret room in the school in the first place.

"I told you" Riley said as she walked into the room and plopped down in one of the aluminum benches she had foreseen.

"What is this?" Dylan looked around, not believing the change.

Everyone's eyes were on the alpha, waiting for her to fix things, but for once, she had no idea how. They took away her bomb shelter, they only thing left she had.

Feeling a little faint, she walked into the room and sat beside Riley, who was holding a Luna bar. "Here" the girl offered and Massie took it, thanking Riley with her eyes. Riley smiled as she bit it and got some energy back. The NPC followed inside the room.

"We should complain." Dylan sat beside Massie, looking longingly at the place where the popcorn maker used to be.
"To who?" Kristen plunked down beside Dylan. "We are not supposed to be in here, remember?"
"I bet my dad could find a way to sue." Alicia shuffled behind Massie and began massaging the alpha's narrow shoulders.

Claire lingered by the water dispenser, her eyes on the white board.

Unable to offer a decent solution, Massie felt stripped of her power. Like Jessica Simpson with dark hair. Harry Potter without the bolt-shaped scar. Edward without his dazzling smile. Her only idea was switching schools, but her friends needed her. How could she be a leader if she bailed?

When she touched her Swarovski crystal-covered crown on her bracelet, Massie's alpha battery re-charged. She was back, ready to take charge.

"I guess Skye took her stuff back." Massie stood up and paced around the sausage-shaped room. "Which is fine with me. The clothes would be last seasons by now and Starbucks is so seventh grade. I proposed a Pinkberry fro-yo dispenser."
"I heart that!" Alicia air-clapped excited then raced (Alicia-speed) towards Massie. "That store is in US Weekly more than Lindsay."
"You now what we should get?" Dylan joined her, popping a cherry-flavored lollipop in her mouth. "A hair salon station. We can get a big mirror and a chair with a foot pump, and Jakkob can stop by twice a week for blowouts and straightening sessions."
"I want a Puma sneaker vending machine," Kristen added, standing up from the bench.
"That takes gum wrappers instead of money!" Claire and Riley chimed in and then they said "Apple C!" while cracking up.

Something in the back of Massie's mind wondered how Riley even knew about Apple C. They met that morning! But she decided to wonder later as she jotted down the girls' suggestions on her iPhone. "I'll get Inez in here tomorrow morning to disinfect." She eyed the yellowing socks in the disco ball.
"Joyce will help," offered Alicia. "She's free on Wednesdays, so she's available. She'd love it."
"Really? You think" Kristen asking in disbelief.
"Given. Why else would she pick cleaning as her career? Because she hates it?"
"Awesummm." Massie beamed. "Larry and Brody from RL Home will be here tomorrow by lunchtime to measure the room."
"Yayyyy" they cheered.
Even Claire.
Minus Riley, who just smiled in amusement at the NPC.
"Now, who's ready to pledge?" Twirling her purple streak, Massie stepped up on a bench and held out her wrist, shaking her bracelet.
Alicia and Claire stepped beside her while Dylan and Kristen took the opposite bench.
"Everyone please join wrists." Massie held out her arms and then noticed Riley looking up at them, her violet eyes glistening. "Riley. Hop on."
"I don't have a bracelet." She bounced in the bench next to Kristen and raised her arm, shaking it to prove the point.
"Well, we'll get you one by next week, and an R charm for you, girls," she addressed the NPC, who's eyes twinkling in happiness. "Just pretend for now."
Giggles broke out as a braceletless wrist joined wrist huddle.
"Now close your eyes and repeat after me."
"And repeat after me," Dylan burped.
"Nniiiicceee" Riley laughed along with the girls.

Once they stopped, the NPC plus their newest member pledged their alliance to the group repeating after Massie.

"You may open your eyes," Massie purred when they where done, with post-yoga calmness.
Alicia jumped off the bench and the girls relaxed their wrist-grips.
"We are nawt finished yet," snapped Massie.
"Oops, sorry." Alicia stepped up again. "Go awn."
Massie held out her charm bracelet, so everyone could see it glistening in the dim light.
"Fail the fast and fail the group. Fail the group and lose the bracelet. Lose the bracelet and lose your membership to the NPC."
"Ex-ka-use-me?" Riley raised her hand and Massie smiled at that morning's memory. "You guys are on a Boyfast?"
"Yup." Dylan sucked on her lollipop. "Some boy business last year. Long story short. We acted like fools to impress them because we watched a secret camera on their ESP class on this TV that was on this room who was in the last year's Alphas hands –we used to sneak in after they left using a bobby pin-and we thought we knew what they thought,-FYI, two boys liked me at the same time. Awesomeness!- but we were wrong, so they dumped us at Skye Hamilton's -the eight grade Alpha- couples party -I was Demi Moore, and my dates were Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher-, so now we can't like boys."
Riley blinked. "That was the longest short story I ever heard in my life."
Dylan cracked up, but Alicia gasped.
"Does that mean we can't even talk to a boy?" Alicia sounded more afraid than curious as Claire bit her thumbnail and Kristen squeezed the shark-tooth necklace around her neck. Claire caught Riley's eyes, which looked at her knowingly.
Claire looked away.
"Put it this way. Treat the boys like brothers. You're allowed to ask for help, favors, and money, but no flirting, texting, crushing, or dressing to impress. Done?"
"Done!" Dylan bellowed as Riley said "I guess. Cool."
They were the only ones.
"Done?" Massie's eyes shoot lasers beams out of them.
"Done," everyone replied.
"Good. Now to start off, I seriously think this room needs-"

Massie was interrupted by thumps on the floor and the click of the door. They dropped their arms and jumped off the benches.
"You were right Mass," Kristen muttered. "We are done."
The NPC got closer together, a bit scared of who was turning the door handle.
"Say hello to the soccer team" Riley muttered as they door opened up.

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