5:30 PM
Thursday
The Mall
"Leesh…that's terrible!" Massie gasped, reaching for her friend's hand. The PC was sitting at their favorite spot in Starbucks at the mall, listening to Alicia's news.
"Uh…really?" Alicia asked confused. "I thought I was gonna be a model."
"Well, yeah, but you'd be in Spain away from the Pretty Committee and who knows when you'd come back," Massie compromised.
"It's only for a while Mass," Alicia reassured.
"I've heard these things take years," Massie shook her head. Inside, she was not the happiest person ever. Derrington had gotten over her, Dempsey was hanging out with Layne Abbley, of all people and now her best friend gets a modeling contract in Spain!
"Oh, you'll keep in touch, won't you?" Kristen gasped.
"Like duh! How couldn't I? It'd be so scary with all those tall people, I would have to keep you guys around!" Alicia rolled her eyes.
"Send pictures?" Dylan begged.
"Are you trying to do a Scooby Doo impression?" sneered Massie. The girls stayed quiet, knowing something embarrassing was coming next. "Stop salivating!" snapped Massie.
"Hey, Leesh?" Claire asked meekly. Massie turned to her scowling – hadn't she gotten the fact that it was time to shut up? "What about Josh?" Claire asked. Alicia's face moved and her eyes narrowed.
"He's my boyfriend, duh. What else about him?" she asked.
"No, are you gonna be together when you go to Spain?" Claire asked.
"I-I…guess so. I haven't told him yet," Alicia admitted blushing.
"Then tell him!" Massie rolled her eyes and Alicia quickly began dialing into her cell phone.
"Hello, Josh?" Alicia said.
"Hey, Leeshie!"
"Um, my cousin Nina called."
"…Okay?"
"Her family entered me in a modeling competition without telling me, you know, just for fun…I kindda won…"
"Whoa, whoa, WHAT? No way! Alicia, that's effin awesome – I always knew you were the hottest girl around!"
"Except there's a glitch…it's in Spain…"
"Spain?"
"Yeah…Spain…"
"What are you trying to say?"
"I dunno. I just wanted to give you the news I guess."
"Well, that's amazing Alicia…congrats. Is there anything else, sweetie?"
"Not really. Thanks though."
"Wait! Meet me at the fountain park at 7:00!"
"Okay, sure, gotta run, bye!" Alicia quickly hung up.
"Well?" asked Massie.
"He was really happy for me and he wants me to meet him somewhere later on," Alicia beamed and Dylan clapped her on her back.
Massie smiled and looked around her table. There was something different about it all. She listed them off in her head:
Alicia – going to Spain to be a model
Kristen – just plain depressed and…is she wearing pink???
Dylan – happy and smiling as always, chowing down on a latte
Claire – quiet and thoughtful…Cam.
Me (Massie) – wondering how to make Derrington jealous...
"Okay, people, what is wrong?" Massie demanded.
"What d'ya mean?" Dylan asked.
"We're sitting around all freaking out like a bunch of LBRs!" Massie sneered.
"Uh…no-one's freaking out, Mass," Kristen mumbled.
"Okay, then, why are you so depressed? And what's with the pink?" Massie demanded, nodding at Kristen's pink sweats.
"I just don't feel so well. I thought pink was…a nice color," Kristen shrugged.
"Tell the truth, Kris," Dylan advised cheerfully.
"Well, I, um, went out with Dune," Kristen started off in a fake cheery voice.
"Wasn't that ages ago?" Massie asked.
"Well, yeah, sure, but…yeah it was," Kristen sighed and sat back as if the conversation had finished.
"Whoa, Kris, we aren't finished yet!" Alicia said and Kristen groaned.
"We were going for ice cream when Dune ran into someone he knew," Kristen shrugged.
"Who was it?" Claire leaned forward.
"Some girl named Katie he knew from second grade. She left quickly, but the way Dune looked and talked to her…it was so…ugh! She was so…girly, like a human hell-kitty store and I guess Dune really likes her…" Kristen leaned her head on her hand and closed her eyes.
"Did he call you after your date?" Alicia inquired.
"Three times – but he didn't ask me out again. I bet he asked Katie," Kristen sneered out the name.
"Well, if he doesn't ask you out in the next week, we're going to host a party," Dylan declared.
"Why?" Massie demanded.
"A couples party to which Dune will be invited to, to which he will need a date, to him asking out Kristen," Dylan emphasized.
"What if he asks Katie?" Kristen asked sourly.
"Then we'll dress you up to look super hot, some cuter, sweeter guy who would probably be a total HART would ask you out and then Dune would fall on his knees, begging for you back, duh!" Massie rolled her eyes. Kristen could be such a downer sometimes.
"Well, will she take him back? And what happens to the other guy?" Claire asked.
"Uh…no, she won't, because…it wouldn't work that way. I bet the other guy would probably be cuter," shrugged Alicia and the others laughed.
"Okay, fine, Dune, I get it. What's up with you, Dyl? You're not talking about diets and you're so cheery? I mean, seriously, why?" Massie moved on.
"Um, okay, I went down to the beach a couple of hours ago and I met Plovert," Dylan grinned.
"Ugh, not him again! Not after the way he ditched you!" Massie gasped. "Is you're head full of gasoline? What are you thinking?"
"Wait! Let me finish! His cousin came visiting and…I think he totally likes me!" Dylan squealed. "He's a total HART and his dad's looking for a job here! We were talking for ages before I got your call, Leesh. I bet I'm gonna see him soon!"
"Congrats, Dyl!" Kristen beamed at her friend.
"Nice one!" Claire high-fived her.
"Dylan's got it going awn!" Alicia giggled. Massie clapped Dylan on the back, grinning.
"Claire's turn to confess!" Alicia pointed at her.
"I have nothing to confess – you guys know everything," Claire admitted. "I saw Derrington a couple of days before and he wants me to talk to Cam. I just don't know what to do," Claire shrugged.
"What do you want to do?" Kristen asked.
"I want him back but now I can't tell if it's still there and if he only wants me back cause he's jealous. I don't want to give in so easily but I just can't let him go!" Claire moaned.
"I think he should have told you about Nikki and he had no right to hide it from you. You had reasons to be suspicious and I guess he kindda overreacted. Then that thing with Olivia was just too much! I mean, Olivia!" Massie shook her head in disgust.
"You should talk him Claire Bear. Get it over with," Kristen suggested soothingly and everyone else agreed.
"How about you, Massie?" Alicia asked suddenly.
"What about me?"
"Why do you keep talking about Derrington and Nancy? I mean, it's obvious their a couple, but isn't that it?" Alicia inquired and the others leaned in.
"I do nawt talk about them, okay? I just, you know, think she's a bit of an LBR. That's, like, it," Massie shrugged. How could she reveal to the PC her problems when she was the Alpha? The answer was simple – she wasn't going to. Alicia's phone rang. She talked on it for a while before snapping it shut.
"My ride's here! Bye, guys!" she waved before sauntering off. One by one they all left, until it was Claire, on her own, sipping her third iced latte, every inch of her mind filled with Cam.
"Hi, Claire. I was hoping I would find you here," a sweet voice mumbled and she looked up.