What is this? An update? Why, yes it is! :D

Oh and I'm pretty sure I messed up the timeline a bit, so if it's weird just ignore it.

As always, R&R. :)

"Welcome to the real world", she said to me
Condescendingly
Take a seat
Take your life
Plot it out in black and white
Well I never lived the dreams of the prom kings
And the drama queens
I'd like to think the best of me
Is still hiding
Up my sleeve

-No Such Thing, John Mayer

Unidentified amount of time later. Two weeks before the start of senior year.

Block Residence

Massie Block gracefully reclined on the plush, white armchair holding a sleek, white, cordless in one hand on which she was softly talking to her boyfriend of one year, Derrick Harrington, and idly stroking Bean with another.

She gave a slight smile as Bean growled contently at her stroking and she couldn't help but think how adorable he looked in his little summer outfit, complete with a white cap and white doggie –shorts and of course those adorable sunglasses perched on his head . If there was anyone whom she liked to spoil more than herself, it was Bean.

"Uhuh, sure babe" she absentmindedly responded as Derrick's smooth, rich baritone lulled her into a reverie.

Her mind wandered as he talked, and she thought back to how quickly their relationship had progressed. They had grown a lot more comfortable during the summer and sometime during the warm, lazy days spent together, their relationship had grown from high-school flirtation to something much deeper, something, she thought that could even lead to love.

She wondered how much time they would get once senior year started. She knew she would have to work extremely hard if she wanted to get into Columbia and between that and maintaining her Alpha status she wouldn't have any time left for her personal life. Getting into Columbia had been a dream of hers for as long as she could remember and that was the only thing she wanted to achieve on her own merit, rather than using Daddy's bottomless pit of a bank account. It was the first step in achieving her ambition of becoming a TV reporter and she was determined to get in through her own hard work. Which was why, she had not regretted spending her entire summer with Derrick, even though she felt slightly guilty for ignoring her friends.

A knock at the door drew her out of her daydreaming and she looked up, with an irritated frown on her face, to see Inez standing there. She quickly disconnected the call, not before murmuring a hasty good-bye to Derrick and turned towards her.

"What is it, Inez?"

Inez flushed apologetically. "I'm sorry Ms. Block, but there's someone at the door for you."

Her previously irritated face morphed into one of curiosity at Inez's words. She wasn't really expecting anyone at the moment. Her friends would usually let her know before stopping by and plus, they were all busy at the moment. Dylan was still in Kenya doing the charity-crap with her mother, Alicia was supposed to return next week from Barcelona, she had just got off the phone with Derrington, and while Kristen was still here, she was busy preparing for some scholarship contest.

Her nose wrinkled as she mentally ran a ridiculously long list of people she knew to figure out who it could be and came up with nothing.

She looked at Inez, her interest piqued, and asked "Who is it?"

"A Ms. Claire Lyons" Inez replied.

x-x-x

Claire stepped out of the car and looked around her former neighborhood, breathing in the crisp New England air. Nothing seemed to have changed. The same affluent neighborhood with its ostentatious mansions, the sleek cars that lined the expansive drive-ways and the sense of elitism that permeated through the air.

She turned towards the uniformed chauffeur."Please take my bags inside and inform my mother that I will meet her in a while. There's something I need to do first."

The chauffeur nodded and she turned around, drinking in her surroundings.

It all seemed so calm, so serene.

Despite it being summer, the sun had just peeked out from the otherwise cloudy sky, and the muted sun rays hit the gray road, causing it to sparkle as though it were made out of diamonds. The strictly ordered shrubbery was lit up in various shades of green, and the dark, gleaming cars glinted in the sun against the shadows falling on the warm brick houses.

There was not a single person in sight, the sporadic chirping of birds being the only source of noise, and the whole scene looked like something out of a Decembrists song. Picture-perfect. It was hard to imagine, that this beautiful area housed some of the most scheming, manipulative, jealous people she had ever seen.

For the umpteenth time she found herself questioning whether she had done the right thing or not. Was it really all worth it, leaving the comfort and security that her boarding school had given her? Had she made another terrible mistake again?

She warmly thought back to the old-fashioned school buildings nestled deep within the south of France that had been her home for the past year. That place, its friendly, well-meaning people had given her a chance to truly shape up her personality and she would forever remain grateful to them. She knew that she was miles apart from the insecure, wallflower that she had been before, and she could seriously look back and laugh at how pathetically she had handled the entire situation. Those memories no longer affected her, her heart didn't turn cold anymore when she thought she saw that particular shade of blue or green in anyone's eyes. She had moved on now.

But still, she knew that just because she had put it behind her didn't mean the rest of the people had forgotten it too. People rarely forget such things, the rich even less. And that was why she had been hesitant to return to Westchester.

Her attempts at a new start would be severely tainted if the only thing people remembered when they looked at her was the mousey, naive girl who had been played by the best of the players.

She let out a deep breath. There was no point in over thinking now. She would handle that obstacle if and when the time came.

She adjusted her camel-colored cardigan, as a light breeze picked up and started walking towards the Block Residence, idly wondering what Massie's reaction would be at her sudden arrival.

x-x-x

The main characteristic of being an Alpha was to never lose your cool, never lose control of a situation and to always, always have a plan.

Massie Block was a born Alpha, a born leader. She knew this better than anyone else. This was why, the only thing she disliked more than anything in the universe was a surprise. She hated surprises, hated not knowing what was going to happen and hated being caught off-guard and all her friends were abundantly aware of the fact. Her ill-fated thirteenth birthday 'surprise' had made that pretty clear.

Which was why, it was safe to say that the news that her friend was standing at her door-step after disappearing to God-fucking-knows-where for an entire year, had not put her into a good mood.

She gave a bland smile, while her mind worked furiously and turned towards Inez, who had been fidgeting nervously all this time.

"Call her up to my room."

She sank down into the chair, as Inez scurried away and tried to figure out whys, whats, wheres, and the whens that Claire's arrival had brought.

Maybe she was just coming for a visit, but no…she wouldn't do that so close to the end of the vacation. That meant she was either coming back for good, or that she had some serious business to take care of. If she was coming back, then that meant she would be completing her senior year at OCD…and that would mean another problem had come up.

Cam. And of course Olivia.

He had been relatively silent the whole year, focusing only on football and the occasional girl. While he had certainly not practiced anything even remotely close to abstinence, none of his activities had led to any sort of a scandal and he, as well as everybody else, seemed to have forgotten about the quiet, blonde who had caused a furor throughout the school.

After the first couple of weeks of boycotting, the guys had openly disregarded their girlfriends' threats and started hanging out with their former friend again. Eventually, the Pretty Committee had also developed a grudging acceptance of his existence and things seemed to have calmed down for the time being.

Olivia, though was a totally different thing. Not only had the Pretty Committee forbidden any form of contact with her and her groupies, except for the occasional insults, but Cam's inclusion at Dylan's sweet 17 and Olivia's obvious exclusion had pretty much sealed it in everyone's minds what the situation was.

But Massie had a very bad feeling that the temporary calm that had set in, was going to get a huge jolt at the arrival of Claire Lyons. She sighed. So much for her plan to focus on academics.

x-x-x

Claire walked up the long drive-way, her beat-up Chucks hitting the gravel, and made her way to the front door of the Block Residence. She rang the doorbell and smiled in recognition as Inez opened the door. Inez just smiled back politely, not recognizing her.

"I'm Claire Lyons. I'm here to visit Massie Block' she said.

Inez nodded and ushered her into the sitting-room and hurried up the stairs to call Massie. Claire sat down on the suede sofa and wondered if Massie's room was still as clinically white as she remembered it. She could remember her awe at her room, the first time she had come for a sleepover with the rest of the Pretty Committee. A wistful smile formed on her face as she thought about all the times they had spent together. She had missed them terribly. She wondered if they were still the same. Alicia with her ditzyness and her heart of gold, Dylan with her concerned face and her obsession with the latest diets, Kirsten, the perpetual worrywart and the shy look she got whenever she and Kemp had shared a moment, and Massie, strong, confident, always holding the group together. Sure she had some pretty severe rules and her punishments were harsh, but she always took care of her own. Like some kind of a lioness.

She wondered if they had missed her. She had tried to keep in touch and so had they but somehow life had gotten in the way. She wondered if they were still together with their boyfriends. If they were still the It Girls of the school. She snorted at the last thought. Of course they were. Hell would freeze over before Massie relinquished her position.

She wondered how her senior year would be like. If the Pretty Committee would accept her plan or just brush it off as some petty revenge. She had no idea what had happened during the past year. Hell for all she knew, maybe they hated her for leaving them all of a sudden with little to no contact. Maybe they didn't notice her absence after the first few days. Maybe they just hadn't cared. Her old insecurities, rusted with lack of use, suddenly came rushing back. They had probably been glad that the annoying wallflower had left.

A sudden thought struck her, what if Massie refused to acknowledge her presence in her house? Oh god oh god, what had she been thinking just springing up at her house like this with no prior warning or notice? Maybe she should just leave right now, without letting anyone know. It would save her the embarrassment.

Claire was close to panicking now. She had risen from the sofa in an attempt to discreetly exit the now-intimidating house, when Inez entered the room.

"Ms. Block will see you in her room now."

Her hunched shoulders visibly sagged for only a second, before her mind switched on high-alert. Just because she had not been unceremoniously thrown out didn't mean all was well. As she walked up the curved staircase, she willed her new-found confidence and surety to come back. Standing in front of an imposing Massie Block, while hyperventilating was hardly a good idea.

She reached up the staircase and walked towards the second door on the left, hoping her memory proved right. She cursed herself for not asking Inez which room it was.

She stood in front of the white door, and hesitantly knocked.

The door opened and she saw Massie looking at her with a slight enquiring look in her eyes, waiting for her to speak.

She squared her shoulders and gave what she hoped was a confident smile. Here goes nothing.

"Hey Massie, missed me?"

x-x-x

Massie had debated over the proper way to greet Claire. Should she be intimidating and expect her to justify her presence? Or should she be blasé and greet her like she had been expecting this the whole time? Or should she be happy and excited that her former friend had come back?

She finally decided to combine blasé and intimidating. She would give her a chance to explain herself first, and then she would continue from there as though she had known about it all along. But she would not be too cold; otherwise Claire might just get a panic attack.

A knock sounded at the door. Massie rearranged her features in a slightly interested look and opened the door to see someone who was… definitely not Claire.

Her first thought was that Inez might have messed up the names. There was no way that the beautiful, self-assured woman standing in front of her was the same as the awe-struck, stuttering girl who she remembered.

But then the girl smiled, and a voice, that sounded distinctly like Claire said" Hey Massie, missed me?" and Massie immediately recognized her former friend's easy smile and the slightly hesitant look still there in her eyes.

She grinned and quickly hugged Claire, forgetting her calm persona for a second. She took a step back and surveyed her friend critically.

Claire looked good. Like, really good. Her once white-blonde, shoulder-length hair now had a more caramel tint to it and reached her mid-back. She had grown out of her bangs and they now framed her face, making her look older, more mature. Her blue eyes were perfectly lined with kohl and her eyebrows, perfectly plucked. Her lips shined with frosted lip-gloss and she had that permanently tanned look that only someone living in the south of France would get. She had gained some weight over the year, making her curvier rather than the stick-figure she had been. Someone had obviously given her some fashion advice as her simple white tank top, camel cardigan, and stone-grey jeans accentuated her body perfectly.

Massie's gaze went down and her nose immediately wrinkled in distaste as she saw the dusty, old Chucks. Apparently, no amount of fashion advice would detract Claire from her beloved sneakers.

"Ugh, look at those shoes. Now I have no problem believing it is really you." she said/

Claire laughed and stepped into the room. Nothing had changed.

Massie gestured towards her bed and she walked over and sat down at the edge, still a bit nervous.

Massie sat back in her reclining chair and fixed her eyes on Claire. Her happiness at seeing her friend again could wait until she had gotten a full idea of the situation.

"So, do you mind telling me why the hell have you come back and what you plan on doing?"

x-x-x

Claire flinched at Massie's sharp words and sighed internally. Not her ideal warm welcome, but it was better than nothing.

"I came back here to finish my senior year at OCD."

Massie smiled as though she had known this all along. "Why couldn't you just finish it in your boarding-school?"

"Um, OCD has better academics, and I missed my family and you guys too much."

Massie rolled her eyes. "You are a horrible bull-shitter Claire. Try again"

Claire winced. She should have known Massie would see through her excuse immediately. She just wasn't sure if it was the right time to spill her true reasons.

She looked up to see Massie's unflinching gaze fixed on her, and she could see a slight hint of concern through the glare. She looked down at her hands clenching and unclenching. The sooner she explained herself, the better.

"Because…" Claire faltered.

"I came back, because I wanted to have my revenge on Cam and Olivia." She finished in a rush.

Massie looked at her for a long moment and burst out laughing.

Claire looked up in surprise. She hadn't envisioned laughter as a possible reaction.

"Claire, please tell me you're joking."

"What? No, I'm serious. I want them to pay for what they did to me."

Massie stopped laughing abruptly.

"Ohmagod, don't tell me you still like him or something." That was one sticky situation she did not want to get in.

"What no! Of course not. It's a lot more complicated than that."

"Elaborate."

Claire took a deep breath.

"Look Massie, when I first came to OCD that was my first time in a normal school. And let's face it, I sucked horribly."

She laughed wryly.

"I didn't know how to act around people my own age and I sure as hell didn't know how ruthless it could get. So yeah, I agree that whatever happened, I also had a part in that. I was scared, eager to please and I thought it was true love. I didn't know what reality was and I was living in my own cracked-up fairy-tale."

"But then, you know, all the shit happened. Olivia made my life a living hell and I think I probably overreacted a bit too. "

Massie smiled in agreement. "Yes, moving to a different continent does seem a little bit extreme."

"Yes, but honestly, that was the best thing that could ever happen to me. I moved to France, went to a boarding school, and made new friends. And those people helped me Mass. They helped a lot. I became a lot more confident, less insecure. I grew up, and I learnt how it was to be a normal teenager, you know? I even dated a few guys and well, it didn't turn out so bad."

Massie snickered. "Yeah, I'm sure. Did you sleep with any of them?"

Claire blushed." Yeah, two of them."

Massie looked at her in surprise. "Wow, I would have never expected that from you."

"I know…I wouldn't have either. Basically, I have become a much better person now. I've grown up and my main reason for changing myself was that never wanted be as clueless about a situation as I was with Cam.

"And you know what, after doing all this, I realized one thing. That no matter how clingy and annoying I might have been as a girlfriend, no matter how naïve I might have acted, no matter how immature the bet was he had no right to treat me the way he treated. I don't give a fuck about the bet. It's over and done with and I probably should have seen it coming. What hurt more was how callous he was after I found out about it. He didn't even have the decency to feel sorry about it."

"I deserved a proper apology Mass. I deserved an adequate explanation. Forget that, I at least deserved to have someone back me up when Olivia started her 'hate-Claire' campaign."

"Both Cam and Olivia acted as though they didn't have an ounce of humanity within them and that is the reason I want them to pay. I am definitely not in love with him. I have moved on completely. But they need to know what it feels like when someone they care about treats them like absolute trash. They need to know how much it hurts." She ended calmly.

There was a long pause after Claire stopped talking. Massie was silent, and Claire was still fidgeting slightly. She felt much better now that she had explained herself fully.

Massie's brain was on overdrive. She had been impressed by Claire's explanation and she knew that Claire had made a pretty valid point. Someone did need to show Cam how to act like an actual human being, and she was never going to back away from a chance to take Olivia down a peg or two. If she and the rest of the PC did agree to this, then this was going to be a very very interesting year.

Finally Massie nodded and spoke up. "Okay, okay I believe you and I don't mind helping you."

Claire exhaled a breath she didn't know she had been holding and smiled gratefully.

"Thanks Massie, I wasn't sure whether you'd agree or not."

"Trust me, I wasn't planning on it. Let's just say your wide, hopeful eyes did it for me." She grinned.

Massie shifted and her whole demeanor suddenly became brisk and businesslike.

"So, I assume you don't have a plan as of now?"

Claire shook her head." I figured, I'd do the same thing he did to me. Make him fall for me and then humiliate him in front of the whole school." She ended with a wicked smile on her face.

Massie winced."Wow, that sounds kinda harsh don't you think?"

"No more harsh than what I got Mass. "Claire said evenly.

Massie looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded her assent. "Fair enough. That's settled then. We'll wait till the rest of the PC comes back, which will be by Sunday and then we'll meet up and work out the details ok?"

She nodded and stood up from the bed. She hadn't expected things to go this smoothly.

"Alright then, I'll leave now. My mother will kill me if I don't meet her soon."

Massie laughed. "Okay. See you then. And hey, Claire?"

Claire's hand stilled on the doorknob and she turned her head."Yeah?"

Massie's face broke into the warmest smile she had given ever since Claire arrived and she walked over to hug her friend tightly.

"Welcome back honey."