BLOCK ESTATE
3:45 PM
FRONT DOOR
It was quarter-to-four in the afternoon and there were seven highly beautiful teenagers clustered together outside Massie Block's house. Fall weather was crawling in early, and already a couple of dry leaves decorated the ground.
Kemp kicked an orange leaf away as he pounded his fist on Massie's door for the second time. "Doesn't she know how to answer a door?" he said in frustration.
"Of course she does," Alicia mentioned, "Massie just likes to take her time with things like this."
Claire and Kristen bobbed their blonde heads, agreeing silently.
"And I suppose she likes to keep us waiting in the cold for kicks," Josh murmured, rubbing his forearms with dry hands.
"What is with this weather?" Claire asked the clouds, and as soon as the words escaped her lips a single raindrop plunged from above and landed on the tip of her nose. Claire brushed it off quickly and pursed her lips.
"Someone get us in! I can't get wet!" Alicia squeaked.
Plovert knit his eyebrows. "Why not?"
"Because it'll ruin my hair!" the Spanish beauty scooped up a layer of silky black strands and let them slip through her fingers and back into perfect place among the others.
Josh threw his arms around her with no warning. "I'll keep you dry!"
"Awww! You are so ah-dorable!" Alicia wanted to say, but instead she snuggled closer to him.
In a matter of moments, more raindrops began to sprinkle from the clouds, but after a couple screams from Alicia, the innocent "shower" the weather station had predicted was turning into a storm.
"I hate the weather channel! It's never right!" Alicia covered her hair with shaking hands.
Without a hesitation Josh unzipped his navy American Eagle zipped hoodie and slipped it off his shoulders, then draped it across Alicia's bare-shoulders (she just couldn't resist wearing her new, yellow Ralph Lauren halter-dress, matched with a delightful pair of white and yellow Betseyville by Betsy Johnson's) and pulled the hood over her slightly damp head. Alicia beamed at him.
"Massie!" Plovert pushed to the front of the cluster, and pounded his fist on the door. Suddenly, the door swung open and the group of teenagers moved back a bit in perfect unison, like a wave over the ocean.
"Gawd!" Massie Block's hair was straightened to perfection and her extensions tumbled down her back. She was wearing a 7 For All Mankind white cashmere cardigan and a pair of slightly flared light wash DKNY jeans, topped off with a cute pair of Dolce & Gabbana silver flats. "Patient much?" She pursed her lips, which were covered with a sleek coating of light pink Grapefruit Galore Glossip Girl lip gloss.
Derrington shoved Plovert out of the way. "What did you call us here for, Block?"
Massie kept her lips pursed; she turned around swiftly and stalked into her huge hall. The floor was a glossy marble and she spun around easily on it, without even earning a squeak from the tiles, shimmering from the bright lights above.
"Follow me." Massie led her friends up the hardwood staircase and into the hallway.
Kristen's soggy blue Adidas sneakers left light pressed marks in the soft and fluffy white carpet stretching across the Block's hallway. "Mass—I thought we didn't have to do the big 'test run' for another couple days!"
"I know," Massie began to explain, as she ushered them into her room, and they all took their usual seats on the carpet, settling down.
Kemp grabbed two Salt and Vinegar Miss Vickie's potato chips and bit down on one, this time catching the crumbs. "Don't tell me I have to go out in that!" he pointed to Massie's large window, and the rain was beating down on the glass like the teenagers had been pounding on the door earlier.
"Of course not!" Massie simply jogged over to her bed and leaned over the bed, grabbing her newest-favorite thing to cuddle with,—besides Derrington—her Champagne Sequin Ethan Allen pillow, and then strolled to the top of the semi-circle her friends had made. She plopped down and hugged the pillow to her chest. "I would never make you go out in that for my pleasure."
"OF COURSE YOU WOULD!" Everyone screamed in unison, and after a moment of silence, the entire group toppled onto their backs, holding their stomachs with laughter.
Massie just grinned and stared at her friends. "All right—ALL RIGHT!" she hollered, and everyone, catching their breath, sat upright once more.
"We're going to do the test run today at Dylan's house, but I am so nawt crouching behind a bush in this weather. So there's been a change of plans. We'll do it in my room, minus the technology part as we won't really need it if we're all there. And someone else will have to pretend to be Dylan, since ahb-viously we can't go out in this horrible weather."
The rain pulsed on the window, and now, the wind was picking up, whispering outside.
"So we'll just have to do it here. So which girl wants to be Dylan?" Massie asked.
"Why don't we just draw names out of a hat?" suggested Kristen.
Derrington suddenly snatched Massie by her skinny waist and pulled her onto his lap. "Not Massie. Remember what happened to Cam and Claire?"
Claire blushed.
"I didn't know," Cam murmured, averting his eyes.
Derrington nodded. "Sorry, man. What I mean is … Massie wouldn't let me be the poor sucker that Kemp is, so she can't be the poor sucker who has to actually act like she likes Kemp."
"Then Claire can't either!" Cam jumped in, and gave Claire a bit of a noogie. She smacked his hand away and then put her head against his shoulder.
"Not Alicia!" Josh gave Alicia a high-five.
Alicia rolled her eyes. "Seriously Josh, that's so grade six."
"That leaves you I guess, Kristen." Massie twirled an extension around her finger.
Kristen's mouth fell open. She blushed and adjusted her white Lululemon headband that held back a head of wavy blonde hair. "But that is so unfair! Why can't Plovert be Dylan?!" she moaned and glimpsed at Plovert.
"Meeee?" Plovert said through a mouthful of chips. He gulped them down and looked at Kemp. Then he raised his eyebrows. "How about a little kiss, then?" Plovert puckered his lips, and Kemp jumped back a bit.
Everyone started cackling, and Plovert joined in.
"Sorry Kristen, I don't roll that way. You're gonna have to be Dylan."
"Ugh!" Kristen stood up and finger-ironed her dark wash True Religion Jeans and pushed the sleeves of chocolate brown Juicy hoodie (courtesy of Massie).
Kemp timidly blushed and pulled himself to a stand to face her.
"Now," Massie said, and grabbed a clipboard from the floor beside her (she was very prepared) and clicked a silver Tiffany ballpoint pen into action, poised beside the first empty check box. "Number one—Dylan answers the door and it's… well, ahb-viously Kemp."
Kristen rolled her eyes.
"Hey! Get into gear, Missy! This is what acting is all about!" Alicia snapped.
"Fine!" Kristen held her hands up in the air, silently surrendering, and pretended to open an invisible door.
Kemp put up a finger, saying "one minute" and pulled a pair of dark sunglasses from his pocket. Then he placed them over his eyes and ruffled up his hair a bit.
Derrington, Chris and Cam were laughing into their hands so hard that they had to lean on each other for support.
"Okay, I'm ready," Kemp declared.
Massie giggled, "What are you wearing?"
"Sunglasses. Claire said they make me look cool."
"I never—" Claire started, but Kemp just slicked back his hair and walked through the invisible door.
"Hello Dylan, you're looking extra lovely today."
"Thanks?"
"Wow, your hair smells wonderful today. Is it Herbal Essences?"
Massie side-glanced at Claire, and she shrugged.
The brunette grabbed a whistle out of her pocket and pressed it against her lips. Then she blew down on it. Kristen squealed loudly and jumped. Kemp slid his sunglasses down to his chin.
"Kemp, I don't want to tell you this… but I'm going to anyway. Those sunglasses make you look like a total idiot. Only a stalker tells someone her hair 'smells lovely' and one more thing, you're walking like you learned from a penguin! No offense, Kuh-Laire." Massie turned to the blonde.
Claire replied, "Hey, I didn't teach him that!"
"Kemp! Do only what Kuh-Laire told you to do."
"Fine!" Kemp removed the sunglasses and tossed them onto Massie's bed. Then he stalked back to the doorway and pretended to close it.
Kristen sighed and took her place in front of it.
"DING-DONG!" chimed Kemp, miming the action of pressing a doorbell enthusiastically.
Massie nodded slowly.
Kristen pretended to unlock the door and gave him a mock-surprised expression. "Why Kemp, what are you doing here?"
"I was just walking past your lovely home and I thought that should stop by—after all, I do admire you so much!"
"Thanks?"
"You are most welcome!" Kemp grabbed Kristen's hand.
"Don't touch me, you freak!"
"Sooorry!"
"CUT! Kristen, what was that all about?"
"Sorry,." Kristen flared red now and dug her hands into the pocket of her red Nike hoodie.
Kemp breathed in and started once more, "Kristen, may I say, you're looking absolutely ravishing today."
"Thanks, but my name is Dylan," Kristen giggled.
"Of course it is!" Kemp stumbled over his words, "That's what I meant—when I said, Dylan, I really meant Kristen. I mean DYLAN! I meant Dylan when I said Kristen. Ha ha ha ha…" he trailed off into soft laughter.
"Compliment her!" Massie hissed.
"Fine," Kemp sighed, and smiled at Kristen. "Wow, Kristen, is that Chanel Number 5 you're wearing, because you smell wonderful."
"Thank you very much—it is what I wear usually," Kristen said, in Dylan's form.
"Because she stole it from me," Massie muttered.
"And, well, I would never say this to Massie's face, but you look much more beautiful than she ever would in that colour."
Massie's mouth dropped open, and Derrington fell to the floor in gasps of laughter with Plovert, Josh and Cam beside him. Claire giggled.
Massie glared at her.
Claire shrugged. "Look, it's going to get him in there, right?" she mouthed.
Massie pursed her lips and turned back to Kemp and Kristen.
"Why thank you so much! Would you like to come in?"
"Of course I would." Kemp helped himself inside.
"Here, have a seat."
"Thank you." Kemp sat down in an invisible chair, and crossed his legs.
Kristen sat beside him.
"Krist—uh, Dylan, I can honestly say that I've never been more attracted to anyone like I've been attracted to you. You're smart, you're funny and athletic, and I really respect you."
"Um, I didn't tell him that," Claire whispered to Massie.
Kemp was starting straight into Kristen's eyes.
"Oh my god," Claire muttered. "He wouldn't…"
"He would," Massie breathed.
"You do?" Kristen asked him, "Hang on, Dylan's so nawt athletic!"
Claire turned to Massie and said in a low undertone, "I thought Dylan learned how to play tennis with Svetlana last summer?"
"Puh-lease!" Massie hissed, "Did you honestly believe that?"
Kemp, still staring straight into Kristen's eyes, replied, "Of course I do! I don't mean to be coming on too strong, but…" Kemp took Kristen's hand and squeezed it. "Dylan, I know you're with Dempsey at the moment, but I really, really think we have a chance! I don't want to be too forward, but my true feelings about you are I really like you, more than even—"
"LEMONADE!" Kendra Block burst through the door. Kemp's hands fell out of Kristen's and Kristen burned up all over again.
The four boys on the ground burst into laughter once more, and Claire slapped her hand against her head.
"Mom!" Massie groaned. "We're rehearsing!"
"Of course you are dear, now will that be seven glasses?"
"MOM! PLEASE! You are so embarrassing!"
"Here you are, everyone." Kendra ignored Massie and placed the tray of lemonade on Massie's large desk. "Have fun rehearsing for your little play."
"Thanks Mrs. Block!" Derrington reached for his glass, smirking at Massie.
"Call me Kendra dear. Now Massie, I'm going to your grandma's now, your dad and Claire's father are out golfing, I don't know where Judi is. See you later." Kendra loped out of the room, closing the door swiftly behind her.
"Ehmagawd that was so embarrassing!" Massie groaned.
"Aw, you're mom's cool, Block." Derrington ruffled her hair.
"I'm sure our dads are having fun golfing in this weather," Claire snickered.
"Carry on with the plan!" Massie ordered.
"I don't want to be forward, but… but… but…" Kemp was stammering like a broken record. "Would you care for some lemonade?" he stood up and walked over to Massie's desk.
"Drink break!" declared Massie, and she stood up as well, following the crowd. "Bring it over to the circle, and we can talk."
Derrington picked up the tray and carried it to the middle of the circle. He placed it on the ground and everyone found their places.
"Now, let's talk business." Massie straightened out the kinks in her hair. "I was thinking—"
RRRRRRRRRUMBLE!!
Thunder ripped through the clouds, and burst through the air like cymbals.
Alicia screamed and Claire jumped. Everyone else looked around nervously.
"It's just thunder," Massie assured them.
CRRRRRRRRRACK!
This time, lightning shattered the air, sending shivers down everyone's spine. The girls screamed as their boys tried to keep them assured.
Massie breathed hard.
"Block," Derrington said, "You scared?"
"No!" Massie barked at him. "Of course not."
"Fine!" Derrington squeezed her hand anyways.
"Everyone, it's fine," Massie proclaimed, and tried her best to hide the quiver to her voice, "It's just a little lightning and thunder."
And at those words, the lights flickered once, and the Block mansion was pitched into darkness.
Screams of the girls fractured the tense silence, and Massie frantically searched for Derrington's hand through the thick dark, which had separated her from him.
She found someone's hand, and it wrapped itself around hers. "Derrick?" she asked.
"Hey, Block."
SPLASH!
".GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWD!" shrieked Alicia's voice.
"Leesh! What's wrong?" Massie asked.
"Alicia?" Josh asked into the darkness.
"I'M ALL STICKY!"
"The lemonade! My carpet!"
"Someone turn on a light!"
"Everyone grab their cell phones!" Massie pulled her iPhone from her pocket and held it up, turning it on, and at once the floor was illuminated with a white glow. Sure enough, Alicia was sitting in her yellow dress on the floor, with a jug of lemonade across her stomach, the sticky liquid splattered all over her.
"This sucks," Alicia cried.
"Everyone stay calm!" Massie urged. "Everyone just shut up! I'll go get some flashlights from the kitchen."
Claire found the window, and pressed her face against it. "The guesthouse is off too!"
"Damn," muttered Massie, and she heaved herself up. "I'll be right back. Leesh, you can get a towel from the bathroom."
"Fine," Alicia sniffled, fumbling for her phone.
Massie lit the way to the door with her own source of light, and opened it up. She stepped into the hallway and felt her feet sink into the light and fluffy carpet. She shuffle-stepped to the stairs, and illuminated the staircase with her iPhone.
"Hey Block," said a voice behind her.
Massie jumped. "AH! Derrick! Say something before you do that, gawd," she muttered.
"Sorry. I wanted to come with you." He slid his hand into hers and they took the first step together.
"Why?"
"Because they're acting like idiots, and you're scared."
"I am not," Massie snapped, and took another step.
Derrington fell into place with her. "Yes you are," he teased, "You're shaking, Block."
"I am not."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I am actually not shaking."
"Mass, you are shaking, like an earthquake!"
"I am—EEEK!" Massie squealed, missing the second to last stair and tumbling forward, knocking the wind out of herself, and her back hit the last step, and she slowly slid onto the ground, clutching her abdomen, and whimpering softly. Her iPhone clattered onto the ground beside her, and the light flickered away.
Derrington dropped to his knees beside her. "Holy crap, Block are you okay?"
"Just peachy!" she said, holding back tears.
He sighed, and slid his arms around her crumbled form. He cuddled her against his shoulder, and she breathed in the smell of his Quicksilver t-shirt. Massie hugged her legs to her chest, and breathed evenly, trying to steady the cries that threatened to break out of her any moment now.
"Ehmagawd, nuh-thing's going right! I'm not going to get my bag back, I'm not going to get back at Dylan, and I'm not going to … to … ARRRRGH!" Massie buried her head in her hands and her tears dried and her sobs erupted into curses
"Massie! Calm down, for Beckham's sakes!" Derrington shook her a bit, and she lifted her head.
"Beckham? Do you realize how dumb that sounds?"
Derrington smiled. "We tried our best," he informed her.
"I know, I know," Massie sighed. "I just really wanted to get back at Dylan."
"Well, even if we don't, Dylan still knows that she can't ever match up to you."
"Well, yeah," Massie giggled.
He smiled down at her, and in silence they both helped each other up. Hand-in-hand, they walked towards the kitchen.
When they stood in the doorway, Massie stopped Derrington by pulling his shoulder back and whirled him around to face her. "I can nawt hold this secret in any longer!"
"What? What is it?"
"I promised not to tell anyone, but … who cares!" Massie tossed her hair over her shoulder and leaned in, so that their faces were inches apart. "Kemp likes Kristen."
Derrington burst out laughing. "What?" he chuckled, "Are you serious?"
"Yes! He totally is into her. I kinda think—don't laugh—that they would make a nice couple, if she forgets about Dune," Massie said, and drew a breath. "That was really hard to say."
"Well, maybe, but I still vote us for hottest couple of the year."
Massie nodded quickly to say "ahb-viously!" She turned to walk into the kitchen but accidentally walked into the door frame instead. "Ow! Let's just find those flashlights," she murmured.
"Although…" Derrington grabbed her hand and held it up over their heads, then twirled her into his arms like they were about to dance. Massie giggled once before his lips pressed against hers; she felt strange and lightheaded the moment their mouths moved together. 'I should be used to this by now' she thought to herself.
Suddenly three lights illuminated Derrington's face. Massie squinted, and their mouths moved apart, interrupting their French kiss.
"Step away from the tongues!" His fist muffled Kemp's voice, like he was talking into a walkie-talkie.
Derrington looked up.
Claire, Alicia and Kemp were holding flashlights that were beaming down on him from the top of the staircase like spotlights.
Cam and Josh were laughing at them hysterically, and Plovert was listening intensely on his phone in the hallway.
"Massie, you forgot that you had three flashlights under your bed!" Claire exclaimed, holding hers up and waving it around triumphantly.
"Why were you looking under my bed?" Massie asked them.
"You don't wanna know." Kemp snickered.
Suddenly, Plovert jumped in between Kemp and Kristen with an air of excitement. Kemp glared at him, but he totally ignored his buddy.
Plovert waved his cell phone in the air like a maniac. Kemp shone the flashlight on Plovert's face.
"You'll never believe what happened!" Plovert screeched.
"You got us tickets to Yves Saint Laurent's birthday party?" Massie guessed.
Chris shook his head. "WE…." Plovert said slowly and dramatically, "…ARE GOING TO VANCOUVER! WE WON!"
"EH…MA…GAAAAAAAAAWD!" screeched Alicia. "I really wanted to go overseas this summer!"
"Vancouver is not overseas!" Kristen cackled.
"Alicia, we are not going overseas! We're going on an all-expense paid trip to Jericho Beach in Vancouver, catching the last of the sun rays!" Plovert started leaping around.
"Whatevs! We'll get to play with penguins then!"
Kristen cackled again. "Penguins live in Antarctica Leesh, nawt Canada!"
"Hang on," Massie interjected, "Glossip Girl doesn't ship to Canada!"
"Psh, whatever!" Plovert waved it away with the air of swatting a fly.
"Will we live in igloos?" Alicia asked curiously.
Josh cracked up, "They don't live in igloos in Canada!"
"It'll be five star hotels all the way," Plovert assured her.
"When do we leave?" Kemp wanted to know.
"Two days!" Plovert exclaimed.
Massie screamed out, "BUT we'd have to do the plan TOMORROW! And we're totally unprepared!"
"We'll have to wing it, we can't miss this," Plovert said.
Massie bit her lip. She could have her revenge, or make everyone else happy. It was clear nobody else wanted to go through with the plan.
She wanted to crawl into a ball and lean on Derrington's shoulder again, but that would be really uncalled for, so instead, she turned up her nose and said, "Fine," with as much dignity as she could muster.
DYLAN'S STREET
1:30 PM
IN MASSIE'S RANGE ROVER
"Stop fiddling with that!" Massie barked from her seat on the leather interior of the Block's Range Rover.
"This … is … so … cool!" Plovert bounced up and down in place across from her. "I can't believe you haven't invited us to join you in here before!"
"Yeah, I guess I didn't see what I was missing," Massie muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm, as she eyed Kemp playing with the open-window button.
Kemp had a goofy astonished look stuck on his face. His eyes darted around the interior, examining each luxurious accessory that came with it. "Massie, this is so cool! This has got to be the best summer vacation ever! First, we do all this cool planning, I learn to act, and now we're going to Vancouver!"
"I still don't get where that is," Alicia said, and she knit her eyebrows.
Kristen rolled her eyes as she tightened her elastic band holding her high, blonde ponytail together. "It's in Canada, Leesh."
Alicia sighed. "I don't understand. Why do we go there for summer? It's always snowing there and summer should be spent in the hot weather on beaches."
"It doens't snow in the summer!" declared Claire. She reached into the bag of gummy worms Cam had on his lap and popped one into her mouth. "It gets hot there too," she said through a full mouth.
Alicia grimaced. "Kuh-Laire, chew, swallow, then speck." She patted her long, dark braid, and pulled out her dark red lipstick.
"Nice shade, Leesh," Massie remarked. "Looks good on you."
"Thanks!" Alicia beamed, and spread it over her full lips.
"I like it too," Josh mentioned.
"Thanks," Alicia muttered shyly, and offered him a half-hearted smile.
Massie exchanged a confused look with Kristen. She shot Alicia a glimpse that said, what's going on here, but Alicia didn't notice. She just pursed her lips and sat back in the seat, extracting a Teen Vogue magazine from her black leather Dior tote and browsed the pages.
"Are you sure that this is the right address?" Kemp waved a small purple sticky-note in Massie's face.
Massie smacked his hand away. "Of course I know!" she snapped indignantly. "She used to be my friend, and I went to her house all the time." She glanced out the window, and for a moment, a flash of regret flickered in her eyes, but she turned back to Kemp and said, "This is the street."
Massie tapped the glass partition between herself and Isaac, signaling that he stop the car and drop them off.
The Range Rover pulled to an abrupt halt and everyone charged for the doors.
Alicia squealed from the back seat as she was jerked from her perch, and thrown to the other side of seats. She growled and tossed her head up, fixing her braid frantically, and finger-ironing out her to-real-to-be-fake Jessica Simpson extensions. "I'm okay," she said breathlessly.
In a matter of moments everyone was holding their stomachs, laughing hysterically, and Massie was one of them.
"You okay Leesh?" Claire said through her chuckles.
"I'm fine," Alicia muttered.
"Aw, Leesh, you're hilarious!" Josh threw an arm around her shoulder, but she danced away. "Time to get out!"
"Alicia!" gasped Kemp. "You spilled my drink on the address!" he yelled.
"Who cares? You can still read it!" Alicia tapped the paper, and droplets of sticky brown liquid dribbled onto Kemp's jeans. He sighed and grabbed his American Eagle hoodie and pulled it over his head, then stepped out into the cool, nippy pre-fall air.
The plants were damp and wet from the downpour the night before, but that wasn't about to stop Massie.
"I have a little side-plan," Massie said to Kemp.
He groaned, "What is it?"
"You're not only going to put the camera in front of her living room couch, but you're also going to get my bag back. It should be in her bedroom."
"What!" Kemp gasped, and Plovert, Josh, Cam and Derrington snickered.
"I am not going into Dylan's bedroom," he declared sternly.
"What if I give you twenty bucks?" Massie waved two five dollar bills in Kemp's face.
"Done." Kemp snatched them from Massie's fingers and thrust them into the back pocket of his jeans. Obviously he hadn't realized Massie had handed him two fives instead of two tens. He rubbed his hands together. "What's next?"
"The cameras," Massie explained, and Kristen reached into her coach shoulder bag and placed a ziploc bag containing two tiny silver devices in Massie's palm. Massie immediately pulled one out and stuck it to Kemp's forehead where it was completely hidden by his hair, then handed the other to Kemp. "Do nawt knock that off," she warned.
"Thanks," he mumbled, and shoved that into his hoodie's pocket. "Wish me luck." He slapped his pockets, and thought for a moment.
"Wait, you've forgot something!" Claire exclaimed, and rushed forward, handing Kemp a small earpiece that resembled one MP3 player headphone. "Put it in your ear, I have one too. Do not get it wet. It'll short out and we'll lose contact."
"This is so JB style!" Derrington said excitedly.
"Excuse me?" asked Massie.
"James Bond; J…B!" he explained to her.
"Oh," Massie grinned.
"You'd better hide." Kemp ran a hand through his hair.
"Do nawt fiddle with your hair ," Massie snarled as they barreled off towards a large cluster of trees and bushes.
While they looked for a proper hideout, Kemp sucked in a deep breath. He strolled up a long pathway that led to a lengthy stairway. Kemp slowly climbed the steps and banged his fist on the door.
A tall skinny woman with bright blonde (bleached) hair answered the door. Her brown roots were clustered at the top of her head and her face was spotted with freckles. She looked like the age a mother would be. When she smiled her dimples showed. "Can I help you?" she chirped happily.
"Um, hi, I'm a friend of Dylan's. Is Dylan home?" he asked.
"Sure, hang on, sweet." The woman hurried off for a moment, before she returned with a skinny and tall boy who looked about eleven, with dark hair and freckles.
"Hey, I know you! You're that grade eight guy on the soccer team last year who went to BOCD," he said.
"Um, yeah, are you Dylan's younger brother?" Kemp said.
"No, I'm Dylan. D…Y…L…"
"Yeah, look, I don't need a spelling bee here! Where is Dylan?" Kemp demanded nastily.
Boy Dylan frowned. "You seem a bit slow so I'll say this clearly so that you understand. My…name…is…Dylan…Jenkins!"
"Jenkins?" squeaked Kemp.
"Ehmagawd, what is taking him so long?" Massie pushed a small, poking branch away from her face and it smacked Derrington's cheek.
"Ow!"
"Ouch!"
The sounds of twigs breaking and snapping fractured the still silence. Everyone agreed that hiding in a bush with such sharp thin branches was not the best idea, but it was too late to find another hideout.
Suddenly, sounds of stomping footsteps sounded closer. Massie blew a stand of runaway brown hair away from her face and tore a couple leaves away that obstructed her view. She poked her head through and saw a pair of black and white Pumas treading towards them.
"What are you guys doing?" Kemp was standing over them.
"Kemp! Where did you go?" Massie barked.
"Um… I sort of went to the wrong house," he mumbled, head hung low in shame.
Kristen started cackling and the guys snorted with laughter.
"Shut up!" Kemp hissed at them.
"Get in there!" Massie shouted at him. She shoved him towards girl Dylan's house.
DING-DONG!
Kemp had expected Dylan, or perhaps her mother or a maid to answer the door, but when it swung open and revealed Dempsey, his hair tousled, with a puzzled expression on his face, Kemp's stomach lurched.
"Hello Dumpsey," he said.
"Tell him to talk louder, I can't hear him," Massie commanded. Claire had her hand outstretched, and Kemp's voice was softly throbbing from the small headphone that was resting against her palm.
"Talk louder," Claire whispered into the headphone.
"HELLO DUMPSEY!" Kemp bellowed, and Dempsey flinched and covered his ears.
Dempsey demanded, "It's DEMPSEY. And why are you yelling at me?"
Massie hissed darkly and slapped the dewy grass with her chilly palm, an avalanche of silver Honora, Movado, and Cartier bracelets sped down the exposed tanned arm poking out out of black short sleeved Lanvin hoodie.
"I uh…I uh…I uh…" Kemp stammered, shiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Then, suddenly, he hollered again, "DEMPSEY! MY MAN! It's been too long since we hung out!" Kemp smacked Dempsey on the back a bit too hard.
"We never hang out," Dempsey coughed, desperately trying to retrieve his breath.
"Well we should start!" Kemp exclaimed. "I'll remember, unless I forget."
Dempsey stood in the doorway looking extremely confused.
Frustration writhing within her like a snake about to strike, Massie snatched the earpiece from Claire's hand and held it up to her mouth. "Stop with the chit-chat!" she snarled, "Get Dylan!"
"Is Dylan home?" Kemp asked Dempsey.
"Um…yeah otherwise I wouldn't be here," Dempsey said as if it should have been obvious.
Kemp fake-laughed loudly, "Of course!" he cackled, "You were just popping over for a make-out-session?"
"Why do you care?" Dempsey fixed his giveaway mussed-up hair. "It's none of your business, and Dylan is busy at the moment, as you've figured out."
"Of course it's none of my business! But I just need to deliver a message from Massie."
"What?" screeched Massie. "Kemp you dumb, stupid, moronic idiot! You're not supposed to give it away!"
"I got this," Kemp hissed, and Dempsey crinkled his eyebrows.
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing, I didn't say anything, Demp." Kemp adopted a phony nickname quickly.
"Don't call me Demp," Dempsey said firmly. Then, he turned around and called, "DYLAN! Message from Massie down here?"
"WHAT?" shrieked a voice from upstairs. "Be right down," she called again.
"So should I call you… Dempster?"
"No," Dempsey barked.
"How about Dempsmeister?"
"Never!"
"Oh! This one's good—" Kemp was just about to announce 'Dumpster'l when Dylan walked down the stairs.
Her skin was pale and her eyes were timid. She was wearing a long, grey halter top with a short Chip and Pepper jean skirt with leggings, topped off with a pair of shiny white Michael Kors flats. Her hair was tied up in a simple ponytail, and a couple strands were out of place.
"She looks scared," Kemp whispered.
"Yes!" Massie squealed but a flicker of regret cracked her voice. She cleared her throat and handed the microphone to Claire.
"Dylan, may I say, you're looking absolutely beautiful today," Kemp mentioned.
Dylan smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you Kemp… you know you may the first boy to call me 'beautiful.'"
"Well, I don't lie." Kemp said with his fingers crossed behind his back.
"Excuse me," Dempsey muttered, miffed, "I think we should continue, if you don't mind, please tell us the 'message'." He used air-quotes around 'message'.
"Massie says she's giving up."
Massie coughed. "WHAT! I AM NAWT GIVING UP!"
"She said she can't compare to you, that you're much too rich and much too beautiful and too glamorous and sneaky for her. And I agree," he remarked.
Dylan blushed and tried to hide her pleased yet shocked expression, "Why Kemp, that's wonderful."
"How dare he!" Massie screamed. "How dare he do that!"
"Massie!" Derrington snapped, "He's getting in!"
"Excuse me, Kemp," Dempsey tapped Kemp on the shoulder as he walked inside, escorted by Dylan.
"Oh, Dempsey, is that your bike out there?" Kemp asked.
"Yeah…" Dempsey said.
"The bike! Get the bike!" Massie roared, Aslan-like.
Derrington and Josh burst from the brush and darted across the lawn, hunched over. They grabbed Kemp's dark blue BMX by the handlebars and chucked it into a nearby bush.
"Done," Derrington said triumphantly, brushing off his palms.
"What did you do?" Massie asked.
"We dumped it in a bush. Serves him right," he murmured.
Massie grinned. "Perfect."
"Because I just saw some dude grab it and drive it down the road… thataway!" Kemp pointed down the opposite direction that Derrington had dumped the BMX.
Dempsey whipped his head around and, seeing the empty space where the BMX has been, cursed at the top of his voice and whirled our the door.
"Duck!"
The schemers in the bush threw themselves to the wet ground as Dempsey stomped past. Then, they gathered themselves up again and huddled together. They had prepared for the harsh conditions and were all wearing thick jeans and sneakers that they didn't care about putting in contact with the moist grass.
"So Dylan," Kemp said and closed the door behind him, "You look just ravishing." He shot her a toothy smile.
"Thanks," Dylan smiled awkwardly. Is this the same person that sent me pictures of pigs all week last year?
Kemp drew a breath and moved closer to her. She didn't protest. "I don't mean to be forward, but…"
"Be right back!" Dylan squealed, and scurried away from him. She hurried up the stairs and into the bathroom. "Just, um, sit!" She gestured wildly towards the doorway of the sitting room. "I'll only be five minutes!"
"I'll be waiting!" Kemp called to her. Then he pushed his hair behind his ear and whispered, "Go to the bedroom window. I'll throw you the bag." He hurried up the stairs as silently as he could and crept towards Dylan's bedroom. He could hear her humming from the washroom.
Kemp opened the door quietly and tip-toed across the soft mint green carpet.
"Go! Go!"
The eight teenagers sprinted from the front yard to the side of the mansion. Massie flattened herself against the wall and the others mimicked her.
"Now, we're all going to go one at a time into that bush." She pointed to a huge cluster of leaves beside them.
"It'll make lots of noise, we know because once Claire fell in," Kristen said.
Claire blushed and Cam tousled her hair.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Alicia was hurrying as fast as she could towards them.
"Come awn, Leesh!" Massie moaned, as she shoved Claire into the bush. Claire helped Cam into the shrubbery.
"Ehmagawd!" Alicia squealed. "Dempsey's coming down the street!" she tried her best to speed up, but she tripped and she slammed face-first into the pasture. Alicia flicked up her head and spit out a couple blades of grass.
"Alicia!" Josh broke apart from the group, just as Massie dove into the brush. He darted to where Alicia was desperately trying to stand and forcefully grasped her elbow. Practically dragging her across the grass, he managed to get to the bush unseen. Josh and Alicia sandwiched in between Massie and Claire.
"This is cozy," Massie grumbled, sarcasm swallowing her words.
"Look! It's Kemp!" Derrington stabbed the air with his finger in the direction of Dylan's window. Kemp had pushed it open and was now poking his head out of it, waving his arms around like a bird trying to fly.
Kemp mouthed down to them, "I found it!"
"Toss it down!" Massie outstretched her arms and opened her hands.
"Okay!" Kemp darted back into the room for a moment, then reappeared clutching a white bag. Massie squinted but couldn't quite tell if it was her Fairy bag in such bad lighting. It resembled it, so she curled her fingers and uncurled them quickly, signaling to Kemp to throw it down.
Kemp stole a brief glimpse to the door behind him, and then he outstretched his hands and let the bag drop slip from his fingers and plummet towards his friends below. Massie made a desperate grab for it, and it rebounded from her open palms, straight behind her, into Derrington's arms. He handed it to Massie. She offered him a thank-you grin and examined it for damage. Suddenly her eyes widened and her eyebrows pulled together. "You idiot!" she shrieked.
"What did I do?" Derrington looked offended.
Massie slapped his arm. "Not you! Kemp! This is nawt my Prada fairy bag." She looked up and angrily, but quietly, repeated herself.
Kemp shrugged. "Throw it back! Dylan's almost done!"
Massie positioned herself like a football player, ready to pass. The bag sailed through the air, but her throw wasn't strong enough, and the bag smacked a couple feet below Kemp's reaching hands against the wet wall, then tumbled back down. Kristen squeaked and lurched out to grab it. It landed in her open hands perfectly, and she tried to throw it as well, but Dylan's bedroom window was too high.
Massie grimaced. "This sucks!"
Derrington grabbed the bag and held it with both hands over his head. Then, with a grunt, he tossed it, and it hurled through the air, straight towards Dylan's bedroom window.
"Hey, I think I found your Fairy bag," Kemp said, and disappeared for a moment.
"Kemp!" Massie screeched, but it was in vain.
The bag darted straight in Dylan's bedroom window just as Kemp stood up. In a painful slap, Kemp was on the floor of Dylan's bedroom and holding his nose.
Kristen's hands darted to her mouth. "Ehmagawd!"
Plovert, Josh and Cam exchanged high-fives with Derrington. "Nice toss, man!"
Kemp stood up, still grasping his nose. He placed the old bag back where he found it, on Dylan's vanity table and then got ready to pitch the Fairy bag out the window, when his eyes suddenly bulged and he froze up.
"What?" Massie yelped.
"Dylan! She's opening the door!"
"Throwitdown!"
Kemp dropped it out the window carelessly and bolted off.
"Grab it!" Massie squealed.
The bag plunged earthward, until it's handle snagged on a tree branch and it bounced in the air, dangling just out of their reach.
Massie followed the branch to see a huge oak tree beside them. The bottom of it was concealed by a cluster of vines and leaves, so it was easy for them to overlook it.
Massie cursed and jumped for it, but she could barely skim it's bottom with the tip of her finger.
"Get a stick!" she said to nobody in particular.
Kristen turned around and snapped a twig that was poking into her spine. She handed it to Massie.
Massie grabbed it and waved it above her as if her Prada bag was a delicate piñata. After a couple moments of tapping, the bag slid off the branch. It descended straight for Massie's open arms. She held it close and cuddled it like a baby.
Kristen giggled at her, "Massie, you seriously have an issue with that bag."
"Shut up!" Massie giggle-barked, tenderly tracing her fingers along a black line.
When Dylan strolled down the stairs, her face was covered with an entirely new coating of make-up. She wore light pink, glossy lipstick, icy green eyeshadow—Beyonce style—and her cheeks were dusted with a rosy M.A.C. blush.
Kemp was patiently sitting on the couch, with a smug expression painted on his face. He glanced to the fireplace which sported a mysterious silver glimmer of an object that could just barely be seen by the human eye, then fixed his eyes on Dylan.
"You look like Beyonce," Claire said into her hand.
"You look like Beyonce," Kemp parroted to Dylan.
Dylan flushed an even pinker tone. "Thank you, Kemp; I thought I didn't look too shabby myself."
"Take a seat," he offered and patted the red cushion beside him. He sat up straight and rolled his shoulders back. Josh has said that good posture was very important.
After the panic in the bush outside, Massie, Claire, Kristen, Alicia, Derrington, Josh, Plover and Cam all sprinted (Alicia jogged as best she could) back to their first post.
Claire tapped her ear. "Can you hear me?"
"Too much," Kemp murmured.
"Did you say something?" Dylan asked him.
"No."
"You can't hear me?" Claire asked him.
"Yes, I can hear you!" he snapped, forgetting to whisper.
"Of course you can hear me." Dylan wrinkled her eyebrows. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Fine, thanks, Dylan," Kemp said shooting her a very forced seductive smile.
"Give me that," Massie said, and spoke into the headphone, "Kiss her! Flirt! Flatter! Make! Her! Cheat!"
"Dylan, you…uh…" Kemp stammered. His ears flared red. "Do I have to?" he whispered so quietly Dylan couldn't hear.
"Yes!" snarled Massie.
Kristen giggled as the image on Chris's laptop whirled to a close up of Dylan's face, which was looking confused.
Kemp sighed inwardly then scuttled closer to where Dylan sat, facing him. He turned around at the couch and toward the window. "Wow, look at that!" He jabbed a finger into the gray sky. Dylan turned her body and Kemp angled his head so that all the spy camera could see would be the back of their heads. It was crucial that Dempsey realize, or thought that Dylan and started it all.
He placed his mouth right where Dylan's hot lips would be when she turned around, which she did after a moment of scanning the skies.
"I don't see—"
Her sentence was cut off by Kemp's mouth. Dylan tried to yank back, embarassed, but she found herself melting into Kemp. She placed an arm on his shoulder.
Kemp felt his insides churn. All that was going through his mind was, You owe me big, Massie Block!
The split screen on Plovert's laptop showed Dylan's forehead with a random red curl and a well detailed video of Kemp's first kiss.
Claire groaned, "He wasn't supposed to do that so early!"
"Whatevs." Massie waved her hand distractedly, still cuddling her bag to her chest.
In a few moments he broke away. "Look at the time, I think my mom will want me home!" he stood up, but Dylan grabbed his hand and pulled him back onto the couch.
"Stay," she said to him.
"I'd rather not." Kemp's voice was squeaky.
"Why not?" Dylan pouted.
"Because…I…can't…" Kemp stuttered. "I can't…"
"Don't back out!" Massie yelled into the microphone.
"I can't…control myself around you, Dylan! You're just too…" he looked like he'd just sucked on a lemon, "…sassy!"
Plovert, Josh, Cam and Derrington had dropped into the grass laughing hysterically.
"Why Kemp, I'm so flattered," Dylan breathed, looking very unlike herself.
"Yes, and now I have to go, fast, because if I see you any more I won't be able to control…um, myself."
"Well, I won't stop you."
"Good." Kemp turned to open the door, when Dylan screamed, "Ehmagawd! Mom's home!"
"Your mom?"
"Yes! And if she sees me with a boy she's gonna freak out." Dylan frantically looked around. "You'll have to go out the back door. Down the hallway, second door to the left."
"Um, good-bye, then, Dylan…I'll just…" Kemp turned to look at the fireplace. He needed his camera back.
"Stop hesitating!"
"DYLAN! WHAT'S THAT!" Kemp gasped, and pointed out the window.
"What?" Dylan shrieked, and turned her gaze.
Kemp snatched the camera from the fireplace and dug it into his pocket.
"Nothing," he said quickly. "Sorry, I thought it was er, a bear. Out there. Yeah."
"Well, go!" Dylan yelled at him.
"Bye babe?" It came out more like a question than a comment. Kemp darted down the hallway before she could respond.
"He did it! He did it!" Massie giggle-screamed, and all the teenagers stood up and exchanged a well-deserved round of high-fives.
"Back to my place for victory pizza and drinks!" Massie declared.
"Massie?" Merri-Lee Marvil's voice surprised her from behind. Massie jumped and whirled around.
"Kristen? Claire? Alicia? What are you doing here? Come to see Dylan?"
"NO!" Massie yelled. "We were just walking past and admiring your rose bushes."
"Thanks, but they're tulips." Merri-Lee locked the door to her silver sportscar.
"Isn't that what I said?" Massie asked innocently.
"I'm—" Merri-Lee started to say, her expression looked confused to fine a group of teenagers lounging in the bushes, but Massie waved and said, "Well, we've got to be off!"
Kemp had joined their group discreetly, and nobody had noticed.
They started off casually down the road, and when they heard the door to Dylan's house slam, they all broke into victory high-fives and shrieks.
BLOCK ESTATE
5:30 P.M.
MASSIE'S ROOM
"Thanks to Kemp, for being so brave, and to Claire, for coaching him, Kristen and Plovert, for doing all that boor-ing technical stuff, and to everyone else, for pitching in!" Massie raised her tall crystal glass, filled with delicious strawberry smoothie. As she drew it away she left a small mark of her Cotton Candy flavored Glossip Girl.
Everyone else lifted their identical drinks and clinked them together, then drank.
"And," Derrington stood up, "Good luck to all of us on our wonderful trip!"
"Hopefully my parents have decided to let me go," Kristen murmured.
Claire wrapped her arm around Kristen.
"Now, let's watch this movie and relax, knowing we're victorious." Massie popped the newest Get Smart (it wasn't released yet, but Massie had her connections) into the DVD player and snuggled up beside Derrington, who wrapped his arm around her and slid her closer to him.
As the movie's opening credits rolled in, Massie's eyes drifted to her beside table. Her Prada Fairy bag was perched beside her pillow in it's true glory with only a few tiny stains. She smiled to herself and placed her head on Derrington's shoulder. This moment seemed so perfect, she thought that nothing could ruin the last two weeks of this summer vacation.
How wrong she was.
CURRENT STATE OF THE UNION
IN
Sneaking
Strawberry Smoothies
Roses
Makeout
OUT
Sobbing
Lemonade
Tulips
Blackout