Massie sat on her cashmere-covered bed, eyes shut. There was soft music playing in the background, her legs were crossed, and it was perfectly-
BAM, BAM, BAM!
-noisy. She opened her eyes and stretched out her legs. Yawning lazily, she turned to glare at the four construction workers who were trying to join her room to the other girls'.
"Could you guys come back after yoga hour?" she asked, eyes narrowed angrily. She shut off the music.
"And when is that?" one of the workers snapped at her.
"At five o'clock. And if you do not finish this in a week, consider yourselves fired." Massie glared harder, cranking up her iPod.
"I'm Ms. Bad Media Karma,
another day, another drama.
Guess I can't see the harm
in workin' and being a mama.
And with a kid on my arm
I'm still an exception.
You want a piece of me?
I'm Mrs. You-Want-a-Piece-of-Me.
Tryin' to piss me off?
Well, get in line with the paparazzi.
Yeah, they're flippin' me off
hopin' I'll do some havoc
and upsetting in court.
Now, are you sure you want a piece of me?"
They rolled their eyes at her, and she turned it even louder.
"I'm Mrs. Lifestyles-of-the-Rich-and-Famous
You want a piece of me?
Mrs. Oh-My-God-that-Britney-is-Shameless
You want a piece of me?
I'm Mrs. She's-Too-Big-now-She's-Too-Thin.
You want a piece of me?"
Massie smirked as they walked back over to the other girls' side of the room. In the context of the day, this minor victory was a huge one.
Girls had whispered "Fixed" at her back, Allie-Rose had informed her that Noelle had the same Marc By Marc Jacobs leather heels that Massie was wearing but in a better color, her hair was flying wildly, Derrington wouldn't even look at her, and she'd stepped in gum on her way over to Salir. Her brand-new heels were covered in gum that was far worse than the Nina Incident.
She sighed and speed-dialed the girls. "We need a sorority meeting. Tonight. I'm sending out the email, and you're on your way."
"Uh, Mass? It's the middle of seventh period. Where are you?" Alicia whispered.
"The dorm. It was an emergency. I was not born to run the mile, I'm sorry," Massie said. "Now, come."
"Fine," Kristen sighed. "You're paying my tuition if I get in trouble and loose my scholarship."
"Kay," Massie said, and sighed impatiently. "Done…"
"Done," Dylan said.
"Done," Kristen agreed.
"Done," Claire mumbled.
"And done," Alicia finished. "What's my excuse? I already used toothache. And barfing-"
"EW! Leesh, don't tell if I didn't ask." Massie rolled her eyes.
"Point. But what's my excuse?"
"Bad sushi," they all said at once.
"Food poisoning," Massie decided.
"Stomach ache," Claire added.
"Fever," Dylan piped up.
"All of the above," Kristen intoned, before she hung up.
"See you soon," Claire promised before hanging up.
"Bye," Dylan said.
"Laytah," Alicia mumbled. Just before the line died, Massie heard her friend moan. "Teacher, my stomach hurts. I think it was the sushi last night…"
Massie laughed quietly. Alicia was the best actress in the eighth grade. Claire could mould her teachers like putty. Dylan could gross her way out of class. Kristen could debate out. And Massie could just skip.
TPC was still in control.
000000
"What's the emergency?" Alicia asked, eyes wide as she burst in to the room. She crinkled her nose. "Ew, sweaty dudes!"
Massie laughed. "They're joining our rooms. Be nice."
Claire rolled her eyes. "That's a word in your vocabulary? Nice?"
"Yes. We just use it very sparingly," Massie said, smirking.
Claire rolled her eyes.
"What's the big rush?" Kristen growled. "I'm risking my scholarship here!"
"I have big news," Massie gushed. She explained to them about how the other girls seemed to be taking over the school with their lies. "…And to top it all of, Allie-Rose Singer said Noelle's shoes are better than mine!"
"No," Claire gasped, in mock-horror. "Not the shoes!"
Massie lifted her face from her hands and glowered. She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by some LBR the loudspeaker.
"Um, would all eighth grade students please report to the Auditorium? There is an important announcement from the Principals. Thank you."
"Well? Let's go!" Massie stood up, suddenly recovered, and slid on a new pair of Juicy Couture pink leather kitten heels she'd been saving for next week's sorority meeting. Going to this is last season's heels would be social suicide, after all.
000000
Massie and TPC slid into the center box on the highest level and beamed down at the others below her.
"It's so archaic how they separate us," Alicia said, looking down at the guys' section wistfully.
"You mean girls from guys?" Dylan asked.
"Yeah. I mean, what are we going to do? Do it while they're announcing the lunch special?" Alicia rolled her eyes.
"Well, you might," Kristen teased, smirking.
Alicia rolled hey eyes, but before she could respond, Principal Burns tapped on the microphone and asked, "Can I have your attention, please?"
"Awwww, awwwww," someone shouted from the audience.
The girls giggled, and the guys half-laughed, although it was clear they didn't get it.
"I am pleased to announce that OCD and Briarwood will now be taking their trip to LA this month. The entire eighth grade class is invited, boys and girls. We will be touring LA, San Francisco, and various missions that are near those cities." Principal Burns' small, beady eyes glittered with pride. "It will be a beautiful trip. So rich in history, in class!"
By that point, nobody was listening to her any more. LA! San Francisco! Wow. LA had celebrities, clubs, shopping, and everything else you could want or need. San Francisco had shopping, delicious food, and delicious guys. Massie was already debating which of her Juicy strapless dresses looked better on her and whether or not her Chloe chiffon wrap dress would crinkle in her suitcase.
Slyly, TPC exchanged glances. They all stood slowly and slipped off to their rooms. TPC had a new mission.
000000
Massie stood up from her spot on the edge of the bed. "Dylan, that dress isn't good for California weather. You know that! Cali is all sunshine and heat, and long sleeves in the middle of the summer is basically signing your death wish."
Dylan threw her Diane von Furstenberg dress into the ever-expanding pile of rejected clothes. "Done."
Massie smiled. "My turn," she announced, and heaved her six empty Juicy Couture canvas puppy-print duffle bags onto her bed. "Ta-da!"
She unzipped the first one and walked over to her closet, throwing it open. She pulled out a pair of brown Coach tennis shoes. "Yes?"
They nodded.
"Definitely," Claire called down from their perch on the top bunk.
Dylan climbed up and looked down. "Agreed."
"Okay, how about these?" Massie whipped out a pair of black Chloe stiletto slouchy leather ankle boots.
"Trés chic! Excellent for clubs," Alicia piped up.
Massie stuck them into a shoebox and put the whole thing into her bag. "These are delicate."
So it went with a pair of silver ballet flats (approved), a pair of four-inch spike heels in black (rejected), a pair of Lacoste flip flops in blue but striped with white (approved), and countless pairs of Louis heels and Coach flats (mostly approved).
Then she pulled out her newest dress. It had a Greek Goddess feeling to it, with its blue silk and the blue chiffon layered over it. The straps were braided chiffon, it had an empire waist, and it fell to around her knees. Made by Chanel, it was one of her favorites.
"Whoa," Claire breathed. "That's gorgeous."
It was agreed unanimously that the dress was to be taken with them, but it was to be open for all of them to wear. Although Massie was somewhat against this, she realized it wouldn't look as good on her friends as it would her, so she agreed.
She went through all ten pairs of Juicy sweats (jackets approved, pants denied), her entire PJ drawer, her jeans, her shirts, her skirts, and every single dress that was worthy of even thinking about.
"Now BEAN!" Alicia cheered, laughing. She hopped down and walked over to paw through the dog's various cashmere sweaters and Ugg booties. "Ah-dorable!" Alicia gasped, holding up a black cashmere sweater with pink and blue argyle.
When Massie was done typing up their list, it looked something like this:
-six pairs of cute, matching PJ's (top and bottom)
-twelve t-shirts (must be cute) (Kuh-laire if you throw in a turtle neck we will kill you and burn the sweater. I swear.)
-thirteen tank tops, for layering
-nine pairs of knee-high socks
-ten pairs of ankle socks
-eight purses, all high-end couture
-twelve skirts
-nine pairs of normal jeans
-three pairs of skinny jeans
-4 bottles of nail polish
-nail files
-signature perfume
-cell phones/ chargers
-all portable sized electronics (Palm Pilot, phones, alarm clocks, iPods and speakers, and all chargers)
-limitless shoes (1 entire suitcase per girl)
-jewelry (one necklace per day, with a matching bracelet ) (optional, and we share all jewelry aside from my bracelet)
And for Bean, packed away in a Juicy minitrunk that looked like a doll's wardrobe, there was:
-seven cashmere sweaters
-six cotton Chanel t-shirts
-pink ruffle bikini (also blue and yellow ones)
-puppy Uggs in beige, caramel, and black
-Tiffany & Co bracelet (used as a collar) (Engraved with "BEAN" and, under that, "Massie Block 555-9586" in script)
-alternate collar: black suede with Swavorski crystals in groups meant to look like tiny paws
-various toys & treats
"So, girls, do you know what happens next?" Massie grinned at her friends.
"Call the boys?" Alicia asked.
"Um, hello? Boy-fast here, remember?" Massie crossed her arms.
"Um, plotting?" Kristen tried. That was usually the answer to everything.
"Nope," Massie's grin became devilish.
"Uh, sorority meeting?" Claire offered.
Massie's jaw dropped. "Ehmagawd! Kuh-laire beat you guys to it!"
"What? That's it?" Dylan screeched. "She got it before we did?"
Massie clapped. "Good girl, Claire. You're learning."
Claire bowed, laughing so hard she nearly fell over.
"Now that we have established that Kuh-laire is not in Orlando anymore, can we move on? I wanna know what we're calling the meeting for!" Kristen jumped down and crossed her arms. Claire slipped one leg over the edge of the bunk bed until her foot found its way to one of the beams holding up the upper bed. She tucked her foot in it and half-fell out of the bed. Dylan went down the ladder and came to stand in the circle.
"Well." Massie paused and leaned in, like this was confidential gossip. "I think I'll text it to you guys. Alicia, you're up first."
Massie pressed some buttons on her iPhone's screen and waited. "There," she said. "You got it?"
Alicia shook her head.
Massie groaned and hit "Send" once more. "Now?"
"No."
"Oh, I give up!" Massie leaned out of the huddle and went to sit on her bed. The others followed, naturally. "I was thinking… what if Salir organized its own party? We can get our own big suite and have it all decked out for the party, and we can play music and order room service and all that stuff. It would be so fun!"
"Ehmagawd!" Alicia gasped.
"That's so cool!" Kristen enthused, smiling.
"Sounds like fun," Dylan piped up.
"Guys? What if we get caught?" Claire bit her already-nibbled nails and looked at them.
"Puh-lease! We never get caught," Massie snapped.
"Lake Placid? Expulsions? Is that not being caught?" Claire reminded them.
"No," Massie said with a toothy grin. "That's Mr. Myner being a butthead. And since he got fired for traumatizing a student"-Massie paused to grin at Dylan quickly-"he's not gonna be there."
Claire sighed. "Fine."
And so, they sent out the invitations to their second sorority meeting, perfectly and blissfully aware that a certain undesirable was running around, whispering what she had just seen on her tiny, glowing cell phone screen.