"Autumn! What's going on here?" Julian asked as we entered Hearst High.

"It's a total disaster. All this time Payton was helping us out, she totally forgot she was supposed to be throwing a party for Mia!" Autumn gasped, spit frothing at the corners of her mouth as she blabbered on.

"Who's Mia?" I interrupted Autumn before she could go on any further.

"Max's little sister," Autumn replied.

"What happened?"

Autumn's eyes darkened. "…come see for yourself."

Autumn led us to a hallway... where Payton was cornered by Kara and a thin girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, whom I assumed to be Mia.

"You promised you'd bring snacks and decorations to my party, and then you pulled a total no-show!" Mia glared at Payton, her hands on her hips.

"I'm so so so sorry... I was helping Autumn and her new friend..." Payton trembled. Her eyes were downcast, and a frown marred her normally sunny demeanor.

"What?! You were over at that new school?!" Mia gasped.

"That's just insulting, Payton." Kara glared. "We're not going to forget this. We're going to make your life miserable!" Her lips quirked up into a cruel smile. "No one's going to come to your parties. No one's going to talk to you at lunch. You're going to be a total social outcast!"

"I... I…" Payton quavered.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Cake-Up and Barbie Junior in their natural habitat." I strode up to them, my Giuseppe Zanotti heels click-clacking behind me. "Leave her alone. Can't you see she feels bad enough about it?"

"Who asked you, dork?" Kara snapped.

I opened my Guerlain compact and practically shoved it in Kara's face. "Please. Don't even talk to me or touch an eyeliner pencil until I can differentiate between a raccoon's face and your eyes." I snapped it shut. "Come on, Payton. You don't need to take this. Let's go back to my school."

Back at school, Payton, Julian, and I reconvened at the latte shop I had bought for the preps. Autumn, much to my chagrin, had tagged along yet again.

"I really messed up this time. Kara meant what she said. She's going to make my life at Hearst High miserable!" Payton exclaimed.

"And unfortunately, Kara has enough influence over everyone to actually pull it off." Autumn added, sucking on her latte straw noisily. I mentally cringed at the annoying sound she made.

"Hey, why don't you get out of there? Come transfer to my school!" I suggested, gesturing at the wide expanse of the prep hangout as if to say this could all be yours.

"You still want me at your school? But... I'm not popular anymore." Payton frowned.

"This is a place where everyone is welcome. You don't need to be popular to fit in here!" I replied, quoting straight from the interview I gave to the press, complete with a camera-ready beatific smile. Of course, I didn't give a shit about Hearst's popularity standards, because the people setting them were obviously lower than me. Only my standards mattered. And everyone was welcome… except for losers like Autumn.

"Really? You mean it?" Payton responded.

"Absolutely! Come join our school!"

"Aww, you're so sweet! I'll start enrolling right now!" And with that, we left to the Admissions Office. I could just tell she would be one of my best friends...