RIVERA MANSION
ALICIA'S ROOM
9:09 AM
DECMEBER 2, 2012

"Guess we know who's going to your mom's party," Alicia commented to Dylan with a giggle.

The girls were grouped in a cluster on the floor, chatting about modeling with Pop 'n' Lolly.

"Guys!" Claire shouted. "Seriously." The others turned to look at her. "We need to figure out how we're going to be in Beverly Hills by noon tomorrow. Any ideas?"

Kristen swallowed. "Leesh, will your parents say yes?"

"Probably," she replied with an uncaring shrug.

"Then why don't you ask first? If we have your approval behind us, we'll have more substance to back our arguments," she suggested.

"That's a good point," Claire agreed. "Go ask."

Alicia disappeared into her parents' room. "Mom said yes!" she rejoiced ten minutes later. "But not to, like, moving there or anything. She said she'd get me a tutor until seventh grade starts. And we have to be back by then. Cuz of, well, you know."

"Dyl, you next?" Claire offered.

Dylan picked up her iPhone and dialed Merri-Lee.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Have you heard of Pop 'n' Lolly? The models?"

"Honey, I'm not from the Middle Ages," she laugh-snapped. "Of course I have. Actually... the Daily Grind producers are considering... listen, there's no other way to say this. We're moving to L.A. I was going to tell you when you came home this afternoon."

"Are you- are you serious?" she exclaimed.

"Of course," Merri-Lee answered. "We leave tomorrow."

RIVERA MANSION
ALICIA'S ROOM
9:16 AM
DECEMBER 2, 2012

"Let's be real," Claire said sadly as soon as Dylan relayed the news. "Your parents give you everything. Your whole world is a perfect coincidence. We're actually middle-class-"

"What?" Dylan demanded, shooting the blonde a look.

"Never mind."

"That's nawt the point," Kristen snapped, her blue eyes flashing turquoise. "You guys can just pick up from Westchester and move halfway across the country to Los Angeles on a total whim. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, really," Claire added. "In our world, that doesn't happen. It just doesn't work that way."

"I'm moving to L.A. and leaving the place where I grew up!" Dylan yelled. "Do you think I'm happy about it?"

"Are you kidding me?" Kristen shouted back. "Of course you're happy. Stawp being a bitch about it. You're just making everything worse."

"I am nawt a bitch!" she exclaimed. "I just happen to have a famous mother. How does that make me a bitch?" She glanced at Kristen and Claire innocently.

"You're not fooling us," replied Kristen.

"That's because I'm not lying," smirked Dylan evilly.

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Alicia broke in, trying to be a good Alpha. "The real issue is deciding what we're going to do about modeling with Pop 'n' Lolly. Does anyone have any good, realistic ideas?"

Dylan shrugged obnoxiously and started to text someone, her thumbs flying over the tiny letters. Kristen folded her arms and stared back at Alicia. And Claire actually looked thoughtful, but obviously didn't have a clue what to do.

"Fine," Alicia sighed in defeat. "Guess Dylan and I will be the only ones joining them. Sorry, you two."

"No!" Claire cried. "There has to be something we can do."

Kristen managed to encorporate both Alicia and Dylan in her angry glare. "Massie would have a solution by now." With that, she spun around and left the room. And to everyone's surprise, Claire, who always tried her hardest never to get involved, followed her.

BLOCK ESTATE
MASSIE'S ROOM
10:00 AM
DECEMBER 2, 2012

If there was one thing Massie had learned from Ahnna Pincher, it was to always play hard-to-get. Not so much with boys as friends. So when Kristen and Claire texted her simultaneously, she was prepared.

CLAIREBEAR: Mass?
SEXYSPORTSBABE: Massie, u there?
MASSIEKUR: i'm doing sumthing.
CLAIREBEAR: We know ur mad.
MASSIEKUR: No shit, Sherlock.
SEXYSPORTSBABE: We need ur help. Now.
MASSIEKUR: Who says i'll give it?
CLAIREBEAR: Oh, u will. Or i'll spread it around skl that Pop 'n' Lolly asked every1 in the Pretty Commitee to model except u.

Massie wasn't being fooled that easily.

MASSIEKUR: And guess what they'll say?
SEXYSPORTSBABE: And once again, Massie Block knows it all.
MASSIEKUR: i'm sorry; i waz under the impression that u wanted my help.
CLAIREBEAR: Just tell us.
MASSIEKUR: They'll go, "So y rn't u in Beverly Hills if ur supposedly doing a photo shoot w/ them?" Sum of the kids at OCD might be majorly fashion challenged, but they're nawt idiots.
SEXYSPORTSBABE: R u calling Kuh-laire an idiot?
MASSIEKUR: Look, if u want my help, i'll give it 2 u. There's no point in wasting my energy arguing if i'm going 2 win neway.
CLAIREBEAR: Gr8. We need two tickets to L.A., and we hav 2 b there Monday at noon. Good luck.
MASSIEKUR: Come over 2 my house.
CLAIREBEAR: B there in two.

BLOCK ESTATE
MASSIE'S ROOM
10:15 AM
DECEMBER 2, 2012

"So what's going on?" Massie repeated, although she hated to admit she didn't understand something.

Claire reiterated the information for the fourth time, even though she didn't think it was all that complicated.

"Oh," Massie drew out when she finished. "Gotcha. I have an idea, but here's the deal. I get you a one-way ticket to L.A., and you find a way to get me on that stage with Pop 'n' Lolly."

"Deal," Kristen replied automatically. Only last New Year's, as she sat with her cousin on a crummy, rotting couch watching Merri-Lee's New Year's Yves party as it was broadcasted live on television, had she promised herself that she would try to live life in the fast lane. And here was a perfect opportunity sitting right in front of her.

"Okay." Massie leaned in and whispered, "So..."

RIVERA MANSION
ALICIA'S ROOM
10:23 AM
DECEMBER 2, 2012

"I'll miss them," Dylan commented quietly as Alicia painted the nails on her right hand.

'No weakness! No weakness!' Alicia chanted her mantra in her head as she looked up at her friend, setting the bottle of polish on the floor next to her. "They're the ones who left," she pointed out. "If they had actually managed to be civil and stay here like normal friends, we would have figured something out by now."

"Really?" Dylan asked semi-incredulously. "Cuz I kind of thought we'd hit a dead end."

Alicia dropped her brave facade. "How much you wanna bet all three of them are on a plane to California right now?"

"$100," Dylan replied glumly, sorting through her makeup kit.

"Maybe we should go over there and see if Kristen and Kuh-laire are still with her. Maybe if we act uber-sweet..." she trailed off. No weakness! Did she or did she not want to be Alpha?

"Why should we suck up to her? We're going to Beverly Hills. They're the ones who're stuck here."

"If you say so," Alicia answered with a shrug. "But don't you think it'll be more fun with everyone? Except maybe Kuh-laire." 'And Massie,' she added silently. Then she smirked. "You know what? I think you're right. We'll go, just us, and have the best goddamn time of our lives." With that, she folded her arms, leaned against her friend's bookcase, and sent all her favorite paperbacks tumbling to the ground.

Just a small sign of how successful their friendship will be.