Italic section=flashback

To the reviewer that asked if Monica is a villain now: the short answer is that it's complicated. It really depends on the character POVs. To characters like Massie or Alicia, yes she can be perceived as the villain.

Chapter 3

"Dishonesty, lack of integrity catches up with you."- Dawn Steel

BOP

Calloway Auditorium, Bathroom

Monday, September 2nd

9:45 A.M.

"Someone better tell me what's going on, now," Massie demanded as she shoved the bathroom door open, the PC hot on her heels. They were all immediately met with puffy white clouds of sweet-smelling smoke.

A girl in a Vince cami and ripped jeans was sitting on the sink with a Juul at her lips. "Get out!" Massie snapped, pointing to the door.

"Who do you think you are?" The blonde girl snapped, blowing her vapor in Massie's face.

Massie quickly snatched the tiny vape from the girl's hand and walked over to one of the open stalls. She let it slip between her fingers, landing in the dirty water below. "Your worst nightmare."

Massie flushed as the girl cried out in horror. "My Juul!"

"Out, now!" Massie insisted again, this time the girl listened and hurried out the door as fast as she could. "Someone start talking before I start flushing heads!"

Alicia eyed the rest of the Pretty Committee before stepping forward, her head held high. "We know that we lied to you, deceived you for a year, but it was something that we thought we had to do."

"What?" Massie snapped. "Why?"

Did they really think so little of her? Did they think she was so controlling that she'd dump them just because they weren't alphas?

"That vow." Alicia reminded her of that time in the Hamptons. "You had made us all promise to take over our schools, to stay on top."

Massie remembered that night very well. It had been one of her last nights in the States before she had to go back to England for another year at KISS.

"Once we heard that your plan worked, we felt as if we couldn't tell you or else we'd let you down," Claire said, playing with her cuticles, not daring to look her in the eyes. "You said that there's only one place the PC should be, on top."

East Hampton, NY

The Marvil Hampton House

Friday, August 17th

11:09 P.M.

The serene sounds of waves crashing onshore and the salty scent of the sea were enough to put anyone at ease, but it was even better when it was on Merri-Lee Marvil's oceanfront compound.

"This is the life," Dylan said, her feet propped up on the side of the fire pit and a freshly toasted marshmallow on its way to her mouth.

"I never want school to start." Claire spread out on her lounge chair.

"Same." Alicia agreed from the hot tub in the cabana. Merri-Lee had spared no expense when she had acquired the property, hiring the best interior designers and landscapers on the East Coast. It was where the Marvil family went to relax away from the cameras of their reality tv show.

"Mass, you're lucky you don't have to be back until September."

Massie's school year was different from her friends' schedule now. The adjustment had been a little weird at first, going from a typical American school year to a British one with three terms. The hardest adjustment was that the third term didn't end until late June, so while the PC had been gallivanting across the globe, (Alicia in Spain, Dylan in Australia, Claire in Florida, and Kristen in Canada) Massie had been stuck inside the stuffy halls of KISS for an extra month. She'd hardly call it lucky that her summer break had started a month later and resumed only a week after her friends did.

And Massie wasn't in a rush to return to London any time soon. She was desperate to see James, the adorably charming Brit she had fallen for before she had even touched English soil, but a girl with long luscious dark hair made her want to plant her feet in the sand and stay in the Hamptons forever.

But Massie Block wasn't the type of person to cravenly run away, she faced her fears with cold hard calculated plans… And that was exactly what she was going to do with Zara Everly, the alpha of KISS.

Massie brought her Chanel lip crayon to her lips and applied a fresh coat of the long-lasting lipstick, smoothed her hair, and pulled the little piece of notebook paper from the pocket of her Derek Lam shorts before standing above the fire.

The Pretty Committee rushed from their various positions around the cabana to the fire pit, sitting down in the sand like kids excited for a creepy ghost story. Massie smirked at their undying obedience to her before she gently cleared her throat to begin.

"Now that we will be starting a new school year soon, that means it's time for a new Pretty Committee." Massie read the first line but had to stop when Alicia's hand had shot up into the air. "Yes?"

"Does that mean we're starting another boy fast?" Her brown eyes were alight with panic, the disgusting pink Yankees hat Josh had given her still on her head.

"No, of course, nawt!" Massie rolled her eyes. The boy fast had occurred after the entire PC had been cruelly dumped and tossed aside at Skye Hamilton's party. Now, Massie could admit that it had been an obvious mistake from the start. The outcome had been inevitable because not even Massie, powerful as she was, couldn't stop young love.

Things were different now. They were all in good relationships, Claire with Cam (duh), Alicia with Josh, Dylan with Derrick, Kristen with Dempsey, and Massie with the ultimate British Hottie, James Willmott.

They knew just how much she was into James. The PC knew the whole story from the beginning, how they met on the plane, how James had graciously shown her around KISS and introduced her to his group of friends that had quickly taken her in as one of their own, how much she had longed to be more than just friends with him… and how quickly they became more than that.

"Thank Gawd." Alicia took off her beloved hat and ran her hands through her thick shiny dark locks to give her scalp some oxygen.

"As I was saying, now that four out of five Pretty Committee members are entering a new phase of their education, it is time we say goodbye once and for all." The PC looked at one another, confused for a moment before she continued. "Tonight, we are holding a funeral for our middle school selves, before we rise from the ashes born anew for this next big step in our lives. But first, we'll hold remembrances, sharing the good, the bad, and of course the glamorous."

The PC whispered excitedly amongst themselves now. Massie went first, recalling the formation of the Pretty Committee and the tale of their newest edition from Florida. She even mentioned her past mistakes like the boyfast, the formation of the doomed cheer squad, and countless others. She let it all out, and the words pouring out into the fire seemed to set her free.

When she was done, she had felt lighter than ever. The PC golf clapped before Alicia went next. They laughed together, even cried together as each girl told her their stories and shared memories, good and bad (and especially some of the ugly).

Then, once Claire had gone, giving a tear-jerking performance of her arrival in Westchester and Massie's heartbreaking departure for the U.K., Massie stood once more, no longer needing her paper to recite the next lines. "Now that we've embraced the change, and said farewell to our former selves, it's time for the Pretty Committee to arise anew…" She motioned for them all to stand and they quickly sprung up. "The New New Pretty Committee is wiser, matured, and unyielding. There is only one place for us, and that is at the top. We bow to no one, we are the alphas of Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School and Briarwood-Octavian Prep."

The girls let out excited cries, Massie knew how eager they were to finally start high school. Something was electrifying about it, maybe it was because it was an American rite of passage. Getting your license and experiencing freedom for the first time, the competitive extra-curriculars, going to prom, listening to a cheesy yet moving speech by the valedictorian at graduation. For a moment, she wished with all her being that she could be there with them when they first walked through the doors of BOP. She wouldn't get to experience any of those things with them.

She would be at KISS, forging herself a new path, and that thought sent an excited shiver down her spine. As much as she wished for Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, and Claire to be at her side, she knew they couldn't be. Massie's BBFs (British Best Friends), Anwen, Layla, and Poppy could never replace the PC, but they would be at her side once Massie shoved Zara aside and took her rightful spot as alpha of KISS.

"Do you, members of the Pretty Committee, promise to continue the sacred bonds you share with your fellow sisters?"

"I promise!" Each one yelled and Massie followed with the same vow before reaching down to the giant brown leather Valentino tote she had dragged down from the main house. Inside, were five robin's egg blue boxes with white bows. Massie had picked them up from the Tiffany & Co. store on Bond Street just a few hours before her flight to the States. They had been finished just in time.

When each girl had the corresponding box, Massie plucked the white bow off of hers, signaling the rest to follow. Below the lid, was a customized charm bracelet for each girl. Each one held the initials of each PC member, along with a few personal charms. Claire's had a lion and a palm tree for her Florida roots. Dylan's was a diamond-covered four-leaf clover and an elephant (her favorite animal). Kristen's was a silver soccer ball and a cat for her beloved feline, Beckham. Alicia's was a little silver plane for her love of traveling, a small handbag signaling her addiction to shopping, and a plane sterling silver crown signifying her new status as alpha of the PC (at least in her absence). Massie's charms were of Big Ben, a New York license plate, and a crown, only hers was encrusted with diamonds so Alicia would remember who was actually in charge.

"Now, before you put these on, there's one last thing you all must promise." Each girl halted to a stop, their hands hovering just above the bracelets.

"Do you solemnly swear to keep the Pretty Committee where it belongs, at the top?"

BOP

Calloway Auditorium, Bathroom

Monday, September 2nd

9:47 A.M.

Alicia could see the memory flash in Massie's wide eyes. They had all vividly remembered that night, they had all been so confident and naïve about high school back then. And from the way Massie was biting her lip, she too knew that it had been a mistake.

"You're right." Massie finally sighed. Alicia thought that she was going to have to grip Claire to prevent herself from falling on the floor. She wasn't sure if she had ever heard Massie utter those words. "I did make you guys promise that, and I shouldn't have."

"So, you're not mad?" Dylan asked while Claire and Kristen tried to close their O-shaped mouths.

"Oh no, I'm not mad," Massie said calmly, checking her reflection in the mirror before slowly turning to them. "I'm fucking furious."

Claire audibly gulped and Alicia straightened her back in preparation for a standoff.

"But not because you weren't alphas, but because you guys lied to me!" Massie screeched. "For an entire year, you lead me to believe a complete lie!"

"We never thought you'd find out!" Alicia finally snapped back. "It was supposed to be a harmless white lie!"

"Harmless?" Massie scoffed, her amber eyes starting to glow with rage. "So honesty means nothing to any of you?"

"No, we just thought that you would be disappointed with us and move on with your BBFs!" Alicia stood her ground, telling their side of the story. She wasn't going to let Massie guilt them into submissiveness once again.

Massie took her time glaring at each one of them. "Did you notice I never called my British Best Friends my Best Friends?" She turned on her heel and headed for the door, gripping the handle and adding, "Because you were my best friends!" before she walked out into the hall, leaving them in the bathroom with the smell of shit.

"Great, now what?" Kristen groaned as the door slammed shut.

"She'll get over it by lunch." Alicia dismissed with a wave of her manicured hand. "Does anyone have next period with her?"

"No, I have history," Claire mumbled.

"Chemistry." Kristen looked more than a little relieved.

"Spanish," Dylan said.

"Okay, good." Alicia let out a deep, calming breath. She had American literature next and knew that Massie's was physics. "Class should make her chill out and focus on something other than us for a bit."

"Are you sure about that?" Claire rolled her blue eyes. "Just like you were so sure that she wouldn't be mad?"

"I never said she wouldn't be mad, I said she couldn't ditch us!" She snapped at her beta. Obviously, they had to deal with Massie's wrath, but it was only temporary. Once she went to class and walked around campus Alicia was sure that Massie would come crawling back. "Everyone should just go to class and we'll see how she's handling it next period."

The girls filed out of the bathroom just as everyone was leaving the auditorium. As the large crowd pushed for the doors leading outside, three familiar faces walked down the steps towards them.

"Hey!" Cam greeted Claire, throwing his arm around her shoulder. "So that was Massie we saw?"

"Yeah, she moved back," Dylan answered, eyeing Derrington as she played with her hair.

"For real?" Derrick asked, unable to hide the surprise in his face. "Where is she?"

"The main office, she has some new student orientation thing." Alicia easily covered, she knew Massie was probably stomping off towards the science building, trying to get away from the auditorium as fast as possible.

As the girls walked out into the fresh air with the boys trailing behind them, Alicia spotted a tall figure with broad shoulders and light brown hair standing under a Maple tree checking his phone. Her chest squeezed just at the sight of him, and when his blue eyes looked up from the screen to hers, she thought she was going to melt into a puddle of Angel perfume.

"Earth to Alicia!" Josh waved his hand in front of her face in an attempt to snap her out of it.

"Yeah, what?" Alicia asked but kept her sights on the boy. Once he had laid eyes on her, he had started walking towards Quincy Hall.

"What's your schedule this semester?" Josh asked but Alicia didn't hear him or the rest of her friends exchange their fall schedules.

"I have to go do the morning announcements, see you guys later!" Alicia waved to the PC and diverted her course for the gothic stone building in front of her.

"But there's no announcements today!" Josh called after her, but she ignored him.

The blue-eyed boy was walking up the steps and opening the heavy wooden doors, pausing and holding it open for others to pass. He was still too close and she couldn't be seen trailing after him. For once, she was happy that her big boobs made her a slow walker.

When she finally made it into the building, she took a right. Her Jimmy Choos clicked on the marble floor in the virtually empty hall. The few others that were quickly heading towards the exit were the students that lived in that dorm. Thankfully no classes were held in Quincy Hall during first period, it was what made it such a great meeting place.

Taking another right, she stood in front of the media room's door. She fished her keycard out of her black crocodile Givenchy bag and swiftly swiped it. Including her, only four people had copies to BOP's state of the art newsroom. As the school news anchor, she had been entrusted by Dean Sanders to use it responsibly. Which she did… most of the time.

Right now was nawt one of those times.

When she slowly pushed open the door, careful not to make it creek, she was meet with the sight she had been dreaming of nonstop for weeks.

Ethan Sova was sitting on top of the news desk, grinning at her expectantly.

She couldn't control the excited squeal that came out of her and she rushed towards him. He hopped off the shiny long glass desk and opened his arms just in time for her to run into them. She took a deep inhale of his Burberry t-shirt as he folded her up against him and kissed the top of her head. As always, he smelled of mahogany and some other musky scent she couldn't place, but she ah-dored it times ten.

"No one saw you, right?" Alicia couldn't help but worry.

"No, no one saw." He playfully rolled his famous blue eyes. He thought that her anxiety of being caught was some cute quirk. But that light quickly disappeared from his eyes, becoming more hardened. "But maybe it wouldn't be so bad if someone did."

Alicia sighed. They had been over this numerous times. "We can't."

"Why not?" Ethan let her go and leaned back against the desk, sticking his hands into his dark grey Brunello Cucinelli jeans. Every time the subject was brought up, he became more insistent. "Hiding and sneaking around was fun at first, but it would be nice to kiss my girlfriend on the diag like a normal person."

"Because your sister will murder me, bring me back from the dead, and murder me all over again!" Alicia hissed, all of her joy from a few seconds ago gone. After dealing with Massie tantrum in the bathroom, all Alicia had wanted was a few peaceful and romantic seconds with her secret boyfriend. Now she was fighting with both of them.

"She won't care!" Ethan insisted. "I'm sure she'll try and be intimidating, but she's not that dramatic!"

If only you knew! Alicia wanted to scream.

"Um, are you forgetting that she socially shunned me and my friends last year?"

They hadn't even known each other when she had first started freshman year. Ethan had been a sophomore when Alicia had made the mistake of challenging his sister, Monica, for her alpha position. As punishment, the PC had been officially labeled as freshmen losers who were not to be associated with.

"But she changed her mind!" Ethan ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "She's over that now!"

A guilt lump started to form in the back of her throat. He still had no idea that the only reason his sister had left her alone was that they had made a deal… one that had exceptions.

"But how can you be so sure?" Alicia knew that Ethan was close with his sister, but how much did he really know her?

"She just wants me to be happy." A small part of her knew he was right. Their parents had been absent most of their lives, constantly leaving them behind with the house staff and a nanny. It had been just the two of them for most of their lives. Of course, his sister would want to see him happy with someone, Alicia just wasn't that someone.

The exception of their deal was that Alicia had to stop all contact with Ethan. It had been Monica's price for popularity. And like any desperate idiot, Alicia had accepted. But letting go of her newfound crush for A-list status hadn't seemed too fair, so Alicia had negotiated. Not dating Ethan meant Monica had to proclaim Alicia as the next Alpha when she graduated in June. Monica had upheld her end of the bargain, but after Alicia had run into Ethan again at Slice of Heaven, she knew there was no way she'd be able to stay away.

Alicia took a deep breath, ready to argue against going public when his arms unexpectedly wrapped around her again. "What she did to you last year was shitty, so I understand if you don't want to face her just yet."

She leaned into him and thanked Gawd for such an incredibly understanding boyfriend, one she probably didn't deserve.

Haaaaa I promised myself I wouldn't do this but I'm doing it anyway...

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