TPC scanned their rooms. They had yet to join them, but Massie had seen to it that their bunk beds were covered with sheets and blankets, that the walls had cute posters (couture ads blown up and tacked to the wall), and that there was a purple shag rug in her room and a pink one in Kristen and Dylan's. Vanilla candles burned in the windows, incense burned in one corner, and a vase of roses was on Massie's desk. The desks were piled with textbooks, a minifridge hummed in each corner of the room, and Claire had set up a makeshift kitchen in one corner of the room consisting of three camp stoves, a set of pots and pans, a blue minifridge beneath the table, three whisks of various sizes, a microwave, a toaster oven, and a bunch of wooden cooking spoons.
Massie had set up a corner for Bean. It had Bean's iron canopy bed, with a pink and brown Juicy Crittoure puppy pillow resting on it. There was a pair of silver dog bowls, one filled with ice water. There was also a box of dog toys. Bean was curled up in her bed, gnawing on a bright blue Sniffany & Co plushie. The box held several other plushies (a black and red Bark Jacobs shoe, a brown Chewy Vuitton purse, a pink Manolo Barknicks shoe, and several candy plushies) and tons of bones (beef, mint, chicken, or peanut butter flavored). There was also a Bean mannequin in that corner, on top of Bean's Louis Vuitton mini suitcase (it held her Ugg booties, cashmere sweaters, and twelve of her tiny scarves).
A large pot was currently being supported by all three camp stoves. In it, there was the contents of ten Ramen Insta-Noodle cups, two boxes of chicken broth, and sliced baby carrots. Off to the side, there was a plate full of mini sandwiches rolled up to look like sushi, just as Claire had seen on the private jet when she'd flown to LA to audition for Dial L. Real sushi had been ordered and was sitting on a black platter on Massie's emptied desk. She'd also set out plates, cups, napkins, forks, bowls, and was working on moving all the food to her desk. A silver tub had been filled to the brim with ice, and Massie had stuck in several bottles of IBC root beer, Canada Dry ginger ale, key lime Juice Squeeze, and Sprite. This was under Massie's desk. (The chair had been shoved off to the side. It would serve as a coat rack for now.)
Yes, TPC was ready for their first sorority meeting.
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Massie's eyes were scanning the list of names. It was a list of girls who had been placed in Salir.
"Ew!" Massie gasped. "Jane Newel? She got in here?" Massie crinkled her nose.
Claire leaned over to look at the girl's photo. She had out-of-control curls that were frizzy and triangular, plain brown eyes, and pale skin that was dotted with freckles and moles. She was, to top it off, totally obese. Her teeth were a yellow-orange color that was a sign of not owning a toothbrush.
"Ew. She's out," Alicia said dryly. "We'll make her scrub the bathrooms with a toothbrush."
"Ugh. Katie? And Ashlie?" Massie rolled her eyes. "Put them on bathroom duty, too."
Massie drew a big X across the three girls' pictures in purple Essie nail polish.
"And yet you're letting Layne stay?" Alicia asked.
"Yeah," Massie mumbled. "Kuh-laire might throw her Keds at me if I don't!"
"But we will put her on hazing, just to make sure she's worthy. You know, Claire, there is such a thing as being friends with people who aren't all in Salir. Layne could go to Boswell House, and you two could still be friends," Alicia offered.
"But Salir is the best dorm on campus," Claire argued. "And Layne deserves to live here."
"Fine," Massie said coldly. She marked the corner of Layne's picture with an H. "But she's on hazing duty."
"Fine."
"Let's see…Marion Foley? Now how did that happen?" Massie crossed off the girl. Claire knew Marion. She had flat, lifeless hair and color contacts that were too blue. She knew that those two facts alone would mess with her chances. "We'll have to do something good to her…"
"How about color-coding our closets?" Dylan suggested. "I have some colors that are just SO confusing…like a yellow-ish pink sweater. Wonder where she'll put that?"
"Under yellow?" Massie guessed, and laughed cruelly. "Who else…Alexa Becks? Yech. Put her on window cleaning." Massie ran a purple X across the girl's photo. Alexa had super-short hair and uninteresting features. She was tall but much too obese.
Suddenly, everyone burst out laughing. "Ehmagawd, Strawberry? Kori?" Alicia rolled her eyes. Massie drew the X's. Then she went to her laptop and began to type. In pink Monotype Corsiva, a message was spelled out. It read:
Dear Salir Resident,
You have been selected by The Pretty Committee to be an official member of Salir House and to be a part of our sorority. We invite you to room 1337 for an official sorority meeting to establish the House Committee through a silent vote. Please arrive at 7:30 PM sharp. Thank you.
Much Love,
Your Pretty Committee
MASSIE
Alicia
Kristen
Dylan
Claire
"There!" Massie announced, very pleased with herself. She printed out sixteen copies, and put them inside heavy envelopes. She wrote out the girls' names on the outsides and spent a few hours delivering them. She simply slipped them under the doors of the Desirables' dorm rooms (and Layne's), and left. Tonight's meeting would be fun.