A/N: Lucky chapter number thirteen! I'll make this one long, I promise, because I don't think I've updated this fic in a while… I fixed some things in this chap, and added some stuff, so read it again! Oh yeah, and Massie's iPod is the NEW nano, the one that can play video.
Massie surveyed her now-empty closet with mild satisfaction. It was mostly cleaned out, because the Pretty Committee had packed up their suitcases, prepping for the big trip. Massie herself had six Louis Vuitton trunks, all the signature color and plastered with the LV logo. She also had a new black-and-pink TokiDoki bag slung over her shoulder, filled with her new iPhone, her pink iPod nano, her pink sidekick, her black Louis Vuitton wallet, and three Nutz Over Chocolate Luna bars. She wore a dark blue tank dress with a big navy blue bow in the middle of the v-neck. She'd paired it with navy blue flats that had black ribbon around the inside edge and a little bow.
Outside, the sun was setting and the sky was painted in rich pinks, purples, light blues, and reds. Her amber eyes took in the view and it made her smile. Such a perfect sunset, and soon she'd be flying into it, towards LA.
Yes, she was ready for the trip.
She got up and grabbed her bags, wheeling them out of the room. She sighed as she used the rhinestone-covered key to lock her room behind her. She sighed softly. When she came back from California, her room would be done. She'd come back, freshly tanned and better than ever, and rule her school like always. It was always the same, and it always would be…right?
Having four new alphas here didn't change anything, right?
Right.
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Massie waltzed into the common room of Salir House like the true alpha queen she was. She smiled at TPC, who was curled up in the chairs near the open window. The warm summer breeze lifted the curtains lightly, making her smile.
Claire glanced up. "Hi, Massie," she said. "Ready to go?"
Her white-blonde hair was blowing in the breeze like the curtains, and her blue eyes were sparkling. She wore denim knee-length capris and a white baby doll tank top, with white Ralph Lauren platform flip flops. Her old bracelets from her Florida friends were wrapped around her tiny wrists and a pair of sunglasses rested atop her hair. She looked like the epitome of a Florida summer girl.
Too bad she lives in Westchester…
Alicia wore a dark pink baby doll cami with a lighter pink floral design on it, with a pair of denim micro short-shorts underneath. She wore black flip flops with the outfit, her glossy black hair freshly blown out. She had a silver Ed Hardy dog tag necklace on her neck, the long chain dangling to her stomach.
Kristen wore denim shorts, a black-and-grey striped Ella Moss tank top and a brown Juicy sweat jacket. She also wore black flip flops, although they had less platform than Alicia's did. Her blonde hair was pulled up into an athletic-looking ponytail.
Dylan's new hip-length hair was loose, with a black Chanel bobby pin holding back her long side bags. Her French manicured toes peeked out of her white eyelet cork-heel wedges. She wore a white Juicy Couture tube dress with blue embroidery on the top. The tiny sequins sewn into the center of each tiny flower glittered in the light as she turned to face Massie, her green eyes glittering.
"Oh, this is gonna be so fun," Dylan said, her face lit up. "I mean, two weeks in California? Wow. It's gonna be great!"
"Duh," Alicia said, twirling her engraved dog tags.
"I know! Even my parents admitted it will be fun," Kristen said, her blue eyes shining. "I told them it was educational, and they thought that was great. I could barely keep them from wanting to come with us."
"How'd you get them to stay behind?" Claire asked.
"I told them it was all 'educational' and that they'd probably be 'bored by all the tours' and wouldn't want to come. I suggested we go as a family over the summer, and they're all for it."
"K, the closest thing to education you'll be getting is what the hottest clubs in LA are," Massie said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe a who's-who tour of the names outside Kodak Theatre, but that's about it."
Kristen rolled her eyes. "Um, hello. I know that. It's a matter of whether or not my parents do."
They laughed.
"Maybe we'll see Abby again," Claire said, grinning.
"I'd rather see Hadley. Abby was absolutely crazy," Alicia said, laughing. "How many times can you steal a girl's boyfriend?"
"A lot," Claire said, somewhat bitterly thinking about Olivia and Cam's short-lived fling.
"Bitterness is bad for your pores," Dylan scolded.
"No, Dyl, that's bitter acids in your facials," Kristen said. "Bitterness is bad for your mood, which is related to how you break out. Stress, and all that."
"Whatevs," Dylan said, rolling her eyes in irritation. "At least you're going like a normal person this time."
Kristen turned pink, remembering when she'd skipped out on the last OCD/ Briarwood school trip because her parents wouldn't pay. "Yeah, well, I'm going this time."
"Kay," Alicia said, eager to prevent the fight. "We should go. I mean, Dean texted me, and he's waiting outside."
"Kay," Massie said. "Let's go, I don't want to be on the bus with those LBRs."
"Hey! Some of those LBRs are my friends," Claire said, watching Layne skip out into the quad wearing black man-pants and a pink Hello Kitty t-shirt.
"Uh-huh," Massie said, not even listening. "Of course."
"Let's go," Alicia suggested, flipping her phone shut.
The girls picked up their suitcases, eyes glittering and hair blowing in the wind.
Somehow, Massie doubted that LA was ready.
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"What do you mean, Dean can't drive us?" Alicia asked. "He's right here."
"No, Miss Rivera, I mean he's not allowed to," Principal Burn frowned at her, her beady eyes cloudier than usual.
"Well, why nawt?" Alicia demanded. Her suitcases were already loaded, and Dean was waiting patiently to take them to the Westchester Airport.
"Because part of the trip is that we are driven everywhere in a one group, in a bus, together," Principal Burns said.
"But the bus is so…bus-y." Alicia crinkled her nose, frowning. "Ew."
Principal Burns frowned at her. "Well, if you don't get on the bus right now, you will have to go inside that bus and explain to the entire school that the trip was cancelled so…"
"Fine," Alicia snapped, eyes flashing angrily. "Dean! Unload, we've gotta take the smelly old bus."
The other TPC girls rolled their eyes, except for Claire, who seemed unfazed. She'd always had to ride the bus, so she was used to it. But the other girls had never had to give up their cushy chauffeured cars for a bus, even a luxury travel one like what was parked in front of Alicia's limo.
The trip, which TPC had looked forward to so much, was already starting badly.
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Massie sighed and whacked her head against the cold glass window, frowning. "Well, we're almost there."
They went over another bump in the road and Claire, petite as she was, was thrown into the air.
"AIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" she squealed, landing back on the seat. "I will never get used to that."
The girls were sitting in the way back of the bus, which was the only way the five of them could sit together. But this made it a very bumpy ride, and Claire was constantly being thrown into the air.
Poor, poor girls. But they'll be in LA soon…
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Finally, the grey airport came into view. Stars twinkled in the dark navy blue sky, but it was still warm out, so none of the girls bothered with jackets as they slid out of the bus and waited for their Louis Vuitton (in Claire's case, TokiDoki) suitcases to come out. When they did, Massie was pleased to find that the crowd parted for them, thinking them to be celebrities.
But her good mood quickly dissolved when she heard a group of sixteen-year-olds whisper, "That's Claire Lyons! She was in Dial L For Loser. She's so cool."
Then she heard a group of guys whispering, "Man, there are those girls from the Daily Grind. I watched that every morning for them."
And the happy mood promptly returned.
The girls at the baggage check-in hurriedly finished and the people who were next let them go, seeming to recognize Claire, Massie, and Alicia as mini-celebrities. Dylan was a little miffed that they didn't recognize her; she'd been on her mother's show many times, as a model, co-host, or a guest. Enough times to have her name remembered, she thought.
They shoved their luggage onto the scale and paid the overweight fees. But when she saw her ticket, Massie frowned.
The girls had been placed in the back of the plane, right near the bathrooms. Ew!
"Excuse me, miss?" Massie smiled innocently, blinking her huge eyes. She used her cutest voice, knowing full well that this was the face that always made her stern father cave. "We've been separated."
"Who is 'we'?" The bored-looking girl behind the counter frowned at her.
"We are Kristen Gregory, Dylan Marvil, Alicia Rivera, Claire Lyons and me, Massie Block. We're best friends, and Claire is a little prone to loneliness. You separated her from us," Massie explained, hoping she'd recognize the names. "In fact, you separated us all."
"Uh-huh," the girl said. "What reason is there for me to move you?"
"Because," Massie said, growing irritated. She slapped a hundred dollar bill on the counter, eyes narrowed. "My friend has one hundred reasons why you should move us to first class so we can be together."
"Fine," she snapped. She took the hundred dollar bill, and soon the girls were seated in the very front of the plane.
"See, Kuh-laire?" Massie smirked as she collected the freshly printed tickets. "Good things come out of bribery."
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"Hey," Massie said, handing the man the tickets. She sighed impatiently, tapping one Ed Hardy ballet flat-covered foot against the cheap carpet of the plane's floor.
He studied them before saying, "My God, where did you get these?"
"We bought them," Massie said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, these tickets say work class," he said.
"Work class? We asked for the best," Massie sniffed, disgusted.
"Then you got it," he said, escorting her towards the front of the plane. "Come, this way, Miss."
Much to her surprise, she was led past the cramped seats of the Business Class, past the spacious seats of First Class, and into a new room filled with big bubble chairs. It looked more like an all-white club than it did a cabin in an airplane.
"The Work Class, Miss," he said, tipping his ridiculous hat at her and slipping away.
"Wow," Massie said, and dropped her stuff down on the ground. "This is cool."
"I've seen better," Alicia said. "At a hotel."
"No kidding. This is like the private jet, times ten," Claire agreed.
"Oh, shut up," Kristen said, her aqua eyes narrowed. "I didn't get to go that time, either."
"Well, you're here now," Massie said. She sank into one of the big, cushy chairs and smiled. "Enjoy."
Promptly, she began to flip through a Seventeen magazine.
Claire sat down in a bubble chair near a window, her big blue eyes even wider as she watched the runway speed by. "Oh, my God, the plane is going fast."
"Yes, Kuh-laire, we've gotta go fast to take off," Massie said. "Would you rather we go slow and crash?"
Claire gulped. "No."
"Okay, then."
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"Juice, Miss?" The slim flight attendant asked Massie. She thought for a moment.
"Sure. Guava juice, if you have it."
"Of course. Anyone else?" The woman smiled, her over-bleached smile blinding.
"Uh. Do you have that syrup that they use to make Shirley Temples?" Claire smiled.
"Sure. Do you want soda to mix that with?"
"No, thanks," Claire smiled. "My Florida friends got me into drinking that syrup straight."
Alicia gave her a weird look before ordering a Sprite. Kristen ordered an orange juice, and Dylan asked for a Diet Coke.
"Kuh-laire your Florida friends need new habits," Massie said, before she took a bite of her last Luna bar. "Drinking that syrup stuff straight is so bad for your skin."
"But it tastes so good," Claire insisted.
"But acne is like, social suicide!" Alicia argued.
"It's so good," Claire said, accepting her glass from the flight attendant.
"But…your skin…you're gonna get acne! Acne makes you an automatic four, you know," Massie said.
Claire locked eyes with the brunette as she took a long sip of the syrup.
Massie sniffed. "Who taught you to be so rude?"
Claire grinned at her friend, because, for once, she had a good response.
"You."
A/N: Wow. Massie just got pwnt. More pwnt than PC when D-chan whipped out her pink silly string. (Heh. "There's evidence of your pwning on the ground, a full week later!") Oh, yeah, and NBB- 2062 words. Seven pages. This makes up for the short chaps I keep putting up.