A/N: Okay, we're back to Miley telling the story in first-person…for now. I haven't decided if we'll stay or go to third-person next chapter. Hehe. BTW I am SO sorry I've been so MIA (missing in action) lately! I've been super busy and I haven't had much luck creatively recently, but I'm going to try and wrap up this story (and the HM/HP one) ASAP.
Monday morning, I spent an extra half an hour on my ensemble and hair. I straightened my hair so it gained a few inches in length, and then pulled on some of my favorite light wash purposefully-tattered skinny jeans underneath black Ugg boots. The top was the hardest decision, but I finally decided on a flowy peasant top (a shade of bluish-gray with a solid pattern) with cream-colored lace on the edges. I looked pretty stylish, if you asked me. Perfect for my new position as Alpha of the Pretty Committee. I shivered slightly as I remembered what we did to Massie. I could see the tears on the verge of streaming down her face before she fled, and I pitied her, against all odds. I did understand what she was going through, but I shouldn't have pitied her after the plan she concocted concerning me and my secret. I should've been furious at her and pleased by her suffering. But I wasn't that kind of person. I was kinder and more compassionate than her, and I really felt guilty about stealing her throne. But sometimes she had to learn she couldn't always come out on top.
My cell phone rang. "Hey, Leesh," I said into it coolly. "Miley," she practically screamed, "you won't believe what Massie's done!" I rolled my eyes, knowing that whatever it was, I could believe it, alright. "What?" I asked slowly, unsure of what I'd get. "She's trying to recreate the Pretty Committee, only with other girls! And surprisingly, some of them actually have PC potential! What are we going to do?" whined Alicia. My eyes bulged out of my head. "Isn't that what you tried to do a while ago?" I asked suspiciously, trying not to sound too accusatory.
"That's not the point!" she snapped. "The point is that if Massie Block, ex-leader of the PC, tries to recreate a group better than the one she previously formed, we're all going down. There's no if, ands, or buts!" I considered what she was telling me. "So?" I quipped. "If you were unsuccessful, what makes you think Massie won't be?"
"Because I'm a beta at heart! I am a beta, and everyone knows that betas can't step it up totally to alpha. They still have their beta-ish ways, and I didn't have the guts or perseverance to maintain a PC2. But PC1 wouldn't even exist without Massie, the alpha, and she can tear us down just as easily as she built us up! We're goners," she moaned.
"We are not!" I argued. "You've forgotten that you have a new and improved alpha. And Massie doesn't stand a chance."
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At school, the real Pretty Committee stepped out of my (Hannah's) limousine unsurely, not prepared or ready for what they might see. Would Massie be the center of attention with everyone crowding around her, asking about her new entourage? Would Massie be an outcast with her LBR/EW PC2, trying to get back on top? Or would she bound over to the limousine and apologize her heart out?
I led my new ensemble over towards the tree where the PC always claimed and sighed. "No sight of Massie," she observed. Alicia nodded solemnly. "If we're going to avoid her, we have to at least know where she is!" she pointed out. Claire also sighed and said, "Maybe she didn't show up for school today." Dylan glared at Claire. "Kuh-laire! You're the one who practically lives with her. Did you see her get into that hunk-of-junk Range Rover and drive to school? Or is she cowering in the comfort of her own overpriced estate?" she asked angrily, folding her arms across her chest.
Claire shrugged. "I saw the car leave but that's as good as it gets. Odds are she's here," she predicted. Kristen also shrugged. "Well, we could just look over there…," she suggested. Five pretty heads turned in the direction she specified. There, in all her glossy-curls glory, stood Massie, flipping her hair, throwing her head back and laughing, and looking angelic. Only the Pretty Committee saw the real devil within the angelic exterior. But what really shocked them was the group of equally pretty girls standing right behind Massie and mimicking her every move. Of course, the biggest shocker was the huge group of admirers trying to get in on the action.
"Ehmagawsh," I whispered into Alicia's ear. "Those 'fans' think that she dumped us, not vice versa."
"Call an exterminator," Alicia hissed furiously. "We have a rat in the house."