Just to let you know, from the last section of this chapter until whenever I tell you otherwise, the Pretty Commitee will be operating on California time, which, FYI, is exactly three hours behind Westchester time. For example, if it's 6:00 PM in Westchester, it's 3:00 PM in California. Be warned.

Heart ya,
Joy

JFK AIRPORT
MAIN TERMINAL
6:02 AM
DECEMBER 3, 2012

"Ehmagawd, I'm so fucking tired," Alicia yawn-moaned, dragging her feet behind her.

"No kidding," Dylan snapped. She was pissed because she hadn't had time to straighten her hair after her shower, and her unruly wet waves were falling haphazardly around her ears in damp red curls. So not how she wanted to begin her new life as a California Girl. The first thing she'd ever learned as Merri-Lee Marvil's daughter was that first impressions were everything.

"Date prisa," Ally Rivera prodded, jabbing Alicia in the back.

"Ugh." Dragging her Michael Kors suitcase behind her, she ran toward the roped-off VIP area, where the private jet Merri-Lee had hired for them was waiting, poised and ready to take off.

"Sheesh," Dylan muttered, loping after the girl she now considered her best friend, her Fendi carry-on dangling awkwardly by her side. "It's nawt like it's on a schedule or anything."

"No, but we are," said Merri-Lee, who had bionic hearing. "Come on, Dyl. You too!" she called back to her other daughters, who were lagging behind. "Let's go!"

Grumbling, they boarded the plane, which, with a clatter down the runway, launched into the air. They were officially on their way.

BLOCK ESTATE
FOYER
6:08 AM
DECEMBER 3, 2012

True to her word, Massie had gotten Kendra to 'have a nice chat' with Judi Lyons, although it wasn't a really a friendly conversation so much as pit of lies. Kendra had told Judi that they were moving because William had gotten a promotion, and that they were leaving their house in Westchester for good, keeping only their 'vacation home'. What they were really going to do, however, was keep their New York estate and rent out a mansion on the west coast. The Lyons still weren't financially established enough to stay in expensive Westchester on their own, so they'd agreed that William could commute from Beverly Hills to the Inglewood branch of his office (even though he wouldn't be making nearly as much money as he was in Westchester), which was less than 13 miles from where they'd be living. The catch was that Massie had to keep up her grades with a tutor, or Judi, Jay, Todd, and Claire would have the L.A. mansion to themselves while the Blocks returned to the Big Apple, although Judi didn't know that part. So the family had, in the end, agreed to stay with Claire until seventh grade, when all the girls' modeling careers (except possibly Dylan's, as she was really moving) would be put on hiatus while they attended OCD for an entire uninterrupted year.

Marsha Gregory, however, hadn't been so easy to deal with, and as of now, Kristen was still stuck in Westchester. "Isn't there something we can do?" Massie begged her mother for the umpteenth time. She'd made a deal, and Alphas kept their promises.

"No, hon," Kendra replied gently. "We have to go."

While Massie worked on cajoling her mom to keep trying, Claire was doing something extremely similar. She was texting her new friends, Jenifer and Marisa. She had to convince them to take Massie, or she was in huge trouble, and she knew it.

CLAIREBEAR: Plz?
TWINPOP: Sry, sweetie.
CLAIREBEAR: But y?
TWINLOLLY: We already made this very clear: she has a major attitude, and we don't do that.
CLAIREBEAR: What if she doesn't?
TWINPOP: What do u mean?
CLAIREBEAR: What if i told u that she would make absolutely no nasty comments, no rude comebacks, no snotty lash-outs at sum poor, innocent LBR?
TWINLOLLY: LBR?
CLAIREBEAR: Loser Beyond Repair.
TWINPOP: Did she make that up?

Claire knew immediately that this was an example of attitude, and it definitely wasn't fair to say that Massie had invented it. On the other hand, there was no way in this world that Claire was going to own up to the word.

CLAIREBEAR: It's just this thing that our skl says. i'm nawt really sure how it got started.
TWINLOLLY: This isn't the point. We're discussing Massie, not LBRs.
TWINPOP: We'll take her 4 a day and try her out. Is that okay?
CLAIREBEAR: Gr8! Thx so much!
TWINLOLLY: Glad we could be of service. ;)

When Isaac arrived smoothly at the door, Massie ran over to grab her friend's hand. Claire, shocked at the sudden show of emotion, gasped a little and almost pulled away.

"I can't believe we're leaving," the Alpha gushed.

"Me neither," Claire replied honestly. "I mean, we just moved here."

"Just us modeling together..." Massie continued dreamily.

"Don't forget Alicia and Dylan," Claire pointed out seriously. "They'll be there too."

"It doesn't matter," Massie decreed. "Come with me for a moment." She dragged her friend upstairs to her nearly empty room. Ratty cardboard boxes that the movers hadn't ended up using were propped in teetering piles, as though they really were selling the place. But on the floor, spread-eagled on a matress, lay what she knew was Claire's dream outfit.

A sky-in-the-spring-blue Stella McCartney strapless dress was the main point. It featured a sweetheart neckline, a draped bodice, and the whole thing, from collarbone to just below the kneecaps was made from crinkly, lightweight chiffon. Over it, Massie had chosen a simple white Victoria Beckham shawl-collar cotton cardigan, so that Claire wouldn't be too intimidated by the sleeveless component. At the foot of the number were narrow, delicate, suede Christian Louboutin pumps that matched the light sweater. In a small, flat box sat a diamond choker and a pair of stud earrings that were part of a set Massie had purchased years ago from Saks. There was also clear plumping lipstick, mascara, and an azure-colored nail polish container. Quickly, she gave the Epsilon a five-minute makeover and a hug, then turned her to face the mirror.

"I love it," Claire breathed. "It's amazing."

"Keep it; it's yours." Massie smiled, almost teary-eyed. Nothing felt better than giving to her Epsilon, and she knew why. Because, Claire Lyons, her best friend, deserved it.

NEWARK AIRPORT
GATE 8
7:29 AM
DECEMBER 3, 2012

Still wearing the dress from earlier, Claire wove her way through the crowded terminal, Todd clutching her hand. Although he claimed no fear, right now he exhibited an expression of terror. "Where's Mom?"

"Right there." She let go of her Hermes bag, which had also been a gift from Massie, and pointed ahead to a short, plump woman with blonde curls. "Let's go catch up."

They ran toward the group. When they finally caught up, Claire overheard Massie blabbing something to Kendra about California's good and bad neighborhoods. 'It sounds like they haven't picked a place,' she thought. 'Or like they're tourists. But Massie's mom said they already had a home here; that they come every summer.' "Weird," she murmured aloud, but no one heard her.

"Flight 934 to LAX... now boarding. Flight 934 to LAX now boarding," came a woman's frosty voice over the loudspeaker.

"That's us!" Kendra gestured cheerfully to the passageway that led to their plane. "Come on, chicks!"

Massie and Claire followed Mrs. Block up the steps, where they dropped their tickets on the stand. "Business and economic class ushers, please," the attendant ordered in a gruff voice. "Business and economic class."

Two men stepped up. One slouched over and lazily offered to carry Judi's bags. The other stood at attention. With a smart smile he asked, "Is there anything I can do to assist you?"

Massie ignored him. "I thought we were sitting together," she hissed, so both Claire and her mother could hear her.

Claire blushed and turned away.

Kendra softly explained, "Jay insisted on paying for his own family, and they can't afford first class."

"Alright," she replied. Hoisting up the Louis Vuitton overnight bag that she normally used for this purpose, she followed the Lyons' onto the plane.

It stank of Chlorox and stale peanuts, but Claire didn't mind. She was uber-embarassed. She knew the question would come up sometime, but not in that way, and now everything felt tilted and wrong. Her stomach fluttered and her mouth began to taste like pennies. Maybe it had nothing to do with Massie. Maybe she was just... "BLARGH!" She jumped back as the remnants of the breakfast she'd eaten what seemed like hours ago came up, spilling onto the floor.

"It's okay, you're okay," Judi assured her calmly, brushing her daughter's hair away from her face.

But Claire only had one worry. "Did I ruin the dress?" she stammered.

Judi turned her around. "No, actually, it's all on the floor. Do you feel better?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered. "Maybe it was just something I ate."

"You probably didn't get enough sleep," worried Judi.

"I'm fine," she insisted. With a last, awkward glance at the host, who was staring after them angrily, she skipped onto the plane. Where she was going was all that mattered. The past was nothing.

Nothing at all.

PINEWOOD APARTMENTS
FOYER
8:48 AM
DECEMBER 3, 2012

"We have to go," Kristen whined, jiggling the doorknob. She felt terrible inside. Just as soon as she'd established herself with these girls, integrated herself into their A-List kingdom, they had gone, disappeared as though they'd never been. "I'm going to be late."

"Look, I'm sorry you miss your friends," Marsha said as she click-clacked into the room in her fake Marc Jacobs heels. "But life isn't fair."

"You don't think I know that?" Kristen responded, her voice dangerously low. "You don't know that that's what I think every single fucking-"

"Kristen!"

"Fucking day, when they get to go out to the mall by themselves without their mothers tagging along? And you say no. When they get to go to the movies? No! When they get to go to L.A.? No! Believe this when I say it, if anyone knows life isn't fair, it's me." And with that, she scooped up her bag, slammed the door behind her, and ran down five flights of stairs to the lobby, silent tears streaming down her face.

SEXYSPORTSBABE: i'll take the bus.

LAX AIRPORT
MAIN TERMINAL
6:13 AM
DECEMBER 3, 2012

"What's going on?" Alicia wondered at the pale skies outside the giant picture windows.

"California's three hours behind Westchester," Dylan explained. "So it's..." she checked her watch, "6:15."

"Why couldn't we have just left at 11 and gotten here at 11?" she asked.

"Because there weren't any flights," Merri-Lee replied crisply, searching for the new driver she'd chartered. "Chop-chop!" She power-walked toward the man holding a sign that stated, 'MERRI-LEE MARVIL, ALLY RIVERA, LEN RIVERA, AND FAMILY.'

Without a word, she handed the driver her passport as identification. After confirming that she was indeed the famous television anchor, he bowed, kissed her hand, and gestured to the black stretch limo that was waiting under the airport's awning. "My pleasure." He helped her in.

"Do these make me look smarter?" Dylan pondered, slipping the Coach glasses on and off, peering at herself in the mirror she'd attatched to the back of the seat in front of her.

"Why?"

"Cuz I want to look good when we get to the studio."

"We're going home first," Alicia slurred.

"That's nawt the point."

"What's the big deal? You always look good. It's nawt like glasses are gonna make you any thinner." Alicia leaned against the tinted windows, hoping for a few minutes of shut-eye.

"Excuse me?" snapped Dylan.

"I'm sorry, but it's true."

"Massie never would have told me I was fat!" She whipped her head away from the girl next to her, scooted as far from the now-Alpha as she could, and pulled out her iPhone.

BIGREDHEAD: i miss u already, Mass.
MASSIEKUR: no biggie; we'll b joining u at noon.
BIGREDHEAD: we?
MASSIEKUR: and Kuh-laire, of course.
BIGREDHEAD: that's gr8! i can't wait.
MASSIEKUR: c ya, girlie!
BIGREDHEAD: :)

"You wanna hear something that'll make your day, Alicia Rivera?" Dylan sat up.

"Lemme guess. Massie's coming?"

With a smug smirk, Dylan shot Alicia a faux look of sympathy. "Right in one."