-Chapter 10-

The Block Estate
Massie's Room
Friday, November 2nd
4:18 P.M.

Friday afternoon, Massie curled up in her bed with Bean and a bag of Cheetos. She didn't care about eating healthy anymore. She had no friends, and no social life. She stared at her iPhone, which was asleep on her nightstand. She never wanted to see that device again. She had the Instagram app on it, and she hated it, ever since what had happened yesterday.

She wanted to write everything down in her diary, but Alicia had it, and she just didn't have to heart to get out a new diary. The purple glitter notebook was special. It held all her dearest memories since fourth grade. She couldn't just start over. Of course, she was planning to start a new one when that one was finished.

"Massie?" Kendra's voice came over the intercom. "Your father and I are coming to your room now. We need to talk to you about something." Click.

Shit. Did they know about the Instagram post? Massie thought of possible things she could say. "It was a dare." "It was for art class." "We were bored, and we wanted to have some fun."

The door opened, and Kendra and William Block entered the room. "Massie, we need to tell you something," Kendra began.

"What?" Massie dug her nails into her hands, and prayed that this wasn't about the Instagram post.

"We're going on a little . . . vacation this weekend. You guys have four days off from school, so we figured it was enough time," William said.

Ehmagawd, a vacation! It was just what Massie needed. A break from her life. "Where are we going? L.A.? London? Paris?" she asked excitedly.

"Whoa there, hold your horses." William chuckled. "We're going to Orlando, Florida. Disney World. Kennedy Space Center. And it's the home of my best friend, Jay Lyons. We'll be staying with his family. He has a daughter around your age, her name's Claire."

Ehmagawd, Claire! It was the chance for Massie to make a real friend. Even if the friend was a Keds-loving girl from Florida. "Why are we going? This seems kinda sudden."

"We just thought you needed a vacation. Besides, it's a good chance to get tan." Kendra winked.

Massie smiled. "When do we leave?"

"Um, we have to catch a 7 o'clock plane at the JFK Airport. So I suggest you start packing. We'll be staying there for four nights." William checked his watch. "We're leaving at 4:30, so you have seven minutes. Hurry!" With that, he and Kendra exited the room.

"Yes!" Massie did a victory dance. She could finally make a real friend. She skipped into her walk-in closet and started searching for clothes to pack. She held up an Alice + Olivia white boatneck peplum top in her left hand and a Banana Republic tropical print tank in the other. It felt great to finally be able to dig out her summer clothes.

It was going to be the perfect vacation. She would have fun in Disney World, they would drive to the beach and she would get a nice tan, and, on top of it all, she was going to meet a new friend.

Wait a minute. If she wore designer clothes, what would Claire think of her? She imagined the thoughts that would run through Claire's head. Ugh, she's just another snobby rich girl. She's just another bitch with designer clothes. She wouldn't want to spend time with me.

Massie clapped her hand over her mouth. She had to ditch the designers. Fast. She threw the clothes in her hand back in the closet. She tapped her chin. Think, Massie, think! Where did she keep her non-designer clothes?

Ahh, yes. In her old dress-up box in the corner of her closet. That was where she kept all the clothes Ahnna lent her (sometimes, Ahnna snapped and went to H&M, Target, TJMaxx, etc.) and all the clothes her not-so-rich aunt Betsy gave her for her birthdays and for Christmas.

Massie padded over to the dress-up box, pushing a sequin DKNY strapless tank top out of the way. She ran her hands over an Alice + Olivia yellow A-line sundress, a violet Lanvin draped silk top, and a blue Juicy silk-chiffon top. She blew each article of designer clothing an air-kiss as she passed by them. "See you in four days, guys," she whispered. "Mommy still loves you."

She knew it was immature. But Massie liked to think of her clothes as her children. She paid for them (using her mom's credit card, of course). She cared for them. She hand-picked them out of millions of other clothes. When they grew up, she sent them off to college (the donation box). She thought of herself as the perfect mommy.

Finally, she reached the dress-up box, which was tucked in the corner. She slowly lifted the lid and gasped in horror. She took one look at a wrinkly gray short-sleeved shirt and closed the box, then opened it again. No matter how much she despised these clothes, she had to wear them. It was the only way to become friends with Claire.

She retrieved her Louis Vuitton suitcase from another corner of the closet and began to shove the clothes in. A blue beaded top, white polka-dotted tank, a pink floral tank, and a fringed tank all went in. She grabbed a black satin & lace pajama set from Forever 21 and shoved it in. It actually didn't look half bad. The clothes were actually okay-looking. She just didn't feel very comfortable in them.

She shoved in a few pairs of shorts, and some cheap-looking flip-flops and sandals. She shoved in her favorite pair of Havaianas as well. She ran into the bathroom, grabbed her toothbrush, and shoved it in. She rolled the suitcase out of the closet and put her MacBook in.

She was officially ready for Orlando.

New York City
JFK Airport
Friday, November 2nd
6:04 P.M.

Massie sat down in a chair in the boarding area and took another sip of her Evian water. She examined her "airplane" outfit, consisting of a pink Juicy hoodie and matching sweats, and pink Uggs. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, with some loose strands framing her face. Even though she knew she was going to Orlando, where it was hot with a capital H, she wore Uggs anyway. She was going to change once they got to the airport.

Massie patted her pale pink Valentino tote bag with a humongous bow on it lovingly. All her favorite magazines were in there, along with her iPhone, headphones, a bottle of O.P.I nail polish, a compact mirror, lip gloss, and a whole bunch of other stuff. She pulled out her iPhone and quickly updated her Facebook status.

Massie Block: You'll never guess where I'm headed . . . Orlando, Florida!

Immediately, there was a new comment.

Ahnna Pincher: Orland-ew is for losers.

And another one.

Hanna Harrington: I second that.

Massie rolled her amber eyes. Leave it to her ex-friends to ruin her happy mood. Sure, she herself had said that Orlando was dorky. But she was a different Massie. The Massie who had said that was in seventh grade. In fifth grade, Massie thought Orlando was cool.

Massie Block: You guys are just jelly. :P
Ahnna Pincher: Oh, puh-lease. No one says jelly anymore.
Hanna Harrington: May-sie, you are such a loser.
Derrick Harrington: Cuz, stop spamming Mass. You too, Ahnna.

Massie's insides filled with warmth. Of course her boyfriend would defend her. That's right. She had a boyfriend. And guess who didn't? Ahnna, Hanna, and Alicia. There was finally something she had that they didn't.

Ahnna Pincher: Aww, look at that! Your wittle boyfriend's here to protect you!
Massie Block: At least I have a boyfriend.

Yeah, she really needed better comebacks . . . She would get to that as soon as she got home from Orlando. She powered her iPhone off, not bothering to check her notifications for more comments. Massie knew that they would let them board the plane soon, and she wanted to be prepared.

Massie tossed her phone back in her Valentino tote bag and got up. "Mom, I'm going to the bathroom," she said.

Kendra Block checked her watch. "Make it fast," she told her daughter.

Massie nodded, and ran off in search of the nearest bathroom. She quickly found one next to the Starbucks in the airport and dashed in. She didn't really have to pee, she just needed to check her reflection in the mirror and touch up her makeup. As she retrieved her makeup bag from her purse, she thought of things she could do in Orlando.

First, they would arrive at Claire's house. Her father had told her that they would be living there. She would probably have to room with Claire, since the Lyonses weren't very rich. She would have to be nice to Claire if she wanted to be her friend. She would have to pretend to love Keds and friendship bracelets and gummy worms.

Secretly, Massie loved gummy worms. She loved desserts, but didn't eat them very often because of the calories. But she would risk gaining weight if it meant she got to make a new friend.

Next, they would probably go to Disney World with the Lyonses, the Blocks paying, obviously. Claire would want to ride every single ride, even if it was dorky. Massie decided to just go along with what Claire wanted.

Then, they would probably go the Kennedy Space Center, whatever that was. Her dad would probably take them to see the alligators somewhere. She couldn't care less. All she cared about was seeing Claire.

Ehmagawd, then there was Todd! Would he still have a crush on Massie, seeing that she wasn't dressed in all designer clothing? Maybe. She sure hoped not.

Suddenly, Massie remembered something. If she really wanted to connect with Claire, she had to get some Keds . . . fast. She raced out of the bathroom and entered the nearest shoe store. She spotted a pair of purple Keds and quickly grabbed them. She purchased them quickly and ran out. She shoved them in her Valentino tote, because there was nowhere else to put them.

She walked into a random store and bought a gigantic bag of gummy worms. She almost fainted after she purchased them. That thing probably had 1,000 calories in it! She shoved it in her tote bag, which was beginning to weigh a ton. She took the bag of gummy worms out and popped some in her mouth. Mmm. Sour and sweet at the same time.

She walked back into the boarding area just as an announcement came over the loudspeaker.

"Flight 807 to Orlando is now boarding. I repeat, Flight 807 to Orlando is now boarding."

Massie put the bag of gummy worms back in her tote bag and smirked. Get ready, Orlando. Massie Block is coming. You won't know what hit you.

Can you guys check out my new story, Royalty? I'd really appreciate it. Enjoyed the surprising twist? :D

Review?

xx,
Rachel