xvii. two angry ex-pc members
/
The Westchester Mall
Front Entrance
Saturday, November 17th
9:47 a.m.
/
A little more than two weeks had passed since the Sweet Little Cuties were formed, but nothing had really changed. It was like Ahnna wasn't even affected by this new and improved Massie. Massie couldn't understand this. Ahnna was obviously taken down a notch by Massie's reign. Then again, people only looked up to her and nothing else; the LMNOPs still ruled the school.
Hanna did seem a little taken aback, though, unlike double A (Ahnna and Alicia). Ever since her sudden appearance at the Block estate that Thursday, she hadn't seemed like her usual self, both the one that tortured Massie with double A and the old one that was nothing but nice. She was someone completely different now.
The truth was that Massie liked Heather, Evelyn, Karsyn, and Ishani, but they were just there and nothing more. Sure, they were pretty, alpha clique worthy, and popular (once Massie took them under her wing), but they couldn't even begin to compare to the eighth grade Pretty Committee. Massie missed them.
She missed Alicia's confident demeanor and juicy gossip. She missed Dylan's weight obsession and joking around. She missed Kristen's constant studying and soccer playing. She missed Claire's candy obsession and happy go lucky personality.
Most importantly, she missed Friday night sleepovers. Outfit rating. Shopping until they dropped. Laughing until their stomachs hurt. The feeling of true friendship. Massie made a mental note to check when the next shooting star was.
But no, now was not the time to dwell on this, was it? Massie was here, right now, at the mall, with her new friends. Heather, Evelyn, Karsyn, and Ishani were all smiling wildly. It was their first shopping trip as a clique, and Massie had promised that it'd be perfect. As a result, the four of them were beyond excited.
"You ready to do this, girlies?" Massie threw in a giggle and hair toss for good measure.
"I was born ready," Heather stated. She had been looking forward to this trip for a long time, being a total shopaholic.
Massie snapped her fingers, which was the signal for the Sweet Little Cuties to line up on perfect formation. Once everyone was lined up, she led them in entering the mall. "Where to?" Massie asked the girls as they came to a stop right outside of BCBG.
"Wherever you want to go, Mass." Karsyn shrugged.
"Yeah, you're the alpha," Ishani added.
Massie heaved a sigh. This was why she liked the SLCs, but she also disliked them at the same time. They were a little too clingy and agreed with everything Massie said. She appreciated the fact that they looked up to her. Sometimes, it was a little too much, though. The Pretty Committee had their own opinions, and Massie found herself missing them terribly. The shopping trips would actually be group shopping trips, where everyone had a say.
Nevertheless, she responded with, "Okay, so I had this idea for us to all get Vera Bradley totes to carry our school stuff. And maybe we can get a few wallets and lunch boxes, while we're at it. Does that sound good?"
"Definitely," Evelyn responded, adjusting her pink beret, which matched her pink jeans. Massie resisted the urge to point out how she shouldn't be wearing pink jeans on a shopping trip. Sure, they were pretty, but a little over the top, in her honest opinion.
"Yeah," Heather, Karsyn, and Ishani echoed. Massie curtly nodded, motioning for the girls to get into formation. Heather was on Massie's left, Evelyn was on her right, Karsyn was on the other side of Heather, and Ishani was on the other side of Evelyn. Once they were ready, Massie turned to the right and led her clique into the Vera Bradley store. She was almost positive heads had turned and whispers had been exchanged about the newest clique at Presbyterian Middle School. She had done a good job in her mission to become alpha and take down Ahnna, and she knew it. She just wondered how long this would last —after all, happy endings don't exist, at least not for her.
The five girls strolled into the store. Heather, Evelyn, Karsyn, and Ishani immediately began squealing, rushing around frantically, gushing about how bee-yoot-iful all the designs were, and how they were oh so flowery. After hesitating a few seconds, Massie decided to join them. This could be fun.
Minutes later, the girls were giggling as they compared bag designs and debated what to get; the working saleswomen shot them silencing glares, but they ignored them.
As they were shopping, Massie was always on her guard and lookout, straining to hear snippets of conversations going on around her. ". . . so my mom was all, oh, sorry, but I'm filming my show and can't take you to the movies. Then I was like, I can't drive, and you're like my mother, so it's your job to take me places, right? And then she took away my laptop for a week. Ugh, sometimes, I wish she didn't have her own stupid TV show!"
Be careful what you wish for, Massie thought. Nowadays, after making her fateful wish, every time she heard someone begin a sentence with "I wish," shivers went down her spine. She wanted to warn whoever it was that wishes do come true, but will they really believe her? Will anyone other than Derrick and Claire believe her?
Anyway, that's beyond the point right now. The voice Massie heard belonged to Dylan Marvil, daughter of Merri-Lee Marvil. She just knew it; it was a gut feeling that couldn't be explained. Unlike last time she ran into an ex-member of the Pretty Committee, she stayed silent. Massie wouldn't dare shout out "Dylan!" in an actual store where there were people around.
"Massie, you okay?" Ishani asked, looking concerned.
"I'm fine," she replied, "you should go back to shopping." Ishani smiled and skipped back to where Heather, Evelyn, and Karsyn were.
It turned out that Massie didn't even have to say a word to Dylan. As the redhead was leaving the store, she caught sight of the brunette. "Hey! I know you! Aren't you Massie Block?"
Massie was shocked. According to her sources, Dylan and Alicia most certainly weren't friends in fifth grade. They ignored each other at school, not because they hated each other, but because they didn't know what to say, they didn't know how to start a conversation or get along. "Um, yeah. You're Dylan Marvil, right?"
Just as Dylan was about to reply, Alicia Rivera bounced towards the two girls, with her glossy black hair in a super straight braid. She looked at least two years older than Massie, whose own brown hair was in pigtails. When she left her house today, she thought it would be cute, but now, looking back on it, Massie realized that it wasn't cute, just immature.
"May-sie! Nice to see you here today. Not." Alicia leaned in close to Dylan and "whispered" something to her. Of course, Alicia Rivera is incapable of whispering — we all have that one friend that needs to learn how to whisper — so Massie was able to hear exactly what she said.
"May-sie Block is a bitch and you really shouldn't talk to her because we all hate her and she's such a wannabe, not to mention desperate, because she made her own clique and they're standing over there right now — do you see them? — and they're such losers and even bigger wannabes and try hards and I know we're not friends but you should trust me more than her because we go to the same school and I've known you longer and you know me well and you don't even know this Massie girl, all you know is that she's dating Derrick Harrington — yeah, don't know how that happened — and you don't really know her so yeah." Alicia said this all in one breath, causing her to deeply inhale some air once she was finished.
Massie covered her mouth with her hand to muffle the giggling sounds threatening to escape. Alicia sure could talk fast. "Yes, Leesh? Is there something you wanted?"
"The only thing I want is for you to get the fuck out." Alicia placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head.
"Darling, it's going to take a lot more than bad words to hurt me. You think you're so smart and so cool, but the most popular girls are really the most messed-up ones of them all," Massie replied sassily.
"I guess you'll be meeting your downfall soon enough, then, if that's true," Alicia said. "But then again, I don't think you could ever qualify as popular."
Massie could tell that Dylan was trying to be Switzerland here, to be neutral; she was glancing back and forth between the two girls, debating whether to believe Alicia or not. Finally, she took a deep breath, and said, "Massie, Alicia's right. You shouldn't be such an attention seeker. Someone needs to deflate your ego, stat."
It was official. Alicia had succeeded in recruiting Dylan. She had joined the dark side. Massie was not going to let that fact bring her down, though. Dylan was insignificant, like the cookies crumbs scattered on a plate that no one bothers to eat and just get thrown away, eventually.
"Thanks, hon, but putting other people down won't get you very far in life." Massie twirled a strand of brown hair around her finger.
"Then why do you do it all the time, then?" Alicia said.
"Look, Massie Block, all I know about you is that you're dating Derrick Harrington," Dylan jumped in. "He was supposed to be my boyfriend until you came in and ruined everything. Today, I was willing to forgive you for it, but after Alicia told me all about the real you, I started having second thoughts. Oh, and by the way —I read your diary. Remember it? You probably don't. It's the purple one with rhinestones all over the front cover. Only losers have diaries."
Massie couldn't believe the words coming out of Dylan's mouth. Did she really just go there? Did she really just transform into a devil with the help of a few words from Alicia? Everything was happening too fast. It was surreal. She wanted to grab the remote and press pause, then rewind, but she's learned by now that you shouldn't tangle with time. It only causes more problems.
"I'd rather be a loser with a diary than a popular freak with bitches as friends," Massie shot back.
"Why don't you take a look in the mirror, Massie? I'm pretty sure you're not the fairest of them all. Please, do us all a favor, and stop thinking you're so smart." Dylan got a high-five from Alicia for that one.
Massie didn't understand. What did she do to deserve all this torture? It wasn't fair, but she's learned that life isn't fair. After all, time's a slut. She screws everyone.
"Ahhhhhh, Dyl, you're amazing," Alicia said, pulling Dylan into a hug.
"You know it." Dylan grinned.
"Mass, what's going on?" The Sweet Little Cuties were staring at her with worried faces.
"Awww, how sweet, your pathetic little followers are here to help you and comfort you." Alicia laughed. "Let me tell you something: they're probably the only people in this world who like you, and will ever like you. And that includes Derrick Harrington. You better be careful around him, because a little birdie told me he has herpes."
"How can someone get herpes in the fifth grade?" Karsyn wondered aloud.
"Yeah, is that even possible?" Ishani added.
"Alicia, you're a bitch who needs to shut up about Massie, because we love her and all her imperfections, and she's perfect, okay?" Evelyn said.
Massie loved the fact that the Sweet Little Cuties were willing to stick up for her, but they didn't know that Dylan and Alicia were very important to her, at least once upon a time. It hurt when they insulted her. She knows that she needs to finally accept the fact that people change and friendships die, but she can't.
"Thanks, guys," she said. "Leesh, Dyl, I'm leaving. I have better things to do than hang around with idiotic people like you guys. Have a nice life."
Heather, Evelyn, Karsyn, and Ishani quickly rushed to the check-out counter to purchase the bags, wallets, lunchboxes, etc. that they liked, then hurried back and followed Massie out of the store.
"You shouldn't let people like them get to you," Heather said.
Massie didn't respond; she was too busy watching Dylan and Alicia to see what their reactions were. They both seemed unfazed. Dylan was picking at her already chipping nail polish. Alicia was tapping away on her phone. They both remained expressionless.
Honestly, she loved the SLC to death, but they would never mean as much to her as the Pretty Committee. No one will.
It was basically four (Alicia, Ahnna, Hanna, and Dylan) against one (Massie) now. She had Claire and Derrick, but they wouldn't be of much help, Claire being in Florida, and Derrick being a boy and attending Briarwood. She was all alone, except for the Sweet Little Cuties.
notes | well, i think i'm going to be better at updating now that i made an updating challenge on coppertone wars, our forum. also, please make sure to vote on the poll on my profile; i'd really appreciate it! sorry for making dylan hate massie. it had to happen. but just wait, things with the ex-PC members will get a little better. oh, and touching on the "we all have that one friend that needs to learn how to whisper" matter — yeah, that's me, in my group of friends. c:
what do you think—night or morning? review, my darlings!
rachel xo