Disclaimer: I own all the characters in this story.


Chapter Three


The Stein Estate

Foyer

9:53 A.M.

Tuesday, September 3rd

"Milton!" Madeleine screeched as she eyed her reflection in the oversized oval-shaped mirror that hung over the console table near the front door. She turned to the side and posed elegantly. Madeleine had worn a simple, deep-purple French Connection sweetheart minidress with a cropped light-blue-wash Topshop distressed denim jacket that she'd worn over her dress, and a skinny, white Gucci leather belt that cinched in her waist. Matching deep-purple Marc Jacobs Mouse flats were on her feet, looking perfect with her ensemble. A small white Mulberry crossbody bag hung perfectly from her right shoulder, adding a simple touch to her outfit. Her signature pearl necklace hung around her slender neck, and flawless 4.48-karat diamond studs sat in her ears. Finally, her makeup was light and minimal, completely natural. Admiring how her ensemble looked incredible on her, she realized that Milton had come into view of the mirror before speaking to him.

Milton fixed his black Saint Laurent tie, which was a birthday present from Madeleine's parents. "Yes, Miss Madeleine," he finally responded, a neutral expression on his face.

"Do you know where my parents are right now?" Madeleine asked her butler as she yanked a tube of Pretty & Perfect clear lip gloss from inside her bag. "I haven't seen them since we are breakfast together."

"Well, Miss Madeleine," Milton answered, smoothing the front of his black morning coat. "Your mother told me to inform you that she'll be at your school's Mothers Committee to appoint a new president. And, your father has already left for work."

Madeleine smeared some coats of clear lip gloss on her glossy lips. "Okay, Milton," she nodded at him. "Is Nick waiting inside the car for me?"

"Yes, Miss Madeleine," Milton said formally as he checked over his white gloves for dirt. "While you were ready for the day, your instructions were delegated to him."

Madeleine gathered her silky, honey-blonde curls over her shoulders. "Alright," she replied. "Did my mom leave any remainder for me?"

"Of course, Miss Madeleine," her butler stated firmly, opening the front door for the girl. "Your mother wanted to remind you that you have dinner plans with her and your father at Uptown. So, she specifically told me to tell you that you must be home by eight tonight."

"Fine," Madeleine replied as she rolled her shoulders back and headed straight for the door.

Stepping outside, Madeleine jogged down the stairs that led to the driveway. Blinded by the intense sunshine, she plucked the same pair of Dior sunglasses she'd worn on Sunday and slipped them on. Madeleine trotted down the driveway, her ballet flats thwacking against the pavement.

Breathing in the humid air, she discovered that the Range Rover was waiting on the driveway, puffing out some exhaust from the muffler. Madeleine opened the right-side black rear door when she reached the car and climbed gracefully into the vehicle. Sliding across the buttery soft leather backseat, she settled into the seat that was between the space of the driver's seat and the passenger's seat. Instantly, Madeleine dumped her designer bag on the adjacent seat beside her and shut the door behind her. Buckling her seatbelt, she shifted her attention to Nick, who was busy shopping online for his little girl's birthday present on his iPhone.

"Good morning, Miss Madeleine," Nick greeted his bosses' daughter with a stoic expression on his face. He turned his cell phone off and tossed it onto the passenger's seat before glancing in the rearview mirror. "Where to today?"

Madeleine crossed her slender legs together and grinned brightly. "We're picking Scarlett up first," she ordered, pushing her sunglasses in her hair. "Then, we're picking Mackenzie, Kayla, and Audrey from their houses too."

"Okay, Miss Madeleine," her driver nodded as he backed the Range Rover out of the driveway and drove the car slowly down the street.

Without saying anything else to her driver, Madeleine sat up straighter in her seat and looked out the car's left-side tinted rear window. She caught a glimpse of a teenage girl yelling at the driver of a sleek Mercedes that had pulled up in front of someone's driveway. Smirking to herself, Madeleine turned away from the window, discovering that her driver had stopped for a red light at the corner of West Hillside Avenue.

Pulling her iPhone out of her purse, she scrolled through her notifications and noticed that her friends had posted something on Instagram. Unlocking her cell phone, Madeleine instantly clicked on the Instagram app and noticed that they had all posted selfies on their pages. Liking all the pictures, she then turned her iPhone off and rested her head against the headset.

Closing her emerald-green eyes, she practiced some breath-focused meditation for a solid fifteen minutes and attempted to calm her nerves down. By the time she opened her eyes, her friend's house had come into view. Madeleine sat up even straighter in her seat and uncrossed her legs before glancing at the car's ceiling.

Moments later, Nick easily steered the Range Rover into the Wilson's circular driveway and stopped the car in front of the house. He got out of the car and opened the right-side black rear door, letting the air-conditioned air out of the Range Rover. Nick waited for Miss Scarlett to notice that the carpool was there.

Scarlett was perched on the edge of a hanging white daybed swing that was covered with navy-blue throw pillows, reading the latest issue of Vogue Paris and eating the last bite of her Nutz Over Chocolate Luna bar. When she noticed that Madeleine's driver was waiting outside the car with the door open, Scarlett shoved the magazine inside her purse and raced down the steps. As Scarlett headed over to the car, she was dressed in a chic, white Lilly Pulitzer romper minidress, which looked flawless on her. A cropped, white TSE Cashmere cardigan was worn over her dress, perfecting her outfit even more. Red Salvatore Ferragamo leather ballet flats were on her feet, and a matching red Salvatore Ferragamo leather shoulder bag hung from her left shoulder. Her silky, icy-blonde curls were pinned away from her face with heart-shaped pearl hair clips. A pair of white Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses covered her icy-blue eyes, giving her a model-ready air. Finally, her makeup was natural, highlighting her glamorous features. As soon as she reached the car, Scarlett climbed into the vehicle and plopped down in her usual seat beside Madeleine on her right, setting her purse on her lap.

A radiant smile spread across Scarlett's face. "What's up, Mads?" she asked her friend, hugging Madeleine tightly.

"Nothing much," Madeleine answered softly as she broke away from the hug. "Except, I've got some bad news for you guys."

Scarlett's eyes widened at her friend's statement. "About what?" she inquired, feeling the car pull away from her family's driveway.

Madeleine stretched her slender arms up over her head and grinned at her friend. "You're gonna have to wait for everyone to be here," she explained, crossing her slender legs together again. "Since I only want to share it once."

"Fine, Maddy!" Scarlett huffed, touching her hair clips.

"Cute dress, by the way," Madeleine commented, giving her friend a half-smirk. She touched Scarlett's dress. "Where'd you get it from?"

Scarlett pushed her sunglasses up in her hair. "Well, my mom bought the dress from Milan," she remarked. "She said it's an early birthday present for me."

Madeleine dropped her manicured hands on her lap. "That's super cool," she replied, playing with her pearl necklace. "Are we going to inform the girls about Sarah's party?"

"Well, yeah, obviously," Scarlett smiled brightly, folding her arms across her chest. "But, we need to make a fabulous entry into her party."

Madeleine smiled at her friend, lightly touching her friend's left arm. "Great idea, Scar!" she enthused. "But, honestly, we need to look through our closets for bathing suits."

"Perf," Scarlett nodded, her eyes shining. She fiddled with the charms of her pearl charm bracelet. "Oh, let's surprise Kay with a phone call now. I'm pretty sure she's waiting outside for the carpool."

"It's okay, Scar!" Madeleine said with a chuckle as she snatched her iPhone from the adjacent seat and unlocked her cell phone again. "I'm calling her now."

Asking Siri to call Kayla, Madeleine turned her speakerphone on as the call rang three times before it went through. She moved her cell phone closer so Scarlett could talk to Kayla too.

"Hey, Maddie," Kayla greeted her friend warmly.

A slow grin spread across Madeleine's face. "Hey, Lala!" she cheered, welcoming her friend's greeting.

"Hi, pretty," Scarlett called out as she bit her lower lip in excitement.

"Hello, Scar," Kayla said in a singsongy voice.

"Are you done getting dressed yet?" Madeleine interrupted sharply. She inspected her indigo nails that she'd changed from the color of royal blue that she wore to the party yesterday.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Kayla yelled loudly "I'm going to grab some Luna bars from the kitchen pantry. So, I'll be waiting outside for you guys."

Madeleine shot a dazzling smile at Scarlett before speaking to Kayla. "Alright," she said gently. See you in twenty minutes."

Scarlett gazed down at her dress for a few moments before sipping some Perrier she'd bought with her. "Bye, Lala!"

Ending the call, Madeleine lowered her cell phone into her purse and caught a glimpse of Scarlett, who was looking out the car's right-side tinted rear window. Sucking in a deep breath, she laid her head against the headrest, feeling the motion of the Range Rover driving down the street. A few minutes later, Madeleine felt that her friend had elbowed her in the ribs, causing her eyes to open.

She looked over at Scarlett, who was pointing towards the window. Focusing on the image, Madeleine widened her eyes as she raced over the Range Rover's right-side tinted rear window and instantly recognized that Lachlan Hastings, Scott Thorpe, James Blackwell, Declan Hawthorne, and Aiden Clarke were playing soccer on someone's lawn. It was covered with leafy birch trees, hydrangeas, azaleas, gardenias, and orchids. The surprising part was that the boys were shirtless and sweaty; their upper-toned bodies were out for anybody to see.

"Oh my god!" Mackenzie exclaimed, pressing her face against the glass. "Is the Lachlan and his friends?"

"Uh, yeah," Scarlett said happily as she pressed her face close to the glass near her friend. "Wanna make a quick pit stop before Nick picks Kayla up?"

"Yesssss!" Madeleine declared before turning in her driver's direction. "Nick, stop the car!"

"What for, Miss Madeleine?" Nick asked his bosses' daughter as he screeched the car to a halt before turning around in the driver's seat.

Madeleine grabbed her compact from her purse and made sure that her makeup remained perfect. "There are some people outside that I want to meet," she said brusquely, pouting into the mirror as she expertly reapplied another coat of clear lip gloss, and then quickly fluffed her curls. "So, Scar and I would be here for five minutes max; then we're picking Kayla up.

Scarlett noticed that Nick had nodded his head at Madeleine's statement. "Don't worry, Nick," she added coyly, combing her delicate fingers through her curls and snatching her iPhone from her designer purse. Afterward, Scarlett gripped the door handle of the right-side black rear door for a few seconds before she opened it and stepped outside. "We know you're worried about Maddie's parents firing you for letting us out of your sight."

"Nick, everything's going to be fine," Madeleine assured her driver. She realized that Nick had finally calmed down before plucking her iPhone from inside her designer bag and stepping outside.

Slamming the door behind her and Scarlett, Madeleine locked her right arm with her friend's left arm as she strode across the street, giving off an air of confidence. She stepped onto the sidewalk and squared her shoulders. Madeleine realized that the sunlight was darting through the trees overhead, casting shadows on the grass before saying something to the boys.

"Um, hello?" Madeleine interrupted, unlocking her arm from her friend's arm. She noticed the boys were done playing their game before introducing herself to them. "I'm Madeleine Stein, by the way."

"And, I'm Scarlett Wilson," Scarlett added coyly, twisting a curly lock of her hair around her right manicured index finger.

Lachlan grinned at Madeleine and Scarlett; his dimples were showing at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, I already know who you guys are," he clarified, holding a soccer ball between his white Nike Air Force One-clad feet. "I mean, my older brothers were talking about you guys yesterday."

Scott walked over to his black duffle bag, picked his black steel Adidas water bottle from inside of her bag, and squeezed it so the two-fourths of the water would spray over his sweaty body and head. "They told us that their girlfriends had chosen your circle of friends as their successors for Prescott," he stated firmly, drinking three refreshing gulps of his water. Scott then peeked from the corner of his eye and discovered that Scarlett was staring intensely at him. He winked at her, who was now blushing hard since she knew that she had been caught looking at him.

James wiped his sweaty face on his damp white T-shirt and tossed it into his white Adidas duffle bag before talking to the girls. "We've been stalking your Instagram for the last two days," he admitted, feeling the heated glares from his friends.

"Uh, people on Instagram have been telling us to talk to you guys," Aiden replied, staring down at his multicolored Puma sneakers.

Declan stretched his left-toned leg behind his back for a few minutes as he rested his right hand on Aiden's left shoulder. "And, we've been following you guys since Sunday," he grinned, his dark-brown eyes glimmering with excitement.

Scarlett examined her cuticles. "Oh, cool," she said, trying to remain calm and collected in front of the boys.

"Ermmm, I was wondering if you guys would give us your numbers," Madeleine replied coyly, using Face ID to unlock her cell phone. She tapped on the Phone app before getting ready to enter five new contacts into her iPhone.

"Uh, sure," Lachlan shrugged as he sat down on the lawn and set the soccer ball between his legs. "914-642-8796."

"914-213-7680," Aiden rattled off as he sat right next to Lachlan, noticing that the girls were now entering his number into their cell phones.

"914-204-6612," James said calmly as he plopped down next to Lachlan on his right.

"914-421-9475," Scott uttered, taking three long gulps of his cool blue-flavored Gatorade.

"914-366-2578," Declan spoke to the girls as he stretched his toned arms up over his head.

Scarlett finished typing the boys' numbers into her iPhone before discreetly checking the time on her cell phone and seeing that five minutes had already passed. "Um, Maddie," she retorted, pulling her friend to the side. "We need to go now."

"Why?" Madeleine inquired, her sunglasses still perched atop her hair. She automatically looked over her shoulder and smiled brightly at the boys for a few moments before turning her attention back to Scarlett.

"Five minutes have already passed," Scarlett whispered, making sure that the boys didn't hear their chatter. "I'm sure Kay's going to be mad at us, and Nick still has to drive us into the city.

Madeleine rolled her eyes before pulling a curly lock of her hair away from her glossy lips. "C'mon, Scar!" she asserted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Let's inform the boys that we need to leave right now."

"Okay," her friend responded with a snicker. She placed her right arm around Madeleine's arms.

"Um, guys," Madeleine said, shaking her friend's arm off her shoulders. "We need to leave right now because someone's waiting for my driver to pick them up."

"Alright," Lachlan, James, Scott, Aiden, and Declan said in unison. They pulled the girls into a giant group hug, noticing that Madeleine and Scarlett's cheeks were turning red from blushing so hard. "Send us a text later tonight."

Scarlett broke away from the hug and fanned her blushing cheeks, clenching her iPhone in her right manicured hand. "G-Got it," she stuttered, looking away from the boys whose eyes were glittering with mischief.

Madeleine grabbed Scarlett's left arm and started dragging her friend towards the running Range Rover. "Bye!" she called over her right shoulder, wanting to put some distance between her and the boys because she didn't want them to see her red cheeks.

Once inside the car, Madeleine plopped back down in her usual seat, tossing her iPhone into her purse. She instantly realized that Nick had started following the Range Rover's navigation system to Kayla's house without saying a single word to her and Scarlett. She looked over at her friend and realized that Scarlett had gone into the world of daydreams. Madeleine let out a sigh before closing her eyes again.

Minutes later, Nick maneuvered the Range Rover into the Adams' circular driveway and slowed the car in front of the steps. Keeping the vehicle's engine running, he stayed in the car and waited for Miss Kayla to notice that the carpool was there.

Kayla was sitting on the steps, staring at her iPhone's bright screen. As soon as she spotted the car, Kayla slipped her cell phone into her designer bag and ran down the remaining steps. Heading over to the car, she wore high-waisted white Sandro button-front shorts, which looked fabulous on her. A frilly, emerald-green Cece blouse added a simple and elegant touch to her ensemble, and a white Hermès Birkin bag rested on the crook of her right elbow. On her feet, she was wearing a pair of strappy emerald-green Prada crisscross wedges, showing off her emerald green-painted toenails. Mini white-gold Nina crystal chandelier earrings dangled from her ears, and a matching crystal bracelet was wrapped around her thin left wrist. A pair of white Isabel Marant flip-top sunglasses covered her amber eyes, oozing an air of elegance. Her straightened wheat-blonde hair was pulled halfway up with an emerald-green bow to hold her hair back into a low ponytail. Finally, her makeup had been done perfectly and carefully, looking neutral. As soon as Kayla reached the car, she stepped into the vehicle gracefully and slid into the seat next to Scarlett, dumping her purse on her lap.

Kayla dropped Madeleine's designer bag on her lap before pushing her sunglasses up in her hair. "Where were you guys?" she questioned a bit snarkily, her eyes filled with rage. "It took a while for Maddie's driver to pick me up."

Scarlett crossed and uncrossed her slender legs. "On our way to pick you up, we saw Lachlan and his friends were playing soccer on someone's lawn," she notified her friend, exchanging a side glance with Madeleine. "So, we stopped for a few minutes and collected their minutes from them."

"No way," Kayla gasped, her jaw completely dropped in disbelief. "I- I thought we're gonna meet them at school."

"We're amazed that they knew about us," Madeleine said, laughing lightly at Kayla's facial expression for a few minutes. "Based on what I've seen so far, the boys are mischievous and super cute."

Kayla snatched her iPhone out of her bag and unlocked her cell phone with Face ID. "Have you guys seen the new pictures that Lindsey posted on her page yesterday afternoon?" she inquired, shifting her conversation to something else. Shortly after, Kayla tapped on the Instagram app and went onto Lindsey's Instagram page.

"Ugh-no," Scarlett admitted, moving Kayla's hand even closer so she and Madeleine could see what Lindsey posted on her account. "I was too busy getting ready for my parents' party. So, when did she start following you?"

"This morning," Kayla declared smugly as she zoomed into the pictures, wanting to know where Lindsey was hanging out with Avery and their circle of friends. "Oh, these pictures are gorgeous."

Scarlett looked intently at the group selfies, knowing that the girls were chilling by the country's club pool and sipping some tropical drinks. "It's so good," she smirked. "It seems like Tiffany and Ivy are having tons of fun."

"I think–" Madeleine stopped mid-sentence.

Madeleine's purse buzzed to life, ringing throughout the car. She exchanged a side glance with Scarlett and Kayla before grabbing her iPhone from inside her designer bag. Madeleine answered the call without peeking at her cell phone's screen.

"Hi, Maddy," Mackenzie called from the other line. "I'm waiting outside for you guys. Where's the carpool?"

Madeleine leaned back in her seat and turned the speakerphone on so the girls could have a conversation with Mackenzie. "Nick's going to be there in fifteen minutes. So, you should wait right there for us."

"Okay," Mackenzie finally responded before ending the call on her side.

Kayla looked up from her iPhone and tapped her emerald-green nails against the back of her Louis Vuitton eye trunk phone case. "It seems Mack is getting antsy," she suddenly interjected, her eyes alight.

"I think she's probably tired of waiting for Nick to pick her up," Scarlett said softly, examining her deep red nails.

"Maybe she's feeling very hot now," Madeleine suggested, slipping off her sunglasses and tossing them into her purse.

Without saying anything else to her friends, Madeleine dropped her iPhone back into her bag before smoothing out the creases in her dress. Her eyes drifted from her friends to the car's left-side tinted rear window. She caught a glimpse of a mother-daughter duo walking out of their house, who were wearing breathable yoga clothes and carrying yoga mats in their left arms.

Madeleine immediately remembered the time when her mom would take mother-daughter tennis classes with her. Sighing deeply, she looked over at her driver, who was halfway down the recommended route to Mackenzie's house. Madeleine could see her reflection in the rearview mirror as she sank further into her seat.

A few moments later, she rested her head on Kayla's right shoulder and stared at the car's touchscreen, discovering that it was almost ten fifty-five in the morning. Madeleine closed her eyes for a long moment, listening to the conversation that was happening between Kayla and Scarlett.

Twenty minutes later, Nick pulled the Range Rover into the Frosts' circular driveway and slowed the car in front of the house. He kept the vehicle's engine running and remained in the car. Nick sagged into his seat, removing his left foot from the gas pedal.

Mackenzie was leaning against one of the tall white columns that are wrapped around her family's porch, skimming through the latest issue of InStyle and shoving the last bite of her bagel and cream cheese into her mouth. When she discovered that the carpool was here, Mackenzie crammed the magazine into her purse and ran down the steps. Strutting over to the Range Rover, she was dressed in an ivory Ella Moss lace-trimmed camisole, which looked stunning on her. A pair of ivory-and-navy-blue-striped Prada poplin bloomer shorts, which she'd paired with a semi-fitted ivory Alice + Olivia double-breasted blazer that she'd worn over her camisole. Matching navy-blue Tory Burch T-strap sandals covered her feet, showing off her navy-blue pedicure and matching manicure. A small ivory Tory Burch Gemini Link Canvas tote was settled on the crook of her right arm, fully completing her outfit. Flawless 4.48-karat diamond studs were firmly in her ears, and her silky, strawberry-blonde hair was straightened completely. A pair of oversized white Ray-Ban square sunglasses covered her aquamarine eyes, oozing some confidence. Finally, her makeup was carefully applied, making it neutral. When she reached the Range Rover, Mackenzie tumbled her way inside before plopping down on the seat beside Madeleine's other side, carelessly dropping her tote on her lap.

"Oh my god!" Mackenzie cooed, grinning from ear to ear. "You guys look amazing!."

"Gorgeous, Manzie," Madeleine commented, winking at her friend.

Scarlett straightened her cardigan, grinning at Mackenzie. "Oh, Mack, you look fantastic."

"Uh, Kenzie, you look so cute," Kayla remarked, smiling at her friend. She smoothed the back of her shorts before touching her bracelet.

Mackenzie slipped off her sunglasses and hurled them into her bag. "Thanks," she grinned brightly, switching the subject entirely. "Have you guys heard the news about the Shermans?"

"Who?" Scarlett eagerly asked Mackenzie, glancing curiously at her friend.

Kayla looked directly at Mackenzie, flicking some imaginary lint off her blouse. "Huh?" she said softly.

Madeleine stretched her neck from side to side. "Tell us everything," she declared without glancing at Mackenzie.

"I was eavesdropping on my mom's conversation yesterday afternoon," Mackenzie told her friends in her most dignified voice. She sat up straighter in her seat and tossed her straightened hair over her right shoulder. "I heard that the Shermans' are facing some problems with the IRS. The twist in the story is that Mr. Sherman was caught embezzling money from his work. Their accounts have been frozen, so they can't pay for their daughter's tuition for her school. Oh, by the way, she has to transfer from private school to public school."

Scarlett tilted her side to the side, covering her mouth with her right manicured hand. "Oh my god!" she gasped. "I feel bad for the Shermans' daughter. After all, public school kids are known for bullying people that are different from them."

"Oh, well, karma's a bitch," Kayla snickered. She cocked her head to the side and raised her perfectly waxed wheat-blonde eyebrows, an amused expression on her face. "Mr. Sherman should know that the IRS would come for him."

"My dad tells me that the government is always on top of things," Madeleine said, letting out a laugh.

Mackenzie nodded at Madeleine's statement as she twirled the diamond stud in her right ear. "Well, ladies, I have a treasure trove of secrets," she said softly. Mackenzie then looked over at her friend's driver, who was still following the car's navigation system to Audrey's house. "And then again, I violated my mom's rights to have some privacy in our house."

"Well, I've been crowned the next Queen of Information by Ivy and Tiffany," Scarlett said excitedly as she ran delicate fingers through her curls. "So, Mack, you'll need to share some secrets with me."

"It's alright, Scar," Mackenzie replied, looking pleased. She pinched Kayla playfully on the left arm. "Does that mean I've automatically become the next Queen of Gossip and Secrets?"

"Um, yeah," Kayla answered truthfully. She leaned back in her seat, crossing her slender legs together. "Delilah Edwards and Emily Hudson have been calling me the next Queen of Connections on Instagram."

Madeleine flipped her curls over her left shoulder before leaning forward in her seat. "They're expecting you guys to follow in their footsteps," she retorted. "After all, I'm going to be crowned with one important title by Lindsey and Avery tomorrow morning."

Scarlett picked at her painted fingernails. "For your information, Audrey was declared the next Queen of Social Events by Maia Cox and Nova Walker on Instagram too," she spoke to her friends. "She's the person that everyone in school would hand their invites to. And, our friend will be the one that decides which party we should go to."

Tuning her friends out, Madeleine didn't respond to Scarlett's statement as her friends continued the conversation without her. She took a couple of deep breaths and fixed her gaze on Nick, who was halfway down the recommended route to Audrey's house. Afterward, Madeleine peered out the car's left-side tinted rear window and counted trees as they passed by.

Fifteen minutes later, Nick pulled the car into the Websters' circular driveway and stopped the vehicle in front of the house. He sat in a comfortable position, eating the last bites of his buttered croissant and washing it down with his dark coffee. Nick then pressed on the Range Rover's horn so Miss Audrey would hear that the carpool was here.

Audrey was pacing up and down her family's front porch, texting someone furiously. As soon as she heard the carpool's horn, Audrey threw her iPhone into her purse and raced down the steps. Sauntering over to the car, she was wearing an adorable, baby-pink-and-white striped Splendid romper that fitted her like a glove, looking beautiful on her. Matching white Lanvin leather ballet flats adorned her feet, and a medium white Tory Burch hobo dangled from her right wrist causally. A pair of oversized white Chanel sunglasses covered her cerulean-blue eyes, giving away an air of mini-socialite. Her long, platinum-blonde waves were swept up into a half-up, half-down hairdo away from her face. Yellow-gold Poppy Finch triple-cultured pearl hoop earrings dangled from her ears, weighing it down. Finally, her makeup was neutral, keeping it minimal. Audrey climbed into the car gracefully when she reached the Range Rover and slid into the seat beside Mackenzie, carelessly tossing her purse on her lap.

"Hey, ladies," Audrey cooed. She crossed her slender legs together, balancing her manicured hands on her knees.

Madeleine shot a radiant smile at Audrey. "Hi, Rae," she greeted her friend warmly.

Kayla smoothed her curls before squaring her shoulders. "Hey, Rey," she grinned brightly.

"Hello, Addy," Scarlett said in a cheery tone as she straightened her dress.

"What's up, Drey?" Mackenzie said, giving her friend a sleek smile.

Audrey slipped off her sunglasses and tossed them into her purse. "Not much, Kenzie," she grinned from ear to ear. Audrey then touched her earrings, wanting to make sure that they'll remain in her ears.

"Girls, I've got some bad news about our dinner plans tonight," Madeleine sighed deeply, clearing her throat loudly. "We need to cancel them."

Scarlett glanced at her painted fingernails for a long moment. "Why?" she asked without looking up from her nails.

Madeleine stared deep into her friends' eyes as she knitted her manicured fingers together on her lap. "My dad made dinner reservations at Uptown. So, I need to get home by eight tonight."

Mackenzie flipped her straightened hair over her left shoulder. "It's okay, Maddy," she replied, hearing the sound of the Range Rover's AC system blowing throughout the car. "We can reschedule the reservations at Butter again."

"I understand that you need to spend some more time with your parents," Kayla added, resting her head against the car's left-side tinted rear window.

"Um, you shouldn't be worried about us," Audrey said nonchalantly. She crossed and uncrossed her slender legs. "Go spend time with your family, Maddie."

"So, Mads, let's give Drey and Manzie the rundown about meeting Lachlan and his friends," Scarlett beamed happily, twirling the diamond stud in her left ear at top speed.

"Well, girlies, Scar and I met the boys earlier today," Madeleine explained, sucking a sharp breath at Scarlett's statement. "We collected their numbers, and they've heard about us from Lachlan's older brothers."

Audrey twirled a curly lock of her hair around her left manicured index finger. "Oh my god, I completely forgot about them!" she exclaimed, laughing. "I heard that Aiden Clarke is a very chill person, so it takes a while for someone to push his buttons. And, I just called dibs on him. So, Maddie, you'll need to give me his number."

"Do you guys think it's crazy that I'm calling dibs on Declan Hawthorne right now?" Mackenzie inquired, her eyes wide. "I've been going through his Instagram page for the last two days. And, of course, I've learned that he's a Gemini, extremely outgoing, and his favorite color is blue."

Scarlett crossed her arms over her chest. "Um, no," she acknowledged her friend's question. "I've already scoped out Scott for myself."

Kayla dunked her right manicured hand into her purse, retrieving a tube of Pretty & Perfect voluminous mascara. "Uh... I'm surprised that they've heard about us," she replied, layering another coat of mascara on her long lashes. "I've been sneakily stalking James Blackwell's Instagram since Sunday afternoon. So, I'm staking my claim on him now, even though I haven't met him in real life yet. Maddie, you need to give me his number too."

Madeleine rolled her shoulders back, oozing the poise and grace of a Queen. "Okay," she said simply, looking at Mackenzie, Audrey, and Kayla. "I'll text you their numbers later tonight. And, of course, I've already decided that Lachlan is my crush because he made me blush so hard earlier today, and seems like a very sweet person."

Mackenzie pulled her compact out of her tote and checked her reflection in the mirror. "Mads, are you going to call Lachlan tonight?" she eagerly questioned her friend without looking away from the mirror.

"Yeah," Madeleine spoke to her friends calmly as she rested her head on Mackenzie's right shoulder. "I'm thinking of inviting the boys over to my house next Thursday."

"Awesome," Kayla squealed loudly, clapping her manicured hands together.

"Yaaaaay!" Audrey shrieked, bouncing in her seat. "I'll need to mark it on my calendar."

"Oh, that's nice," Scarlett said with genuine enthusiasm as she toyed with the ends of her curls.

"I'm imagining that everyone's socializing around my pool," Madeleine chuckled, casually twisting a curly lock of her hair around her right manicured index finger. "So, I'll need help coming up with the menu and playlist for our pool hangout. Any ideas?"

Kayla shook her ponytail before kicking the back of the passenger's seat. "For food, you should have your family's chef serve some mini spicy chicken tacos, homemade potato chips with nori salt, spicy shrimp cakes with spicy mayo, and mini lobster slides. And for dessert, you should also serve peach ice cream sandwiches and mini chocolate chip pretzel bars."

Scarlett bounced her knees against the backseat before saying something to Madelene. "For drinks, I think you should serve some pitchers of virgin piña colada, sweet tea, and mango lemonade."

Audrey rested her head against the headrest behind her as she kicked the back of the driver's seat with her feet, not caring if Nick was uncomfortable. "We'll have tons of fun that day. Especially when we'll be talking, racing, and splashing each other."

"Your Spotify playlist should include some awesome songs," Mackenzie replied with a grin, tossing her straightened hair over her shoulders. "Oh, you should add some banging songs for the boys to listen to as well."

Madeleine nodded at her friends' opinions before playfully nudging the toe of her right ball flat against Kayla's left ankle. "Got it," she nodded quickly, changing the subject. "Did you guys watch the pilot episode of the new drama, Young, Rich, and Fabulous on TV yesterday?"

"Um, no..." Audrey trailed off as she tugged on the collar of her romper. "But, I managed to watch the episode on Hulu when I woke up this morning. So, I'm excited to share my thoughts."

"No, no, no!" Kayla agreed, seeing that Nick had turned right onto exit forty-six that led to Manhattan. "I watched the episode on Hulu while I was getting ready. There's so much drama."

Mackenzie straightened her camisole as she bounced her knees. "I managed to watch it on Hulu after eating some delicious breakfast this morning," she giggled, her eyes glimmering with excitement.

"Well, obviously, no," Scarlett said nonchalantly, an amused expression on her face. "I watched it on Hulu this morning."

"I was completely in awe about Macy Vaughn," Madeleine said as she blew a stray curl out of her eyes, seeing that Nick was now driving down the Robert F. Kennedy bridge.

Audrey arched a perfectly waxed platinum-blonde eyebrow in Madeleine's direction. "What? Why?' she asked her slowly, her eyes locked with Kayla, Mackenzie, and Scarlett.

Madeleine stared at the car's touchscreen and noticed that it was almost twenty-fifteen. "Um... it seems like she's the head bitch in charge."

Scarlett reached deep inside her purse, rummaging around, and found what she was looking for: her gold Balmain hairbrush. "Oh, Mads, I noticed that her friends were a little two-faced for my taste," she said pointedly, brushing her hair for a few moments before lowering the hairbrush back in her bag.

Kayla stared at the car's right-side tinted rear window and examined her poreless face for a few moments before she turned towards her friends. "Macy's attitude is causing her best friends, Maci and Riley, to hate her," she added goofily. "I think that they shouldn't blame her for being a major control freak."

"Didn't you guys see that Macy's reputation is bent on being the perfect daughter, perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend?" Mackenzie asked Kayla, brushing some lint off her blazer.

"Well, yeah, obviously," Audrey answered truthfully, letting out a sigh. "I thought she was trying to be perfect. But, it's just a persona that she's using for herself. And, she's completely insecure about people getting to know her real self."

"Well, I happen to adore Macy's wit and charisma," Madeleine replied, realizing that her driver was taking exit seven that led towards East 23rd Street. "She's using it against anyone who dares to exchange insults with her."

"Well, I happened to adore Macy's tasteful comebacks," Scarlett snickered gleefully, straightening her hair clips. "Oh, I love that one comeback about her comparing her classmates from this fictional school to ants since everyone is trying to suck up to her."

"When I heard that comeback, my sides hurt from laughing too much," Kayla added after Scarlett's statement, smiling brightly. She peeked from the corner of her eye and realized that Nick had turned left onto Second Avenue.

Mackenzie nodded at Kayla's opinion and leaned back in her seat before crossing her legs together. "Well, you'd know that Macy fits into the stereotype of being a nice girl," she told her friends "But, she still has some mean girl tendencies."

Audrey touched her earrings for a couple of moments before seeing that Maddie's driver had turned right onto East 11th Street. "Didn't you guys watch the part about the confrontation between Macy and her friends, Maci and Riley?" she asked her friends, changing the subject to something else.

Madeleine realized that her driver had turned left onto Third Avenue before shifting her attention back to her friends and speaking to her friends. "Yes," she replied, pursing her glossy lips together.

A couple of moments later, Nick pulled the Range Rover up to the cement curb, keeping the car's engine running, and turned to face the girls. "Um, ladies, we're here," he interrupted sharply. "So, call me when you're ready to leave."

"Will do," Madeleine said. She grabbed her designer bag and tossed it over her right shoulder before gripping the door handle of the right-side black rear door. She dismisses him with her voice and exits gracefully out of the car, leaving the door open for her friends.

Scarlett grabbed her purse from her lap and threw it over her right shoulder. "Bye, Nick!" she instantly replied, stepping out of the car.

Kayla pushed her bag even higher on her left shoulder. "So, see you later, Nick," she grinned, climbing out of the car.

"Later, Nick!" Audrey and Mackenzie called over their shoulders as they stepped out of the car.

Closing the door behind her and her friends, Madeleine slipped her sunglasses over her eyes as she tapped her right flat-clad foot against the noisy, bustling sidewalk of Third Avenue. Taking a calming, deep breath, she watched as Nick pulled away from the curb. Madeleine realized that the Range Rover had turned corners until it became another spot in a sea of yellow taxis, white delivery cars, and ridesharing cars. Rolling her shoulders back, she proceeded to prance towards the frosted glass doors of Saffron as her friends strutted two paces behind her.


Saffron

55 3rd Ave, New York City

12:46 P.M.

Tuesday, September 3rd

Walking across the lobby of the restaurant, Madeleine observed that the chic décor screamed elegance and class. She headed directly for the hostess stand as her friends were following behind her. Madeleine stood in line behind some customers, who were waiting for the hostess to check their reservations on the iPad. She folded her arms over her chest, realizing that the hostess was finished directing the customers to their tables. She jumped from one foot to another and observed that hostess was still talking to the customers, hearing classical music floating from the restaurant's wireless speakers.

Madeleine's eyes landed on her friends. "Are you guys okay?" she asked, shaking her curls off the back of her slender neck.

"Um, no," Scarlett responded, adjusting the thick strap of her purse. "It's just that my nerves won't calm down, and Aimee is gonna be here in fifteen minutes with her friends."

Kayla squared her shoulders and smirked. "I think you guys should relax," she deadpanned before pointing at herself, Mackenzie, and Audrey. "Especially since Maddie's cousin would be judging us instead."

Mackenzie straightened her posture before whipping her straightened hair over her shoulders. "I know," she agreed, smiling. "Has anyone seen the hostess yet?"

Audrey nudged Mackenzie and smiled. "She's attending to some customers now. So, Manzie, we need to wait for her to attend to us."

"Whatever, Rae!" Mackenzie muttered, rolling her eyes.

Madeleine nodded at her friends before observing that Ada had returned to the stand. She snapped her manicured fingers together, so her friends would shut up and shift their attention to the hostess.

"Oh, Miss Stein, you're back again?" the hostess asked,who usually checked Madeleine and Scarlett into their reservations.

Madeleine pushed her purse even higher on her left shoulder. "Yes, Ada, I'm back again," she replied. "I have a party of ten this time."

"Okay," the hostess said evenly as she grabbed ten leather-bound menus from underneath the stand. "But, Miss Stein, where's the rest of your party?"

Scarlett rolled her shoulders back and giggled a bit. "Don't worry," she nodded in understanding. "They'll be here in ten minutes."

"Of course, Miss Stein and Miss Wilson," the hostess nodded as she waved her right hand for the girls to follow her.

Madeleine stared at the bewildered looks on Kayla, Mackenzie, and Audrey's faces. She snickered for a few seconds before following behind the hostess, who was leading the girls through the crowded but quiet dining room. Walking past a table of well-dressed publishers, all reading manuscripts, she looked around the room, noticing that the restaurant's walls were covered with black-and-white damask wallpaper. As soon as Madeleine stopped looking at the walls, she saw the hostess stop in front of a ten-seater table in the restaurant's center.

"I hope this table is suitable, Miss Stein," the hostess gestured as she dropped the menus in the middle of the table.

"It's perfect, Ada," Madeleine stated as she headed over to one of the head seats. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks, Ada," Scarlett added, oozing the elegance of a mini-socialite.

Moments later, the girls seated around the table and hung their designer bags off the backs of their chairs as they switched their attention back to the hostess again.

"Miss Stein, your server will be here in ten minutes," the hostess informed the girls as she passed out the menus.

"Okay," Madeleine nodded as she noticed that the hostess was now leaving to attend to some other customers.

"You guys weren't kidding about frequenting this place a lot," Kayla added immediately after the hostess left. She pinched the ends of the peaked lapels on her blazer so it hugged her slender neck.

"I love how this place caters to classy and refined customers," Mackenzie quickly added, hearing the delicate clanking sounds of the restaurant's silverware. "Everything looks stunning."

"I know right," Audrey cooed before fixing her gaze on the other customers, who were sitting at the tables around the girls.

Madeleine's mouth watered at the sight of waiters carrying plates full of beautiful-looking racks of lamb, lobster, steak, and ribs. "Well, anyway, Esmée, my older cousin Facetimed me this morning when I woke up and told me that Aimee had called her last night. We talked

for a bit before my cousin disclosed that Aimee was super nervous about meeting you guys today."

Scarlett looked towards the front of the restaurant and gazed out of the grand window. "No way," she gasped without looking away from the people, who were walking across the busy street. "I thought Aimee would have lots of confidence in herself. She doesn't seem like the type of person to get nervous about anything."

Mackenzie leaned back in her chair as she crossed her slender legs together. "Maybe she's worried about how we'll fit in with you and Scar," she interjected.

Audrey glanced lazily over at some customers paying the bill for their lunch. "You know, girls, I think Maddie's cousin is trying to make sure that we're friends for the right reasons," she added with a smirk on her face.

Kayla ran her delicate fingers along the diamond hardware of her purse. "I think she's pleased that Maddie and Scar are making more friends with other girls now," she replied without looking away from her bag.

Tuning her friends out, Madeleine pulled her iPhone from her designer bag and checked the time on her cell phone's screen. She saw that it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon. This meant that her cousin and her friends should have been here by now.

Sighing deeply, Madeleine dropped her iPhone into her purse and leaned back in her seat before closing her eyes for ten minutes. By the time she opened her eyes, her cousin and her friends were following behind the hostess, who was leading them toward the table. Madeleine straightened her posture and joined the conversation with her friends.

A couple of minutes later, Madeleine's cousin, Aimee, stood at the other end of the table with her friends, Celeste, Spencer, Ava, and Beverly standing around her. Their outfits and makeup looked flawless on them.

"Hey, Mimi," Madeleine smiled brightly as she stood up from her seat, walked around the table, and air-kissed her cousin.

Aimee hung her extra-large black Kurt Geiger leather shoulder bag off the back of the other head seat before grinning at her cousin. "Hi, Maddie!" she greeted Madeleine warmly. "You look so beautiful!"

Madeleine barely concealed an eye roll as she headed straight for her seat. "I know that," she said sarcastically. "Um, Aim, you were supposed to Facetime me this morning."

"Oh, Maddie, I'm so sorry," Aimee apologized, slipping into her seat. "I meant to Facetime you, but it slipped my mind this morning."

Celeste plopped down on the seat beside Aimee on her right. "Hey, Mads and Scar!" she interrupted, flicking some lint off her sleeveless red Gucci minidress.

"What's up, Lele?" Madeleine and Scarlett smiled warmly, their eyes alight.

"Nothing much," Celeste replied, tightening the belt of her dress.

"Um, hellooooo?" Kayla interrupted sharply, rolling her eyes at her friend and Celeste.

"Maddie, aren't you gonna allow us to introduce ourselves to your cousin and her friends?"

A wide grin quickly spread across Madeleine's face. "Of course," she opined, pointing towards Aimee, Celeste, Spencer, Ava, and Beverly. "So, go ahead and introduce yourselves to my cousin and her friends over there."

Kayla cleared her suddenly dry throat. "Um, hi, I'm Kayla Adams," she introduces herself to the girls, flashing a sweet smile at Maddie's cousin and her friends.

"Hi, I'm Mackenzie Frost," Mackenzie added, shooting a dazzling smile at Aimee and her friends.

"I'm Audrey Webster, by the way," Audrey spoke calmly to the girls. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest.

Aimee slapped her right manicured hand over her chest as she introduced herself to her cousin's friends. "Hi, ladies," she said with a chuckle. "I'm Aimee Stein."

Celeste pulled her compact out of her mini red Saint Laurent chain bag and checked her reflection in the mirror. "I'm Celeste Evans."

"Uh, I'm Spencer Chamberlain," Spencer said nervously as she gave the other girls a half-smirk before grabbing the seat next to Celeste on Aimee's right and hanging her mini yellow Jimmy Choo patent textured-leather bag off the back of her chair.

Ava slid into the seat beside Aimee's other side and crossed her slender longs together, balancing her manicured hands on her knees. "Um, I'm Ava Sewell," she introduced herself to the girls. Ava then hung her small stone-blue Kate Spade leather top-zip satchel off the back of her chair.

"And, of course, I'm Beverly Sheppard," Beverly said authoritatively in the girls' general direction as she took the seat right next to Ava on Madeleine's right and carelessly dropped her padded, lavender Bottega Veneta cassette leather crossbody bag on the seat cushion of her chair.

"It's nice to meet you guys," Kayla, Mackenzie, and Audrey said in unison as they exchanged a side glance with Madeleine and Scarlett for a few moments before unfolding their dinner napkins on their laps.

The girls in question were doing the same as Kayla, Mackenzie, and Audrey. Aimee, Celeste, Spencer, Ava, and Beverly turned their attention back to the girls opposite them. "Nice to meet you guys too," they finally responded.

Five minutes later, a clean-shaven middle-aged man strolled up to the table and interrupted the conversation between the girls.

"Welcome to Saffron," the waiter said, pulling a pen from his apron and placing it over his server notepad. "I'll be your server today. So, what can I get you?"

"One butternut squash bucatini," Madeleine ordered, looking through the menu in front of her. "And I want some Diet Coke with my food."

Aimee looked through the menu in front of her. "One ricotta gnocchi," she quickly replied. "And, I want the same soda as Maddie, please."

Celeste read through the menu as she crossed her short-clad legs together. "One shrimp tagliatelle," she requested. "And, I'll like some lemonade with it."

"One braised shirt rib cavatelli," Spencer ordered as she run her delicate fingers along the edge of the menu. "And, I'll like some Diet Pepsi with it."

"One Saffron burger with fries," Kayla stated, closing the menu. "And, I'll like the same soda as Spence, please."

Mackenzie leaned back in her seat as she looked over the menu. "One brick-pressed chicken," she requested. "And, I'll like some Sprite with my food."

Audrey looked up from the menu and grinned brightly at the waiter. "One grilled marinated shrimp," she commanded. "And, I want some sweet tea with my order."

"Um..." Ava trailed off for a few moments as she stared at the menu. One burger supreme with some fries. And, some mountain dew, please."

Beverly collected the menus from the girls. "One chicken pot pie," she replied. "And, I'll like the same soda as Ava, please."

"Uh, one creamy lemon lobster fettuccine," Scarlett said as she passed the menus to Gil. "And, of course, I want some sweet tea with my food."

"Certainly," the waiter said as he finished writing their orders on his server notepad before leaving. "I'll be back with your drinks soon."

Madeleine noticed that the waiter was gone before saying something else to her cousin. "Oh, Mimi, do you remember Sarah?" she asked, laying her unfolded dinner napkin on her lap.

"Oh, yeah," Aimee spat angrily, her nordic-blue eyes filled with rage on her cousin's behalf. "Wasn't she the one that abandoned you and Scar for some girl and her friends?"

Scarlett placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her right palm. "Obviously," she said dramatically, pointing towards her and Madeleine. "But, she invited us to her pool party next Sunday."

Aimee raised a perfectly waxed dirty-blonde eyebrow in Madeleine and Scarlett's direction. "What for?" she asked her cousin and her cousin's friend.

"Well, Sarah wants to make amends with us," Scarlet chuckled, twirling one of the scalloped straps of her dress around her left manicured index finger. "And, of course, Hayden wants to enter middle school with a fresh start."

"Okay, so, they're getting ready to have a clean slate," Aimee said, understanding why her cousin and Scarlett are going to this party. "And, you guys are still dealing with emotional scars from the bullying itself."

"I thought Sarah should have known by now that things would never be okay with you guys," Celeste added after Aimee's statement as she straightened her thick, black Hermès leather belt, which she'd looped around her dress.

Spencer leaned back in her seat before letting out a heavy sigh. "Well, maybe they're planning something evil for Scar and Maddie," she offered.

Ava twisted a curly lock of her hair nervously around her left manicured index finger. "I think that Sarah and Hayden should suffer for the same things that they put you through," she uttered. "So, I'll recommend that we come up with some scheme to deal with them now."

"If I remember correctly, you guys told us that they had humiliated you guys in front of your entire grade," Beverly said modestly. She leaned unconsciously toward Madeleine and Scarlett. "Especially since we know they're being fake and stuff."

"Who's Sarah?" Audrey interrupted the conversation between Madeleine, Scarlett, and the other girls as she leaned forward in her seat.

Before Madeleine could answer her friend's question, the same waiter walked up to the table, carrying their iced drinks on his wide black round tray.

"Here you go, ladies," the waiter said as he placed the drinks in front of the girls. He then tucked his tray under his right arm before leaving again. "I'll be back with your food soon."

"It's alright," Madeleine nodded at the waiter before turning her attention back to Audrey. "Um, Addie, Sarah was best friends with me and Scar. She abandoned us for Hayden and her posse of friends last year."

"That's terrible," Mackenzie spat angrily as she moved her Sprite closer in front of her. "But, I think Sarah's genuinely sorry about everything she's put you guys through last year. So, I'm guessing that Maddie and Scar should forgive them for everything."

Kayla idly swirled the ice cubes around in her Diet Pepsi. "Yeah," she agreed with Mackenzie. "Well, I think that they should release the emotional baggage from their hearts. And, of course, Maddie and Scar would feel a lot better about themselves."

Scarlett rolled her eyes at Kayla and Mackenzie's suggestions. "So, you're advising us to let everything go," she said flatly, a bite in her tone. Scarlett then looked away from the girls and stared at some nosy customers, who were prying into their conversation. She shot a quick glare at them before directly turning toward the girls. "Um, that's not happening!"

Aimee took a hearty sip of her sweet tea. "No way," she snarled, her eyes darted towards her cousin, who was busy looking at the customers sitting at the tables around the girls.

Celeste brought the rim of her tall glass cup of lemonade to her glossy lips and took a long gulp. "I'm advising you guys should get some cold-blooded revenge on these girls," she declared, a devious glint in her serene-blue eyes. "They deserve everything coming to them."

"Oh, there are many schemes for Scar and Maddie to get back at them," Ava and Spencer said in unison, running their delicate fingers along the rim of their cup of fizzy soda.

Beverly took a sip of her Diet Mountain Dew cold drink. "At the loving risk of being mean towards others, how do you plan on getting back at them?" she asked Madeleine and Scarlett as they took a long sip of their fizzy sodas.

Madeleine paused long enough to sip her Diet Coke. "I'm thinking I should invite them over to one of my slumber parties," she said easily with a smirk on her face. "Get them to confess their deepest secrets to us, record it on my cell phone, and release the video on Instagram for everyone to see."

"Oh, I like this plan," Scarlett replied deviously as she leaned back in her seat before placing her manicured hands on her knees.

Audrey looked over at Kayla and Mackenzie, who were looking a bit worried at Madeleine and Scarlett's evil plan for their elementary-school tormentors. "Me too," she agreed, resting her right elbow on the table.

"So, how are you guys going to invite them over to Maddie's house?" Aimee asked, whipping her dirty-blonde locks over her right shoulder.

Before Madeleine could answer her cousin's question, the same waiter was heading towards their table, carrying plates full of delicious food on his wide black round tray over his right shoulder.

The waiter set the girls' food down in front of them before tucking the tray under his right arm. "Um, ladies, here's your food," he grinned brightly. "Anything else for you girls?"

"I think we're good for now," Scarlett declared as she grabbed her fork off the table before shoving some lobster into her mouth. "I'll call you over if we need anything else."=

"Enjoy your meals, ladies," the waiter said as he noticed that two customers from one of his assigned tables were waving him over. He hurried off, making sure to carry this table's tray of food to the opposite end of the restaurant.

"I was thinking that I should invite them over when we attend Sarah's party together," Madeleine acknowledged her cousin's question after the waiter left the table. She stabbed a sautéed mushroom with her fork, pointing towards her and her friends. "Make them believe that Scar and I had forgiven them."

Aimee moved her ricotta gnocchi around her plate. "Awesome," she replied, giving her cousin a half-smirk. "When do you guys put this plan into motion?"

A Cheshire grin quickly broke across Scarlett's face. "Next Sunday," she answered, seeing that Kayla and Mackenzie had finally come on board with her and Madeline's devious scheme.

"It's going to be sooooo perf," Celeste grinned brightly as she took a long sip of her lemonade before looking over at the girls. "All right, girlies, where did you guys go for summer vacation?"

"Well, I spent the first two weeks of summer in Milan with my parents," Kayla replied, smiling brightly. "And, the rest of my summer vacation was split between the Hamptons and Paris."

Ava ate several dainty bites of her burger supreme. "Yeah, well, I spent my entire summer vacation at one of my family's summer houses in Hawaii."

Mackenzie stabbed some pieces of her chicken with her fork. "My parents and I jetted off to Paris for my entire summer vacation," she said lightly. "I spent my days shopping at Champs-Élysées, exploring the whole city, and relaxing at our family's summer home."

"Oh, Lele, we spent my entire summer vacation at our family's summer house in Antigua," Beverly and Scarlett answered in unison, flashing a radiant smile at Celeste. "It was so much fun for us."

"Oh, wow, I spent my entire summer vacation in London with my parents, " Audrey said, beaming brightly. She swallowed a steaming forkful of her curry-covered rice.

Madeleine edged even so slightly closer to the table so her plate of food remained in front of her. "Um, my parents and I traveled to Switzerland for my summer vacation," she said, feeling cool and confident. "I had tons of fun shopping with my friends over there and exploring the whole city."

"Yeah, I kind of spent my entire summer vacation in Spain with my parents," Aimee responded, chewing thoughtfully on a mouthful of creamy potato gnocchi.

Celeste took a long, deep breath before prodding and sautéed shrimp and a scallion onto her fork. "Same," she agreed with Audrey, her eyes glimmered with a sparkle of happiness. "Aim and I had tons of fun together."

Spencer's amber eyes twinkled beneath her long lashes. "My parents and I traveled to the Hamptons for my entire summer vacation," she answered. "I had to attend tons of parties, shopped a lot at Main Street, walked around the beaches, and hung out with my Hampton summer friends. Anyway, did you guys hear the news about the Cruz family?"

"Who? What?" Madeleine asked hesitantly as she looked over her painted nails.

Aimee bobbed her head along to the classical music as she ran her right manicured hand through her buttery, sun-kissed curls. "They were known as the golden couple of the Upper East Side," she smiled goofily. "We should also talk about their bratty daughter, who is trying everything to be apart of my court this year."

"It seems people usually forget that news would usually spread around the city in a couple of hours," Scarlett gasped, flashing Celeste her irresistible half-smile. "And, no offense, but they seem like complete morons."

Celeste tossed her long, straightened ebony hair over her right shoulder. "Except, the Cruz family were thinking that things would die down for them," she piped up through a mouthful of shrimp tagliatelle.

Kayla blew back a straight strand of her hair that fell from her ponytail, which was swinging from side to side. "Now, please spill the tea," she demanded.

"Tell us everything," Ava and Mackenzie chimed in unison as they swallowed a sip of their soda.

Beverly speared a bite of her chicken pot pie as she let out a chuckle loud enough to make the other customers look her way. "What happened?" she asked Spencer curiously, her winter-grey eyes dancing with interest.

Audrey rolled her eyes at Spencer before resting her chin on her manicured hands. "Spence, can you spill the gossip on the Cruz family, please?" she whined.

"All right," Spencer huffed as she rolled her eyes at Audrey. "I was paying attention to my mom's conversation last night. I heard that the family just got slapped with a multi-million loan for their newly-built house. It seems they're having trouble paying the bank their money, and of course, it's due by the end of next week. So, they're selling away a lot of their properties, but it isn't enough to compensate them."

Madeleine twirled a curly strand of her hair around her left manicured index finger. "Why would I bother catching up on adult gossip about the Cruz family? Do I look like I spend free time eavesdropping on my mom's conversations?" she mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes at Spencer.

"Well, girlies, you should know because the Cruz family themselves are known for running their family-own hotel business overseas," Aimee smirked with a bitchy twinkle dancing in her eyes.

Scarlett nodded at Aimee's opinion before taking a measured sip from her iced cup of sweet tea. "Well... I've heard from the grapevine in the Upper East Side that the husband even tried to bribe someone so that the problem would disappear forever."

"Um, either way..." Celeste trailed off as she gave the girls an uneasy look before chewing on a mouthful of shrimp tagliatelle. "I think they've been stewing in their issues for a while."

"Ermmm, let's try to understand that the Cruz family is in a lot of trouble, right now?" Kayla asked skeptically. She adjusted her blouse and inhaled deeply as Kayla looked over at Aimee and her friends. "So, girlies, you should not interact with them. And, of course, shun them for being a bunch of stupid idiots who couldn't read the fine print on some papers."

Ava's black glossy hair slid in front of her violet eyes as she touched her fingertips to her smooth pale skin. "Honestly, girls, I'm looking forward to the day that the Cruz's family daughter, Marisol, would understand that she isn't on Mimi's level."

Mackenzie's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Same," she agreed. "I think that she'll eventually connect the dots in her mind, and try to understand her family's situation right now."

"Can we just agree that Marisol is trying her best to annoy Aim?" Beverly asked her friends, who were all taking a long sip of their fizzy sodas. "At least sometimes?"

"Count me out," Audrey said, holding her manicured hands in the air so the girls would understand that she wasn't talking to them for a few moments.

Spencer nodded her head at Beverly's statement and gathered her thoughts for a bit before saying something to her friend. "Marisol only acts like that in front of Mimi when she's trying to suck up to her," she pointed out, tracing her right manicured pinky finger along the edge of her plate. "What if Aim just agreed to let her into our group?"

Aimee wiped the corners of her mouth with her dinner napkin before leaning back in her chair. "Oh, that's not happening," she sneered, rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess I'd say she'll never be invited into my circle of handmaidens since I haven't made a single connection with her."

"Oh, yeah," Madeleine agreed with her cousin as she twirled the diamond stud in her right ear. "She isn't worthy of being my cousin's handmaiden."

"Well, either way..." Scarlett pondered with a chuckle, bringing her sweet tea to her glossy lips, and took a hearty gulp of her cold drink. "She's a complete loser now, so no one in our school would risk inviting her family to any functions now."

Celeste sipped more of her lemonade, a giant drop of her drink slid from the left corner of her mouth onto the tablecloth with a plop. "And, how much of the Cruz's family life is screwed up right now?" she asked suggestively.

Kayla munched on a ketchup-covered fry before washing it down with her Diet Pepsi. "Uh, they're in a lot of trouble with the city," she acknowledged. "So, they won't be showing their faces in public for a while."

"Oh, yeah," Ava intoned, looking delighted at Marisol's unfortunate family situation. She ate several huge bites of her burger supreme. "I've never seen the Cruz family look so bothered before, so the city scored some points there."

"Yeah, whatever," Mackenzie grumbled, eating several bites of her brick-pressed chicken. "I mean if they'll finally get it into their heads that cancel culture would always be there."

Beverly fixed her sleeveless baby-pink Ted Baker knit fit-and-flare dress's pleated skirt. "Nah, I think that they should just be away from the city," she said absently, a devious glint sparkle in her eyes. "It'll be so much better if the Cruz family listens to the advice of their top-notch lawyers."

Audrey straightened her romper before angling her spoon toward her face and quickly glanced at her reflection. "To be honest, I'm wondering if Mimi would be combining through every girl in our grade," she added after Beverly's statement, seeing that the girls were sipping their drinks. "She needs to find more handmaidens for her court this year."

"Yes, yes, and yes!" Spencer retorted as she shot a faint smile in Audrey's direction as the girls continued to eat their food. "Aim has the right to hire someone to look through the girls. Especially if she needs to separate them by victims and projects."

"Whatever," Aimee grumbled after a pause as she drank two gulps of her sweet tea. "Ugh, I still need to find out who's worthy of being my handmaiden before school starts."]

Madeleine scooted her chair into the table and smiled at her cousin. "Mimi, you should make sure that they're capable of being your handmaiden," she said wistfully. "I'm sure it'll be worth the wait, right?"

Scarlett straightened the hair clips that held the sides of her hair away from her face. "Yesssss!" she proclaimed, hoping that the customers sitting around their table didn't say anything to the wait staff. "I guess she's just a little crazy about Aim being more fabulous than her."

Ava leaned her right elbow on the table before eating the last bite of her burger supreme and fries. "Maybe Aim should allow Marisol to join her handmaidens," she replied, her eyes flashed wickedly. "But, pretties, she should plan something diabolical for her. And, well, I think that Mimi should post her humiliation on social media."

"Of course!" Kayla agreed as she pushed a loose straight lock of her hair behind her left ear before eating the last bite of her Saffron burger and fries.

A giggle burst from Spencer's glossy lips. "Fine!" she hissed, looking over at the girls and grinning proudly. She then ate the last bite of braised short rib cavatelli.

Mackenzie drank half of her Sprite before shoving the last bite of her brick-pressed chicken into her mouth. "That's okay," she agreed with Ava.

"Ah!" Beverly exclaimed as she chewed on the last mouthful of chicken pot pie. "I would... rather wait for the Cruz family's fall from grace to be confirmed by gossip articles and channels."

"It's almost two," Audrey shrieked quietly as she checked the time on her iPhone's bright screen before eating the last two bites of her grilled marinated shrimp. "We haven't shopped yet! I need some clothes for the first week of school. And, Maddie needs to be home by eight tonight."

"So, uh, yeah," Madeleine smiled as she swallowed the last bite of her butternut squash bucatini before motioning the waiter over so he'll understand that she wanted to pay for her friend's food and drinks. "We still need to pay for our meal."

"So, Maddie, you need to call over the waiter right now," Aimee added after her cousin's statement as she crammed the last forkful of ricotta gnocchi into her mouth.

Moments later, the same waiter approached the table, cutting into the conversation between the girls.

"We're finished with our meal," Madeleine directed steadily. She pulled her black Amex from her purse and handed it over to the waiter. "So, I'm going to need the receipt now."

"Right away," the waiter said, turning on his heel with the card in his right hand. Five minutes later, he returned with a black leather portfolio in his left hand. "Uh, young Miss, I need your signature for the receipt."=

Madeleine opened the book, realizing that her Amex, a receipt, and a pen were inside. "Okay,," she replied, signing the dotted line without glancing at it. She then tucked her still-warm credit card into her designer handbag and stood up from her chair, seeing that the waiter had already left to deal with his other tables. "So, if we want to hit 5th Avenue, we'd better go now."

"C'mon, girlies," Aimee stated, following her cousin's example. She noticed that the other girls had pushed their chairs away from the table and risen from their seats. "Let's calm ourselves with some retail therapy."

Pushing their chairs away from the table without scraping them across the waxed marble floor, the girls tossed their stained dinner napkins on their empty plates before taking a long sip of their drinks. Taking some deep breaths, they tossed their purses over their right shoulders and sashayed out of the establishment. Moments later, the girls strutted down the street, looking every bit gorgeous as the socialites walked up and down the sidewalk.

They walked in synchronized steps, the newest pop song blasting in their minds. Loving how people were moving out of the way for them, the ten girls walked for a couple of minutes before turning towards Fifth Avenue, their faces set into blank stares. To the outside world, they gave off an air of snobbiness so that people would understand that they're more important.


Bergdorf Goodman's Dressing Area

5th Avenue, New York City

5:33 P.M

Tuesday, September 3rd

Grinning into the three-way mirror, Madeleine cocked her head to the side as she examined her latest First Week of School dress option: an elegant cream 3.1 Phillip Lim off-the-shoulder dress. Loving how the dress looked on her, she turned away from the mirror to consult with the girls.

Madeleine tossed her curls over her shoulders. "Does this dress say 'First Week of School'?" she asked the girls.

Aimee sat against the wall next to her dressing room and studied her cousin with laser focus. "Yes, it works well with your skin tone," she mused with a snicker. "The color Cream looks good on anyone."

"Oh, Mads, it looks nice on you," Scarlett commented. She dipped her right manicured hand into her giant to-buy pile, plucking a pale-pink Alice + Olivia cowl-back shift dress and draping it over her outfit. "Fabulous or not?"

Celeste looked away from Madeleine and analyzed Scarlett's current choice for the first week of school. "Beautiful, of course," she beamed happily. "That dress is to die for, but it looks a little too scandalous for school."

Scarlett flung the dress on the ivory plush carpet before taking a dainty sip of her venti Starbucks cinnamon dolce crème. "I'm not buying this dress, Lele. I just wanted to make sure that my clothes fit properly, especially since I've grown in the chest area this summer."

Ava ran over to Scarlett and hugged her tightly. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" she shrieked loudly. She didn't care if everyone in the entire store heard her. "I, uh, thought I was the only one that developed in the chest area this summer. It feels weird being the only one in my circle of friends."

"Um, hellooooo?" Madeleine shouted, interrupting the conversation between Ava and her friend. "Does this dress say 'First Week of School'?"

Mackenzie glanced up from her iPhone and scanned the dress that Madeleine was displaying for them. "Yes, Maddie," she answered truthfully.

Audrey and Kayla shifted their gazes in their friend's direction as they sipped more of her lattes. "Same," they agreed with Mackenzie.

"Adorable," Spencer piped up, exchanging a side glance with Aimee.

Beverly inspected her airy, white-pearl nails before resting her head on Aimee's left shoulder. "Wow..." she pondered. "You look awesome."

"It looks stunning on you," Ava remarked, shifting into a comfortable position in her seat.

"Perf," Madeleine said happily as she whipped the dress into her giant to-buy pile. "Who's next?"

"It's my turn now," Aimee declared, walking back into her messy dressing room. "I still need some more clothes for the first week of school. Especially since I'll be wearing my school uniform during school hours."

A couple of seconds later, Scarlett looked over at the girls and gathered her thoughts for a bit before saying something to them. "Just out of curiosity, what's the school hierarchy like here?" she eagerly inquired, sounding extremely interested in this topic.

"But, uh...there's just one ruling Queen for each grade and their handmaidens," Celeste answered with a radiant smile on her face. "Mimi was chosen this year to be the sixth-grade Queen. What about Westchester itself?"

"Same thing for Maddie too," Kayla acknowledged, downing half the contents of her venti Starbucks caramel macchiato. "Except, she's ruling with a court."

"Have you guys ever thought about how Maddie and Aim were chosen for their roles as Queen?" Spencer asked, fiddling with one of the buttons on her high-waisted, navy-blue Maje shorts.

"Based on what I've heard about Lindsey and Avery, they chose Maddy from a list of legacies," Mackenzie recalled, crossing her ankles together.

"Well, for the people of the Upper East Side, the Queens are chosen on four outstanding criteria," Beverly informed the girls as she sat beside Ava on her right. "Family connections, wealth, scheming, and gracefulness."

"It's true," Aimee called from inside her dressing room. "The upper Queens at my new school challenged me with a series of tests. First, I had to throw this year's 'End of Summer Bash. Second, I had to spread a bunch of fake rumors about some people. Third, I had to manipulate some former classmates from elementary school. Just because they want to know if I'm able to use people for my own purpose. I also need to be haughty and aloof to everybody else, except my family and friends. And, finally, the upper Queens want me to embrace my scheming side."

Audrey and Ava nodded at Aimee's statement, smiling brightly. "Um, girlies, you guys shouldn't get your pearls in a twist," they teased lightly in unison, seeing that the girls had nodded their heads at her. "We're sure everything's going to be fine this school year. And, of course, we should make sure that these losers know that they aren't allowed to go against our friends and queens."

Moments later, Aimee came out of her dressing room with a strut of a mini-socialite, looking fabulous in a black-and-white Marc Jacobs puff-sleeved dress. "Thoughts?"

Madeleine cocked her head to the side and examined her cousin with laser focus. "Beautiful," she commented, drinking half of her venti Starbucks pumpkin spice crème.

Celeste lifted her chestnut praline latte to her glossy lips. "It looks so classy on you," she snickered.

Kayla stared at her iPhone's bright screen, sending a text to her mom about spending some time at the spa together. "Ten!" she replied without looking away from her cell phone.

Spencer stretched her slender neck from side to side for a few moments before analyzing Aimee's current choice for the first week of school. "Nice dress, Mimi!"

Mackenzie leaned over and gave Audrey a wet kiss on the left cheek. "Adorable dress, by the way!" she cried.

Beverly pulled Spencer's Gucci ballet flats onto her bare pedicured feet, wanting to see if it looks wonderful on her. "Looking good, Aimee," she said with a chuckle, kicking the shoes off her feet.

"Stunning, Aim!" Ava boomed, combing her manicured fingers through her hair.

"Well, Aim, It looks classy and refined on you," Audrey sighed happily. She sat against the wall next to her messy dressing room.

Before Madeleine could say anything to the girls, she realized that two older saleswomen had entered the dressing area.

"Do you girls need some help here?" the two older saleswomen asked the girls in unison.

"Yeah, I'd like to ring up the giant pile of clothing in my dressing room," Madeleine replied, walking back into her dressing room.

"Um, me too," Celeste said. She stood up and sauntered back into her dressing room.

"We're done too," Kayla and Scarlett said in unison as they stood up from their seats and sashayed into their dressing room.

"Same for me, as well," Spencer said as she walked back into her messy dressing rooms.

"We want to ring up everything in my dressing room," Mackenzie and Beverly told the saleswomen in unison as they stepped inside their sloppy dressing rooms.

"Um, I want to purchase everything in my dressing room," Ava spoke calmly to the saleswoman as she entered her messy dressing room.

Audrey got up from her seat and sighed deeply. "I want to go home and take a very long shower now," she said, walking back into her dressing room.

"I'm taking everything from my dressing room," Aimee said as she walked into her dressing room and changed out of the dress she was trying on. Tossing them on top of her giant pile of clothing for the first week of school, she walked out of the dressing room with her designer purse slung over her right shoulder. Aimee left the room, managing to grab her large shopping bags with her right manicured hand as she held the pile of clothes in her arms.

A couple of moments later, the other girls walked out of dressing rooms with their designer purses slung over their right shoulders. They left their half-full Starbucks drinks for the store's staff to pick up and grabbed their large shopping bags with their left-manicured hands. Afterward, the girls followed the two saleswomen, who were leading them toward the cash registers.

Moments later, the girls watched as the two saleswomen rang them up before paying for everything with their credit cards. They discovered that the saleswoman had already swiped their credit cards and was holding out a credit card receipt for them. Signing the dotted line without glancing at it, the girls pressed the receipt into the saleswomen's hands and snatched their eighteen large shopping bags. Heading for the exit, they pushed their way onto the bustling sidewalk, taking in big gulps of crisp, humid air. The girls found themselves standing by the Ted Baker flagship store's front entrance.

Madeleine glanced at her Apple watch, making sure she didn't fall under the weight of her large shopping bags. "It's almost six o'clock in the evening. So, Mimi, it's time to call your driver now. I want to make sure that you guys leave first before I call Nick over."

Aimee dug her iPhone out of her purse, knowing that her cousin was extremely worried about her and her friends' safety around the city. "Alright, Maddie!" she whispered. Aimee then asked Siri to call her family's driver, Paul, before pressing her cell phone to her right ear. She immediately realized that her driver finally had picked up on the other line.

"Hello?" Paul's deep voice rang through the microphones of Aimee's iPhone.

"Hey, Paul," Aimee greeted her driver as she discovered that her friends had linked arms with her. "I'm ready for you to pick me and my friends now."

"Okay, Miss Aimee," Paul said, his tone filled with so much warmth. "I'll be there in thirty minutes."

Aimee heard that the line went dead before dropping her iPhone back into her purse. "So, Maddy, Paul will be here in thirty minutes," she said, looking over at her cousin.

"That's awesome," Madeleine nodded with a chuckle before looking over at the other girls. "Oh, girlies, you should grab each other's numbers before saying goodbye to each other."

Celeste nodded at Madeleine's statement before realizing that the girls had taken their cell phones out of their designer handbags. "Fine, Maddie!" she scoffed, rolling her eyes at Madeleine. Celeste then entered her number into the girls' iPhones and handed them back to them. "Um, pretties, let's exchange numbers now. So, we can keep in touch with each other."

Kayla pushed her purse even higher on her right shoulder. "Okay, Lele!" she said, entering her number into the girls' iPhones and handing them back to them.=

Scarlett sighed deeply as she typed her number into the girls' iPhones before handing them back to them. "Yeah, I'll probably text you guys later when I'm home."

Spencer let out a deep breath before entering her number into the girls' iPhones and headed them back. "Me too," she agreed with Scarlett.

Mackenzie glanced lazily at the hordes of people carrying large shopping bags from Paradox, Free People, and Armani. "Later, guys!" she said, entering her number into the girls' iPhones and handing them back to her.

Beverly crossed her arms over her chest as her large shopping bags banged against her left thigh. "Um, good evening, everyone," she replied, typing her number into the girls' iPhones and handing them back to them.

Ava noticed that a taxi had screeched to a stop at the corner of Fifth Avenue to let someone out and realized that someone else had jumped into the same cab. "Whatever," she grinned, entering her number into the girls' iPhones and handing them back to them. "I'll possibly Facetime you guys later tonight."

A half-hour later, Aimee immediately noticed that Paul had already pulled her family's black GMC Yukon up to the cement curb, seeing that her driver got out of the car and opened the right-side black rear door for her and her friends. "Um, Maddy, Paul is already here, so I'll text you tomorrow," she replied, dragging her friends towards the opened door.

Madeleine flashed a quick smile at her cousin and her friends. "Bye, girlies!" she spoke to them, waving 'bye' at her cousin and friends. Afterward, Madeleine noticed that Aimee had climbed into the car first before the other girls followed behind her. A couple of moments later, she watched as her cousin's driver navigated the car through traffic, seeing how it faded into the distance. Sighing deeply, Madeleine immediately turned her attention back to her friends as she grabbed her iPhone from her purse. "I'm going to send a text to Nick right now. He's eating some dinner at some restaurant around Seventh Avenue."

"Ugh, Maddie, can you make him come any faster?" Scarlett pouted, peering over Madeleine's left shoulder and seeing how fast her friend's fingers flew across her cell phone's keyboard. Moments later, she discovered that her friend had already received a message from her driver that said he'll be there in ten minutes. "My feet are killing me."

"Scar, I was thinking that we should let the man have a peaceful dinner," Kayla insisted, rolling her eyes at Scarlett's whiny tone. "He's been driving us everywhere in the city."

"But, Kaila, Maddy needs to be home by eight tonight," Mackenzie added with a sigh as she rested her left hand on Audrey's right shoulder so her large shopping bags didn't weigh her down. "So, her driver needs to get here quickly."

"Aren't you going to say something, Maddie?" Audrey asked, wondering if her friend would jump in between Kayla, Scarlett, and Mackenzie's argument.

"Whatever," Madeleine muttered under her breath as she barely concealed an eye roll at her friends' stupid argument before tossing her cell phone back into her designer handbag. She completely tuned out whatever her friends were arguing about as Madeleine glanced around the noisy street and instantly noticed that Nick had already turned the Range Rover onto Fifth Avenue. "C'mon, girls. Nick's here."

Seconds later, Nick pulled up to the cement curb, while keeping the car's engine, and remained in his seat.=

Once inside the Range Rover, the girls slid across the buttery soft leather backseat and dropped their large shopping bags on the floor. Tossing their designer handbags on their laps, they buckle their seatbelts and were willing to forget about their argument as Kayla, Mackenzie, Scarlett, and Audrey started talking to each other again.

Tuning her friends out, Madeleine wasn't in the mood to say anything to her friends as she closed her eyes. Feeling the motion of the car pulling away from the curb, she knew that she couldn't skip out on dinner with her parents when the only thing she wanted to do was relax for the rest of the evening.


The Frost Estate

Mackenzie's Bathroom

9:32 P.M.

Tuesday, September 3rd

Mackenzie Frost sank further into her white double-ended freestanding tub as she ate a milk chocolate truffle from the box of Godiva truffles, which rested perfectly on the side table near the tub. Eight glowing lavender and chamomile-scented candles warmed her dark bathroom, giving off a warm, sweet smell. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the warm water loosening her muscles and relieving her until Mackenzie felt the tension from hanging out with the girls had melted away.

Leaning her head against the lip of the tub, Mackenzie kept her eyes closed as she pushed the soapy suds even closer to her wet body. Moments later, she opened her eyes and sank even further into the Philosophy pick chocolate maroon-scented water. Plucking a salted caramel truffle from the same box of truffles, Mackenzie popped it into her mouth, tasting heavenly on her tongue.

Mackenzie's iPhone buzzed to life, chiming throughout the bathroom. Sitting upright, she wiped her hands on the soft yellow organic cotton hand towel that rested against the tub's lip, making sure that the same towel was used to wipe the inside of her ears. Mackenzie grabbed the left AirPod from her wireless charging case and shoved it into her left ear. She double-tapped her Airpod to accept the call without peering at her cell phone's screen.

"Manzie!" Scarlett called from the other line, her tone was soft and slightly excited. "What are you doing right now?"

Mackenzie waved her left manicured hand languidly through the warm water. "Just soaking in a bubble bath," she responded. "And, of course, eating some truffles from Godiva."

"Anyhow, I just finished talking to Drey and Lala on Facetime," Scarlett chirped. "They're going to eat dinner with their parents at The Indian Tower tonight."

"Oh, that's super nice," Mackenzie said, sounding a bit sad. "At least someone's having fun with their parents. And, I'm stuck at home by myself since my parents are currently having their date night now."

"It's alright, Manzie," Scarlett told her friend, her tone was uplifting to Mackenzie. "Oh, and by the way, did Maddie text you Declan's number yet?"

Mackenzie lifted her left sud-covered leg out of the water. "Hell yeah," she nodded. "I texted him after I got home. And, He says he would like to me at Scoops tomorrow afternoon. At four-thirty."

"Awesome," Scarlett said, her voice filled with warmth. "Scott said the same thing to me."

"Of course, Scar," Mackenzie said, smiling brightly. She stared at the silky white blackout shades that were covering her bathroom's glass windows. "I wouldn't miss the chance to hang out with some cute boys."

"Perf," Scarlett replied coyly, her tone filled with excitement.

Mackenzie smirked at her friend's statement, lowering her leg back into the water. "What are you wearing tomorrow?" she asked, popping another milk chocolate truffle into her mouth.

"I've already dressed my mannequin in a baby-blue floral tie-back minidress by French Connection," Scarlett explained with a chuckle. "It'll work with my cream Stuart Weitzman espadrilles, a quilted baby blue Michael Kors leather shoulder bag, and a short, cream Frame puff-sleeved cardigan. So, Kenzie, what about you?"

"I've already adorned my mannequin in a pale-yellow Maje jacquard skater dress," Mackenzie informed her friend, switching the trip lever on her bathtub's overflow plate so the slightly cold water would go down. "It'll match with my white Miu Miu wedges and a small quilted pale yellow Kate Spade crossbody bag."

"It's going to rain tomorrow afternoon," Scarlett recommended. "So, we should change our current shoes for rain boots and leggings. And, of course, make sure to bring an umbrella."

Mackenzie stepped out of the tub and dried herself with a fluffy yellow Ralph Lauren towel. "Oh, of course," she quickly replied. "By the time you get there, I'll already be talking to the boys."

"Got it," Scarlett nodded, her tone filled with warmth. "Are you still going to Vanessa Sanchez's headquarters, by the way?"

"Yesssss!" Mackenzie yelled into the microphone of the phone. "I wouldn't miss it for the world, especially since Lala and I would have exclusive access to the plans that Rae had put into her upcoming birthday party this Saturday."

"I'm going to bed now," Scarlett yawned. "See you tomorrow."

"Later, Scar!" Mackenzie grinned as she snatched her white Gilda & Pearl satin robe off one of the chrome wall robe hooks and wrapped the robe around herself.

Hearing the sound of the call being ended on the other side, Mackenzie kept her Airpod in her left ear, blowing out the candles. She tightened the belt on her robe before clapping her manicured hands together so the lights in her bathroom would turn on. Brushing her teeth, Mackenzie grabbed her charging case, her iPhone, and the opened box of truffles from the side table as she walked out of her all-white bathroom without turning the lights off in her bathroom.

Dropping the stuff on her bed, she headed over to her closet and opened the French closet doors that led to her massive two-story all- white circular walk-in closet. She stepped inside and clapped her manicured hands together so the lights in her closet would turn on. Looking around her closet, Mackenzie realized that several of her wide, navy-blue velvet button-tufted wing chairs were piled high with white furry throw pillows, which sat in one of the corners of her wardrobe. It was placed directly behind a small, white button-tufted cube covered with a pile of old fashion magazines.

Running her delicate fingers along the ultra-soft ostrich feather trim of the sleeves of her robe, she dragged her bare pedicured feet across the ivory plush carpet before observing that there were still giant piles of crumpled designer clothing everywhere on the floor. Mackenzie pawed through her closet's drawers for a few moments before grabbing an old pair of pale-blue In Bloom by Jonquil racer-back satin camisole and matching shorts. She dropped her robe on the door for her family's maid, Svetlana, to pick it up.

Mackenzie slipped into her comfortable pajamas and walked out of her wardrobe. Shutting the closet doors behind her without turning the lights off in her closet, she walked across the large white infinity shag rugs as Mackenzie demurely took a Crême Brûlée truffle from the box of truffles. Biting into the white chocolate shell, Mackenzie's tongue was coated with the blending of dark chocolate and white ganache. As soon as the truffle disappeared entirely in her mouth, she shoved the box of truffles into her Sub-Zero's mini-fridge, and flopped facedown onto the fluffy oversized yellow king-size duvet on her bed, feeling the goose-down feathers puffed up around her.

Just as Mackenzie was about to crawl into bed, her iPhone buzzed to life, chiming throughout her room. Crawling over to her cell phone, she checked the screen and discovered that her mom was Facetiming her. Mackenzie made sure that the Airpod was still in her left ear before snatching the other Airpod from the charging case. Shoving it into her right ear, she double-tapped the Airpod to receive the video call from her mom.

"Hey, sweetie!' Emily greeted her daughter with gushing enthusiasm.

"Hi, darling,' Mathias added, peering over his wife's right shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Mackenzie held her iPhone up in the air with her right hand so her parents would be able to see her clearly in the video call. "Just finished soaking in a bubble bath," she said, tossing her empty charging case onto her right-side nightstand. "I'm about to go to bed now. Where are you guys?"

Mathias shoved his hands into the flap pockets of his tailored, camel Burberry single-breasted cashmere coat. "Your mother and I are attending a show at an art gallery right now," he informed his daughter.

Emily watched as her daughter nodded at her dad's opinion before locking her right arm around her husband's left arm. "So, we're gonna be a little late tonight," she finished for her husband. "Mackenzie, sweetie, are you okay?"

"Yeah, Mom," Mackenzie nodded at her mom as she jumped off her bed and headed over to her small bay window. Looking outside, she gazed at the bright full moon in the dark sky for five minutes before talking to her parents. "I can't wait for school to start soon, especially with the fact that I'm just tired of being in the house by myself."

"Isn't the household staff working in the house now?" Mathias asked his daughter, unbuttoning the top of his coat.

Mackenzie stared into her iPhone's bright screen so her parents could see that she was listening to them. "Um, no, you guys gave them the night off," she whined. "So, I'm stuck here by myself. And I can't believe you wouldn't cancel your plans for me."

"For God's sake, stop that whining!" Emily said coldly as she smoothed the front of her navy-blue Likely one-shoulder sheath dress with her right hand before exchanging a side glance with her husband. 'We should be the ones complaining about you, which means that we haven't seen you since breakfast this morning. But, honey, there's something you're good at."

'Like what?" Mackenzie inquired, leaning against the window.

A grin slowly broke across Mathias's face. "Princess, you're always Facetiming us where you're going," he acknowledged his daughter's question, pulling his wife even closer to him.

Mackenzie plopped down on her chaise lounge. "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad," she apologized. "It's just that I don't like being alone, especially when I had planned a movie night for the three of us."

Emily looked out the corner of her eye as she observed that her husband had wrapped his left arm around her waist. "It's okay, sweetie," she nodded at her daughter. "Dimitri just arrived at the art gallery, so we'll see you when we get home."

"Alright, Mom," Mackenzie beamed, tugging on the spaghetti straps of her camisole. "Bye, Daddy!"

"Good night, princess!" Mathias grinned brightly as he stepped out of the car.

"Later, darling!" Emily blew a kiss at her daughter before ending the call on her side.

Pulling her AirPods out of her ears, Mackenzie strolled across her polished hardwood floor and grabbed her charging case from her right-side nightstand. Shoving her AirPods into the case, she tossed them on the same nightstand and looked at her iPhone for a few moments. Understanding that her cell phone had enough juice to wake her up tomorrow morning, Mackenzie set her iPhone on the other nightstand and walked out of her bedroom.

Racing downstairs, she walked past the dining room before stopping in front of the front door. Checking the home security system, Mackenzie instantly let out a sigh of relief since every door and window in the house was locked and secured. Facing forward, she was greeted by the sight of the foyer's entryway with polished white marble flooring and the large Swarovski-crystal-trimmed chandelier that hung from the vaulted ceilings.

Inhaling some vanilla-infused air, Mackenzie exhaled as she strolled past the dining room again before hurrying over to the winding staircase. When she reached her spacious bedroom, she closed the bedroom door with her foot, laying across her bed. Mackenzie stretched her right arm towards her right-side nightstand and quickly grabbed her cell phone.

Scrolling through her notifications, she discovered that Maddie had posted some pictures on Instagram, and quickly unlocked her iPhone. Mackenzie tapped on the newest Instagram notification as she sat cross-legged in the center of her bed. She noticed that her friend had posted several group selfies on her page. It included everyone from their circle of friends, looking fabulous, posing outside Saffron with Aimee, Celeste, Spencer, Ava, and Beverly.

Tapping on the heart icon to love the picture, Mackenzie realized that her friend had tagged everyone in the images so people in Westchester and the Upper East Side would know that the girls were unstoppable, elegant, and flawless. Taking several deep breaths, she turned her cell phone off and dropped it back on her right-side nightstand. Mackenzie then crawled under her duvet and clapped her manicured hands together so the lights in her room would turn off. Slipping her sleep mask over her eyes, she snuggled under her duvet and closed her eyes before falling asleep a few moments later.


A/N:

Self Promotion: In my bio, I have a link to a page, where you can support me in exchange for exclusive benefits. Chapter four, five, six, seven, and eight are on the same page.

And, here's chapter three for you guys.

Enjoy,

FashionLeMode