The Beauty Queens

by FashionLeMode

What if the girls were unique in their own way? What if Madeleine was already chosen by the upper queens at school to be the Queen of the entire Sixth Grade? Will they ever grow into a court? Will Scarlett, Kayla, Mackenzie, and Audrey settle into their designated roles in the court? Will Madeleine be able to reign over an entire grade?

8. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I own all the characters in this story.

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Chapter Seven

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Westchester Country Club

Tennis Court A

11:09 A.M.

Saturday, September 7th

Sucking in a deep breath, Madeleine tossed the fuzzy yellow tennis ball in the air and slammed it onto the other side. Realizing that the ball was slamming against the metal chain link fence, she smoothed her pleated snow-white Tory Sport tennis skirt while noticing that the sun was reflecting into her emerald-green eyes. Hating how she couldn't see across the court, Madeleine heard another ball whizzing towards her and stepped back.

Pivoting left, she pulled back her white Wilson tennis racket and swung. Madeleine instantly knew that the ball had glided easily over the net, completing her gracefully follow through. She let out a sigh and looked over at the other tennis courts. Madeleine discovered that a bunch of middle-aged women in proper tennis clothes were playing brilliantly with their marriage partners.

"Brilliant shot!" Madeleine's tennis instructor, Marco, called from the other side of the tennis court.

Madeleine stared at the perfectly blue sky, realizing that several clouds had passed over the glazing sun. She then looked across the net and observed that Marco was running sideways. "Thank you, Marco," she said brightly, knowing that her parents expected her to be an excellent tennis player. "But, you know that I'm good at tennis, right?"

"Of course, Miss Madeleine," Marco nodded as he sat down on the wooden beach near the tennis courts and placed his racket inside his leather tennis bag. "We're gonna have to end the lesson early today, anyway."

"Um, Marco, why?" Madeleine asked a bit snarkily, cocking a perfectly waxed honey-blonde eyebrow in Marco's direction. She then touched her signature pearl necklace.

Marco threw his bag over his toned left shoulder before glancing over at Madeleine. "Oh, Miss Madeleine, I've got to visit my wife at the hospital," he replied, his deep voice suddenly becoming serious. "I'll see you next Saturday for lessons."

Madeleine bounced over to the bench, drinking half of the Smartwater she'd bought along with her. "Alright, Marco," she responded with a half-smile.

"Bye, Miss Madeleine," Marco called over his toned right shoulder as he walked through the tennis courts' metal chain-link gate.

Seeing that her tennis instructor had already left the courts, Madeleine sat down on the bench and dropped her tennis racket on her lap. She reached deep inside her navy-and-white-striped canvas tennis bag and took out a small fluffy purple Ralph Lauren face towel. Dabbing her sweaty face with the towel for a few moments, Madeleine tossed it into her bag and discreetly smelled herself.

Madeleine realized that she didn't smell that bad, so she carefully placed her tennis racket inside her tennis bag. Packing her hall-filled bottle of Smartwater and the towel into her bag, she sauntered through the tennis courts' metal chain-link gate while remembering that she had made her weekly brunch reservation with the country's club dining room. Walking across the beautifully manicured lawns, Madeleine headed toward the country's club back entrance, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sauntering inside, she scanned around the country club's lobby, observing that the lobby was bustling with members. A few minutes later, Madeline walked into the dining room's foyer and stood in line behind five golfers, who were waiting for the host to check them in. Tapping her right white leather Chloe low-top sneaker-clad foot against the polished marble floor, she crossed her arms over her chest while waiting for the host to attend to the people in front of her.

Looking at the dining room's ceiling, Madeleine stared intensely at the massive glittery chandelier for a few moments before glancing back down at the host stand. Realizing that the golfers had all followed the host into the country club's dining room, she stepped forward while tossing her tennis bag over her right shoulder. Madeleine waited ten minutes before observing that the host was waiting to check her in for her weekly brunch reservation.

"Hello, Miss Stein," the host greeted Madeleine with a stoic expression on his face. "Are you here for the reservation that you booked last Thursday afternoon?"

"Yeah," Madeleine replied, watching the host type into the iPad in front of him that she was here for her weekly brunch reservation. "Just here for my reservation."

"Right this way, Miss Stein," the host nodded as he grabbed a black leather menu off the host stand and led Madeleine through the crowded, but quiet dining room.

Without saying another word to the host, Madeleine followed behind the host and sneaked a peek around the dining room. Seeing that members were eating brunch and talking to their partners, she faced forward, discovering that the host had literally led her to her usual table at the back of the dining room. Madeleine sighed lightly and crossed her arms over her chest.

The host dumped the menu on the table before pulling a plushy white leather chair out for Madeleine. "I hope this table is suitable, Miss Stein," he gestured for her to sit.

Madeleine dumped her bag on the adjacent seat beside her before settling into the chair that the host had pulled out for her. "It's alright," she said sweetly. "Thank you."

"Of course, Miss Stein," the host nodded with a stoic expression on his face. "One of your usual waiters would be here in ten minutes."

"Okay," Madeleine nodded in understanding before seeing that the host was returning to the host stand.

Looking out of the dining room's gridlocked windows, Madeleine focused her gaze on a party of golfers walking across the golf course with their golf clubs in their hands. Leaning back in her seat, she followed the golfers with her eyes, seeing that they were heading towards the thirteen-hole. Sighing, Madeleine closed her eyes while practicing some meditation breathes, since she wants to relax a bit.

Ten minutes later, the waiter approached the table and waited for her to open her eyes.

Madeleine opened her eyes and discovered that the country club had sent Yuki over to serve her this time. "Hey," she said with a smile before grabbing the menu. "It's been a while."

"Um, Miss Stein, you were here last week Friday for brunch," the waiter said, knowing that Madeleine was one of her customers that tipped very well. Changing the subject to something else, she pulled a pen from her apron and hovered it over her server notepad. "So, what would you been having this time?"

"Two Eggs Benedict," Madeleine quickly replied as she scanned the menu. "I'd like some freshly-squeezed orange juice with it."

"Of course, Miss Stein," the waiter smiled as she finished writing down Madeleine's order on her notepad before leaving her customer's sight. "I'll be back with your food and drink."

Madeleine nodded at the waiter

and looked away from her server. She started staring outside of the dining room's windows and watched the same party of golfers score several holes at hole thirteen. "All right," she replied without looking away from the golfers.

Without saying anything else to the waiter, Madeleine looked away from the golfers and plucked her iPhone out of her bag. She unlocked her cell phone and tapped on the Instagram app. Scrolling through her page's account feed, Madeleine discovered that her cousins had posted several solo selfies on their page and tapped on the heart icon to like their pictures.

Letting her iPhone sleep, she didn't want to talk to anybody right now since Madeleine wanted to have a quiet brunch by herself. Rolling her shoulders back, Madeleine looked around the dining room, observing that the country club staff had surrounded the room with vases full of long-stemmed yellow roses. She glanced lazily over the table next to her, seeing that members were now paying their brunch bill.

Grabbing her cell phone, Madeleine checked the time and discovered that thirteen minutes had already passed. Wondering where the waiter was with her food and drink, she was about to signal down another waiter when Madeleine heard that someone had cleared her throat loudly. Looking over, Madeleine discovered that the same waiter was standing there with Madeleine's plate of food in her right hand and her iced drink in her other hand.

The waiter set Madeleine's food on the table while dropping the iced drink near the plate. "Here's your food and drink, Miss Stein," she said with a smile.

Madeleine abandoned her iPhone on the table before moving her food even closer to her. "Got iti," she said flatly.

"Enjoy your meal, Miss Stein," the waiter said as she left Madeleine to attend some of her tables.

Just as Madeleine was about to grab the dinner fork and knife with her manicured hands, her cell phone buzzed on the table, causing her heart to beat fast. Biting on her lower lip, she checked her iPhone screen and discovered that her mom was calling her. Madeleine wanted to eat her brunch without any distractions, but she knew that she needed to answer this call because her mom would follow her call with texts and video calls. Taking a deep breath, she accepted the call and waited for her mom to say something to her.

"Hello, sweetie," Margaret greeted her daughter, sounding very warm. "Have you finished your tennis lessons yet?"

"Yeah, Mom," Madeleine responded, moving her cell phone between her right shoulder and her cheek. "I just checked into the country club's dining room for my weekly brunch reservation. And, I'm about to eat my food now."

"Okay, sweetie," Margaret said nonchalantly, her tone was filled with deadpan. "I'm just calling to tell you that my friends are picking me up in ten minutes to head into the city for the next seven hours. So, I won't be home when you come back from the country club."

Madeleine grabbed her silver dinner fork and knife while continuing to use her right shoulder to keep her cell phone against her right cheek. "Oh, Mom, that means you're going out with my friends' moms who happen to be your friends," she added happily.

"Yup," Margaret answered confidently. "Carol, Catherine, Emily, Courtney, and I are going to eat lunch, and have a spa day together."

"Alright, Mom," Madeleine smiled brightly, using her knife to cut a medium-sized piece of her eggs benedict before forking it into her mouth. She was delighted that her mom was gonna be out of her hair for some hours, so she could rest a bit before having to pick up Scarlett, Mackenzie, and Kayla later today. "I need to get back to my food before it gets cold. So, Mom, I'll see you when I get back from attending Addie's birthday party."

"Of course, sweetie," Margaret replied before ending the call on her side.

Realizing that the call was over, Madeleine dropped her iPhone on the table and took several sips of her orange juice. She then ate more bites of her eggs benedict, abandoning her knife and fork on the tablecloth-covered table. Sighing, Madeleine picked up her cell phone and unlocked her iPhone again.

Going back on the Instagram app, she scrolled through her account feed and discovered that people from school had liked the morning lesson selfie she'd posted this morning. Grinning to herself, Madeleine was happy that her solo selfie had received about two thousand likes while eating some bites of her eggs benedict. Continuing to scroll through her Instagram page's feed, she instantly perceived that her cousin, Aimee had posted several group pictures on her Instagram page and tapped on them.

Seeing that her cousin was hanging out with Spencer, Beverly, Celeste, and Ava, Madeleine knew from the background that they were having brunch at Ladurée and tapped on the heart icon to like the pictures. She immediately commented under the same pictures: Mimi, these pictures are stunning! After commenting on these pictures, Madeleine noticed that Aimee and her friends' outfits were on point as she drank more refreshing sips of her orange juice.

Smiling to herself, she ate even more bites of her eggs benedict while shifting into a comfortable position in her seat. Madeleine scrolled through her account feed again and discovered that it was filled with her loser classmates' pictures. She could see that some of them had bad lighting or that some of them had posted them without checking the pictures for flaws.

Quietly snickering to herself, Madeleine peeked from the corner of her eye and observed the table next to her. Seeing that the members had already paid their bill, she glanced back down at her cell phone and discovered that her other cousin, Esmée had recently posted several group pictures with her friends, Caitlyn and Gabi. In the background, Madeleine immediately knew that her cousin was attending some house party with her friends.

Tapping the heart icon to like the pictures, she glanced at her plate of food and discovered that she almost eating her eggs benedict before drinking more of her orange juice. Shifting her attention to her iPhone, Madeleine tapped on her cell phone's screen, so it wouldn't go to sleep. Inhaling, she commented under Esmée pictures: Um, Ez, I hope you have a great time at this party.

Exhaling, Madeleine turned her iPhone off, unzipped her bag, and dropped her cell phone back inside her bag. Zipping her bag back up, she shoved the last bite of eggs benedict into her mouth and washed it down with the rest of her orange juice. Wiping her mouth with her folded dinner napkin, Madeleine tossed her napkin on the table near the empty plate and grabbed the silver dinner soup spoon.

Checking her flawless reflection, she inspected the ends of her glossy honey-blonde curls and discovered that there were split ends. Knowing that she needed to make an appointment with her hairstylist, Maxwell's Salon, Madeleine sighed and placed the spoon back on the table. She raised her right arm in the air and motioned for the waiter to come over.

Ten minutes later, the waiter approached the table, wanting to know why Madeleine signaled for her to come over.

"Um, Miss Stein, why did you signal me over?" the waiter asked, sounding excited.

Madeleine smiled broadly and squared her shoulders. She then dug her Amex out of her unzipped bag and kept her credit card close to her chest. "Um, I need the check please," she directed steadily, handing her Amex over to the waiter. "I need to leave now."

"Okay, Miss Stein," the waiter said, turning on her shoes' heels with Madeleine's credit card in her right hand.

Sighing, Madeleine leaned back in her seat and gazed out of the dining room's windows. She focused her gaze on the country club's pool and observed that a brunette mother-daughter duo was swimming around the pool. Madeleine also noticed that they were wearing cute bathing suits while seeing that the both of them were playing games with each other. She heard someone clear their throat loudly and discovered that Yuki was standing in front of her sight with a black portfolio in her right hand.

"Um, Miss Stein, I need you to sign this receipt," the waiter said, handing the portfolio over to Madeleine.

"Can do," Madeleine replied, opening the book. She realized that her Amex, a printed receipt, and a pen were inside. Madeleine signed the dotted line without glancing at it. Removing her still-warm credit card, she tossed her Amex into her bag and zipped the bag back up. "I'll be back either some time next week next for my weekly brunch reservation."

"Alright, Miss Stein," the waiterodded before moving to her other tables.

Madeleine stood up and tossed her bag over her right shoulder. Hoping that Nick had followed her instructions to wait for her to finish her tennis lessons and brunch, she pushed her chair in and weaved through the dining room tables. Avoiding bumping into waiters carrying trays of food, Madeleine didn't want to stain her Tory Sport tennis clothes and sauntered out of the dining room. When she reached the country club's front entrance, Madeleine made sure to not bump into members while walking outside.

Looking around the county club's bustling parking lot, she discovered that Nick had parked the Range Rover by the cement curb and started walking toward the car. As soon as Madeleine reached the car, she opened the right-side black rear door and climbed gracefully into the car. Once inside the Range Rover, she slid across the buttery soft leather backseat and tossed her bag into the adjacent seat. Buckling herself in, Madeleine closed the door behind her and closed her eyes. She felt that her driver moved the car away from the curb and was driving the usual route to her house. She only wanted to relax for a couple of hours before having to shop at Aphrodite's with her friends.

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Westchester, NY

Spa Trinity

12:07 P.M.

Saturday, September 7th

As soon as Audrey left Madeleine's house this morning, she'd promptly booked an emergency deep-tissue massage, thanking the heavens that they could squeeze her in this afternoon. Sashaying into the spa's changing room, she perched carefully on the wooden bench and changed out of her clothes. Wrapping herself in an Egyptian cotton spa robe that was monogrammed with the Spa Trinity loge, Audrey slipped her bare pedicured feet into a pair of silk thong slippers and gathered her long, silky platinum-blonde curls into a ballerina bun at the nape of her slender neck.

Folding her clothes into her opened locker, she set her navy blue Tory Burch crossbody bag on top of her folded clothes and grabbed her AirPods from her fully-charged charging case. Shoving them into her ears, Audrey dropped her case into the robe's right pocket before pulling her iPhone from inside her designer handbag. She abandoned her cell phone in the robe's left pocket and closed her locker.

Dragging her slippers on the spa's heated stone floor, Audrey walked out of changing room and headed towards the massage rooms. Scanning the hallway, she discovered that calming art was hanging off the walls while shoving her manicured hands into her robe's pockets. Pausing in front of the closed door to massage room #1, Audrey pressed her right ear against the door and heard that her usual massage therapist was already done getting the room ready for her.

Closing her cerulean-blue eyes, she rolled her shoulders back and entered the massage room with confidence. Audrey looked around the room and discovered that Leslie had created a very ambient room with ten glowing candles. Loving the jasmine scent that the candles were giving off, she unwrapped the robe around herself, not caring if her massage therapist saw her naked. Audrey abandoned the robe on the comfortable white ottoman near the door before laying face down on the massage table and positioning her head in the table's face cradle.

"Hello, Miss Webster," the massage therapist told Audrey as she moved closer to the massage table and covered Audrey's butt with a fluffy white Spa Trinity-monogrammed towel. "It's been a while since you've gotten a massage."

Audrey closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Uh, I've just got back from spending the last two months in Paris for summer vacation," she informed her massage therapist. "I also started school this past Thursday. So, I haven't had time to get a massage."

The massage therapist opened her lavender-scented massage oil bottle and started pouring the oil on Audrey's naked back. "Okay, Miss Webster," she spoke calmly to her client. "Enjoy your massage."

Without saying anything else to her usual massage therapist, Audrey kept her eyes closed while quietly managing to ask Siri to play the newest Kristina album. Hearing that the first song was playing, she bobbed her head along to the music, feeling her massage therapist's hands press firmly on her back. Asking Siri to lower the volume, Audrey continued to listen to the first song without bursting her eardrums.

She allowed herself to relax even more, feeling the motion of the massage therapist's fingertips rub even more into her back. Discovering that the second song was now playing, Audrey sighed deeply, feeling the stress of hosting her birthday party going away. A couple of seconds later, she now felt that her massage therapist was now massaging her shoulders while being gentle not to wake her up from her Zen state. Thirty minutes later, Audrey was woken up by Leslie, who was done giving her a deep tissue massage. Discovering she was listening to the last song on Kristina's album, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and turned her attention to her massage therapist.

"Yeah, Miss Webster," the massage therapist nodded, smiling brightly. "I'm done giving you a massage. So, you can wear your robe now."

"Alright, Leslie," Audrey nodded. Grabbing her robe from the ottoman, she wrapped it around herself and tied the robe together.

Not saying anything else to her massage therapist, Audrey walked out of the massage room and headed straight down the same hallway. She checked her ears for her AirPods and discovered that they were still in her ears. Just as Audrey was about to walk into the spa's changing room, her iPhone buzzed silently inside her robe's pocket, cutting the music to stop playing on her AirPods. She double-tapped the left AirPod to accept the call without checking her cell phone to know who was calling her.

"Who's this?" Audrey asked a bit suspiciously, wondering who was calling her.

"Um, hi, Audrey," Aiden spoke through Audrey's iPhone microphone. "It's me, Aiden."

Audrey's eyes widened at the sound of Aiden's voice, feeling her heart beat faster in her chest. "Hey, Aiden," she said, trying her best to keep the nervousness from her voice. "Why are you gracing my cell phone with a call?"

"Well, Audrey, I wanted to ask you to the dance next Friday night," Aiden grinned, sounding very frantic.

"I'll accept the invitation to your date to the dance," Audrey answered truthfully. She knew that she, Madeleine, and Kayla were now the only ones to have dates to the Back-to-School dance. "But, what made you finally gather the courage to ask me?"

"James was the one to sit everyone down," Aiden said excitedly, being open with Audrey. "He told us to grow some balls and ask you guys to the dance already. James made us understand that someone else would ask you guys instead."

Audrey smiled to herself when she discovered that Aiden was saying his option to her. "I know for a fact that James would be the one to tell you guys to hurry up and ask us," she explained. "But, I think Kay probably planted the idea into his head at some point."

"No way," Aiden said, sounding very surprised at Audrey's statement. "I guess that's why James was pressed since he didn't want to be the only one to attend the dance."

"So, Aiden, are you attending my birthday party later today?" Audrey asked her crush while trying her best to remain cool and collected.

"Yeah, Audrey," Aiden answered honestly, sounding very excited. "I just got the text invitation this morning. But, I can't believe that you implied a QR code inside your invitation, so it'll be easier to check into your party.

Audrey smiled brightly and pushed open the spa's changing room door with her petite body. She walked inside, sat down carefully on the wooden bench, and crossed her slender legs together. "Yeah, Vanessa was the one that came up with that idea," she replied. "Since she said that no one would be able to crash my party."

"Of course, Audrey," Aiden agreed with Audrey. "By the way, I need to end this conversation right now. My mom is asking me to do something for her. So, I need you to send me a quick text after you're done getting ready for your party. And, by the way, Happy birthday, Audrey."

"Thanks, Aiden," Audrey grinned as she discovered that Aiden had ended the call on his side.

Making a mental note to tell her friends about Aiden asking her to the dance, Audrey moved away from the bench and approached her assigned locker with her iPhone in her right manicured hand. Opening it, she dropped her cell phone inside her locker and dropped the robe off her creamy shoulders. Pulling her sleeveless navy Vince ruffle-neck blouse over her head, Audrey then pulled her light-wash Citizens of Humanity skinny jeans over her butt and buttoned her jeans up.

Flattening her blouse, she grabbed her navy blue Anne Klein wedges from inside her locker and slipped over her bare pedicured feet. Buckling them in, Audrey firmly made sure that her wedges remained over her jeans and wore her flawless fifteen-karat diamond stud earrings. She plucked her medium white Aphrodite makeup bag and snatched her compact out of her makeup bag.

Checking her reflection, Audrey discovered that her natural makeup remained intact before fluffing her curls. Shutting her compact close, she dumped it inside her makeup bag and placed her bag into her purse. Taking a deep breath, Audrey tossed her designer handbag over her right shoulder and closed the empty locker shut.

She grabbed her iPhone and case from the robe's pocket, tossing them into her purse. Squaring her shoulders, Audrey tossed the robe and the thong slippers into the large laundry cart near the changing room door. She slowly left the changing room and walked down the same hallway.

Turning left, Audrey looked up, staring at the spa's twenty-floor ceiling. Seeing that the sunlight was beaming from the massive skylight, she scanned the lobby, observing that there were spa staff and customers walking across the lobby. Not wanting to take her platinum mastercard out of her wide, baby-pink Aphrodite wallet, Audrey decided to charge the massage on her mom's credit card on file here while heading towards the receptionist's desk. Standing behind a group of checking customers, she waited for the Rose to answer these people and crossed her arms over her chest. Eight minutes later, Audrey stepped toward the receptionist's desk, seeing that she was smiling brightly at her.

"Hi, Miss Webster," the receptionist said happily as she placed her hands on the desk in front of her. "Did you have a nice massage?"

A half-smile spread across Audrey's face. "Um, the massage helped me calm down, but the stress of hosting my birthday party is still there," she said, uncrossing her arms from her chest. Audrey knew that the receptionist was pretending to care about what she was saying.

"Of course, you are, Miss Webster," the receptionist said with a laugh, knowing that Audrey would always come to this spa. "Are you checking out now?"

"Yup," Audrey replied, pushing her purse's thick handles even further up her right shoulder. She then gathered her curls over her creamy shoulders. "I know my mom has her credit card on file here, so please charge it to her account."

"Yes, Miss Webster," the receptionist said as she searched for Audrey's mom's name on the spa's register, seeing the name pop up, and immediately charged the deep-tissue massage on this woman's credit card. "We just charged the massage on your mom's credit card, so you can leave the spa knowing that everything is paid by your mother."

Audrey smirked and started walking away from the receptionist's desk. "Got it," she nodded, talking over her left shoulder. "I'll be back next week for my weekly mani-pedi."

Hearing that the receptionist said that they would be waiting for her return, Audrey sashayed over to the spa's front entrance, seeing that the spa's doorman had opened the left-side frosted glass door for her. She walked outside while looking around the spa's parking lot. Seeing that Arthur wasn't there, Audrey plucked her iPhone from inside her purse before checking her ears. Touching her AirPods, she discovered that they were still in her ears and then asked Siri to call Arthur. Audrey heard the call ring three times before the other person picked up on the other line.

"Good afternoon, Miss Audrey," Arthur's deep voice spoke to his bosses' daughter.

"Arthur, where are you?" Audrey questioned her driver as she moved towards the cement curb. "Didn't I tell you to wait in the parking lot for me?"

"Well, Miss Audrey," Arthur said, sounding very stoic. "Your dad called me and told me that I needed to drop him in the city two hours ago. Uh, Miss Audrey, I have to wait for your father to be done with his meeting, so I won't be able to pick you up anytime soon. So, you have to request a ride with Uber and head home.

Audrey rolled her eyes, hating the fact that her dad had called Arthur away. "Fine, Arthur," she scoffed loudly, knowing that she only used Uber when her driver was busy dropping her parents off.

Ending the call before Arthur could say anything else to her, Audrey tapped on the Uber app and entered the pickup location. Afterward, she also typed underneath the pickup location and told the app that she was heading to her family's house address. As soon as she pressed the done button, Audrey stared at the first three ride options and clicked on the UberX ride that cost one hundred dollars and eighty-nine cents.

Confirming the ride, Audrey observed that she could see what the driver and license plate looked like. Seeing that the driver would be here in eight minutes, she switched to the Instagram app and scrolled through her page's account feed. Audrey witnessed that the losers in school were liking the solo selfie she'd posted outside of Spa Trinity this afternoon.

Grinning to herself, she looked back up and discovered that the Uber driver was turning his car into the spa's parking lot. Turning her cell phone off without looking back down at her iPhone, Audrey saw that the driver had parked his car by the cement curb before making sure that the license plate was the same as the picture. When she reached the car, Audrey stepped gracefully into the car and plopped her butt on the seat behind the passenger seat.

Buckling her seat belt, Audrey dropped her cell phone into her designer handbag before abandoning her purse on the adjacent seat beside her. Not saying anything to the driver, she heard him follow the navigation's voice to her home address and pulled her AirPods out of her ears. Shoving them inside her case, Audrey closed her eyes while remaining in that same position for the rest of the car ride, hoping that her birthday party went really well.

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Westchester, NY

Aphrodite

2:00 P.M.

Saturday, September 7th

The bells jingled as Mackenzie pushed through the store's front door before holding the door open for Madeleine, Kayla, and Scarlett. Observing that her friends had entered the store, she let the door go and faced forward. Aphrodite was one of Mackenzie's favorite boutiques since she already called ahead Thursday afternoon and booked the store for the next three hours. She knew that she and her friends wanted to shop in private without prying eyes judging them for their choices. Smiling to herself, Mackenzie looked around the store and observed that the salesgirls were standing next to the registers. She turned her attention to the girls, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Where do we even start from?" Mackenzie questioned her friends, noticing a rack of new Aphrodite dresses.

Madeleine sighed and crossed her arms over her chest "We should start from the back of the store," she answered Mackenzie's question. "And from there, we'll browse the rest of the store."

"I think we should shop first in the dresses section," Kayla whined, moving over to the same rack of dresses that Mackenzie was standing nearby.

Scarlett stretched her slender neck from side to side before turning her attention to her friends. "We should just go with everyone's suggestions," she insisted with a snicker.

Mackenzie rolled her aquamarine eyes at her friends' statements. "Fine then," she scoffed, sounding very nonchalant. A few minutes later, Mackenzie noticed that her friends were all heading straight to the dress section while uncrossing her arms from her chest.

Kayla pawed through a rack of dresses in front of her, pulled a scalloped, orange Aphrodite high-neck shift dress from the rack, and showcased the dress to the girls. "What do you guys think?" she eagerly questioned her friends.

"Oh, Kay, that color would look very well on your skin tone," Scarlett commented before running her delicate fingers over the dresses in front of her. "Are you choosing to wear this dress to Addie's birthday party later tonight?"

"Definitely not," Kayla quickly answered Scarlett's question as she draped the dress over her arm while making sure that the hanger didn't ruin her dark-beige Saint Laurent leather shopping tote. "But, I'm thinking that I should wear this dress to Cora Lewis's birthday party on September eighteenth."

Scarlett looked over her right shoulder and observed that Mackenzie was browsing through a rack of dresses. A few moments later, she looked away and focused her gaze on Kayla. "Now, that's an occasion that you can wear this dress for," she snickered, knowing that they would all outdress the birthday girl.

"Has anyone called Drey to wish her a 'Happy Birthday' this morning?" Madeleine asked, changing the subject to something else. She then looked over at Mackenzie and realized that her friend was looking through another rack of dresses.

"Well, I facetimed Addy this morning when I woke up," Mackenzie told her friends as she held a navy-blue Aphrodite trapeze-print halter dress in front of her, wondering if she'll be able to wear this to Audrey's birthday party. Mackenzie realized that she shouldn't wear this dress to Cora Lewis's party and returned it back to the rack in front of her. A couple of seconds later, she then smoothed her black Free People floral bubble dress's front. "She booked an emergency deep tissue massage at Spa Trinity this afternoon since Vanessa came over to her house and currently setting up for her circus-themed party."

Kayla sighed and realized that she hadn't called Audrey to wish her a 'Happy Birthday' at all. "Yeah, I completely forgot to call her," she spoke calmly to her friends. "I've been busy for the last three days looking for a present for her. It finally came this morning. And, I still need to wrap her gift."

"Same," Scarlett agreed with Kayla as she whipped her long, silky icy-blonde waves over her left shoulder. "Except, that I already found her present and wrapped it. It's currently sitting on my chaise lounge now."

Madeleine dropped some hangers on the store's freshly-waxed marble floor before pointing toward Kayla and Scarlett. "C'mon, guys," she said regally, sounding very surprised. "Addie's probably mad that the both of you didn't wish her a happy birthday."

"When we get inside the store's dressing area, we'll call Drey and wish her a happy birthday," Kayla and Scarlett said in unison. "What about you, Maddie? Didn't you wish Addy a Happy birthday at all?"

"When Nick was driving the usual route to the country club, I facetimed Addie and wished her a Happy Birthday right after she had just finished talking to Kenzie," Madeleine said nonchalantly, an easygoing tone to her words. She then held up a crimson-red Aphrodite collared dress in the air. "Ah, girlies, do you think that I should wear this dress to Addy's birthday party?"

Mackenzie examined the dress with laser focus. "Um, it can be one of your options for Drey's party," she instantly replied.

"I think you should wear that dress to our friend's party," Kayla mused as she draped another Aphrodite dress over the dress on her right arm.

Scarlett sipped more of the Evian water she'd bought with her while making sure she wasn't weighted down by the dresses draped over her right arm. "It's perfect, Maddie," she added with a smile. "The dress would match those BCBG heels you bought two months ago."

Madeleine nodded at Scarlett's statement before crossing her arms over her chest. "Uh, pretties, let's just grab a lot of dresses from the racks and head toward the dressing room," she suggested with a grin, switching the topic to something else again.

"Okay, Maddie," Mackenzie, Kayla, and Scarlett replied in unison as they followed Madeleine's suggestion and grabbed large piles of dresses from different racks.

Without saying anything to each other, Mackenzie, Madeleine, Scarlett, and Kayla walked over to the store's dressing room with large piles of dresses in their hands. Sauntering inside, they dropped the piles of clothes on the floor of their dressing rooms and walked back outside. Mackenzie, Kayla, Madeleine, and Scarlett all sat cross-legged in the middle of the dressing room plush ivory carpet with their iPhones in their right-manicured hands.

"Um, beauties, I'm gonna call Addie now," Kayla expressed as she unlocked her cell phone, hoping that Madeleine and Mackenzie remained silent while she and Scarlett said happy birthday to their friend. Asking Siri to call Audrey, she turned the speakerphone on and waited for the call to ring three times before the other person picked up on the other line. "Happy birthday, Drey! I completely forgot to text or video-call this morning."

"Happy birthday, Addie," Scarlett added after Kayla's statement as she observed that Madeleine and Mackenzie were exchanging side glances with each other before resting her head on Kayla's left shoulder. "How's Vanessa setting the party up?"

"Thanks, besties," Audrey smiled brightly, sounding very excited. "The party planner has already set up the massive circus tent and is about to order her team to start helping the people to set the tables and chairs up."

Kayla smiled at Audrey's statement and rolled her shoulders back. She made sure that Scarlett's head didn't fall from her left shoulder. "Oh, that sounds like everything's coming together," she said breathlessly.

Scarlett sat up straighter in her seat and smiled at her friends, leaving her iPhone down on the spot near her thigh. "Yeah, Addy," she uttered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I believe that you should be downstairs right now and start supervising her."

Madeleine and Mackenzie lay across the dressing area's carpet and rested their elbows in front of them while dropping their cell phones on the spot next to her arms. "Well, yeah, obviously," they agreed in unison.

"Um, I'm pretty sure I can't go downstairs now," Audrey said, sounding very happy. "My hairstylist and the hired makeup artist would be here in an hour. I want to relax in my room for as long as I can since my parents aren't home."

"All right, Addie," Kayla nodded in understanding as she exchanged a side glance with Scarlett while keeping her iPhone in the huddle of girls. "We're gonna let you relax and are gonna start looking for dresses for the next five parties we have to attend soon."

"Okay, girlies," Audrey said excitedly before ending the call on her side.

"So, pretties, let's start selecting the dresses for the next five parties that we have to attend over the next two months," Madeleine stated. She clapped her manicured hands together while switching the topic to something else.

Kayla nodded and rose from her seat. She walked back inside her dressing room and peeled her clothes off her petite body. "I'm definitely going first," she volunteered, wanting to go first because she needed to find a dress for Addie's birthday party first.

Madeleine looked over at Mackenzie and Scarlett, seeing that both of them were now leaning against the walls next to their dressing rooms. "It totally slipped my mind yesterday," she giggled softly. "I'm throwing a house party with Lindsey and Avery. We've already picked the date of September twenty-first."

Mackenzie crawled inside her dressing room and plucked her Perrier from inside her designer handbag. Leaving the room, she claimed the spot by her dressing room again, positioned her lukewarm drink in the space between her legs, and turned her attention to Madeleine. "No way," she said in disbelief. "I can't believe you're throwing a party with Lindsey and Avery. I would have thought that you'll have to wait about six months before bringing the idea up to them."

"I think that the three of you guys would have an awesome time hosting the party together," Scarlett commented, seeing that Madeleine's eyes were filled with excitement.

"Yeah, Mads," Kayla agreed from inside her dressing room. A few seconds later, she emerged from her dressing room, showcasing a cobalt-blue Aphrodite V-necked asymmetrical dress to the girls. "What do you guys think? Is it worth wearing this dress to Drey's party tonight?"

Scarlett focused her icy-blue eyes on Kayla and inspected the dress she was wearing with laser focus. "It looks stunning on you," she complimented her friend, moving her iPhone even closer to her. "You have to wear this dress to Addy's birthday party."

"Oh, Kay, I think the dress looks fabulous on you," Madeleine commented right after Scarlett's statement as she rested her chin on her left moisturized palm. "Ten!"

"Gorgeous," Mackenzie disclosed, letting out a snicker. "Nine point five."

Kayla's amber eyes drifted from Madeleine to Mackenzie to Scarlett, knowing that their advice is practically helpful to her looking better than their losers' classmates. "Yeah, I've decided to go with your suggestions," she announced with a chuckle, sitting back down on her spot. "So, who's going next?"

Madeleine got up and walked inside her dressing room. "Definitely me," she told her friends, changing out of her clothes. "Oh, did you guys see Molly's Instagram page this morning? She posted a picture of her ugly crying."

Mackenzie arched a perfectly waxed strawberry-blonde eyebrow at Madeleine's statement. "Wait a minute," she interrupted loudly. "I didn't know that she posted a picture on Instagram this morning. Especially when I haven't checked my page at all."

"Yeah, Mack," Kayla nodded, unlocking her cell phone. She instantly tapped on the Instagram app and immediately tapped her account handle into the search bar. As soon as her page popped up, Kayla directly clicked on the first post, zooming into the picture. Wondering how this girl could just post it without knowing that people would insult her, she sat down on her legs since she didn't want to get this dress dirty.

"I was completely shocked that she had the balls to post that on her page," Scarlett said horridly, combing her delicate fingers through her glossy icy-blonde pin-straight hair. She then peered over Kayla's right shoulder and looked intently at the picture that Kayla was zooming into. Scarlett winced, not feeling bad for this girl. "I'm guessing that she was weeping because she isn't invited to Addy's party."

"Serves her right," Madeleine said mockingly from inside her dressing room. A few seconds later, she came out of her dressing room with a strut of a Queen, looking beautiful in a midnight Aphrodite beaded sheath dress. "Thoughts, ladies?"

Kayla touched the nape of her slender neck and made sure that her glossy wheat-blonde hair remained in a loose chignon. "Adorable," she instantly responded,

"Awesome dress, Mads," Mackenzie snickered, twirling the ten-karat diamond bracelet around her thin right wrist. She then took several refreshing sips of her Perrier. "Ten!"

Scarlett played with her signature pearl charm bracelet. "It looks so classy on you," she said quietly.

Madeleine gracefully sat back down on her spot while smoothing the back of the dress. "All right, besties," she said confidently, knowing that she would be wearing this dress to Audrey's party tonight. "I heard through the grapevine that Sofia is regretting going against me."

Mackenzie walked towards her dressing room and walked inside. "Well, Maddie, it's her fault," she said from inside her dressing room, peeling her clothes off. "She shouldn't have plotted with her friends to take your throne away from you."

"There's also the fact that Sofia is gonna feel left out," Scarlett noted, setting her folded hands in her lap. "She's going to be hearing the juicy details about our parties from other people."

"Oh, yeah," Kayla said nonchalantly. She rolled her shoulders back before flicking an imaginary lint off the dress she was currently wearing.

"Whatever," Mackenzie muttered from inside her dressing room, not feeling bad for Sofia's plight. Moments later, she barged out of her dressing room, sporting a fushia Aphrodite off-the-shoulder crepe dress. Mackenzie wondered what her friends would say about the dress she was wearing. "Ideas, girlies?"

"Fabulous," Madeleine said excitedly as she grabbed Mackenzie's Perrier and showed her friend that she was about drink some of her lukewarm drink. Madeleine hovered the Perrier above her mouth without touching her lips on the bottle's top and took a long sip of the drink. "I think you should wear this dress to Addie's party."

Scarlett nodded and grabbed Mackenzie's drink from Madeleine's left hand. She took a waterfall of her friend's drink while keeping her lips away. "Adorable," she offered, closing her friend's Perrier and leaving it on the spot next to Madeleine's iPhone. "You should just wear that dress to Drey's party as well."

Kayla creased her forehead, examining her friend's party dress option with laser focus. "It looks amazing on you," she replied, sighing deeply. "Um, Kenzie, I think you should choose to wear this dress."

Mackenzie nodded excitedly at her friends' statements and took a deep breath. She sat gently on her legs since she didn't want threads to come off the dress. "Okay," she spoke calmly to her friends, understanding that they had already made the decision to reserve this dress for Audrey's birthday party.

"Oh, beauties, there's some gossip that I want to share with you guys," Scarlett expressed with a smile on her face, sashaying inside her dressing room and changing out of her clothes A few moments later, she tapped her left manicured index finger against her chin, wondering what dress she should try on first. "I've heard that Jacqueline fainted in her fifth-period class yesterday after Madeleine delivered judgment on her and her friends."

Madeleine raised a perfectly waxed honey-blonde eyebrow at Scarlett's revelation. "Oh, really?" she asked melodramatically. "I thought she would have kept her composure throughout the school day."

"Um, Maddie, people were openly laughing in her face," Kayla added, laughing at Jacqueline's misfortune.

"Everyone in school was talking about her behind her back," Mackenzie blinked, snickering. Opening her Perrier, she drank eight long gulps of her drink before observing that she was almost done drinking Perrier.

Scarlett sighed and gracefully sauntered out of her dressing room. She looked amazing in a champagne Aphrodite foil embroidery midi dress and twirling around in it. "Fabulous or not?" she asked her friends, feeling perfect.

"Oh, Lett, it looks fabulous on you," Madeleine replied, cocking her head to the side and analyzed the dress for any flaws. "Please tell me you're wearing this dress to Drey's birthday party."

Mackenzie moved her iPhone in front of her and used Face ID to unlock her cell phone. She scrolled through her notifications, discovering that Declan hasn't texted her at all. "Uh, Scar, it looks elegant on you," she complimented her friend without looking away from her iPhone.

Kayla glanced at Madeleine, who was now checking her white nails. "Me too," she agreed with Mackenzie, letting out a sigh.

"I'm pronouncing that this is the dress I'm wearing to Yvonne Phillips's party," Scarlett smirked, keeping her tone breezy. She then rested her head on Kayla's left shoulder.

Madeleine strutted inside her dressing room again and changed out of the dress she was wearing. She dropped it on the floor and yanked another dress off one of the hangers. "Oh, Kenzie, how's the operation taking down Nikki Leeds going?" she eagerly questioned.

"Oh, Mack, share the details with us," Kayla said with a glint of interest in her eyes. She crossed her ankles together because she didn't want her black La Perla lace thong underwear to show under the party dress option she was wearing today.

"Well, Nikki texted the fake Instagram account as soon as I woke up," Mackenzie informed her friends, trying her best to be mysterious. "And, she's over the moon that there's someone who likes her."

Scarlett checked the time on her iPhone and discovered it was already five-fifteen in the afternoon. "That's very good for her," she said meanly. "She deserves everything coming to her."

"Kenzie, you have to make sure that she doesn't discover that you're the person behind the fake account," Madeleine said evilly, coming out of her dressing room and looking beautiful in a mulberry Aphrodite one-shoulder sheath dress. She stopped in front of the dressing area's three-way mirror and gave herself a one-over. "So, girlies, verdict?"

Kayla chuckled softly and uncrossed her ankles. "Ten, Maddie!" she commented with a giggle.

"Yeah, Mads, stunning," Scarlett practically whispered, focusing her gaze on Madeleine.

Mackenzie laid on her back and started the dressing room's ceiling. She let out a sigh before sitting upright. "Maddy, you look beautiful," she said quickly.

Madeleine realized that her friends were giving her sound advice about what she should wear. "After Lindsey, Avery, and I had our Queen council meeting, we were interrupted by Maisy who wanted to use the bathroom," she expressed, changing the subject entirely. "She looked scared when she saw that we were still in the bathroom. There was also the fact that Maisy called us bitches to our faces. And, it didn't affect us at all."

"No way," Kayla said briskly, sounding very surprised about Maisy had the balls to confront Madeleine, Avery, and Lindsey. Seconds later, she strutted back inside her dressing room and peeled the dress she was wearing off her petite body. Without saying anything else to her friends, Kayla glanced at the dress options hanging from silver hooks in the dressing room, thinking about what to try on next. "She shouldn't have said that to you guys."

Scarlett narrowed her eyes. "Oh my god," she said spitefully, loathing the fact that they were talking about this loser who decided to defy the three of them. "You guys should have dissed her. So, the next time, it'll click into her head that she should wait before Maddie, Avery, and Lindsey are done using the bathroom for any reason."

"I totally understand that the sight of her would have caused you guys to wince a lot," Mackenzie said, rolling her eyes. She didn't feel bad for Maisy at all, since this girl should read what was taped to the outside of the bathroom door. "Her defiance would cause other people at school to ponder why they should be afraid of you the logic of fearing you guys at all."

Madeleine straightened her posture and stretched her arms from side to side. "Before she walked out of the bathroom, Maisy had this puzzling look on her face and was wondering was the consequences of uninviting us to her party," she murmured.

Kayla glided out of her dressing room, feeling fabulous in a coral Aphrodite bow-neck Halter dress. Showcasing the dress to her friends, she moved closer to the mirror and admired her flawless reflection. "How do I look?" she asked her friends a bit worriedly.

"Um, Kay, you look fabulous," Scarlett told her friend as she crawled towards the wall next to her dressing room and leaned against it. A few minutes later, Scarlett

Mackenzie squeezed her triple-strand white pearl bracelet for dear life, knowing that she couldn't be mean to her friend's party dress option. "Nine point seven," she beamed happily. Mackenzie then tossed her glossy strawberry-blonde curls over her left shoulder.

"Definitely a nine-point six," Madeleine added after Mackenzie's statement as she uncrossed her arms from her chest.

Kayla already made it clear that this was the dress that she was wearing to Lacey Montgomery's garden party before turning her attention back to her friends." Um, we should go back to what we were talking about," she said, reminding the girls that they were discussing something before Kayla presented her next party dress option to them.

"You know, I happen to know a secret about Maisy," Mackenzie said before skipping into her dressing room and changing out of the dress she was wearing. She looked at her other party dress options, needing to figure out what she needed to try next.

Madeleine blinked a few times and laughed loudly. "Um, Manzie, you need to share this secret with everyone," she gasped in surprise and excitement, pointing towards her, Scarlett, and Kayla.

Scarlett pursed her lips before crossing her arms over her chest. "Tell us everything," she replied, staring at her bare pedicured feet.

"You know, I think I'll like to hear this secret," Kayla sighed, shrugging at Mackenzie's statement. She then checked her chignon and noticed that strands of her hair weren't sticking out.

Mackenzie sauntered out of her dressing room, adorning herself in a blush Aphrodite knot-neck tulip-hem midi dress. She twirled across the dressing room and paused in front of the mirror. "Opinions?" she chuckled, changing the topic.

"Wow," Scarlett chuckled as she checked the backs of her flawless eighteen-karat diamond stud earrings. "Mack, you look wonderful."

Madeleine folded her arms over her chest and openly stared at Mackenzie's party dress option. "Uh, Kenzie, the dress is stunning on you," she said, fiddling with her necklace.

Kayla smiled, loving the fact that Madeleine looked wonderful in that dress. "I believe you found the perfect dress to wear to Cora Lewis's party," she responded.

"I know," Mackenzie said casually, flashing a wry smile at her friends. She then took the last sip of her Perrier and tossed the empty bottle on the carpet near the mirror. "By the way, besties, I can't keep Maisy's secret to myself anymore. So, one of my spies literally told me that one of her ex-friends caught her stealing something from the ex-friend's mom's closet. This incident caused her to gain the reputation of a thief around her old elementary school. It also made people not trust her around their stuff.

"I just can't believe it," Madeleine responded, rising from her seat and moving inside her dressing room. She changed out of the dress she was wearing and started looking at the dress options that were hanging from the silver hooks. "I overheard her during gym class yesterday. She literally lied to her new friends' faces about the reason why she transferred schools."

Scarlett shifted in her seat and looked down at her manicured hands. "I'm guessing she didn't want people to know about her terrible reputation at her old school," she said briskly, snickering at Maisy's misfortune.

"Oh, besties, we should spread this secret around school," Kayla suggested, feeling that Maisy deserved what's gonna happen to her about happening to her because of what she said to Lindsey, Avery, and Madeleine.

Mackenzie nodded her agreement and smiled brightly. "Yeah, I was thinking that we should see how people would treat her after the rumor comes out," she insisted.

Madeleine slowly made herself come out of her dressing room, showing off a white Aphrodite caped sheath dress to her friends. She checked herself out in the dressing area's mirror while letting out a sigh. "Fine then," she said quickly before changing the subject to something else. "Do I look pretty?"

Kayla's eyes widened with delight. "Of course, Maddie," she immediately agrees with her friend, taking a sharp breath. "I think you should sport that dress to one of the parties that we're invited to."

"Oh yeah," Scarlett replied, her eyes lit up. Stretching her slender neck from side to side, she observed that Madeleine was cocking her head to the side. "It's gorgeous on you."

"Same," Mackenzie agreed with Scarlett, glancing at her iPhone and discovering that it was almost five-fifty in the afternoon. She knew that the private booking was almost over, feeling upset that she had to pop the sanctuary bubble over her friends' heads. "Um, Maddie, our booking is almost over, so we need to head over to the registers and watch the salesgirls ring our stuff up now."

"Fine, Kenzie!" Madeleine huffed, hating the fact that their private session was almost over. "So, girlies, let's gather our stuff and purchase our dress choices before the boutique is overrun with people."

Without saying anything else to each other, the girls walked back inside their designer rooms with their cell phones in their hands. Changing out of the dresses they were trying on, they whipped them on top of piles that they had already approved of and wore their clothes again. Walking back outside with their purses slung over their right shoulders, the girls left their rooms, holding an armful of Aphrodite dresses in their arms.

A few moments later, they sauntered out of the dressing area and headed towards the cash registers that doubled as iPads. When they reached the registers, the girls watched as the salesgirls rang their stuff up before plucking their credit cards from their designer handbags. Handing them over, the girls realized that the salesgirls had already swiped their credit cards and were pushing credit card receipts for them across the counter.

Signing the dotted line, they pressed the receipt into the salesgirls' hands and snatched their twenty-five large shopping bags. Heading for the exit, the girls pushed their way onto the sidewalk, breathing in some humid air. They found themselves waiting outside the store.

Kayla scanned down the block, discovering that her family's driver, Dean had followed her instructions and was waiting at the end of the block for her. "My driver is already here,"

"My driver is here," Kayla told her friends as she looked down the block, discovering that her family's driver, Dean had followed her instructions and was waiting at the end of the block for her. "Um, girlies, I'll see you guys at Drey's birthday."

Scarlett and Madeleine both grabbed Kayla's arms, stopping their friend from moving anymore. "Um, Lala, can you drop us off too?" they asked in unison.

Kayla nodded and managed to keep her shopping bags from weighing her down. "Of course, Scar and Maddy," she answered Madeleine and Scarlett's question, starting to walk towards her family's Mercedes GLE Coupe.

"Bye, Kenzie," Madeleine and Scarlett said to their friend, waving bye to Mackenzie over their shoulders. They then equally followed next to Kayla.

Returning the wave to her friends, Mackenzie peeked from the corner of her eye and observed that the girls had already climbed into Kayla's family car. Sighing, she watched as her friend's driver navigated the car down the door. Noticing that the Mercedes has disappeared from sight, Mackenzie reached deep inside her designer handbag and removed her AirPods from her wireless charging case. She shoved them inside her ears and asked Siri to call her family's driver, Dimitri. Mackenzie heard the call ring three times before the other person picked up on the other line.

"Hello?" Dimitri's deep voice rang through the microphones of Mackenzie's cell phone.

"Hey, Dimitri," Mackenzie greeted her driver. "It's me."

"Hello, Miss Mackenzie," Dimitri greeted Madeleine back. "Do you want me to pick you up now?"

"Yes, Dimitri," Mackenzie answered her driver's question.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," her driver said before he ended the call.

As soon as she didn't her driver's voice anymore, Mackenzie returned her AirPods to her case and tapped on her cell phone screen to wake it up. She instantly tapped on the Messages app and discovered that Declan still hasn't texted her. Trying her best to keep calm, Mackenzie turned her iPhone off and dropped it into her purse.

Twenty minutes later, she glanced down the street and noticed that Dimitri had just turned the Mercedes onto the street. Seeing that the car had pulled up to the cement curb, Mackenzie promptly walked towards the Mercedes and opened the right-side navy rear door. Climbing gracefully into the car, she settled into the seat in the middle of the buttery soft leather backseat and closed the door behind her. Dumping her purse on the adjacent seat beside her, Mackenzie buckled in her seatbelt and sighed. Without saying else to her driver, she closed her eyes, feeling the motion of Dimitri moving away from the curb. The only thing that mattered to Mackenzie was to relax a bit before attending Audrey's birthday party.

---

The Webster Estate

Audrey's Bedroom

6:30 P.M.

Saturday, September 7th

Humming the tune to Veronica Brown's new song, Audrey sent a text to Aiden: See you when I make a big entrance into my party. Swiping up, she exited the Messages app and stared directly at her iPhone's screen. Seeing that her cell phone was fully charged, Audrey tossed it on her bed before standing in front of her three-way mirror.

Giving herself a once over, she was wearing a blush Teri Jon by Rickie Freeman jacquard A-line dress, which she'd paired with a pair of black suede Jimmy Choo open-toe platform sandals and a custom heart-shaped diamond pendant necklace and matching stud earrings. Loving her perfectly curled hair was pushed away from her face with an embellished blush Jennifer Behr headband, Audrey liked how the professional make-up artist had managed to give her a makeup look that was completely natural. Liking her birthday outfit, she wondered if Aiden would compliment her for how beautiful she looked.

"Miss Audrey, your friends are here," Audrey's family's maid, Silvana, spoke calmly through the intercom as she interrupted her bosses' daughter thoughts. "They want to see you before the party starts."

Audrey placed her right manicured hand on her right hip. "Send them up, Silvana," she replied.

As soon as she heard that the intercom went silent, Audrey bit her lower lip and felt excited to see her friends. After all, she had only talked to them on her cell phone today. Hearing the sound of her bedroom door opening, Audrey caught sight of the girls walking into her room, looking stunning in their outfit choices for her birthday party.

"Happy Birthday, Drey," Madeleine, Kayla, Scarlett, and Mackenzie beamed in unison with a glint of excitement in their eyes.

"Thanks, guys," Audrey replied, accepting her friends' birthday wishes again. She then twirled fully for the girls so they'll be able to take in her perfectly curled hair to her perfectly altered dress to her perfect heels. "Now, what do you guys think?"

"Oh my god, you look perfect," Scarlett suddenly commented, sitting down on Scarlett's bed.

Madeleine settled into the spot beside Scarlett and crossed her slender legs together. "Beautiful, Addie," she added happily.

"Uh, Addy, you look so cute," Mackenzie complimented her friend as she leaned against the wall that was near Audrey's bedroom door.

Kayla's eyes lit up with delight. "Drey, stunning," she beamed.

Audrey sighed and rolled her shoulders back. "So, besties, I have some news that I want to share with you guys," she expressed, sounding very mysterious.

Mackenzie arched a perfectly-waxed strawberry-blonde eyebrow at Audrey's enigmatic statement. "About what?" she eagerly asked, wondering what her friend was about to say to her.

Scarlett leaned forward to listen to Audrey's gossip while feeling that Madeleine was peering over her right shoulder. "Tell me everything," she said, smiling.

"For real?" Kayla and Madeleine questioned Audrey in unison, sounding very shocked.

"After I'd gotten my emergency deep-tissue massage, Aiden called me and asked me to be his date to the Back-to-School dance," Audrey squealed loudly, clapping her manicured hands together and bouncing in her sandals.

"Oh my god!" Mackenzie exclaimed loudly, knowing that Audrey's parents weren't at home now. She also remembered that her mom was in the city with her friends' moms. "How did you feel about Aiden asking you the dance?"

"Or the fact that he's attending your birthday party now?" Scarlett added after Mackenzie's statement, letting out a sigh.

Kayla widened her eyes at Audry's message. "Was Scott cool when he asked you?" she inquired, her voice filled with warmth.

Madeleine grinned brightly and sat straighter in her seat. "Please tell me that you didn't say anything stupid," she begged, sounding scared for Audrey.

Audrey took a deep breath, seeing that her friends were waiting for her to spill the beans. "Well, Aiden was absolutely pleasant to me," she told the girls. "He was also excited that he had just received his text invitation to my party."

Scarlett jumped up and down on Audrey's bed, feeling the comforter with her thighs. "Now, that seems like some good news," she grinned brightly, but internally, she hated the fact that Scott was causing her to be stressed about the fact that he hasn't asked her to the dance.

"So, that means that only three of us have been asked by the boys to be their date to the dance," Madeleine uttered under her breath. She tried her best not to sound so smug, but she was losing a battle with her facial expressions.

Mackenzie rolled her eyes, loathing the fact that Audrey, Kayla, and Madeleine now had dates to the dance. "When is Declan gonna ask me to the dance?" she asked her friends. "I'm tired of waiting for him to ask me. He never also responded to my text last Thursday night."

"You shouldn't worry about him," Kayla responded to Mackenzie's question as she moved toward Audrey's bedroom window and discovered that guests were starting to enter the circus tent. "Mack, he gonna call you soon."

"Everything's gonna be okay," Audrey reassured Mackenzie, who was calming herself down from her and Kayla's reassurances. She then heard the sound of music playing through her bedroom walls, which meant that her birthday party was starting soon. "But, you could gain the courage and ask Declan to the dance. He's attending my party with the other Crestview boys."

"No," Mackenzie answered honestly, knowing that she didn't want prying eyes to watch her as she tried to summon the words to say to Declan. "I'm just gonna wait for him to come to me."

Madeleine rolled her eyes at Mackenzie, thinking that her friend was being a coward. She internally knew that she needed to keep that thought from Mackenzie so that their friendship didn't dissolve at all. "Anyway, girlies, I was thinking that we should rate each other outfits for Addie's party," she suggested. "Addy has to be excluded since we're already complimented on how fabulous she looks."

"Yeah, Maddie," Scarlett nodded in understanding before hearing that the DJ was now playing a Leo Granger song. "So, who's gonna first?"

Kayla looked away from the windows and raised her hand in the air. "Me first," she chirped, breaking into a smile. A few moments later. Kayla slowly twirled around in the same spot, seeing that her friends were examining her ensemble. "I'm wearing a cobalt-blue Aphrodite V-necked asymmetrical dress, metallic-silver Jimmy Choo embellished heels, and a silver Judith Leiber beaded clutch. For jewelry, I'm wearing silver Alexis Bittar crystal drop earrings and a matching necklace. What do you guys think?"

Mackenzie looked Kayla up and down with her eyes. "Nine point nine," she said dramatically.

Audrey smiled brightly and examined Kayla with the laser focus of a judge. "Nine point seven," she replied.

Scarlett crossed her arms over her chest and scanned Kayla's outfit for any flaws. "Nine point eight," she finally declared.

"Nine point nine," Madeleine said enthusiastically, tapping an imaginary gavel to let her friends know that is Kayla's final rating.

"Yes," Kayla squealed loudly, knowing that she looked fabulous for Audrey's birthday party. Her Aphrodite perfume wafted into her nostrils.

"Me next," Mackenzie said excitedly, moving away from the wall and showcasing her outfit to her friends. "I'm wearing a fushia Aphrodite off-the-shoulder crepe dress, beige Saint Laurent patent-leather platform heels, and a neutral Whiting & Davis flower crystal-embellished clutch. For jewelry, I'm wearing gold Ross & Simmons crystal linear earrings and a matching bracelet. Thoughts?"

Madeleine bounced happily in her seat. "Nine point nine," she said with a smile on her face.

"Definitely a ten," Audrey commented, cocking her head to the side.

Kayla squealed loudly while straightening her dress. "I agree," she said, agreeing with Audrey.

"Nine point eight," Scarlett said happily, loving Mackenzie's ensemble for Audrey's birthday party. She then looked down at her chest area, seeing that her A-cups were filling in her outfit very well.

Mackenzie jumped up and down while making sure that she didn't break her ankles in her heels. "Perf," she replied, feeling her mood shift from angry to happy.

Scarlett sat up straighter in her seat and presented her outfit to her friends. "I'm wearing a champagne Aphrodite foil embroidery midi dress, champagne Badgley Mischka jeweled slingback heels, and a champagne Judith Leiber beaded-and-crystal clutch. For jewelry, I'm wearing gold Kendra Scott crystal stud earrings and a gold Madewell herringbone chain necklace. Opinions?"

Audrey smoothed the front of her dress, wanting to make sure that there wasn't any lint on her dress. "Nine point seven," she said thoughtfully.

"Nine point eight," Kayla gushed with a grin on her face. She flattened her dress.

"Nine point nine," Mackenzie said, keeping her tone breezy. "I still adore the dress."

"Same," Madeleine agreed with Mackenzie. As soon as they were done rating Scarlett, she released a sigh and presented her ensemble to the girls. "Well then, besties. It's my turn. So, I'm sporting a mulberry Aphrodite one-shoulder sheath dress, nude Christian Louboutin ankle-strap heels, and a nude-and-silver Christian Louboutin patent-leather clutch. For jewelry, I'm wearing cultured sterling-silver Crislu pearl stud earrings and a triple-strand Saint Moran pearl necklace. Verdict?"

"Gorgeous," Audrey said without any hesitation as she plopped down on her sofa. "Ten."

Mackenzie sat down on Audrey's bed as well and crossed her arms over her chest. "Nine point nine," she said smoothly.

Kayla grabbed the spot next to Mackenzie on Audrey's bed. "Nine point nine," she replied, sounding very nonchalant.

"Ten," Scarlett announced as she ran her delicate fingers along Audrey's duvet.

Madeleine felt proud that she'd gotten the most tens of the night. "Oh, yes!" she giggled softly.

Audrey leaned back in her seat, crossing her slender legs together. "So, besties, did you guys get me anything for my birthday?" she asked her friends.

"Oh, Drey, I'm not telling you what I got you for your birthday," Mackenzie answered her friend's question, not wanting Audrey to know what her present was. "I already saw that your maid has put it with the growing table of presents when we arrived."

"Yeah, Addie, I got you something that you'll really like," Kayla said after Mackenzie's statement as she rested her head on Mackenzie's right shoulder. "And, I'd like for you to open it when the party is over."

"Same," Madeleine and Scarlett replied in unison, nodding their agreement with Mackenzie and Kayla. They then changed the subject to something else. "By the way, someone has to go downstairs to the party and claim a spot for us to sit. We can't sit next to some losers."

"Don't worry, girlies," Audrey interrupted sharply, feeling that her friends would have picked some wonderful presents for her. She then uncrossed her legs while still leaning back against her seat. "I've created a VIP section for A-listers only. So, the only people allowed in the section are the popular kids of Crestview and Prescott. That means us, Lindsey, Avery, Lachlan, Scott, James, Declan, Aiden, Maddox, Leif, Caleb, Miles, Kaden, Tyler, Nathaniel, Welsey, Mason, Luke, Ivy, Deliah, Chloe, Maia, Tiffany, Emily, Daniella, and Nova. Plus, I added the VIP section to the list of party details after meeting my family's tailor to alter my birthday dress."

Mackenzie and Kayla nodded and linked elbows with each other. "Uh, Addie, that sounds cool," they said in unison before heading towards Audrey's bedroom door. "We're going back downstairs and sitting down at our table. So, we can make our loser classmates feel jealous of us."

Scarlett peeked from the corner of her eye, discovering that Mackenzie and Kayla had already left Audrey's room. "Now, we know that it's Addy's important day," she said without looking away from the opened bedroom doorway. "But, at the same time, we can relish the envious stares of our classmates."

Madeleine padded across Audrey's rugs and stopped near her friend's bedroom door. "Of course, Scar," she nodded in understanding. "We need to leave Audrey alone now. She still has to make a big entrance to her party."

"Yeah, Mads," Scarlett said, getting up and straightening the hem of her dress. "I just remembered that there are some people waiting downstairs for Addie."

Audrey sighed deeply and stoop up. She sashayed over to Madeleine and Scarlett, pulling them into a hug. "I completely forgot that there were some people downstairs waiting for me," she added breathlessly. "So, I'll see you guys after I've made my entrance into my party."

Breaking away from the hug, Audrey watched as Madeleine and Scarlett left her room as well and turned toward her mirror. She checked herself out for a few moments before shuffling out of her bedroom. Racing downstairs, Audrey fixed her dress's neckline and took a deep breath. Before meeting the people waiting by the sunroom's doors, her final thoughts were this: Would she be able to hang out with Aiden without looking like an idiot in front of him? Would she make a good entrance into her party without embarrassing herself? Would she and her friends make their loser classmates understand that they're below them?

---

The Webster Estate

Backyard

7:07 P.M.

Saturday, September 7th

Walking inside the massive red-and-white circus tent, Madeleine and Scarlett observed all the details that Audrey had put into her 'Circus Palooza-themed birthday party'. Several glittering Swarovski-trimmed crystal chandeliers sparkle over the red, blue, white, and yellow silk fabric that was draped across the tent's ceiling. Several huge circus-themed banners hung around the walls that said, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUDREY'.

Waiters in white wigs and red unitards were riding unicycles as they passed around milkshakes, root beer floats, and lemon shake-ups to the guests. The master of ceremonies cracked his whip at the tent's front entrance. Twenty-five middle-aged men, all wearing red-and-white costumes, stalked the yards on towering stilts as they puffed clouds of flame over the heads of the guests.

Several self-working photo booths had been set up inside the tent so the guests could take selfies for themselves. Two additional photographers were walking through the crowd, capturing everyone's amazed reactions for posterity. Alfred, Audrey's family butler, was dressed in his butler uniform by the tent's front entrance and stood next to Silvana, who was dressed in her maid's uniform. They were scanning QR codes to cheek people off the designated guest list.

Mimes were doing their routines on the yards. Several circus booths had been set all over the backyard with the games of ring toss, ping pong toss, balloon shoot, tin can knockdown, and bean bag toss. A large dance floor had been added in the middle of the tent, and the DJ booth was set up at the head of the dance floor, playing the latest hits of music. Large popcorn machines, cotton candy machines, and snow cone machines were being attended to by the hired staff as the guests eat to their content.

Red, yellow, and blue balloons were scattered across the tent's floor. Snack tables were positioned up all over the tent with crystal platters of caramel apples, funnel cakes, mini corn dog bites, churros, hot dog cookies, chocolate-covered marshmallow dumbbells, clown cake pops, circus popcorn cupcakes, and caramel popcorn. Lastly, the VIP section had been set up at the back of the tent with a bodyguard carrying a list of names for people allowed in this section and ropes separating the section from everyone else.

Madeleine shifted her clutch to her other hand. "Oh my god, Scar!" she exclaimed loudly. "Everything looks gorgeous."

"It does, Maddie," Scarlett agreed, plucking a chocolate milkshake from a passing tray and taking a refreshing long gulp of her cold drink. "Addie went all out for her birthday party."

"Can we please head towards the VIP section now?" Madeleine asked Scarlett, grabbing a root beer float off a passing tray and taking a long sip of her drink. "I don't want my heels to sink into the grass.

Scarlett linked elbows with Madeleine and started dragging her friend toward the VIP section. "C'mon, Mads," she said with a snicker. "Addie's gonna be making her entrance soon."

Madeleine followed behind her friend, not caring about the losers trying to talk to her. "Yes!" she muttered, taking a long sip of her root bear float while making sure that her drink didn't make a mustache across her upper lip.

Madeleine and Scarlett headed straight to the VIP section while walking on their tiptoes, so their heels didn't sink into the grass. Not wanting their shoes to be covered in mud, they stopped in front bodyguard, who was waiting for them to tell him their names.

"Excuse me," the bodyguard said as he moved the clipboard closer to his face. "Name, please?"

Madeleine took a sharp breath, not wanting to be rejected in front of the losers in school. "Madeleine Stein."

"Scarlett Wilson," Scarlett answered as she looked over the bodyguard's left shoulder, discovering that Lachlan's older brothers were talking to their friends.

"Okay, you guys are on the list," the bodyguard immediately said, seeing that their names were on the list of names allowed in the VIP section. He removed the ropes for the girls to step inside the VIP section. "So, come on in."

Without saying anything else to the bodyguard, Scarlett and Madeleine entered the VIP section, walking toward Mackenzie and Kayla. Seeing that their friends were currently talking to Deliah and Chloe, they grabbed their seats next to Mackenzie and Kayla's clutches, crossing their slender legs together. Madeleine and Scarlett breathed easily and turned their attention to their friends.

"Um, Mack and Kay, what are you guys talking to Delilah and Chloe about?" Madeleine and Scarlett asked Kayla and Mackenzie, interrupting their friends' conversation with Delilah and Chloe.

Mackenzie exchanged a side glance with Chloe and Delilah. "Well, Scar and Maddy, Chloe was telling me a funny story about some loser trying to talk to her in Red Mango. She wasn't getting the hint to leave her alone till Chloe basically insulted her to the point that the person finally understood that she wanted to be left alone."

"Delilah was sharing her comments about a particular person at Addie's party," Kayla replied, grinning at Madeleine and Scarlett for a few moments before sipping more of her strawberry milkshake.

Delilah smiled at Madeleine and Scarlett. "We were having a very nice discussion with each other."

"I was talking about Madison Cooperstein to Kayla," Chloe added as she took a long sip of her lemon shake-up and placed it on the table.

Before Madeleine and Scarlett could respond to Delilah and Chloe's statements, they were pulled into a group hug by someone. They peeked from the corner of her eyes and realized that Lindsey, Avery, Tiffany, and Ivy were the ones that were hugging them. A few moments, Madeleine and Scarlett broke away from the hug, taking a sharp breath.

"Hey, M," Lindsey greeted Madeleine warmly, pausing long enough for her to sip more of her root beer float. "Your friend's party is on the verge of epic!"

Avery quickly sneaked a peek at Maddox and noticed that her boyfriend was engrossed in the conversation that he was having with his friends. "Hi, Madeleine," she greeted cheerfully without looking away from her boyfriend. "I haven't heard from you since our Queen Council meeting yesterday morning."

Madeleine flashed a dazzling smile at Lindsey and Avery. "Sorry, queenies, I didn't have time to text you guys after the messing yesterday," she instantly replied. A few moments later, Madeleine discreetly looked at Mackenzie and Kayla, who was talking to Chloe and Delilah individually. "Because I was hosting my weekly Friday slumber party that day. And, I wanted to relax after my tennis lessons and shopping with the girls today."

"Oh, Scar, are we still on for meeting at Scoops tomorrow afternoon at five-thirty?" Ivy and Tiffany asked Scarlett, interrupting the conversation that was happening between Madeleine, Lindsey, and Avery.

Scarlett leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, Tiffany and Ivy, we're still on for hanging out at Scoops tomorrow," she smiled, seeing that they were smirking at each other.

"Oh, awesome," Ivy and Tiffany said in unison as they sipped more of their drinks.

Before Madeleine and Scarlett could say anything else to Lindsey, Avery, Tiffany, and Ivy, they discovered that the four of them were now talking to Lachlan's older brothers and their friends. They let out a sigh and sneaked a peek at Mackenzie was now talking to Emily and Danielle. Looking away, Madeleine and Scarlett slowly made their way to Lachlan and Scott, pausing in front of them.

"Hey, Lachlan and Scott," Madeleine and Scarlett greeted their crush in unison as they warmly as they pulled them into a hug and felt the boys wrap their toned arms around them.

Lachlan and Scott smiled at Madeleine and Scarlett as they pulled away from the hug. "Hey, Madeleine and Scarlett," they said, knowing that they both had a crush on the girls standing in front of them. "Are you guys having fun?"

Madeleine and Scarlett blushed hard at the boys' question, seeing that both of them were dressed nicely for this party. "Yeah, Lachlan and Scott," they nodded in understanding. "Addie still has to make her entrance into her party."

"Of course, Madeleine and Scarlett," Lachlan and Scott said in unison while keeping their root beer floats away from their designer tops. "She should probably need to hurry up because Aiden wants to talk to her."

"Aiden should calm down," Madeleine and Scarlett said nonchalantly as they peeked from the corner of their eye and observed that James had pulled Kayla away from her conversation with Mackenzie, Emily, and Danielle. The girls' eyes followed the two of them and noticed that they were privately talking to each other in the corner near the VIP section snack table. "Addy's coming soon."

Lachlan and Scott looked at each other for a few moments before staring directly at Madeleine and Scarlett. "Besides hanging out with each other on this upcoming Monday, we were thinking that we should go out on an official date with each other," they chirped in unison, smiling at the girls. "We'll call you guys when we've decided the date and time that we've picked."

Madeleine and Scarlett rolled their shoulders back, trying their best to remain calm in front of their crushes. "Yeah, we can go on a date with each other," they said excitedly.

"Okay, Madeleine and Scarlett," Lachlan and Scott nodded while drinking several gulps of their drinks and talking over the loud music playing from the speakers near the VIP section. A couple of seconds later, the boys kissed the girls' cheeks lightly while seeing that the girls were blushing at their actions. "We'll call you guys when we've decided the date and time for our official first date."

As soon as Madeleine and Scarlett heard the boys' statements, they were internally thinking about where the boys are taking them, but at the same time, the girls knew that they couldn't make a fool of themselves in public. They also knew that their loser classmates would use the situation to their advantage. Shaking their thoughts away, Scarlett and Madeleine glanced at Lachlan and Scott, perceiving that they were now chatting with Declan and Aiden now.

They realized that they needed to tell their friends about this news away from listening ears. Madeleine and Scarlett looked over their right shoulder and discovered that Mackenzie wasn't talking to anybody. Heading straight for their friend, they grabbed the seats beside their friend and hung their clutches off the backs of their chairs.

Madeleine peered at Mackenzie curiously. "Oh, Kenzie, do you why James pulled Kay to the side?" she inquired.

"I definitely don't know the reason why he pulled Kalia to the side," Mackenzie replied, looking astonished. She touched her earrings before draining the rest of her root beer float.

Scarlett blinked rapidly at Mackenzie's statement while finishing her chocolate milkshake. "So, let's just eavesdrop on Lala and James," she said, not wanting Nova and Maia to listen to their conversation.

"Oh, Lett, that sounds like a good idea," Madeleine stated, her voice filled with mischievousness.

"But, how would we get close enough to listen to their conversation without alerting Kay and James," Scarlett said, worrying about being caught by their friend and her crush.

Mackenzie gave a half-smirk to Madeleine and Scarlett. "We can all grab some snacks from the snack table and listen to their conversation at the same time."

"Uh, Mack, you're absolutely brilliant for that idea," Madeleine and Scarlett immediately commented in unison as they linked elbows with each other.

Without saying else to each other, Madeleine, Mackenzie, and Scarlett strolled over to the snack table and grabbed circus-themed plastic plates. They piled their plates with mini corn dog bites and caramel popcorn. As soon as the girls were done filling their plates with food, they eavesdropped on Kayla and James's conversation while directly checking out what Hannah was wearing.

Kayla drank several sips of her milkshake. "I can't believe that Declan and Scott haven't asked Manzie and Scar to the dance yet," she said angrily as Madeleine, Scarlett, and Mackenzie listened to their conversation. "My friends are seriously getting tired of waiting for them to ask them to the dance."

"It's gonna be fine, Kayla," James said quickly, wrapping his right arm around his crush's shoulders. "Scott and Declan are gonna be asking your friends to the dance over the next few days. So, your friends would breathe easily now."

"I'm pissed that it took them a while to come up with that decision," Kayla spat angrily at James as Madeleine, Mackenzie, and Scarlett continued to listen to their conversation. "My friends were worried that they would look like losers coming to the dance without any dates."

James flashed Kayla a smile, his pearly white teeth showing to his crush. "So, Kayla, I wanted to ask you something," he commented, switching the topic to something else.

Kayla arched a perfectly waxed wheat-blonde eyebrow in James' direction, touching her Alexis Bittar necklace. "About what?" she eagerly questioned James, her heart started beating fast in her chest. Kayla wondered what her crush was about to say to her.

"Well, I was wondering if you'll go on a date with me," James asked Kayla as he rubbed the back of his toned neck with his right hand, talking over the loud music playing.

"I-I totally accept this date, James," Kayla stammered while running her manicured fingers along her clutch as Madeleine, Scarlett, and Mackenzie tried their best to not squeal loudly since they didn't want their friend to find out that they were listening to her conversation with her crush. "When are you picking me up for this date?"

James kissed Kayla on the cheek lightly before noticing that Kayla was blushing hard at his action. "After the Back-to-School dance, I'm picking you up on Saturday afternoon for this date. And, I need you to be ready by three o'clock in the afternoon."

Kayla fanned her cheeks since she blushed so hard. "Okay, James," she finally responded.

Before Kayla realized that they were listening to her discussion with James, Mackenzie, Madeleine, and Scarlett managed to move from the snack table with their plates of snacks in their hands and sat back down in their seats. They knew that Kayla was the one that needed to tell them about her date with James. The girls also understood that they had to pretend that they didn't know about their friends' outing with her crush. And now Mackenzie, Scarlett, and Mackenzie realized that Kayla was the one that advised James to tell his friends to move their asses to ask them to the dance before someone asks them.

"And now, let's give a big welcome to the reason why we're all here," the DJ called from his booth as he lowered the volume of the music playing. "The birthday girl herself, Audrey Webster!"

Perking up, Madeleine, Kayla, Scarlett, and Mackenzie all focused their gazes on the tent's front entrance, seeing that two people had opened the tent's flaps open. They instantly watched as Audrey was carried in an extravagant litter with six-toned men carrying her. Observing that everyone was cheering her as their friend passed them, the girls loved the fact that Audrey was waving at them while making the party guests envious of how stunning she'd looked. They saw that the six men had dropped their friend in the center of the dance floor.

Audrey rose from the litter and was handed a mike by one of the toned men. "Hello, everybody," she said to everybody, knowing that tonight was her night. "Welcome to my party. The only thing I have to say is to have fun, party, and take pics for Instagram."

Seeing that Audrey had handed the mike back to the men standing next to her, Mackenzie, Madeleine, and Scarlett observed that their friend was coming over to the VIP section while being wished a 'Happy Birthday' by everybody. Looking away, they observed that Kayla was finished talking to James and was heading her way toward them. Taking a deep breath, the girls looked over their right shoulders, observing that Lindsey and Avery were holding court with their friends.

"Girlies, I have some news to share with you guys," Kayla said, causing her friends to jump from their thoughts. She needed to figure out a way to share the news that just happened to her.

"Uh, what happened, Kayla?" Mackenzie, Madeleine, and Scarlett asked in unison while trying to keep up the façade of innocence since they didn't their friend to find out that they were spying on her conversation with James.

Kayla felt that someone had placed their arm around her shoulders and gazed at that person. She discovered that Audrey was now standing with their circle of friends and was waiting for her to share the news with everybody. "So, besties, James is taking me on a date," she expressed, her eyes lit up brilliantly.

"Oh my god!" Audrey gasped in shock, covering her mouth with her right manicured hand. She couldn't believe that Kayla had scored her first date with James. "When did this happen?"

"Well, it happened before you made your entrance into your party," Kayla told Audrey before looking over at Madeleine, Scarlett, and Mackenzie. She

Madeleine nibbled a caramel popcorn as she make sure that the crumbs didn't fall on her dress. "Honestly," she said, keeping the pretense that she didn't know about Kayla's date with James. "I thought he would have asked you in the next six months."

Scarlett tilted her head to the side before gracefully popping a mini corn dog bite into her mouth. "Yeah," she agreed with Madeleine. "I'm happy that you're gonna on your first date with James."

"I seriously believe that James wants to ensure that no one else dates you," Mackenzie snorted, sounding very nonchalant. She

"Um, Addie, you need to talk to Aiden now," Madeleine and Scarlett informed Audrey in unison. Hearing that Mackenzie was done talking to Kayla, they interrupted the mini-conversation that was happening between them because they remembered that their crushes had passed a message to them that Aiden was to talk to Audrey without other people's input.

Seeing that Audrey had already left, Mackenzie, Kayla, Scarlett, and Mackenzie watched as their friend made her way over to Aiden. They witnessed that Audrey had pulled her crush toward the same corner where Kayla had been asked on her first date by James. Looking away, the girls squared their shoulders and turned their attention to each other.

Scarlett dropped her clutch on the table while resting her elbows on the same table. "I really want to know what Aiden is saying to Addie," she chimed, knowing that she couldn't tell Kayla about the fact that she, Mackenzie, and Madeleine had eavesdropped on her chat with James.

"Well, no, actually, we should just let Audrey and Aiden have a good conversation without us listening to them," Madeleine said, grabbing a lemon shake-up drink off a waiter's tray that was passing the VIP section. Seeing that the girls had agreed with her, she then looked at the girl dancing with her friends. "But, besties, you guys should look at Olivia Crawford. Her dance moves are out of this world."

"I can't believe that her friends aren't embarrassed by her," Scarlett giggled softly as she followed Madeleine's gaze and observed that Olivia was dancing horribly.

Mackenzie fiddled with her Ross & Simmons bracelet while looking at the spot where Scarlett and Madeleine were looking at. "Seriously?" she snickered meanly at Olivia. "I think no one tells her the truth about her dancing."

Kayla snickered openly at Olivia's embarrassment, observing that this loser was dancing in the middle "I just understand that her friends are the ones encouraging her to be this way," she added evilly.

Madeleine scanned around the tent, seeing that Sofia Addison, Molly Nolan, Tia Scott, and Jacqueline Everstone weren't in attendance. "So, pretties, want to show Olivia that we're better at dancing than her?" she asked her friends without glancing away from the party guests.

"Of course, Maddie!" Mackenzie, Kayla, and Scarlett replied in unison as they perceived that Madeleine was making sure that her clutch hung off the back of her chair.

Getting up, Madeleine, Kayla, Scarlett, and Mackenzie linked elbows together and headed straight for the ropes that separated the VIP section from the rest of the party. They watched as the bodyguard let them out and started sauntering toward the dance floor. When the girls reached the dance floor, they heard that the DJ was playing one of Kristina's songs while swaying their hips along the beats of the songs.

Letting loose, Kayla, Madeleine, Mackenzie, and Scarlett continued dancing while discreetly seeing that people were attempting to get close to them. Still dancing with each other, they bobbed their heads along to the Kristina song still playing from the speakers when the girls felt that someone had pulled them in opposite directions. Looking up, the girls realized that Lachlan, Declan, James, and Scott were the ones holding them to their toned chests.

Madeleine, Scarlett, Kayla, and Mackenzie started dancing with the boys while their arms were in the air. Keeping the rhythm in their hips, they pulled Lachlan, Scott, James, and Declan closer to them while dancing around the boys. As the girls continued to dance with the boys, they sneaked peeks over their right shoulders and discovered that people were shooting envious stares at them.

Four hours later, Madeleine, Kayla, Scarlett, and Mackenzie kept dancing through a series of songs from the artists that they loved while making eye contact with their crushes. Sighing, they still felt the jealous looks from everybody surrounding them, feeling that the boys had wrapped their arms around their waists. Getting bored of dancing, the girls grabbed their crushes by their hands and led them toward the VIP section.

Scoping the tent's back, Madeleine, Mackenzie, Kayla, and Scarlett observed that Audrey was still talking to her crush, Aiden. As soon as they reached the VIP section with their crushes following behind them, they just walked through the ropes that separated the VIP section from the rest of the party since the bodyguard had already allowed them inside before reaching there. The girls returned back to their seats while making sure that the boys actually sat beside them.

"Um, Lachlan, I was surprised that you guys actually came to dance with us," Madeleine told Lachlan. She was completely surprised that her crush was upfront with his actions.

"Well, I was kind of waiting for you to head toward the dance floor," Lachlan spoke to Madeleine, knowing his crush was astonished by his actions. But, he was following the advice of his older brothers, Leif and Maddox, who literally told him that Madeleine has a crush on him, so he should find a way to express his own crush on her. Lachlan realized that he needed to make people understand that they should stay clear of Madeleine's road. "So, I can join you."

Madeleine blushed at Lachlan's confession while internally thinking that she couldn't eat anything in front of him. "Alright," she finally said, seeing that Declan was pulling Mackenzie away from their group.

Scarlett crossed her slender legs together and placed Scott's right hand on her left thigh. "Scott, It seems that you like me," she said, seeing in her crush's winter-grey eyes that he wanted to ask her something. Scarlett then saw that Lachlan was pulling Madeleine into a hug. "Is something on your mind?"

"Since we're already going on our date together, I was thinking that we should go to the Back-to-School dance as well," Scott replied, kissing Scarlett's nose. He then plucked a caramel popcorn from his crush's plate and popped it into his mouth.

"I'd like to go to the dance with you," Scarlett smiled, feeling about the fact that she wouldn't be alone at the dance while Kayla, Audrey, and Madeleine all had dates for the dance. She knew that she couldn't squeal in front of Scott, but made a mental note to do it when she was by herself. A few seconds later, Scarlett inspected the back of her Kendra Scott earrings before flattening her dress.

Kayla smiled at the fact that Scott had finally gotten the courage to ask her friend to the dance before shifting her attention to James. "So, I'm guessing that you just wanted to dance with me," she answered with a smile, batting her eyelashes at her crush,

"Yeah, Kayla," James nodded, his dark-brown eyes were telling Kayla the truth. A few moments later, He wrapped his right arm around his crush's shoulders. "I thought that it look pervy to just come onto you. So, I waited for you to move to the floor with your friends.

Audrey came up to the flirty conversation that was happening between her friends and their crushes. "Well, well, well," she said, seeing that Madeleine, Mackenzie, Lachlan, Scott, Kayla, and James were now paying attention to her. "What's happening between you guys?"

"Audrey, my friends are talking to your friends," Aiden laughed, hearing that the DJ was playing the last song of the night. He pointed toward his crush and himself. "But, guys, we have some news to share with you guys."

'Like what?" Lachlan, Madeleine, Scott, Scarlett, Kayla, and James asked in unison as they all looked at each other, wondering what their friends wanted to share with them."

"Audrey agreed to go on a first date with me," Aiden announced to his friends. He then looked over his right shoulder, observing that Maddox and Leif were leaving the VIP section with their friends.

"It was easy for him to convince me to be his date to the dance," Audrey commented after her crush was done talking. She plucked a mini corndog bite from Scarlett's filled plate and popped it into her mouth.

Before Madeleine, Scarlett, and Kayla could respond to Audrey's statement, they saw that Mackenzie was approaching the table with Declan's right arm slung around her shoulders. They exchanged side glances with each other, turning their attention to their friend.

"Oh, besties, Declan just asked me to go to the school dance as his date," Mackenzie informed her friends, seeing that the girls were excited for her. She also made a mental note to tell her friends about her crush asking her out on their first official date away from listening ears.

Declan sighed and looked directly at Mackenzie's friends' eyes without wincing. "I was being a bonehead," he said, his voice filled with regret. "So, I finally grew some balls and asked her to the dance as my date.

"Thank god," Kayla said angrily as she glanced away from James. "I was getting tired of your cowardly asses not asking my friends to the dance. I was this close to suggesting to them that they should ask other people to the dance."

"But, wouldn't that have caused us to lose our popularity?" Madeleine asked Kayla, staring at the tent's front entrance and discovering that people were now leaving the dead party.

"Yeah, Maddie," Audrey and Scarlett answered honestly for Kayla. They peeked from the corner of their eyes, noticing that Aiden and Scott were talking to each other. "At least, we would have dates to the school dance."

Mackenzie yawned and politely covered her mouth with her right manicured hand. "Does anyone know what the time is?" she asked, changing the subject to something else.

Lachlan pulled out his iPhone from inside the left front pocket of his baltic-wash Levi's skinny jeans and checked the time. "It's almost eleven-fifteen in the evening," he responded, shoving his cell phone back into the same pocket of his skinny jeans.

"Yo, Lachlan, we have to leave now," Scott said, causing his friend to look him dead in the eyes. "Our parents told us that we have to be home by midnight."

James, Declan, and Aiden's eyes widened at Scott's statement. "Oh, Scott, we'll call our parents during the carpool with Lachlan," they said in unison. "We will tell them that we're sleeping over at his house tonight."

"Yeah, let's go, guys," Lachlan said, standing up from his seat and kissing Madeleine on her left cheek. "Madeleine, we'll see you guys on Monday afternoon."

"Bye, ladies," James, Scott, Aiden, and Scott said goodbye to the girls as they started walking towards the tent's front entrance while dragging Lachlan with them.

As soon as the boys disappeared from their sight, Madeleine, Scarlett, Kayla, Mackenzie, and Audrey rolled their shoulders back and turned their attention to themselves.

Madeleine stretched her arms above her head. "My shoes are giving me blisters," she said, putting her arms back down. "And, I'm tired. So, who wants me to drop them off?"

"Meeeee!" Mackenzie, Scarlett, and Kayla told Madeleine in unison. They were all tired and wanted to crawl into their beds.

"Let's go," Madeleine said before getting up and giving Audrey a big hug. "I'll probably text you tomorrow, Addy!"

"Bye, Addie," Mackenzie, Scarlett, and Kayla grinned brightly in unison as they followed Mackenzie's example and gave their friend a giant group hug.

"Okay, besties," Audrey nodded at her friends, seeing that the girls were now leaving the VIP section.

Looking around the VIP section, Audrey observed that Lindsey and Avery had already left with their circle of friends. She then glanced over her right shoulder and observed that her friends had walked out of the tent. Sitting down on any seat, Audrey pulled her heels off, feeling a lot better.

Gazing in the distance, she observed that the bodyguard was already gone before getting up. Audrey scoped the tent and looked that hired staff were starting to pack up their stuff. She headed straight for the tent's front entrance while not bumping into anyone since she didn't want her dress to stain at all.

Walking outside, Audrey breathed in the crisp humid air, hearing in the distance that there were still people in front of her house. A couple of seconds later, she walked barefoot across the well-maintained backyard lawn and walked inside the house. Checking the sunroom door to see if it was locked, Audrey realized that she had locked it behind her and headed straight for the winding staircase. She wondered if her parents were home any time soon when the only things she wanted to do were take a hot shower and sleep.

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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 eight are on the same page.

And, here's chapter six for you guys.

Enjoy,

FashionLeMode