War in Broadway High

9. Life in Plastic is Fantastic!

Chapter 9: Life in Plastic is Fantastic!

Cady.                                 

The mall was huge, shiny and loud, the watering hole of the concrete jungle. And even though it was crowded, people squirmed out of the way as they saw Regina walk by, desperately not wanting to be chosen as the next target of ridicule. They cowered at her sight, and Cady couldn't help but, in a way, respect that. She'd been on the outlines, and she was reluctant to admit it, but it felt good as hell to belong by the Queen's side.

They hadn't walked around long before they ran into Jake and Christine, the latter struggling to match the tall guy's long strides.

"Shouldn't we wait for the rest of the cast?" she was saying.

Jake shrugged.

"Figured we could rather get to know each other, alone." His smile was warm and friendly. "That's why I'm taking you to one of my favorite spots in the universe!! Sbarro-"

"Hi, Jakey," Regina purred behind him.

"Oh, there they are!" Christine said.

Jake turned. "Oh, right." He passed it off as if meeting The Plastics there had all been planned. Cady guessed he was used to things just working out for him as he went along with them. "Hey, Regina...!" Despite his welcome, his tone betrayed the slightest disappointment, which was quickly covered by his usual cool, cheerful demeanor. "And Karen, and Gretchen, and...Cady, right?"

Cady nodded, happy he'd remembered.

"Are you inviting your new little toy to your Halloween party?" Regina continued, to which Christine flinched. "Because if you are, Chloe will want to know about it, considering you two used to date and all. You know, if you've forgotten about her already. She's my friend, so I'm just looking out for her." Her angelical, innocent look could have almost fooled anyone into thinking she had only the noblest intentions. But Cady knew she just liked stirring chaos, to prove at all times she was the one in control.

Jake looked uncomfortable for a moment, but then his eyes widened with excitement, and he turned to Christine.

"Oh, yeah! I'm throwing a Halloween party next week! My parents laundered money and are on the run now, so the house is empty! It'll be big fun!"

"Wait, what? That's... illegal," Christine said, shocked.

"Sure! So will you come?"

The girl hesitated before finally agreeing, a small smile on her face. Soon after, they both left to go grab some food.

"It's pathetic how she wants to bone her way into popularity," Regina said shaking her head, watching them go. Then she laughed a little. "Once the novelty wears off and he loses interest, she'll learn her lesson. Anyway, I want to check out Victoria's Secret's new collection, move it."

While Regina and Karen got ahead to check the store, Gretchen and Cady hung back a bit.

"So, have you seen any guys you think are cute yet?" Gretchen pried, barely hiding a highly calculating mind under a casual tone.

Cady absentmindedly played with her hair, a shy smile reaching her lips.

"There's this guy in my AP Calculus class. Aaron Samuels?"

Gretchen gasped so hard and so dramatically Cady for a second feared she would choke or bust a lung.

"No! No! No! That's Regina's ex-boyfriend! He just broke up with her during the summer!" she was looking at Cady as if she'd just told her she murdered someone. "Ex-boyfriends are completely off-limits to friends. It's the rules of feminism."