The Elite

Chapter 5

"You can't jump from little things to big things. It just takes time and patience."

-Nadia Comaneci

Briarwood-Octavian Prep

Dining Hall, Table 24

Monday, September 2nd

12:15 P.M.

"There seems to be an extra member at our pet's table." Monica Sova noted aloofly as she turned back around to face the last two people at their reserved table. Liam, Cayden, and Hayden often disappeared after eating in favor of golf on the campus course.

Annie craned her neck to get a better view. Her green eyes instantly landed on the amber-eyed girl that had just shot Monica the death glare. "Yeah, she was with them when they arrived too."

"She also sat with them at the assembly." Monica had watched from behind the curtain as Alicia and her group, 'the Pretty Committee', stormed in fashionably late so all eyes would be on them. It was the same trick that they had used the year before, but at least this time it hadn't been when she had been giving her presidential announcements.

"Too bad Alicia and Ethan didn't work out, they both like to pick up strays." Tiffany flipped her naturally straight hair over her shoulder. Monica could tell that she had taken extra care of her normally dull hair to make it look extra shiny and healthy.

But, Tiffany had a point. Her younger brother had a habit of not only bringing home rescue dogs from their local shelter but also any other abandoned or injured animal he could find... birds, snakes, rodents, literally anything. For as long as she could remember he had loathed seeing any creature suffer. She was sure that was why Ethan had taken an interest in Alicia last year...

"I've never seen her though, and it's not like Alicia to bring in a new person," Monica noted. After they had foolishly tried to contest her last year, she had been keeping close tabs on the Pretty Committee. The only other people that sat with them were Olivia Ryan and Layne Abeley.

"That's why I texted Britta this morning," Annie announced. Their friend that had graduated from BOP and was now a freshman at UPenn was the sneakiest and most internet-savvy person she had ever met. She could find anything about anyone. "She has all of the details and said she'd send the info in the group chat when she's done with class."

"The quick info that she gave us was that her name is Massie Block and she's not exactly new." Tiffany's eyes flicked over to the PC's table but quickly moved back as if even looking at them was physically painful.

"What does that mean?"

"She went to OCD, but moved to England halfway through eighth grade."

"So, she's from around here and an OCD-iva." Only the upper school had dorms. To attend OCD or Briarwood you had to live near or commute to campus. But, the girls of OCD had a reputation of being ostentatious, narcissistic spoiled brats, and it was fairly accurate. It was why the public school kids had given them that nickname, and why she had almost been relieved when her parents had announced that she was being sent to Switzerland. "What part of Westchester?"

"The Bedford area."

So, that meant she probably lived on a sprawling estate similar to Monica's parents' North Salem compound.

"She's been best friends with Alicia for a while and if you go back far enough on her Insta, she's in a lot of pictures." Annie slid her phone over to Monica. Sure enough, there were many photos with Alicia and the amber-eyed girl looking like tweens.