the clique: return of the alpha

ii.

THE LYONS' HOME
CLAIRE'S ROOM
Friday, August 31st
12:37 P.M.

     Massie stormed into Claire's room. Her Steve Maddens pounded the shag carpet, and her breath was hot in her chest. She felt nervous. Scared. Out of control. And it was awl Claire's fault.
     The room hadn't changed much since she'd seen it last. The walls were painted a cheery blue, and the bedspread was still grey with pink stripes. Her eyes hung onto Claire's silver laptop.

@CLAIREBEAR: ONE NEW CHATROOM INVITE

Massie could her Claire coming behind her, just a few feet away, but she couldn't stop herself. To nawt click it was like to go shopping in New York and not buy a single thing. And this invite was a limited-edition snakeskin Prada clutch. A pair of Alice + Olivia cargo pants in charcoal. A half-off silk Gucci blouse. Her fingers closed around the mouse.

@CLAIREBEAR HAS JOINED THE CHAT

@LAYNEABES: Finally! ☻☻

@LAYNEABES: So spill it— have U told MB?

@CLAIREBEAR: Told Massie what?

@LAYNEABES: YK. The stuff with the—

     "What are you doing?" Claire pounced, throwing herself at the computer.
     "Eh-ma-gawd, get offa me!" Massie shrieking, falling boots-first onto Claire's bed. She quickly scrambled up, her lip gloss smeared across her cheek. "What are you hiding?"
Claire sighed, looking appropriately pathetic in her loose-fitting jeans and faded peach baby-tee. Her socks had puppies on them, and a white jacket hung across her slumped shoulders. Even after two years in Westchester, she still looked like a rag-tag Florida girl.
"If you really want to know the truth, the Pretty Committee and I are, well..."
Massie's eyes rolled so far back she swore she glimpsed her satin Miu Miu headband. "Yes?"
"Um. No longer friends."
It felt like someone had just told Massie Birkenstocks were the new it fall fashion piece. She felt blindsided. Confused. Enraged.
"Kuh-laire, you are such a—"

"Hello?" Judi peeked her head through the door. "Is everything okay in here?"
"We heard yelling," Kendra explained, a perfect blonde eyebrow raised at Massie.
"We're good," Claire replied stiffly.
"Good. Well, Massie, the insurance agent sent a handyman over, and our air-conditioning should be fine. So how about you and Claire finish up your conversation, and we can leave at around 1:00."
    "We're done now, actually." Massie sniffed, giving Claire it a withering glance over her shoulder. "Right now."

Her expression remained irate even as the Blocks stepped into their new Range Rover, a newer model with a larger TV and a wider minifridge. Leave it to Claire to ruin her first day back in Westchester, like Georgina spoiling Rufus and Lily's wedding on Gossip Girl. But this wasn't a soap opera, where everyone was friends and the drama stayed on set. Gawd, if only.
Her mood slightly improved after a chorus of texts from the Pretty Committee, but then she remembered they'd snubbed her too, and she'd left all three on read. And then, she suddenly realized the message from James was still sitting at the bottom of her mailbox. Unanswered.

JAMES: Hey, just wanted 2 let U know I'll miss U.

JAMES: Remember, English guys > Americans. ☻ ☻ ☻

Three smiley faces. How could she have forgotten?

MASSIE: Thanks. IMY2!

MASSIE: Don't downgrade to someone in your time zone I while I'm gone!

     Massie considered the message, her manicured thumb hovering over the send button. She thought back to a video Dylan's mom, Merri-Lee Marvil, had filmed on her TV show the Daily Grind. It had been all about proper SMS etiquette, and while the Pretty Committee had poked fun at it, some of the tips were helpful. Such as, be flirty, but not easy. Never include more than three smiley faces. And never, ever double text a crush. She quickly retyped, leaving smiley faces for good measure.