The Clique

by Lisi Harrison

  “About Massie?” Claire asked.

  “About anyone,” Dylan asked.

  Claire knew she would score double gossip points if she told Dylan about Kristen’s scholarship, triple points if she mentioned Kristen was poor, and quadruple if she revealed Kristen’s real address.

  “Yeah,” Claire said.

  “Yeah, what?” Dylan asked.

  “Yeah, that’s it,” Claire said.

  “’Kay, thanks. Bye,” Dylan said. Click.

  “Bye.” Alicia giggled. Click.

  “See ya,” Kristen said. Click.

  “Nighty night,” Massie said. Click.

  Claire’s mouth opened and then closed and then opened again, but nothing came out. She felt dizzy and briefly wondered if she was going to faint because her heart was beating so quickly.

  How would she fix this? Even her parents were mad at her. How could she be so stupid? She was on a cell phone. A cell phone! It was impossible for her brother to have been on the line—she was the victim of a five-way!

  When the dog bites

  When the bee stings

  When I’m feeling sad

  I simply remember my favorite things

  And then I don’t feel … so bad. …

  Claire sang the chorus over and over again. After the third time she decided that it was time to start looking for a new song. This one wasn’t working anymore.

  THE RIVERA ESTATE THE KITCHEN

  7:58 P.M. September 20th

  The girls stood barefoot on the smooth marble countertop in Alicia’s kitchen. They were reaching to unhook the shiny copper pots and pans that hung on the racks above them. To their right were two shiny Sub-Zero refrigerators and to their left were two shiny chrome sinks.

  “Hurry,” Alicia whispered. “My mom will freak if she sees us standing up here without socks on.”

  Once they got everything they needed, they sat down and took a break.

  Massie disappeared into the hallway and came back with a navy blue L. L. Bean bag. She reached in, pulled out a gift-wrapped box, and handed it to Kristen.

  “What is this?” Kristen asked. She tore the bow with her teeth, trying to get it open.

  “Easy,” Massie said. “Wait until everyone has theirs so you can all open them together.”

  As soon as Massie handed out the last box, she gave the order.

  “One, two, three, open them!” she said.

  “Ehmagod.”

  “I love it!”

  “Amazing!”

  “I got one for myself too.” Massie took her white satin robe out of the tissue paper and held it out in front of her. It said Glambition across the back in purple script and Massie on the front, in the top left corner. Each robe was personalized.

  “I figured they’re so much cuter than lab coats,” Massie said.

  “Totally!” Alicia said.

  They slid into their robes and rolled up their sleeves.

  “I love our company,” Kristen said. “Now all we have to do is make the stuff.”

  The field trip into Manhattan was on Monday, leaving them only two and a half days to create their entire inventory.

  Alicia lined up a long row of clear round pill holders that she bought at the drugstore. Dylan rummaged through the pots and pans with no regard for the loud clanging sounds she was creating.

  “Quiet down, you’ll wake the neighbors,” Alicia said. It was a joke, of course—the Riveras had so much land, the nearest neighbors were at least a quarter mile away.

  “Speaking of neighbors, I wonder what Claire is doing right now?” Massie asked.

  “Maybe she moved back to O-Town,” Alicia suggested.

  “She must have been really freaked out by our call,” Massie said. “If that was me, I’d probably switch schools.”

  “Hopefully she will,” Dylan said.

  “I can’t believe she had you guys going for so long on IM,” Massie said.

  “I can’t believe she snuck in your room every night without you catching her,” Kristen said.

  “I know, it’s pretty impressive.” Massie gave a distant smile. She looked up and saw her friends looking at her like she was crazy. “I mean, I’m just surprised she even came up with the idea. You know, ’cause she seems like such a goody-goody. It seems like something we would do.”

  “Can we please get started?” Kristen said. She shook the piece of paper she had been holding in the air.

  “Just tell me what we need and I’ll grab it,” Dylan said. She was standing in front of the open cupboards, ready to pull out whatever ingredients Kristen was about to read off.

  3 oz. almond oil

  ½ oz. beeswax

  2 Tbsp. honey

  3–4 drops peppermint oil

  “Where did you get the recipe?” Dylan asked.

  “Online,” Kristen said.

  Kristen read the directions out loud so Massie could follow them.

  “Melt the almond oil and beeswax in a small saucepan over low heat until wax is soft,” she read.

  Once that step was complete, Alicia took over.

  “Remove from heat. Add honey and blend mixture thoroughly,” Kristen read.

  Alicia handed the wooden spoon to Dylan. Kristen continued.

  “Stir the mixture occasionally as it cools to prevent separation. It should have the consistency of petroleum jelly when ready.”

  When she finished reading, she took the spoon from Dylan and gave it a stir. It was important to Kristen that everyone take part in creating the potion.

  Kristen dipped her finger in the gloss as it cooled. She brought it to her mouth and stuck her tongue out to have a taste.

  “Eeewww.” Alicia wrinkled her nose.

  “What? All the ingredients are edible,” Kristen said.

  “Lemme try.” Dylan scraped her finger across the side of the pot and licked it. “It’s not bad.”

  “Want some?” Dylan held the pot out to Massie.

  “No thanks, I’m allergic to nuts,” she said.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Kristen said. “I would have picked a different recipe.”

  “I already have lip gloss,” Massie said. “I’m doing this for the cachet!”

  The girls laughed at Massie’s attempt to sound like a businesswoman. But the smile on her face was there for a different reason. She was happy she had her friends back.

  THE GUESTHOUSE JAY & JUDI’S BEDROOM

  8:00 A.M. September 29th

  Claire stumbled past the row of family photos that leaned against a wall in her parents’ room and threw herself on their wrought iron four-poster bed. She was relieved to see that the pictures still hadn’t been hung up. If the house wasn’t fully set up yet, maybe that meant they weren’t staying long. Maybe they’d get to move out sooner than she thought.

  She wrapped herself in the frilly country-style comforter and curled up in a tight ball.

  “Mom, I don’t feel well,” she said.

  Judi was in the bathroom, wearing only her bra and panty hose, blow-drying her hair. Her tiny portable TV was propped up on a stack of self-help books by the sink. She was a slave to The Daily Grind. Claire had yet to tell her mother that she knew Merri-Lee Marvil’s daughter because then she’d have to explain why she couldn’t introduce her.

  Sorry, Mom, I know you lined up for nineteen hours to see The Daily Grind when it shot a week’s worth of shows from Disney World. … Yes, I know you are a member of Merri-Lee Marvil’s Recipe of the Month Club, but that doesn’t change the fact that her daughter hates me.… I’m not sure why. … It started the minute she laid eyes on me. … No, there’s no chance we’ll become friends. … Actually there was a chance, but I blew it by talking behind her back and getting caught. … Mom … where are you going? Why are you packing my bags? Why are you throwing me out of your house? But I don’t want to live with another family. …

  “Maaaaa.” Claire rolled from one side to the other and wrapped her arms around her kneecaps for effect.


  “What is it?” Judi asked. “Are you sick?”

  “I think I have food poisoning,” Claire said.

  Finally Judi tore herself away from the TV and creaked across the hardwood floor to the bed.

  “How is that possible? You didn’t even touch your dinner last night.”

  “Maybe it’s the flu. I should probably stay home,” Claire offered.

  “Then we’re going to the doctor,” Judi said.

  “I’m sure I’ll be okay in a few hours.” Claire whimpered. “Can’t we just wait a bit?”

  “Maybe you should tell me what’s really going on,” Judi said. “I’ll drive you to school today and we can talk in the car.”

  Claire stuffed her cell phone in her pajamas and ran up the stairs to the attic. She climbed over a pink tricycle, two mountain bikes, a Razor scooter, several pair of roller blades, tennis rackets, a small motorized Jeep, and boxes labeled Beanie Babies, Barbies, and Shoelace collection. It was like a burial ground for Massie’s dead toys. She finally made it to the diamond-shaped window that overlooked the Blocks’ driveway. Isaac was scraping something off the roof of the car (bird poo?) and Massie was leaning against the rear door talking on her Motorola. She never liked to wait inside the car.

  Claire called Isaac and watched him struggle to get his phone out of the inside pocket of his blazer.

  “Hello, Claire. Are you on your way down?”

  “Actually, I’m calling to let you know that I’m getting a ride from my mother today.” Claire saw Massie hang up her phone and walk over to Isaac. “We are going to look at a few houses today on our way to school.”

  “You’re not moving out already, are you?” Isaac asked.

  “Maybe,” Claire said.

  After they hung up the phone, Claire saw Isaac explain the call to Massie. When Isaac returned to his scraping, Massie turned to face the guest house. She ran her fingers through her hair and almost looked troubled by the news.

  Judi’s pep talk was pretty standard. Filled with all the sorts of things mothers are taught to tell their daughters in situations such as this: “Those girls aren’t worth getting sick over,” and, “It won’t be long before they realize what they’re missing,” and, “When I was your age, a similar thing happened to me,” but it wasn’t enough. Especially once Claire was dropped off in front of a school bus filled with her classmates, who were anxiously awaiting her arrival. Not because they liked her but because they couldn’t leave on their field trip without her. Vincent, the art teacher and chaperone for the day, wouldn’t let them.

  Claire quickly kissed her mother goodbye and ran out of their rental car.

  “I was just about to call ABC studios and ask if they wouldn’t mind taping All My Children a few hours later today because Claire Lyons was running a little late,” he said. “But if you can find a seat in the next second, I’ll refrain.”

  Claire’s eyes went straight to Massie, Kristen, Alicia, and Dylan, who were sitting across the last row of the bus—the only seat that could hold all four of them.

  Directly in front of them were available spaces that no one dared fill without an invitation. And just to make sure, the girls had tossed their jackets, bags, and notebooks on them.

  “Alicia, maybe you can buy Claire someone to sit beside,” Dylan said loud enough for everyone to hear.

  Their high fives sounded more like gunshots to Claire. A few of the other girls on the bus snickered, which made Claire even more upset because they didn’t even get the joke.

  “Claire, I’d offer you a seat back here if Dylan’s fat legs didn’t take up so much room,” Alicia said.

  More gunshots.

  Claire had no idea how she was going to make it through the day. She had no one on her side.

  “Claire. Sit. Now,” Vincent barked.

  The only seat that wasn’t off-limits was beside Layne. Meena and Heather weren’t anywhere near her, and Claire figured they were mad at her for blowing them off for Massie. It seemed like everyone’s world had returned to normal except her own and Layne’s.

  Claire was happy to see that Layne’s fingernails were no longer painted “Massie Pink.” They were back to green and her thumbs blue. Her hair was in two pigtails and she was wearing flip-flops with leg warmers. Layne was finally acting like her old self again. Unfortunately, that also meant her oatmeal was making the trip into Manhattan with them.

  Claire managed to avoid eye contact with Layne when she sat down. She settled into the aisle seat and prayed for an alien abduction. But the screech of the releasing brakes and the phlegmy sound of the revving engine told Claire that she wasn’t going to be rescued anytime soon.

  The instant the bus made its wide turn out of the school parking lot, the thirty girls on board came to life. The pop divas blasted remixes from a boom box, the butt kissers swarmed Vincent to ask what school was like when he was a kid, and the driver told war stories to the suckers who’d gotten stuck sitting behind him. Only the back of the bus was quiet, because Massie, Kristen, Alicia, and Dylan were whispering.

  “Can I have everyone’s attention, please,” Massie shouted. She waited patiently for the noise to die down.

  Claire faced forward and ignored her.

  “Thank you, Kara,” she said to one of the pop divas after she lowered her music. “I would like to introduce you to a new line of cosmetics called Glambition. Here to tell you more about it is Glambition’s president, Kristen Gregory.” Massie started clapping and everyone followed.

  Claire couldn’t resist any longer. She twisted her neck around so her left cheek was pressed against the prickly cloth on the seat and her right eye was free to examine what was going on.

  All four girls were dressed in their matching white satin robes. They sat in their seats with their legs crossed and heads tilted up toward Kristen, who stood up and addressed the bus.

  “Glambition is a new brand of beauty products made from one hundred percent natural ingredients.” Claire thought she sounded like she was a washed-up actress on an infomercial. “Over the next few weeks we will introduce you to our complete line of creams, scrubs, body glitters, and cheek tints, but today we are launching our clear lip gloss. It comes in four flavors: Massie, Dylan, Alicia, and Kristen,” Kristen said. “Since you’re our first customers, we’re offering this very special product to you for the low price of five-fifty for one and ten dollars for two.”

  Massie jumped up and added, “Not only does it look good but the Briarwood boys love the taste, if you know what I mean,” she said.

  Vincent’s jaw dropped and he placed his sweaty palm on one of the windows to keep himself from falling as he stood up to shake his “warning finger” at Massie.

  “Lies!” Layne shouted softly so only Claire could hear. “The Briarwood boy she’s talking about is madly in love with his girlfriend.”

  But Massie’s audience clearly had no idea. They unleashed a fury of applause, “whoo-hooos,” and “yahs” to show that they not only approved of Massie’s promiscuity but that they liked to kiss boys too.

  “What. Ever,” Claire said. She knocked her head against the back of her seat.

  Hands started waving in the air, numbers were being shouted out, and everyone was fighting to get Kristen’s attention.

  “How New York Stock Exchange is this?” Massie started walking the aisles handing out gloss and collecting money. Kristen, Alicia, and Dylan did the same.

  “I’ll take one,” Layne said. “Why not, right?”

  Claire saw Layne avoid her disapproving eyes as she handed a ten-dollar bill to Alicia.

  “We only have mint, cherry, vanilla, and raspberry today, no oatmeal, sorry,” Alicia said. “Maybe next week.”

  Then Alicia looked at Claire and in her loudest voice said, “Oh, and Claire, we have a new line coming out next month called TWO-FACED—you should probably wait for that one, it’s more your style.”

  Claire peeled a strip of rubber off the side of her sneaker. She thought about telling th
em they should make a new line called SHALLOW GIRLS, but decided against it.

  “Claire, I’m sorry I ditched you for Massie,” Layne said.

  The words came out so quickly, it took Claire a second to understand what she had said.

  “No, you’re not,” Claire said. “You’re just sorry because Massie ditched you.”

  “I could say the same thing about you,” Layne fired back.

  “Only I never ditched you, Layne,” Claire said.

  “What about the night you had to ‘babysit’ your ‘sick’ brother?”

  Claire felt her face burn.

  “How did you know?” Claire said.

  “Are you forgetting I was ‘friends’ with Massie?”

  “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

  “Well,” said Layne. And then she paused for a long time and took a deep breath. “Because I would have done the same thing.” She exhaled. “But not anymore, I swear.” She held out her pinky finger and waited patiently for Claire’s. But Claire held back.

  “Come on, I’ll forgive if you will,” Layne said.

  Claire looked past Layne’s tiny green nail and straight into her eyes. She held her stare for a second and when she felt her own face soften, she shifted her gaze to her backpack, hoping to appear tough for a few seconds longer.

  She unzipped and zipped five different zippers before she found the pocket that held her camera. She pressed a button and shuttled through the pictures she had taken over the last few days.

  “I will forgive you, and I will shake that pinky of yours, if you can explain this.” She held the camera straight out in front of them so they could both look at the tiny screen together.

  The first picture was of Layne talking to Massie in a deserted hallway. She was wearing a white knee-length skirt, a lime green Izod, and white pointy flats. Massie was wearing the exact same outfit, except her shirt was navy.

  “What’s up, Mini Me?” Claire joked.

  Layne cracked up and turned red.

  “Okay, I admit it, I was a total Massie wannabe for a few weeks,” Layne said. “But I’m back!” She tugged on her purple leg warmers just to prove it.

  “At least you lasted a few weeks. That’s more than most people on this bus,” Claire said.