"But the gift exchange is only ten minutes away," Dylan said. She pointed to the Jessica Simpson CD beside Ma.s.sie. "And your gift isn't even wrapped yet."

"Who cares-this whole thing is stupid." Ma.s.sie gathered up a heap of paper sc.r.a.ps and bunched them up into a tight ball. "Our school is the only one on the planet that does a Secret Santa before Thanksgiving. Princ.i.p.al Burns blows."

"Can someone give me a five-letter word for grouch grouch, starting with g g," Kristen said, perfecting the bow on her gift. She was the first one ready.

"Grouch," Dylan shouted, shoving the last bite of her turkey burger in her mouth.

"That's six letters," Kristen said, using the Scotch tape to pull blond hair off her black cardigan.

"Groaner?" Claire teased.

Kristen rolled her eyes and giggled.

"I'm not being a grump, grump," Ma.s.sie said. "I just don't like when things are messy, okay?" She started straightening up the area around her, wondering why Alicia hadn't tried to make up with her yet. Was she really having more fun with Olivia? Why didn't Alicia miss her?

"There's a piece of salad caught in your ribbon," Dylan said, tugging on the leaf inside Kristen's red bow.

Kristen slapped her hand. "That's holly. It's decorative. Don't eat it."

"I wasn't going to eat eat it." Dylan sounded offended. "I hate salad. Maybe that's why I gained five pounds since Halloween." She pushed up the bell sleeve of her burgundy Diane von Furstenberg dress and reached her arm across Kristen's plate. She pinched a few of Kristen's uneaten soy chips, then dropped them in her mouth. it." Dylan sounded offended. "I hate salad. Maybe that's why I gained five pounds since Halloween." She pushed up the bell sleeve of her burgundy Diane von Furstenberg dress and reached her arm across Kristen's plate. She pinched a few of Kristen's uneaten soy chips, then dropped them in her mouth.

"Mmmm," Dylan said, letting small pieces of soy fall out of her mouth. "Why not use that on your present too?" She pointed to the crumbs on her thighs.

Kristen shoved a bunch of chips in her own mouth. "Because I'd rather use these," she said as the crumbs sprayed all over the table.

"Gross." Claire giggled. She snapped a picture of the girls with her digital camera.

"How's that low-carb diet going, Dylan?" Ma.s.sie asked, cutting into a piece of smiley face wrapping paper.

Dylan's bright green eyes turned flat and dull. "Great." She smirked. She looked down and flicked a piece of chip off her lap.

"Ewww!" Kristen and Claire screamed. It landed on the edge of Kristen's Diet c.o.ke can.

"Speaking of EW." Ma.s.sie sat up a little taller in her seat. "The plan for revenge on Alicia has been set into motion."

"Tell us everything." Dylan pushed her half-wrapped gift aside and leaned forward.

"Yeah, don't leave one thing out," Kristen said, twirling a strand of blonde hair around her index finger.

Ma.s.sie and Claire took turns telling the girls about their phone call with Lucinda, how they pretended to be Alicia and Olivia, the photos they sent in, and the possibility of crashing the Teen Vogue Teen Vogue modeling shoot. Ma.s.sie hadn't wanted to tell her friends about the plan until she'd spent the weekend finalizing it. modeling shoot. Ma.s.sie hadn't wanted to tell her friends about the plan until she'd spent the weekend finalizing it.

"Lucinda just has to approve our pictures and we're IN," Ma.s.sie said. She couldn't wait to hear them scream.

"What picture did you send of me?" Dylan said. She was stabbing the leftover sesame seeds on Kristen's plate with her fingernail.

"That's all you have to say?" Ma.s.sie ripped a piece of tape off the spool and stuck it haphazardly to the CD she was wrapping.

"Well, I don't want them to think I'm faaat," Dylan said.

"Puh-lease. Do you think I'm a total amateur?" Ma.s.sie said. "Of course I Photoshopped the pictures before I sent them. We all look ah-mazing."

"When is the shoot?" Kristen asked. "It's not on a school night, is it?"

"We thought you'd be excited about this," Claire said.

Ma.s.sie was impressed with Claire for chiming in. Obviously she was way more loyal than Alicia.

"I'm fully fully excited," Kristen said with a genuine smile. "It's just that I kinda got this after-school job. ..." Her voice drifted off. She gently nudged the holly on her present until it was in the perfect position. excited," Kristen said with a genuine smile. "It's just that I kinda got this after-school job. ..." Her voice drifted off. She gently nudged the holly on her present until it was in the perfect position.

"What? Why do you have an after-school job?" asked Dylan. "What are you doing? doing?"

Kristen displayed her gift like a game show hostess. "Gift wrapping at the mall. It's just until New Year's."

"Why? It's not like you need the money." Ma.s.sie licked a green envelope and sealed her card inside. "Your dad is one of the richest art dealers in the country." It's not like you need the money." Ma.s.sie licked a green envelope and sealed her card inside. "Your dad is one of the richest art dealers in the country."

"It's not about money; it's about building character, character," Kristen said as she squirmed in her chair, then sat on her hands. "At least that's what my parents say."

"My dad says things like that all the time," Claire said to Kristen.

Kristen winked at Claire, like they shared some kind of secret, but Ma.s.sie quickly dismissed it. She refused to let her fight with Alicia make her paranoid.

"Your parents can be so ah-nnoying," Ma.s.sie said.

Kristen shrugged.

"So Ma.s.sie, don't we get two hundred dollars if they pick us?" Claire asked.

"Oh yeah," Ma.s.sie said. "I forgot all about that."

"That will help your character character even more, won't it, Kristen?" Dylan said. even more, won't it, Kristen?" Dylan said.

"At least the job taught me how to wrap," Kristen said, looking at the crumpled lump of metallic red paper on Dylan's lunch tray. It looked more like Ma.s.sie's sloppy turkey burger than a candle.

Ma.s.sie was suddenly overcome by a strong whiff of perfume. She leaned across the table and sniffed Dylan's candle to see if maybe it was scented.

"Get your hands off my present, you big molester," Dylan said, pinching Ma.s.sie's hand.

"Ouch." Ma.s.sie laughed, but she wouldn't let go.

"What's going on here?" Alicia stood facing Ma.s.sie at the opposite end of the table. Olivia was beside her and they were both holding a plate of California rolls.

"That explains the stench," Ma.s.sie said, taking her hand off Dylan's present and sitting back in her seat.

Alicia was wearing a tight pink V-necked sweater, a pair of ultra-low-rise Frankie B. jeans, and a ridiculous black mesh tube top around her waist. Olivia was dressed the exact same, only her V-neck was baby blue.

"We should keep wrapping." Claire looked down at the sparkly orange pencil case on her lap. "The gift exchange is in five minutes."

"Oops, I totally s.p.a.ced," Alicia said. She pulled a chair over from another table and forced her way between Claire and Kristen. She tapped the seat as if to say, "Come share," and Olivia squeezed in beside her.

Ma.s.sie was itching to ask them what they were wearing around their b.u.t.ts, but she refused to speak to Alicia until she apologized. She angled her chair so she faced the window behind her.

"Mind if I use some of this?" Olivia asked.

Ma.s.sie didn't like not being able to see what Olivia was talking about, so she opened her Chanel compact mirror and acted like she was touching up her cheek tint.

"Go ahead," Claire said, handing her the tape.

"Thanks." Olivia pulled a fake Louis Vuitton scarf out of her knockoff Hermes Birkin bag and tossed it on the table.

"Faux-livia," Alicia said. "Do you have another one of those scarves? I don't have anything to give-" She pulled an index card out of her pocket and read the name that was written on it. "Emily Esbin."

"Why don't you give her that stupid girdle you're wearing?" Kristen said.

Ma.s.sie laughed with the others.

"FYI, this is a Dixon. We got them from the fashion editor at Teen Vogue Teen Vogue. Avril will be wearing one on the February cover. You'll see-they're going to be huge." Alicia poked her pinky through one of the holes in the mesh.

"There are fifty-eight ways to wear it," Olivia added.

"Fifty-nine if you count stuffing it up your b.u.t.t," Dylan said.

Everyone laughed again, but Alicia ignored their jabs.

"Of course, you would know all of this if any one of you bothered asking me how our interview was," Alicia said, popping one of her California rolls in her mouth.

No one asked for a single detail. Not even Claire, and Ma.s.sie was grateful. Why give Alicia the satisfaction?

"So Faux-livia, can I have one of those scarves?" Alicia asked.

Ma.s.sie's ears perked up. Why was Alicia calling Olivia "Faux-livia"? Was it an inside joke? How close were were they? they?

"I only have one," Olivia said to Alicia. "The rest are at home."

"Can I have yours?" Alicia asked sweetly.

"No! I have to give it to Thao Luu."

"I'll tell everyone why you're called Faux-livia," Alicia threatened. "Then no one will want your scarves."

"You wouldn't! Would you?"

Alicia raised her eyebrows and nodded, yes.

Olivia dropped the scarf on Alicia's lap, then slid down the back of her chair. Ma.s.sie couldn't believe Alicia bossed Olivia around like that. Bossing was her her thing. thing.

Alicia reached across the table and grabbed the plastic salt and pepper shakers. She slammed them down in front of Olivia. "Here, give these these to Thao." to Thao."

Faux took the shakers and without saying a word began rolling them up in a long strip of wrapping paper.

"You look like you're making sushi," Alicia said with a giggle. Olivia ignored her and kept trying to wrap the oblong shakers, but every time she moved them, little hills of salt and pepper would fall out.

"Ugh!" she shouted. "Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"

"Stop whining!" Kristen grabbed the shakers away from Olivia. She covered the holes with a piece of tape, then finished the wrapping job herself.

"Have you been hanging with 50 Cent lately?" Alicia asked Kristen.

"No."

"Then where did you learn to rap?" Alicia leaned back and locked her hands behind her head.

Olivia and Claire laughed. Kristen rolled her eyes and Ma.s.sie felt her spine stiffen. It was one thing for Alicia to steal first prize in the uniform contest or to start her own Friday night sleepovers, but copying Ma.s.sie's humor was inexcusable.

"Alicia, are you a poor dressmaker?" Ma.s.sie asked without turning around.

"No," Alicia said.

"Then why are you ripping off my material?"

Kristen and Dylan burst out laughing. Claire giggled softly.

Alicia ignored them. "So Kuh-laire, where's Layne Abeley? Don't you usually eat at her table?"

Ma.s.sie wasn't surprised Alicia was attacking Claire. She was the weakest in the group and an obvious choice. It was what she would have done.

"Layne is at the orthodontist," Claire said softly. "So Ma.s.sie said I could sit here today."

"Oh, well, I'm glad," Alicia said. "Because I have some gossip for you. It's worth at least twenty-five points."

Ma.s.sie stopped breathing for a second. No one ever got that that many points for one piece of gossip. This had to be big. many points for one piece of gossip. This had to be big.

"You know Cam Fisher? The cute Briarwood boy with the two different-colored eyes?"

"Yeah," Ma.s.sie blurted.

"I was talking to Kuh-laire," Alicia said. "Well-"

Ma.s.sie could feel her heart racing. Just hearing his name gave her a physical reaction. She knocked a sc.r.a.p of paper onto the ground, then bent over to pick it up. She casually turned to face Alicia.

"He likes you, Claire, and wants to start hanging out with you." Then Alicia looked straight at Ma.s.sie. "Alone."

Ma.s.sie slammed her hands on the table and leaned forward. Alicia must have heard wrong. ...

"How do you know?" Claire asked, her face beaming with excitement.

"Wait, Cam likes Kuh-laire?" Ma.s.sie barked.

"Yup." Alicia got up and sat on the edge of the table. She crossed her legs and leaned back.