"Really," Alicia said, taking a tiny step back. "Now tell me what you know"-she swallowed hard-"Sugar Lips."

Todd told her everything he heard Friday night while he was eavesdropping on GLU headquarters. He told her Kristen was poor, Dylan was going to St. Barf's, and Ma.s.sie liked Cam. Alicia listened to every word, making sure not to miss a single syllable.

When he was done, she stuck a yes yes sticker on his fore-head and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "You rule!" Alicia said. sticker on his fore-head and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "You rule!" Alicia said.

She ran into her house and slammed the heavy oak door behind her-leaving Todd alone on her steps, where he stood motionless for the next half hour.

The next day Alicia went to school with two more scarves, one for Dylan and the other for Kristen. Now that she knew their secrets, they were as good as hers.

"Hey, guys, got a second?" Alicia called after Kristen and Dylan. It was the next morning when she cornered them on their way to art. She knew Ma.s.sie was on another floor, headed for design.

"No," Dylan said before they picked up their pace.

"Hey, Dylan, maybe if you moved that quickly all the time, you wouldn't have to go to St. Barf's." Barf's."

Dylan stopped in her tracks and looked around to make sure none of the pa.s.sing girls heard what Alicia had said.

"What are you so afraid of?" Alicia asked. "I just want to give you something to show how much I miss you." She dangled a scarf in the air.

Dylan turned around.

"I have one for you too, K." Alicia held out her other hand.

Kristen refused to budge.

"And it's free," free," Alicia said. Alicia said.

Kristen whipped her head around and clenched her fists. And the three girls faced each other.

Kristen shook her head in disgust. "Six-letter word for snitch." snitch."

"Ma.s.sie," Dylan snarled. Dylan snarled.

"Congratulations," Alicia said. "It's the first time you ever answered one of those right."

Dylan rolled her eyes.

"Wear these scarves from now on and your secrets are safe with me," Alicia said, handing them each a knockoff Louis.

Kristen twirled her blond hair around her finger. "And if we don't?"

Alicia answered Kristen's question with a shrug and a mischievous grin.

Kristen and Dylan looked at each other and Alicia knew exactly what they were thinking. If they wore the scarves to school, they would face Ma.s.sie's wrath. And if they didn't, their secrets would spread among the students faster than a picture of Josh Hartnett's bare b.u.t.t.

Alicia waved the scarves at them one last time. "So? What's it gonna be?"

Dylan yanked a scarf out of Alicia's hand and wrapped it around her ponytail.

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this," Kristen said as she tied hers to the belt loop on her Juicys.

"We all all will," Dylan said to Alicia. will," Dylan said to Alicia.

Alicia's arms were suddenly covered in goose b.u.mps. What if they were right?

THE B BLOCK E ESTATE G GUESTHOUSE.

4:47 PM PM.

November 25th Claire stepped out of the Blocks' Range Rover, right behind Ma.s.sie. It had been her fourth time carpooling as an official member of the Pretty Committee and so far, no one had said a single mean word to her. The hardest part had been trading in her gummy bears and sours for those healthy Dr. Juice drinks Ma.s.sie was into. But it was a small price to pay.

They stood on the lawn between their two houses before parting ways for dinner.

"So you're telling me you didn't notice anything anything weird about Kristen and Dylan today?" Ma.s.sie asked, shifting back and forth in her new gold ballet flats. "Nothing at all?" weird about Kristen and Dylan today?" Ma.s.sie asked, shifting back and forth in her new gold ballet flats. "Nothing at all?"

"They were a little quiet," Claire said. "Maybe they're upset because we said we would do our homework together again tonight."

"But we've been saying that since last week," Ma.s.sie said. "It's never bothered them before."

"Well, I dunno," Claire said, searching her mind for the right thing to say. Ma.s.sie was finally confiding in her and Claire didn't want to let her down. "Maybe they don't like having me around." As soon as the words left her mouth, Claire regretted saying them. What if she was right?

"Puh-lease," Ma.s.sie said. "If I like you, they like you."

"Oh," Claire said. Something about Ma.s.sie's answer didn't sit right with her. It left an empty, almost hungry feeling inside her stomach.

"Anyway, I'm sure it's nothing." Ma.s.sie shook her hand in the air like she was waving h.e.l.lo in fast motion. "Wanna work in my room tonight?"

"Sure. I'll burn a new CD."

"Perf. I'll call you after dinner." Ma.s.sie's smile reappeared. "Cheers, big ears."

"Same goes, big nose." Claire giggled and the girls took off in opposite directions.

Claire burst through the door to the guesthouse and stood shivering in the hallway. Once her hands stopped shaking, she began peeling off her layers. These days she wore a long john shirt, a turtleneck sweater, a cardigan, her yellow raincoat, and two scarves to keep warm. Her winter coat was still at Cam's. He had e-mailed her at least a dozen times to let her know he had it, but Claire simply replied, Thx Thx[image] , and other blase things like that. She secretly liked that Cam had something of hers and hoped he wouldn't burn it out of spite. Besides, Ma.s.sie promised to take her coat shopping on the weekend, which was only three chilly days away. , and other blase things like that. She secretly liked that Cam had something of hers and hoped he wouldn't burn it out of spite. Besides, Ma.s.sie promised to take her coat shopping on the weekend, which was only three chilly days away.

"Score!" Claire heard Todd call from the living room. The explosive sound of the cheering crowd made Claire roll her eyes. She didn't understand why boys got so excited over video games. Then she thought of Cam again. Would it ever stop?

Claire hung her second scarf on a plastic hook inside the front closet.

"You are such a gawd!" she heard another voice yell.

Claire crinkled her eyebrows in utter confusion. It was a girl. That meant an actual female was hanging out with her brother. Claire kicked off her Keds and hurried toward the living room.

A silky black ponytail hung over the back of the couch. Claire could feel her heart starting to race, as if it it knew who the girl was before she did. As Claire crept closer, she became engulfed by a thick cloud of Angel perfume. knew who the girl was before she did. As Claire crept closer, she became engulfed by a thick cloud of Angel perfume.

"Alicia?" she said. "D-did we have plans today?"

Todd sighed and hit pause on the game.

"No," Alicia said casually, as if it wasn't completely freakish for her to be hanging out with Claire's ten-year-old brother.

"So, why are-"

"She's my my guest," Todd said, putting his hand on Alicia's knee. Claire couldn't help chuckling when Alicia picked it up like a stinky sock and dropped it back on Todd's leg. guest," Todd said, putting his hand on Alicia's knee. Claire couldn't help chuckling when Alicia picked it up like a stinky sock and dropped it back on Todd's leg.

Alicia tilted her neck back so her face was upside down when she spoke to Claire. "Harris is pretty into video games, so I thought I'd come here to get a little practice."

"Wait, who's Harris?" Todd asked, tossing his new cordless controller on the brown couch.

Alicia ignored him. "I bet Ma.s.sie is practicing too."

"Huh?" Claire was tired of looking at Alicia's upside-down head and walked around to the front of the couch. "Why would Ma.s.sie be practicing? She thinks video games are for boys who suck at sports."

"Because Cam loves them," Alicia said.

"So?" Claire felt a rush of p.r.i.c.kly heat all over her body. It made her palms itch.

"So," Alicia said with a trace of "duh" in her voice. "Ma.s.sie likes Cam."

"She does not!" Claire shouted a lot louder than she meant to. But the thought of being double-crossed at this point seemed beyond evil. Even for Ma.s.sie. Claire shouted a lot louder than she meant to. But the thought of being double-crossed at this point seemed beyond evil. Even for Ma.s.sie.

"Then why did she make you dump him?" Alicia shouted back.

"Because he's a wannabe and she thought I could do better." Claire tried to sound convinced as she lowered herself onto the gla.s.s coffee table. She had no idea who to trust and it was making her knees feel weak.

"Alicia's right," Todd said.

"How would you know?" Claire snapped.

"He was eavesdropping on GLU headquarters when Ma.s.sie told Kristen and Dylan." Alicia's tone would have been the same if she was talking about her cla.s.s schedule.

Suddenly memories of Ma.s.sie talking about Cam flashed in Claire's mind with sharp clarity, as if they were photographs she had taken with her digital camera. She began scrolling through them one at a time. ...

The big smile on Ma.s.sie's face when Claire said she'd ended things with Cam, Ma.s.sie's offer to buy Claire a new coat so she could avoid seeing Cam, the heartless way Ma.s.sie destroyed his letter, the BO rumor, and the constant "checking in" to see if Claire returned any of Cam's e-mails. The images came faster and faster until they played like a horror movie. Claire could feel the tears starting to come.

Alicia bit her lower lip and put her hand on her heart to show how sorry she was for Claire. But that brought little comfort. Lately it seemed like everyone was pretending to care about Claire when they were really just scheming and backstabbing.

"Maybe this will help." Alicia pulled a scarf out of her pocket. "Wear it to school and no one will mess with you ever again."

Claire dabbed her eyes with the silky cloth. She wanted to know how a stupid scarf could possibly protect her, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. All she wanted to do was get to her bedroom before Todd saw her cry. He'd never let her live it down.

Claire stood up without saying another word to either of them and made a run for the stairs. When she got up to her room, she slammed the door and locked it behind her. Then she marched straight over to her window, pulled the string, and lowered the curtains so Ma.s.sie couldn't see her. She ripped the phone jack out of the wall and wrote an IM away message that said, I am sick. Please do not disturb I am sick. Please do not disturb. Claire didn't want to hear from Ma.s.sie now, after dinner, or ever again.

THE W WESTCHESTER M MALL.

1:12 PM PM.

December 2nd Two BCBG's saleswomen were fussing over Ma.s.sie, Kristen, and Dylan, and they wouldn't have had it any other way. Between Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's, Ma.s.sie had six invitations stuck to the purple magnetic board in her bedroom, not including the OCD/Briarwood Nondenominational Tree-Lighting Ceremony. And she didn't have a single new thing to wear.

Dylan burst through the door of the dressing room wearing a pink beaded V-necked tank top and silver wide-legged satin pants. She did a full 360-degree turn, then froze with her hands on her hips as if the famous fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier were about to take her picture.

"Does this make me look too too s.e.xy?" she asked, laughing at her own goofy model pose. s.e.xy?" she asked, laughing at her own goofy model pose.

"I dunno, but does this make me look too too gorgeous?" Ma.s.sie said. She emerged in a gold-and-green halter dress. gorgeous?" Ma.s.sie said. She emerged in a gold-and-green halter dress.

But no one even looked at her outfit.

"Dylan, you look like an eight-letter word for great," great," Kristen said as if Ma.s.sie weren't even there. Kristen said as if Ma.s.sie weren't even there.

"Ah-mazing?" Ma.s.sie shouted immediately.

"I was talking to Dylan," Kristen snapped. She was sitting on a fold-out chair outside the dressing rooms, doing a crossword puzzle.

"Are you p.i.s.sed because I said I didn't want to go to Abercrombie?" Ma.s.sie said to her own reflection in the three-way mirror. "'Cause you know they won't have anything party-worthy at A&F."

"I don't need any holiday clothes," Kristen said. "I have tons from last year."

"Why not drink a carton of expired milk while you're at it?" Ma.s.sie said, expecting to hear Dylan laugh. But the dressing room was silent.

"Kristen, want me to buy you something?" Dylan asked Kristen.

Ma.s.sie turned away from the mirror and looked at her friends. Of course! Why didn't she think of it sooner? Kristen was just upset because she couldn't afford new holiday clothes. She wasn't mad at Ma.s.sie. Kristen was mad at her poverty-stricken parents.

"Yeah, we'll get you something new," Ma.s.sie said.

"No thanks, I don't need your charity," Kristen said, stuffing her crossword puzzle book in her bag.

"But that's what friends are for." Ma.s.sie put her arm around Kristen's shoulders.

"Yeah, some friend," Kristen murmured before pushing Ma.s.sie's arm away.

"What's your problem?"

"Nothing," Dylan chimed in. "She doesn't have a problem, do you, Kristen?"

"No." Kristen crossed her legs.

"See," Dylan said. Then she turned to Kristen. "Hey, why don't you try something on anyway? You know, just for fun."

"'Kay." Kristen shrugged. She stood up and started browsing.

Ma.s.sie looked at Dylan and whispered, "What's up with the female dog?"

Dylan shrugged and went back into the dressing room.