Ma.s.sie rolled her eyes and did the same.

"Can I help you find any sizes?" someone shouted.

"No thanks, I'm all done." Ma.s.sie stepped out holding an armful of clothes. "Here you go," she said as she unloaded them on her salesgirl, Ava-Jade. "I'll take everything plus whatever my cranky blond friend wants."

"Great," Ava-Jade said with an elated smile that showed off her over-bleached teeth.

Ma.s.sie reached into her red suede Prada push lock bag and pulled a card out of the inside zipper pocket. She placed it on top of the pile in Ava-Jade's arms. "Charge it."

Ava-Jade looked confused. "Uh, we don't accept the OCD student ID, just Visa, American Express, and MasterCard."

"Oops, sorry." Ma.s.sie giggled. She sat down on the fold-out chair and began searching the inside of her bag. "I know my Visa is in here somewhere."

Ma.s.sie took out her cosmetics case, Chanel compact, cell phone, iPod, PalmPilot, house keys, dog treats, and silver Tiffany pen. Then she turned her Prada upside down and shook it. She looked up at Ava-Jade and bit her bottom lip. "Uh, I think I left my wallet in the Hermes."

Ava-Jade dumped the pile of clothes onto Ma.s.sie's lap and walked away.

"That sucks," Dylan said when she stepped out of her changing room. She made a big show of handing a heap of clothes to Collette, her salesgirl. "I know there's a lot here; do you need some help taking it all to the register?" Dylan placed her mother's ultra-exclusive black American Express card on top of the pile.

"No, Miss Marvil, you wait here. I'll be fine."

"Great." Dylan smiled and sighed. "I hope I can carry it all home." She chuckled.

Ma.s.sie rolled her eyes and looked away. "My life sucks," she muttered under her breath.

Kristen walked back into the changing area holding a navy blue T-shirt dress.

"Ma.s.sie brought her OCD card," Dylan announced. "But don't worry, I'll pay for it."

"Thanks," Kristen said with a relieved smile. "You're the greatest friend in the world."

As soon as Kristen shut the dressing room door, Ma.s.sie slapped Dylan's arm. "What's going on here?"

"Ma.s.sie!" Dylan shouted when Ma.s.sie's slap knocked her Marc by Marc Jacobs cross-body bag to the ground. Everything spilled out. "You broke my bag."

"I did not." Ma.s.sie dropped to her knees. She started scooping up the various lip glosses, brushes, Luna bar wrappers, and loose soy chip crumbs. She had never felt so pathetic in her entire life.

Suddenly Ma.s.sie recoiled. "What's this?" She picked the shiny white scarf off the floor and rubbed it against her cheek. Then she held it up to the light and examined it from both sides.

Dylan's face went white. "Oh, that's my mom's hankie. She used my bag last night and must have forgotten to take it out."

"Don't lie to me," Ma.s.sie said as she bunched it up in the palm of her hand and whipped it back on the ground. "It's a knockoff! Your mom wouldn't even use this to wipe dog poo off her shoes."

"Yes, she would." Dylan grabbed the scarf from the floor and stuffed it back in her bag.

Ma.s.sie felt her entire body starting to quiver. She stood up, gently resting her hand on her stomach, fighting the urge to puke on Dylan's new Dolce & Gabbana mules. "You got this from Alicia, didn't you? How could you?"

"How could I?" Dylan stood. "How could you?" you?"

"What?" Ma.s.sie felt dizzy. She leaned against the mirror. The cool gla.s.s felt good against the back of her neck. Ma.s.sie felt dizzy. She leaned against the mirror. The cool gla.s.s felt good against the back of her neck.

"Whaddaya think?" Kristen bellowed as she threw open the dressing room door. She walked out modeling the navy T-shirt dress.

"Kristen, do you have any lip gloss in your bag?"

Kristen crinkled her blond eyebrows and nodded, obviously confused by Ma.s.sie's reaction.

"Can I grab some?" Ma.s.sie kept her eyes on Dylan, making sure she didn't throw any signals to warn Kristen. But before Kristen could answer, Ma.s.sie had already locked the changing room door and was rifling through her LeSportsac.

"What do you think of this dress?" she heard Kristen ask Dylan.

"Who cares?" Ma.s.sie heard Dylan say.

"What's wrong with you?" Kristen asked.

Dylan was silent.

Ma.s.sie got a paper cut from brushing her hand past Kristen's crossword puzzle book but ignored the stinging pain. She was determined to find what she was looking for.

"Aha!" Ma.s.sie pulled the scarf out like a birthday party magician would. She stepped out of the changing room, waving it like a victory flag. "Et tu, Brute?"

Kristen and Dylan stood beside each other with a look of utter panic in their eyes.

"What did she just say?" Dylan asked Kristen. Her eyes were still fixed on Ma.s.sie and the scarf.

"It's Latin for 'you too, Brutus?'" Kristen explained. "It's what Julius Caesar said when he found out his friend Brutus was one of the people who betrayed him."

"Oh." After a brief pause Dylan spoke again. "Well, if anyone betrayed anyone, it's you." you." She pointed to Ma.s.sie. "You're the Brutus." She pointed to Ma.s.sie. "You're the Brutus."

"How am I the Brutus? You're the one who joined Alicia's army."

"We only joined because we had to," Kristen chimed in. "She threatened to tell our secrets if we didn't."

"What secrets?" Ma.s.sie screeched.

"The ones we trusted you with," Kristen said. "The ones you you told her." told her."

"I didn't tell her anything," Ma.s.sie said. "We pinky-swore!"

"That obviously doesn't mean anything to you," Dylan said.

Ma.s.sie gasped. She threw her Prada bag over her shoulder and marched toward the exit.

Dylan and Kristen followed her.

"Wait, Miss Marvil." Collette scurried across the store carrying three bags of clothes and an unsigned credit card slip.

"Signature, please," Collette panted. She clicked her pen and held it in front of Dylan's face.

Dylan kept walking while she scribbled her mother's name on the slip. She placed the black plastic tray in a mannequin's hand and continued after Ma.s.sie.

"Thank you, Merri-Lee," Collette shouted before she dropped Dylan's bags beside the security guard. "Happy holidays."

"How could Alicia possibly know everything we told you at the sleepover if you didn't tell her?" Dylan shouted at Ma.s.sie.

Ma.s.sie stopped and turned around. "I have no idea. Maybe she guessed." guessed."

"Well, for some reason she didn't guess guess about you liking Cam," Kristen shouted after her. about you liking Cam," Kristen shouted after her.

Ma.s.sie stomped her foot on the ground. "Will you be quiet? quiet? There are people from school all over the place. What if someone hears you?" There are people from school all over the place. What if someone hears you?"

"Now you know how we feel," Dylan said.

"I didn't tell Alicia anything," Ma.s.sie insisted. "Besides, if you really thought I betrayed you, why would you go shopping with me?"

"We needed a ride." Kristen shrugged.

"Nice. Thanks a lot," Ma.s.sie said. She walked straight through the metal detector and back into the mall, where she was instantly surrounded by a torrent of holiday shoppers.

Kristen ran after her. "I would rather be poor than a liar."

"Congratulations, you got your wish," Ma.s.sie shouted over her shoulder.

Suddenly a piercing alarm rang in BCBG. Ma.s.sie stopped and turned. She saw the customers cover their ears and crane their necks, hoping they might see something. But all anyone saw was a beefy security guard grab Kristen by the arm and yank her back into the store. She had run out in the T-shirt dress and the tags had triggered the alarm. Dylan hurried to her rescue, waving her black AmEx in the guard's face.

Ma.s.sie snaked her way through the crowds, desperate to escape before anyone from school saw her crying. She wiped her eyes at least ten times, but the tears kept coming. How could they not? Her worst fears had come true: the Pretty Committee had officially fallen apart and she was stuck at the mall without a credit card.

"Finally." Ma.s.sie sighed when she got to Sears. No one from school shopped there.

Ma.s.sie took out her phone and speed dialed Isaac. She waited for him beside the men's ties and watches.

"Are you lost, dear?" a nice old saleslady asked when she heard Ma.s.sie's heaving sobs. "Did you lose someone?"

Ma.s.sie tried to smile. "Kind of," she said. "But I'll be okay."

THE B BLOCK E ESTATE.

3:45 PM PM.

December 2nd Ma.s.sie ran up the stairs two at a time and darted into her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and went straight to her bay window to see if Claire was in her room. She was desperate to tell someone about her brutal experience at the mall. But Claire's blinds were closed, just like they had been all week.

Ma.s.sie tried calling again. "Hi, Judi, is Claire home yet?" She used her most polite voice.

"No, she's still out with Layne," Judi said. "I told you I'll give her the message as soon as she gets home."

Something was definitely going on and Ma.s.sie hung up, wondering if Judi was lying to her. For the last few days it seemed like Claire was never home. Her blinds were always shut and she never replied to IMs. She even flaked on their homework plans and showed no interest in coat shopping. Maybe she was still mourning Cam. Ma.s.sie understood that. After all, she missed him too.

Ma.s.sie checked her inbox. No messages. Same with her voice mail. She had never felt so lonely in her entire life. Even her parents were out with friends.

"Bean," Ma.s.sie shouted. "Be-ean?" She felt her heart starting to race. Did Bean leave too? "BEANNNNN!"

Ma.s.sie called a few more times before she heard her dog's familiar bark coming from the front hallway. She hurried down the steps. Bean whimpered and jumped into Ma.s.sie's open arms.

Ma.s.sie squeezed her dog and kissed the top of her tiny black head. "Ehmagawd, what are you wearing?" A red satin cape had been tied around her neck.

"Where are you, Red Riding Hood?" Ma.s.sie heard a squeaky boy's voice call. Bean squirmed in Ma.s.sie's arms.

"Hullo? Who's there?" she called, holding Bean close to her chest and reaching for her cell phone holster. She gripped the top of the Motorola and slowly pulled it out, ready to dial 911.

"Goldberg, is that you?" someone said. Ma.s.sie recognized the voice and tucked her phone away. "Todd?" "Todd?"

"Uh, yeah, hi," he said. He walked into the front hall dressed in a pair of women's black tights. His chest was completely bare.

"What are you doing?" Ma.s.sie untied Bean's cape and threw it on the ground. "And what did you do to Bean?"

"Nathan and I are wrestling," he said, as if it were obvious. "I'm Goldberg and he's Eddie Guerrero. AND IF HE DOESN'T COME OUT OF HIDING SOON, I'M GOING TO GIVE HIM THE JACKHAMMER."

"Oh yeah?" a mousy voice called from the living room. "WELL, I'M GOING BUST OUT MY La.s.sO FROM EL PASO AND ROPE YOUR NECK."

Just then Tiny Nathan ran out from behind the curtains, wearing the same outfit as Todd. They chased each other around the room until Todd threw himself on top of Tiny Nathan.

"Stop it!" Ma.s.sie yelled. "STOP! ENOUGH!"

Todd was squeezing Nathan's head between his kneecaps. "Say Goldberg is the world champ," he insisted. "SAY IT!"

"What is going on?" Ma.s.sie insisted. She pulled Todd off Tiny Nathan. "Why are you in my house?"

"There's more room to wrestle here," Todd said. "It's like ten times bigger than the guesthouse."

"Why are you wrestling?" wrestling?" Ma.s.sie was getting impatient. Ma.s.sie was getting impatient.

"Because Alicia got us box seats for the WWE Smackdown and we're going tonight," Nathan chirped.

"Oh," Ma.s.sie said sarcastically. Then all of a sudden something strange occurred to her.

"Alicia got you tickets?" Ma.s.sie asked. got you tickets?" Ma.s.sie asked.

"Yeah," Todd said, puffing out his chest. "We've been spending a lot of time together lately. Way more than you and I ever did. Wayyy more."

Ma.s.sie put her hands on her hips. "Is that supposed to make me jealous, Todd?"

"Yeah," Todd said. "Is it working?"

In a tiny way it was. He was another person who'd left Ma.s.sie for Alicia.

"It is working, isn't it?" Todd said. "Look at you-your face is getting red. You're jealous."