"Did you feel that?" She looked up at the sky, hoping it wasn't about to rain. This was her first big trip into Manhattan and she didn't want anything to block her view of the skysc.r.a.pers.

"Oh, sorry," Layne said, wiping a pink droplet off Claire's cheek. She immediately stopped swinging her bag. "I have a Popsicle in here." She patted the stained canvas. "It must have melted."

Claire giggled. "You reaaally don't don't care what people think, do you?" They both burst out laughing at Layne's sticky bag. care what people think, do you?" They both burst out laughing at Layne's sticky bag.

They were still laughing when they rounded the side of the school and stepped onto the paved parking lot. Claire spotted Dean and Alicia immediately. They were both standing with their arms crossed in front of the open car door.

"Hurry," Alicia screamed.

"Coming from the girl who moves slower than detention," Layne murmured.

Claire giggled, then started to run. Layne was following close behind.

"What are you doing?" Claire huffed and puffed. "Don't you have cla.s.s?"

"I want to give you a proper send-off."

Claire could feel herself getting annoyed all over again. "You don't have to."

"Kuh-laire," Alicia shouted. "Everyone's waiting."

"Ugh," Claire said in total frustration. She started running again, too frazzled to care if Layne was behind her or not.

"Ehmagawd," Alicia squealed when she saw Layne. "It looks like you barfed up a waiter's suspenders from TGI Friday's."

Kristen, Dylan, Faux-livia, Strawberry, and Kori stuck their heads out the window of the limo. They burst out laughing when they saw Layne's headgear.

Claire looked at Layne out of the corner of her eye. Layne was smiling.

"That's a pretty good one," Layne said. "For you."

"Help," Claire mouthed to Alicia when Layne wasn't looking.

Alicia winked at Claire and held up her index finger to let her know she'd be a minute. She disappeared inside the limo and came out dragging her lime green snakeskin Prada bag. She opened the side zipper and pulled out one of her signature knockoff Louis Vuitton scarves.

"Layne," Alicia said. She sounded like a kindergarten teacher about to discipline a bad student. "I'll make you a deal."

"Yeah," Layne said. She looked bright and cheery, like she had no idea she was embarra.s.sing herself.

"If you take that antenna off, right now, right now, and promise never to wear it to school again," Alicia said, waving the scarf in front of her eyes, "I'll give you my very last Louis." and promise never to wear it to school again," Alicia said, waving the scarf in front of her eyes, "I'll give you my very last Louis."

Layne tapped her index finger against the bar of her headgear as if she were carefully mulling over the offer.

"It's totally worth it," Alicia said, sounding like a desperate salesgirl working on commission. "It allows you to hang out with us whenever you want."

Claire knew Layne was wondering how she could be friends with such a conceited girl and felt slightly embarra.s.sed for having bought into Alicia's rap.

"Whenever I want?" Layne cracked her knuckles.

"When-ever," Alicia said, anxious to close the sale. Alicia said, anxious to close the sale.

"Fine." Layne took off her headgear and clipped it around the handle of her Sunshine Tours bag. Alicia placed the scarf in Layne's open palm.

"Thanks, I totally needed this." Layne stuffed the scarf into her bag. It was covered in gooey pink liquid when she lifted it out.

Alicia gasped.

"Oops, my Popsicle melted and I ran out of tissue," Layne said. She tossed the sopping wet Louis at Alicia. "Have fun on your shoot, Claire," she called over her shoulder as she walked away. "Call me when you get back.

" "I will," Claire promised with a huge grin on her face.

Claire avoided Alicia's eyes when she slipped into the limo.

"How can you be friends with her?" Alicia asked when she sat down.

"How could I not?" Claire giggled.

"Let's go, Dean," Alicia called into the front seat. "We want to get there before dark."

Claire sighed, relieved that Alicia had changed the subject.

"Aren't we waiting for Ma.s.sie?" Dean asked into the rearview mirror.

"She's not coming." Alicia raised the gla.s.s divider between them.

Claire was tempted to ask how Ma.s.sie was going to get there but decided not to. Why should she care? They were no longer friends.

Alicia clapped once they started moving and bounced up and down in her seat. "We're off!"

"Yippeee!" Strawberry, Kori, and Faux-livia bounced and cheered. Kristen and Dylan said nothing. They didn't even bother looking up from the pages of US Weekly US Weekly to see what all the excitement was about. to see what all the excitement was about.

Eventually the yelling got to them. Dylan turned to Alicia. "Why are they they here?" here?"

"Yeah, they're not even modeling," Kristen added.

"Uh, we can hear you." Strawberry clenched her fist.

"Good, so maybe you you can tell me why you're coming to New York," Kristen said. can tell me why you're coming to New York," Kristen said.

"Because they are my friends," friends," Alicia said firmly. Alicia said firmly.

"Whatevs," Dylan said, returning to her US Weekly US Weekly.

Claire watched Strawberry and Kori examine the contents of the fridge, play with the stereo, and fiddle with the sunroof. She felt like she was watching herself three months ago.

"Where are your scarves?" Alicia asked the girls. They looked up at her with the startled expression of someone who just realized she left her homework a.s.signment on the school bus. "I thought you were going to wear them around your necks."

"I did." Faux-livia beamed, pulling her turtleneck sweater to one side.

"I have mine around my ankle," Strawberry said, lifting up her winter white cords. "How cute is it there?"

"Mine is around my wrist," Kori said. "I thought it looked good with my beaded bracelet." She slouched down and shook her wrist so the beads knocked up against the scarf.

"And yours?" yours?" Alicia turned to Kristen and Dylan. Alicia turned to Kristen and Dylan.

They both tapped their bags and grinned, making it very clear to Alicia that they refused to play by her rules.

"Fine," she said, immediately turning her attention to Claire.

"I forgot about the neck thing." Claire pulled the scarf out of her back pocket and began to tie it. "Sorry." She felt a little stupid following an order from Alicia but knew she wasn't on the same level as Kristen and Dylan. She was still relatively new and had to play along.

"That's better," Alicia said with a satisfied smile. "Now, who has gossip?"

No one said a word.

Dylan and Strawberry took turns digging into a big bag of Utz pretzels while Kori and Kristen twirled their blond braids around their fingers. Claire couldn't believe how much Dylan and Strawberry were alike. They both had the same bright hair and loved eating, while Kori and Kristen had identical hairstyles and were both great athletes. For a split second Claire wondered if Alicia had tried to re-create Ma.s.sie's Pretty Committee by finding Dylan and Kristen look-alikes but decided that would be way too psychotic, even for Alicia.

"No one has any any scoop?" Alicia said. "I'll give ten gossip points to the first good piece." scoop?" Alicia said. "I'll give ten gossip points to the first good piece."

"Yeah, who has some juice?" Faux-livia echoed.

"What are gossip points?" Kori asked.

"You get points for good gossip," Kristen explained, sounding over it. "The better the gossip, the higher the points."

"What do you get with the points?" Strawberry asked. "Stereos and stuff?"

"This isn't the American Express Membership Rewards program," Dylan snapped. "At the end of the week the person with the most points wins."

"There's no reason to yell," Strawberry said.

"There is if you're going to ask stupid questions." Dylan opened her mouth and showed Strawberry her pretzel-covered tongue.

Claire and Kristen laughed.

"Gross," Strawberry said, whipping the pretzel bag at Dylan's face.

"Stop it!" Alicia snapped.

Everyone was quiet until Kori broke the silence. "So what do do we win?" we win?"

"Five-letter word for satisfaction," satisfaction," Kristen said. "Can also be a pack of lions." Kristen said. "Can also be a pack of lions."

"Huh?" Faux-livia asked.

"Pride," Claire said with a degree of modesty in her voice. She was tired of all the fighting. Claire said with a degree of modesty in her voice. She was tired of all the fighting.

"But wait." Alicia shot her index finger in the air. "Maybe I should should start giving out prizes. You know, change it up a little." start giving out prizes. You know, change it up a little."

"Love it!" Faux-livia shouted.

"That's stupid," said Dylan. "Do you really want to buy a new gift every single week? And what if you win? Do you buy yourself a gift? Then what?"

"Yeah, it worked perfectly the old way," Kristen said.

"Just like everything else," Dylan said under her breath.

"So how many gossip points did Todd Lyons get?" Faux-livia asked.

Alicia kicked Faux-livia in the shin.

"OUCH!"

"Sorry," Alicia said, her eyes wide and pleading.

"It's okay." Faux flashed a forgiving smile.

"Todd who?" who?" Claire asked. Claire asked.

"Your brother, stupid." Faux obviously didn't clue in to Alicia's warning.

"What did Todd do?" Kristen asked.

"Oh, is Todd that kid who eavesdropped on Ma.s.sie's sleepover and then told-" Kori stopped talking after Strawberry's fist jabbed her ribs.

"Ehmagawd, you got our secrets from Todd?" Todd?" Dylan said. Dylan said.

"Not Ma.s.sie?" Kristen asked.

All Alicia could do was shrug.

"He's so dead," Claire said, just to make sure she wouldn't get blamed for her brother's crime.

"We thought Ma.s.sie Ma.s.sie told you," Dylan said. told you," Dylan said.

"It may have been Ma.s.sie," Alicia said. "I can't remember. That was so last week."

Dylan and Kristen stared out the window in silence for the next ten minutes. Dylan sc.r.a.ped salt chunks off the pretzels with her thumbnail while Kristen re-braided her hair. Claire could tell they were thinking about all the terrible things they had said about Ma.s.sie. She would have felt guilty too, but she wasn't mad at Ma.s.sie for spilling her secrets, she was mad at her for stealing Cam. And that was never going to change.

"Wait, I have some gossip," Faux announced.

Claire couldn't believe anyone could be so oblivious to tension.

"What?" Alicia asked, obviously over it.

"Shay Goldhar peed in her pants after lunch yesterday," Faux said. "She had a big wet spot on the back of her jeans."

"That wasn't pee," Strawberry said. "She fell in a puddle during lunch. There were at least ten witnesses."