Part 1 (1/2)
The Pretty Committee Strikes Back.
by Lisi Harrison.
For Bill, Ann, and Carrie Harrison, with love. Thank you for your endless support. This one is for you.
OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY CLa.s.s.
Wednesday, February 18th 2:45 P.M. P.M.
The thick, breathy smell of the artificial heat that blasted from the cla.s.sroom's radiators made Ma.s.sie Block's head pound. And the more her nature-loving geography teacher droned on about the Earth's surface and how it determines the flow of a river, the worse her headache got. Ma.s.sie closed her eyes and ma.s.saged her throbbing temples until Mr. Myner finally had the decency to change the subject and talk about something that the seventh-grade girls at Octavian Country Day School actually cared about.
”Don't forget, Friday is the last day I am accepting checks for the Presidents' Day field trip to Lake Placid.” Mr. Myner rolled up the sleeves on his navy flannel lumber-jack s.h.i.+rt and revealed his muscular, too-tanned-for-February forearms.
Everyone cheered and woo-hooed.
”I am just as thrilled as you are.” Mr. Myner's warm chocolate-brown eyes flickered with pride. ”This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about topography, orienteering, and survival skills in the real real outdoors.” outdoors.”
Ma.s.sie rolled her eyes. Everyone except Mr. Myner knew this trip had nothing to do with topography or survival skills. It was all about the three days they were going to spend camping in the wild with the Briarwood boys. No parents, no homework, and no Princ.i.p.al Burns.
Anything was possible.
Even Ma.s.sie found it hard to stay calm. Inside, her stomach felt all jittery, like it had grown wings and was flying around in dizzying circles. And on top of that she was starving.
For the last four days, ever since she'd given Derrick Harrington her rhinestone M M pin, Ma.s.sie had been unable to swallow anything other than Diet Dr Pepper, Luna bars, and the occasional reduced-fat Wheat Thin. She was officially hanging out with the star goalie of the Briarwood Academy soccer team, and that idea alone made digestion very difficult. pin, Ma.s.sie had been unable to swallow anything other than Diet Dr Pepper, Luna bars, and the occasional reduced-fat Wheat Thin. She was officially hanging out with the star goalie of the Briarwood Academy soccer team, and that idea alone made digestion very difficult.
While Mr. Myner droned on about the majestic beauty of the Adirondacks, Ma.s.sie made a list called: FIVE THINGS ABOUT MY CRUSH THAT MAKE IT IM-POSSIBLE FOR ME TO EAT.
- His ah-dorable s.h.a.ggy dirty-blond hair. Love, love, love when it falls in his brown eyes.
- The way he wiggles his b.u.t.t after he saves a goal in soccer. Ahhhhh-dorable!
- He's the most popular seventh grader at Briarwood. And he likes me. me.
- IM'd me on Monday and said I was the cutest girl at OCD. (Take that that, Alicia Rivera.) - We'll be spending three days and two nights together in Lake Placid. OMG!
Ma.s.sie also loved that he called her Block and that she secretly called him Derrington-a combination of his first and last names. They sounded like a gorgeous soap opera couple or a team of notorious outlaws. It was beyond hot.
Block and Derrington.
Block and Derrington.
Block and Derrington.
She was even starting to embrace the fact that he wore shorts in the dead of winter. It was his ”thing.” And every famous athlete had to have a ”thing,” or else his fans wouldn't have anything to copy. Ma.s.sie's stomach suddenly tightened at the thought of Derrington surrounded by hordes of shorts-wearing fans, because in this scenario she would be the glamour girl standing by his side. The girl every other girl wanted to be. And nothing was more ahmazing than that.
Ma.s.sie wiped her sweaty palms on the green corduroy of her Joie cargo pants, then slowly lifted her purple-Swarovski-crystal-covered cell phone out of her side pocket. She waved the phone under her desk until the sparkly rhinestones caught the attention of her BFFs, alerting them that an important text message was on the way. Alicia Rivera, Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, and Claire Lyons nodded. The members of the Pretty Committee were armed and ready to receive.
Ma.s.sIE: Mandatory packing meeting Sunday @ the iPad. Mandatory packing meeting Sunday @ the iPad.
Everyone referred to Ma.s.sie's bedroom as the iPad because it was all white except for a few purple accents mixed in, purple because it was the official color of royalty.
ALICIA: Can Olivia come? She's back from 2nd nose job. She'll be on the trip. Can Olivia come? She's back from 2nd nose job. She'll be on the trip.
Ma.s.sie couldn't understand what Alicia saw in that bubbly blonde but responded with a nod anyway. She had no choice. Last time she'd given Alicia a hard time for liking the knockoff-scarf-wearing airhead, Alicia had walked out on the Pretty Committee. And Ma.s.sie didn't want to risk losing her again.
DYLAN: Need 2 shop. I went down a few sizes since the flu. Need 2 shop. I went down a few sizes since the flu.
Dylan was pinching the skin on her stomach, probably wondering if she had gained any weight since lunch. Ma.s.sie rolled her eyes. There were a million things Ma.s.sie wanted to write back, most of them having to do with how ahnnoying Dylan's I'm-so-fat-even-when-I'm-thin routine was, but decided to drop it. Upsetting Dylan would only drive her to eat, and then Ma.s.sie would have to hear about it even more. Besides, it was nice seeing Dylan with some confidence. If anything, she was much more into shopping than usual, and there was ahb-viously nothing wrong with that.
Ma.s.sIE: Shopping sounds gr8. Shopping sounds gr8.CLAIRE: I in. I in.
Ma.s.sie giggled to herself. Claire was known for her late text message responses and her misspelled words because she'd only gotten her cell phone in December. If Ma.s.sie hadn't secretly given it to her for Christmas, Claire would have had to wait until she was sixteen to get one from her parents. And that was not not an option. an option.
Ma.s.sIE: Kristen? Kristen?
The girls immediately whipped their heads around and glared at Kristen. She was tugging at the sides of her recently cut-short blond hair, willing it to grow back faster. When she noticed them staring, waiting for her response, Kristen rolled her narrow aqua-colored eyes and lowered her head. Her thumbs quickly moved across her Nokia keypad.
KRISTEN: My parents still say the $1,500 fee is too much. Won't pay. H8 them. My parents still say the $1,500 fee is too much. Won't pay. H8 them.
Kristen always had money issues, and it was a major b.u.mmer.
Ma.s.sIE: Even Claire's parents are paying. It's educational. Even Claire's parents are paying. It's educational.
Claire lifted her head and shot Ma.s.sie a thanks-a-lot smirk. Ma.s.sie shrugged innocently and returned to her vibrating phone.
ALICIA: I'll pay 4 u. I'll pay 4 u.DYLAN: Me 2. Me 2.
Kristen's face lit up.
Ma.s.sIE: Me 3. What's one more time? Me 3. What's one more time?
Ma.s.sie hit send and lifted her head to nod at whatever Mr. Myner was saying, just in case he was getting suspicious. But he was too caught up in his lecture about s.h.i.+fting glaciers, mighty rivers, and dense pine forests to care about the only part of nature that really mattered, the birds and the bees.
KRISTEN: Forget it. I'm not going. Forget it. I'm not going.DYLAN: ? ?ALICIA: ? ?CLAIRE: / /CLAIRE: Oops. I ment ??? Oops. I ment ???
Ma.s.sie felt a sudden wave of hunger-related nausea whoosh through her entire body. She lowered her arm into her black Prada messenger bag and quietly pinched off a piece of her half-eaten Nutz Over Chocolate Luna bar. She used her fingers to grab onto her bracelet to keep the little gold charms from clanging together. The moment the chocolate-covered rice puffs grazed her lips, her cell phone vibrated. It was Derrington. Ma.s.sie immediately dropped the Luna chunk back into her bag and pulled the phone close to her face.
DERRINGTON: Placid is gonna rule, fool! Placid is gonna rule, fool!
She had hoped Derrington's message would be a little more personal but still chalked it up to flirting.
Ma.s.sIE:.
She wanted to respond with a clever yet cute comeback. But Mr. Myner interrupted her.
”And Miss Block, let me remind you that this field trip is also a great way to add ten percent to your grade.” Mr. Myner winked at Ma.s.sie. His eyes seemed to look straight into her soul. Ma.s.sie discreetly dropped her cell phone back into the green side pocket of her Joie cargos.