7:55 AM
November 18th
Isaac stopped the Blocks’ Range Rover in front of the big plastic nurse in the Dr. Juice parking lot. He rolled down his window and pushed the red heart in the middle of her white hat. She opened her synthetic blue eyes.
“Welcome to Dr. Juice. I’m Nurse Feelfine. What can Dr. Juice get for you today?” Her voice was soothing and kind.
“One extra-large Slim,” Dylan shouted into the nurse’s mouth.
“Medium Focus,” Kristen yelled.
“Medium Comfort,” Claire said. “Please.”
“One large Strength and Power blend,” Massie said. “Sugar-free.”
But if guilt-free had been an option, she would have ordered that.
Massie spent all night wondering if she had been too harsh on Alicia. In the three years they had been BFFs, Alicia only cried that hard once—when she had broken her ankle snowboarding on a field trip to Stowe, Vermont. But Massie kept reminding herself that Alicia started all of this. And there was no telling where she would take it now that she’d been so humiliated. Could she ever top the mural?
Isaac pulled up to the front window and paid for the juices.
“Here you go,” he said, handing the cups to the girls in the backseat.
“Thanks, Isaac,” they cooed.
Massie took a long sip of Strength # Power. The cold, fruity mixture tasted like summer. It was perfect on such a dreary winter morning. “Yum,” she said after she swallowed. She lifted the straw to her mouth and was enjoying another long sip until a sudden blow to her arm knocked the cup away. Pink mush shot all over her chin.
“Orange Uggs, no punch backs,” Claire yelled after she whacked Massie on the arm. “Look.” She tapped the window and pointed to a high school girl with her jeans tucked into her orange Ugg boots. She was swinging a key chain around her finger while she walked across the Dr. Juice parking lot.
Massie’s mouth hung open while drops of Strength # Power dripped down the front of her fluffy white coat.
Kristen and Dylan busted out laughing. And soon everyone was cracking up.
“We only punch when we see Burberry,” Massie said, wiping her chin on Claire’s backpack. “Not Uggs.”
“Then I just made up a new game,” Claire said, talking a long sip of Comfort.
“I like it.” Massie searched the parking lot for more Uggs.
Kristen banged on her window. “Black Uggs, no punch backs,” she said, whacking Dylan.
“Wrong.” Dylan punched Kristen. “Those are FUggs. Fake Uggs.”
Everyone laughed again.
“Carpool’s been fun lately,” Massie said. She was about to say, “now that Alicia’s gone,” but didn’t want to mention Alicia’s name because they were having such a good time without her. “Claire, is this more fun than riding with Layne?”
“It’s definitely different.” Claire smiled and took another sip of juice.
Massie leaned back in her seat and grinned. She was proud of Claire for making up a game. “Speaking of Uggs, who wants to go holiday shopping Saturday?”
“It’s only Tuesday,” Claire said.
“So?” Massie shrugged. She liked to firm up her plans for the weekend as early as possible; even the thought of too much time alone made her nervous.
“I can’t,” Dylan said. She opened the mini-fridge in the back of the Range Rover and pulled out a small box of Rice Krispies. She tore the package open with her teeth. “My mom is taking me and my sisters to St. Bart’s for a three-day Caribbean getaway.” She stuck her tongue in the box. When she lifted it out, it was covered in the tiny rice puffs.
Massie turned away in disgust. “What about you, Kristen?”
“I’ll be at the mall; I just won’t be shopping. But if you buy any gifts, I’ll be happy to wrap them for you.”
“Yuck,” Massie said. “How much character do you have to build before your parents let you have your life back?”
Kristen shrugged and turned to face the window.
“What about you?” Massie said to Claire. She couldn’t imagine shopping alone with Claire and immediately regretted asking her. She knew Claire couldn’t afford to shop in the good stores and even if she did, her taste was so fifth grade. But then again, maybe it was time to embrace Claire completely, not just as an Alicia substitute.
“I would love to go with you, Massie,” Claire said. “But every Saturday, I go to the movies with Layne.”
She couldn’t even get a commitment from Kuh-laire! Claire was supposed to worship her. Everyone was. Alicia might have cheated, lied, and deceived her, but she would have never said no to a shopping trip. Massie took a long sip of Strength # Power.
“Unless,” Claire said, leaning forward in her leather seat. “Unless we invite Layne to come with us.”
Massie wanted to shout, “I adopted you, NOT that Salvation Army-loving fashion don’t!” But she didn’t. She needed Claire now that Alicia was gone. If Claire left her, people would definitely think she was losing her grip on the Pretty Committee. And that would be way worse than being seen at the mall with Claire and Layne.
“Has Layne ever shopped at a mall before?” Massie asked. “Does she know that everything they sell is new?” She couldn’t resist.
Kristen and Dylan laughed.
“Forget it,” Claire said to her thumbnail. “Maybe Layne and I should just stick to our regular plan.”
“Oh, come on, I was kidding,” Massie said. She couldn’t believe she was begging to go shopping with Claire and Layne. This was all Alicia’s fault. She tried to take another sip from her Dr. Juice cup, but it was all gone.
“Let’s just do it another time,” Claire said.
“That’s probably better,” Massie said. “I’ve been meaning to get my highlights retouched.”
Isaac turned into the OCD parking lot and stopped the Range Rover right behind the Riveras’ limo. Massie watched from the corner of her eye as Alicia and Olivia stepped out. They both had the exact same super-straight hairdos and Massie wondered if they’d gotten Japanese perms over the weekend. That was something Alicia always said she wanted to do with Massie. But that was then. …