Best Friends for Never

by Lisi Harrison

  Claire spent the rest of the break comforting Layne. Massie went to check in with her competition.

  Alicia and Olivia were standing by the voting table.

  “You know what's funny about the word thimble,” Olivia said between sips of Perrier. She was talking to a boy who was about to cast his vote. “It sounds like I'm trying to say ‘symbol,’ but I have a lisp.” She giggled to herself. “I thined up for band and now I'm thdudying the thimbles. Thounds like I'm lisping, right?”

  Massie watched as the boy rolled his eyes. He dropped his thimble into Massie's box.

  “Thtupid,” Alicia called after the boy. Massie laughed, but Olivia was too upset to join her.

  “You know, Massie,” Olivia said. “Your team totally has an advantage because you have four people and we only have two, which means you'll get more votes because you have twice as many family members on your side as we do.”

  “Yeah, but you have a plastic surgeon, a shrink, and three of your father's secret girlfriends, so we're about even.” Massie turned on her rubber platforms and left to find her parents.

  The lights in the lobby began to flicker and Pia's assistants shepherded people back to their seats.

  Once everyone was inside, Principal Burns returned to the podium.

  “Can I please have the finalists up here onstage,” she said. “Oh, and all cell phones off.”

  At that exact moment someone in the audience got a call. Their phone's ring tone was set to the tune “Pop Goes the Weasel.”

  Everyone laughed and searched for the guilty party.

  Principal Burns put her hands on her hips and scanned the audience.

  “It was him,” shouted a young girl with a mousy-colored bob. She pointed to Derrington.

  “I swear it wasn't,” he shouted. The audience laughed. “I left my phone in my father's Mercedes.”

  Principal Burns stared him down anyway, for good measure.

  “Before we announce tonight's winner, I would like to thank Pia and—”

  Doo doo, doo doo, doodoodoodoodoo, doo doo, doo doo, doo doo …

  Everyone turned to look at Derrington.

  “I swear,” he said. He put his hand on his heart and laughed nervously.

  “Then why are you finding this so amusing?” Principal Burns asked.

  “I'm not.” He laughed again. His face turned bloodred.

  Doo doo, doo doo, doodoodoodoodoo, doo doo, doo doo, doo doo …

  Finally Principal Burns stepped down from the stage and stormed over to Derrington. She forced him to stand up while she frisked him, which made the whole room erupt.

  Derrington shook his head and put his face in his hands while the bird lady plucked at him with her long, bony fingers.

  People were clapping, cheering, and “aww-awwing,” but no one got more pleasure out of the scene than Kristen and Dylan, who had duct-taped the ringing cell phone to the bottom of Derrington's seat during intermission. They dialed it up one last time just to see what would happen next.

  Doo doo, doo doo, doodoodoodoodoo, doo doo, doo doo, doo doo …

  Principal Burns followed the ring tone to the bottom of his chair and yanked it loose. She held it proudly above her head like it was her first Oscar and the whole room gave her a spirited round of applause. She personally dragged Derrington out of the assembly hall.

  “Take over, P,” she shouted over her shoulder to Pia.

  “Sorry 'bout that,” Pia said. She lowered the microphone to her mouth. “Okay, let's bring those boxes out here and announce tonight's winner.”

  Her assistant struggled as she tried to carry both boxes at the same time, but no one thought to help her. They were all too nervous to think of anyone but themselves.

  Pia walked around the box with Massie and Claire's picture on it and then examined the one with Alicia and Olivia's photo. She was obviously doing it for dramatic purposes because everyone knew the thimbles had already been counted backstage.

  “I feel like I'm going to barf,” Massie said as she squeezed Bean to her chest.

  Claire was too busy chewing her fingernails to respond.

  “With 102 thimbles, we have Massie and Claire,” Pia said.

  The two girls started jumping up and down. They reached for Kristen and Dylan, who immediately started bouncing with them.

  “And with 136 thimbles, we have Alicia and Olivia. Congratulations, you are the winners of the OCD Fashion Week Uniform Contest. Looks like it's blazers, jeans, and tie belts from here on out!”

  Massie stopped bobbing. Alicia started.

  “How is that possible?” Massie asked. She immediately thought of Cam and how badly she wanted him to see her win.

  “I bet all the boys voted for them.” Kristen wiped a tear from her eye.

  Claire was just as shocked. “But we had way more than them during the break.”

  Alicia and Olivia were kissing their hands, then waving to the audience.

  “Ew,” Dylan said. “Could they be any more conceited?”

  “Did you see my parents jump out of their seats when Pia announced our names?” Kristen wiped another tear away.

  “No, but I saw them sit back down again when she announced Alicia and Olivia's,” Dylan said.

  Kristen's tears came harder and Dylan hugged her.

  “Stop or you'll make me cry,” Claire said.

  Dylan and Kristen held out their arms and welcomed Claire into their pity party.

  Massie refused to look defeated. Not in front of all these people, and especially not in front of Alicia. Instead she slowly inched her way toward the ballot boxes to take a closer look.

  The sound of applause and hip-hop music swirled around inside her head and she had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't for her. Now all she had to look forward to were a bunch of cheesy one-liners like “You're all winners” and “You're lucky to have made it that far.” Looks of pity from her parents' friends and offers to go for ice cream were minutes away from becoming her reality. It wasn't fair. They worked so hard. TWICE!

  “There has to be a mistake,” Massie said to herself. She bent down to examine the evidence.

  Her own purple thimble was in the box with Alicia and Olivia's picture.

  “Look,” Massie said as she pointed her discovery out to her teammates.

  “Why did you vote for ALICIA?” Dylan snapped.

  “I didn't, airhead!” Massie said. “Gawd, don't be such an Olivia.”

  “They must have switched our pictures,” Claire said.

  “Ehmagod,” Dylan yelped. “You're right.”

  “Let's tell Pia,” Kristen said. “Quick, grab the microphone. Tell everyone.” She darted toward the podium.

  “No, don't,” Massie commanded. “Don't tell anyone about this. Not yet. I need to think.”

  “But—,” Claire said.

  “Let's lie still in the weeds like animals do when they're about to kill. Then, when the time is exactly right, we'll pounce.”

  “Easy, Crocodile Hunter,” Dylan said. “You're freaking me out.”

  “You have to trust me,” Massie insisted. “I promise we will make them pay for this. We just have to think of the perfect plan.”

  “Fine,” Kristen said. “But I can't believe we're going to let her get away with it.”

  “We can always have my mom do a story about this on The Daily Grind,” Dylan said. “By Monday afternoon the whole country will know that Alicia and Olivia are criminals.”

  “Yeah, and I'll have my dad make sure this whole uniform thing never happens. I'll ask him to build a wing here or something,” Massie said. “And when the time is right, we'll show everyone who the real losers are.”

  Massie hoped her I've-got-everything-under-control act was convincing because on the inside, she felt ill. Alicia had gone from being her best friend to her biggest enemy in less than five minutes, leaving her too hurt to be angry and too angry to be hurt.

  “Hey, Massie, nice going,” Alicia said. They were back-stage
, gathering their belongings. “You totally gave us a run for our money.”

  Massie had a lump in her stomach and could barely look Alicia in the eye.

  “The weeds,” she mouthed to the others over her shoulder, but she was also reminding herself.

  “I consider this victory a win for all of us,” Alicia said. “I mean, we're still best friends, right?”

  “Of course, we couldn't be happier for you,” Massie said through her teeth.

  “By the way, I have some gossip,” Alicia said. “But I won't ask for points. Consider this one a gift.” She was twirling a ruby-and-gold ring on her index finger.

  “Uh-huh.” Massie sounded bored.

  “Someone likes you,” Alicia gushed. “A lot.”

  “Really?” Massie asked. “Who?” She tried to sound uninterested, but her insides were thumping and pounding. Cam liked her. Cam, with the green and blue eyes, liked her. Not Alicia, not Olivia, not Dylan, not Kristen, not some eighth grader, but her. The night was almost good again.

  “Derrington,” Alicia said.

  “What about him?” Massie asked.

  “He likes you. He told me himself. But he begged me not to tell you, so don't tell anyone, 'kay?”

  “Really?” Massie crinkled her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah,” Alicia said. “My gossip is always right. Why?”

  “For some reason, I thought you were going to say Cam,” Massie said nonchalantly.

  “No, he likes someone else, but he still won't say who it is,” Alicia said.

  Massie looked at the rhinestone-covered Keds on her feet. Nothing made sense.

  “So what are you going to do about Kristen and Dylan?”

  Massie's brain was reeling and she suddenly felt very thirsty.

  “Wouldn't he rather like Kristen or Dylan?” Massie asked.

  “He told me he only made plans with them 'cause he thought you'd be there.” Alicia seemed thrilled by this news, but Massie couldn't understand why. “So what are you going to do?”

  “I'm going to go find my parents and maybe grab some ice cream,” Massie said. She walked away from Alicia in a daze.

  If Cam didn't like her, then who did he like? She was too overwhelmed to get to the bottom of it tonight, but tomorrow she would launch a full investigation. And when she found out, she would fight that girl to the finish.

  FRANKIE'S BISTRO

  UPSTAIRS DINING ROOM

  9:30 PM

  November 8th

  Todd stood up and raised his virgin colada high in the air.

  “I'd like to make a toast,” he said as he tapped a fork against the side of his glass. “To the greatest designers on the planet …”

  “To the greatest designers on the planet,” the Blocks and the Lyonses repeated, looking at the two girls at the end of the table.

  “Abercrombie and Fitch,” Todd said.

  Todd was pelted with a few half-eaten dinner rolls and dirty napkins. The parents never would have allowed that if they hadn't been in the restaurant's private upstairs dinning room.

  “No, really,” he said. “Even though I voted for Alicia, I think you guys did an amazing job tonight.”

  A butter packet hit the side of his head, courtesy of Massie.

  “I love it when you get angry, my pet,” he said.

  Jay and Judi Lyons rolled their eyes at their son's behavior as they tried to keep themselves from laughing.

  “'Kay, I'm being serious now.” Todd reached under the table and pulled out three lilacs for Massie. “They're purple, your favorite color.”

  A round of gasps and “ahhh's” were heard from the parents.

  “That's very sweet, Todd, but I will never, ever, ever, ever be your girlfriend,” Massie said as she sniffed the flowers.

  “Never say never, ever, ever, ever,” Todd said with a suave wink. He puckered his lips.

  Massie winced and wiped her mouth with her wrist.

  “And Claire, my darling sister, I wrote you this note just to let you know how proud I am of you.”

  Claire eyed the folded envelope in his clammy hand. She took it slowly and cautiously as if she were expecting it to explode in her face. She ran her pinky finger along the flap and tore it open, never once taking her suspicious eyes off her brother.

  “Should I read it out loud?” Claire asked.

  “It's a little emotional. Maybe you should take it to the bathroom,” Todd suggested.

  Claire knew something was up. She had only seen her brother get emotional once, when Nathan beat him at his brand new Formula 1 video game.

  “Okay,” Claire said as she pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. “Mom, will you order me a fudge sundae?”

  Once Claire was in the bathroom, she took the letter out of the envelope and started reading. After the first sentence she lifted her head and looked around for hidden cameras.

  “This has to be a joke,” she said to the bathroom attendant.

  “'Scuse me, honey?”

  “Nothing,” Claire said. She locked herself in a stall so she could have a little privacy.

  DEAR CLAIRE,

  YOU MUST HAVE REALLY HATED THE CD I MADE YOU CUZ YOU NEVER GOT BACK TO ME ABOUT THE MOVIE. ANYWAY, I THOUGHT YOUR UNIFORM WAS AWESOME AND I THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE WON.

  -CAM

  P. S. THE KEDS WERE A COOL TOUCH.

  Claire read the note four more times before she left the stall. She had so many questions, but the first one was for Todd.

  She hugged her brother to thank him for his “sweet note,” and when she was close to his ear, she whispered, “How did you get this?”

  “He gave it to me to give to you,” Todd said quietly.

  “Why did you say you wrote it?” Claire asked, still holding him close.

  “Cuz I got Massie flowers and I didn't have anything for you. I felt guilty.”

  Claire hugged her brother again.

  “Do you know anything about a CD?” Claire asked.

  “Uh, yeah,” Todd said. “I've been meaning to give it to you. It's killer.”

  Claire would have punched him, but she was much too happy.

  The waiter came with a cart filled with desserts: pies, cakes, cookies, flans, and tarts. Mr. Block asked for one of everything because they were celebrating.

  “What could we possibly be celebrating, Dad?” Massie asked. She stuffed a spoonful of butterscotch ice cream in her mouth.

  “That you don't have to wear that horrible sweater set Ann Marie Blanc came up with,” he said.

  Everyone laughed and praised the fashion gods for small miracles.

  “Yeah, but now we have to wear strappy sandals,” Claire said.

  “Not if my smart, brilliant, powerful, handsome father donates a building or something to the fashion department so we can wear what we want again.” Massie batted her eyelashes and tossed in a few “pretty please's” for effect.

  Claire saw Mr. Block's face soften and decided to join in.

  “Oh, please, William. Pleeease.”

  “Look who has suddenly taken an interest in fashion,” Judi Lyons said to her daughter.

  “Would you be begging William to fix things if you girls won tonight?” Claire's father asked.

  “We did win and I'm still—”

  Claire felt the pointy toe of Massie's boot jab her shin.

  “Ouch,” Claire said.

  “Weeds,” Massie mouthed.

  Claire looked at her with a sincere apology in her eyes and Massie smiled.

  “What do you mean, you won?” Jay asked.

  “Well, not literally, Dad,” Claire said. “I mean I won because I had a good time.”

  Claire got another kick under the table, but this one was softer. Massie made a face like she was trying to suppress her giggles. Claire knew she had done well.

  “When did you change out of your Keds?” Claire whispered. She was rubbing her leg under the table.

  “Immediately after the show,” Massie said. />
  They laughed.

  For that one moment Claire stopped being afraid of Massie. The girl with the amber eyes was no longer a mysterious she-devil. She stressed over outfits, got stabbed in the back by her friends, liked sugary desserts, and didn't always win, even when she deserved to. Massie was a regular person. She just knew how to hide it.

  Claire watched Massie wipe the sides of her mouth with a cloth napkin and reapply a fresh coat of lip gloss. And she began to understand why Massie waited so long to accept her.

  Like the right to wear a Dirty Devil costume, Massie's friendship wasn't something Claire was entitled to: it was something she had earn. And she had finally done it.

  Claire slid her hand into the back pocket of her Gap jeans and touched the folded note from Cam to make sure it was still there.

  I'll show it to Massie after dinner, she thought. Claire couldn't wait to see her reaction. She imagined they would hug, jump up and down, and read it over and over again until they knew every word by heart. Claire had a feeling life with Massie was about to get really exciting.

  Q&A

  LISI HARRISON Answers Questions from her Readers

  When will THE CLIQUE be a movie? Can I please play Massie?

  Everyone asks this question. EVERYONE! And I wish I had better news for you. I really do. All I know is that there are powerful, suit-wearing people in Hollywood trying to make this happen. But until they do, you'll have to keep reading the books and imagine yourself saying the lines. As soon as I get an update I will post it on LisiHarrison. net. Pinky-swear.

  And for all you wannabe Massies out there: Practice your comebacks and keep honing your inner queen bee. That way you'll be ready if opportunity knocks!

  Who are the girls on the cover supposed to be?

  Is the one in the middle Massie or Alicia? Where is Claire? And why are there only three of them and not four? The girls on the covers are models, meant to represent a clique, not the Clique. It's up to you to decide based on my description and your imagination what Massie, Claire, Alicia, Kristen, and Dylan look like. So if the girl in the middle looks like Alicia to you, then fine, she's Alicia. And if she doesn't then that's fine too. Whatevs.