Massie turned just as Todd and Claire approached the counter. When Claire saw the PC, she waved vaguely. But when her eyes landed on Massie, her smile died and she turned sharply away. A wave of something passed through Massie. Maybe it was the whiff of spinach coming from the kitchen. Or maybe it was guilt over the way she’d treated Claire… and remorse over the fact that she couldn’t take it back. Whatever it was, Massie took a big gulp of Alicia’s Coke Zero to wash it down.
Todd marched over, a little navy wool cap pulled down over his little bald head. There was a lizard patch sewn in the middle. On his chest he wore a pin that had an angry X over a Santa face. Jagged letters spelled out SANTA’S DEAD. Massie’s eye twitched with what felt suspiciously like guilt.
“You eating that?” he said pointing to the PC’s last slice of deep-dish. “Don’t mind if I do.” He grabbed it and stuck the end in his mouth. As he chomped on his bite, a little string of cheese settled on his chin. “I’m going to need my strength if I’m going to redecorate Massie’s room when my family moves into the Block estate.”
Massie’s heart lurched. Nine pairs of eyes turned toward her, pinning her in place.
“I’m thinking”—he chewed thoughtfully and tapped one finger against his grease-shiny lips—“wall-to-wall aquariums. A giant snake in one, maybe. And maybe one whole aquarium that’s nothing but bugs. What do you think?” He looked at Massie as if he were really asking for her opinion.
Massie’s lips felt glued together, and her Tory boots felt cemented to the floor. “What’s he talking about?” Alicia said. Her chocolate-brown Ralph sweater perfectly complemented her brown eyes.
“Didn’t she tell you?” Todd said, obviously enjoying the attention. He stood up a little straighter. “Massie’s poor now.”
Time stopped. It seemed like everyone in the pizza parlor had turned to look at Massie. The little six-year-old picked his nose and pointed his booger at her. Two high-schoolers at the next table over snickered behind their French manicures. The chef whispered something to the cashier, who burst out laughing. Claire stood at the counter, an unreadable expression on her makeup-less face.
“Poor?” Alicia laughed, looking at Massie. “That’ll be the day.”
Gawd, if you’re listening, please make it stop! I promise to volunteer more if you just make Todd stop talking now.
Kristen’s green eyes widened to the size of quarters, and she wiggled her fingers the way she usually did when she was excited.
“If you’re looking for extra cash,” Todd went on, “maybe you should think about selling your hair. You know, you could shave your head.” He looked at her pointedly.
Massie tried to laugh. But it was no use. The world had begun to go blurry around the edges. She held on to her seat to keep from slipping under the table. She started to sweat in her very favorite, sequined peach Alice + Olivia sweater, which was especially awful because she could no longer afford to have it dry-cleaned. Just as she was wondering if she could fan her pits, she realized everyone was waiting for her response.
“He’s probably just had too much Red Bull,” said Massie finally. “He’s hopped up on caffeine and hallucinating.”
Todd shook his head. “It’s you who’s hallucinating, if you think your friends aren’t going to find out that you’re more broke than the Hubble telescope.”
“He’s lying,” Dylan scoffed. “Right, Mass?”
“Right,” Massie said. But she knew her voice sounded thinner than her now-canceled Visa. Kristen looked oddly excited.
“You think I’m lying? Ask my sister. Tell them, Claire,” Todd called.
Everyone turned to Claire, who was fiddling with the Parmesan shaker at the condiment table. Massie wiped her palms on her jeans. The problem was, Claire could confirm Todd’s story. And why wouldn’t she, after what Massie had said to her? Massie would do it. For what felt like the twentieth time that day, Massie took an enormous breath and held it.
Massie’s a horrible person, Claire would say, and now she can’t even afford to pay her friends to like her, like she did before.
“Todd’s right,” Claire said, staring straight at Massie.
Bile rose in Massie’s throat. This was it.
“She should sell her hair. She’d make a fortune. Not that she needs the money.”
“Oh,” said Kristen, looking kind of disappointed. “Then it’s not true?”
Everyone at the table sat back, deflated. Claire walked to the table. “You know Todd, always scheming. He’s been playing too much World of Warcraft, and his next target is the Block family.”
“That’s lame,” Jackson said, crossing his skinny-jeaned legs.
“Yeah, not cool, man,” Scott said, shaking his head.
Todd looked back and forth between Massie and Claire, as if he couldn’t believed he’d been had by two girls who weren’t even on speaking terms.
“Lyons!” called the clerk behind the counter. “Pizza’s ready!”
Claire turned on the heels of her lime green Keds, claimed her pizza, and walked out. Todd trailed behind her, whispering angrily.
Massie swallowed, watching as Claire pushed the front door open and strutted outside. The Lyons’ minivan was idling at the curb. Claire turned toward the window as she slipped inside, and in that moment, Massie realized something: Claire was beautiful. Not in a supermodel-with-eyelash-extensions kind of way. Not in a trying-hard, The Hills kind of way. Claire was beautiful in the way that belongs to people who know who they are.
Hot tears prickled at the back of Massie’s eyes. The table had fallen back into happy chatter. The boys discussed more alterna-bands while Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen wondered when they would get another snow day.
“You okay?” Landon whispered.
“Bad pizza. I’ll be right back.” Massie slipped out of her seat and walked quickly back to the bathroom. Once in the stall, she pulled out her phone.
Massie: Thank U .
The answer came back right away.
Claire: Truce?
In that moment, Claire’s friendship meant more to Massie than any lost closet of couture.
Massie: Truce. C U @ home.
Massie sighed and held the phone close to her chest, wondering how much longer she’d be able to say that.
Only the strongest survive at Alpha Academy.
Who will be the Belle of the Brawl?
Turn the page for a sneak peek of Lisi Harrison’s newest
novel in the #1 bestselling ALPHAS series…
1
ZEN CENTER
MEDITATION POOL
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH
8:28 A.M.
“OHHMMMMM.”
Sitting in full lotus position on a silver blue yoga mat, Charlie Deery’s chapsticked lips formed a perfect circle as she chanted the sacred sound of the universe. But while her mouth was saying om, her mind was screaming ommmhmuhgud. Scared had become the new sacred.
She opened one coffee-brown eye and peeked at Alpha Academy’s holographic meditation yogi.
“No—ohhhhmmmm… peeking… ohmmmm,” chanted Tran, his lids still blissfully shut. “Keeeep breathing… ohmmmmm.”
The chubby monk—or “Chunk”—wore a flowing saffron robe and floated a few inches above the Zen Center’s meditation pool. Conceived by Shira Brazille, head Alpha and creator of the academy’s @-shaped island, Tran’s purpose was to teach the girls at the fiercely competitive high school how to relax. And it was completely stressing Charlie out.
The meditation courtyard in the belly of the Buddha-shaped Zen Center should have been a calming respite, but after last night, Charlie wouldn’t have been able to find peace at a Woodstock reunion. After one more deep inhalation of jasmine-scented air Charlie gave up.
“Sorry, Tran,” she sighed, her mahogany bangs blowing up off her forehead. “I just can’t focus.”
Tran’s puffy cheeks expanded with his smile, slicing his double chin into a quad. His eyes crinkled into crescents as his hologram
face flickered out for a split-second and then reappeared. “Buddha says, ‘The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.’”
“I don’t even know which way is up,” Charlie answered, her voice shaking with confusion and stirred with exhaustion. She had spent the night playing ref to an endless wrestling match between her heart and her brain, and still, there was no clear winner in sight.
She lifted her eyes to the patch of blue sky above the meditation courtyard. But instead of neon-colored parrots and personal airplanes, she saw a cloud-shaped Darwin and Allie, each silently imploring her to choose a side—their side.
“You are still looking outside yourself for answers, ” he said, patting his virtual heart. “Look in.”
“How?” Charlie asked, her sage-rage mounting.
Tran flickered again. He opened his mouth to speak, but she didn’t want to hear it. The only thing Charlie wanted to “look in” was a pint of Tell Me What To Do Before I Go Nuts ice cream. Was he ever going to give her some real advice? If not, she’d be better off with a Magic Eight Ball. At least that gave answers.
“Namaste,” she said, aiming her aPod at his muffin top, and pushing END SESSION.
“Namaste,” he bowed and then disintegrated.
Now what?
She never should have let Shira connive her into breaking up with Darwin. She never should have convinced Allie to date him so she could keep tabs on him. She never should have confessed to Darwin that the dump was committed under duress. And she never should have stood there when he said he wanted her back. Because she had already promised him to Allie. But was he hers to promise?
Loyalty vs. Love? Head vs. Heart? BFFs vs. BFs? The answer was harder to come by than an iPad 4G.
Charlie unwound her legs from lotus position and reached toward the stone bench where she’d set down her breakfast, a frosted beaker full of a brain-stimulating protein shake specially concocted for invention majors. She placed the silver straw between her lips and took an aggressive sip. Hopefully the ice-cold green goo would cause brain freeze and grant her a moment of much-needed peace. But instead, all the green tea, ginger, and honey blend left behind was the metallic tinge of panic on her tongue and a mild stomachache.
Double now what?
Charlie pulled out her aPod again began pacing the perimeter of the meditation courtyard like a caged circus lion. She had one option left. Thumbing the screen she located the Alpha Class Selector app and started to scroll through her options to see what else she could add to her schedule. Overwhelmed by the 322 current courses, Charlie decided to start with the A’s and quickly selected Acrobatics, Animation, Arabic, and Astronomy, bringing her total class periods up to eleven. Now she wouldn’t have a spare second to fret about her life.
Time Class Location
7:30 a.m. BREAKFAST AND MOTIVATIONAL LECTURE Pavilion
8:00 a.m. (RE)INVENTION (IM’s ONLY)
Mentored lab hour for Alpha experimentation, innovation, motivation. Marie Curie Invention Laboratory
9:00 am 3-D RENDERING & ANIMATION
Create, then replicate. Programs to reproduce your inventions on a global scale. Melinda Gates Computer Lab
9:40 a.m. INTRO TO ARABIC
Prerequisite: Fluency in Spanish, French, and German. Sculpture Garden
10:10 a.m. PROTEIN BREAK
Nourish your mind and body with a personalized smoothie. Drink fast. Your next class starts in ten minutues. Health Food Court
10:20 a.m. THE ART OF EXCELLENCE
Betas work to live. Alphas live to work. Map your professional goals with a life coach and plot your path to the top. Elizabeth I Lecture Hall
11:30 a.m. HONE IT: FOR WRITERS
Whether fact or fiction, when Alphas write, the world reads. The Fuselage
12:40 p.m. LUNCH AND SYMPHONY
Digest lunch and life as you commune with Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Pavilion
1:50 p.m. GREENER PASTURES
Learn how to keep your carbon footprint small while still wearing fabulous shoes. Vertical Farm
2:55 p.m. PHYSICS & QUANTUM LEAPS
An Alpha in motion stays in motion. Advanced mechanical/philosophical investigations in matter and mind. Newton’s Apple Orchard
4:10 p.m. ALPHAS THROUGH HISTORY
Great women have always risen to the top. Follow their example! Golda Meir Globe
5:10 p.m. FIGURE DRAWING
It’s all in the details. Train your eye and your hands. The spirit will follow. Sculpture Garden
6:00 p.m. AERODYNAMIC TRAPEZE
Soar to the top of your potential—Alphas dare to fly. Achilles Track
8:00 p.m. ASTRONOMY/ASTROLOGY
Harness the constellations and reach for the stars. Delphi Observatory
Setting her aPod down next to what remained of her breakfast, Charlie took a few cautious steps toward the reflection pool and leaned over until she could see herself in the placid water. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her bare shoulders, going over the situation for the hundredth time. Her relationships were tied in more knots than a cable-knit sweater. Wherever she pulled, she would end up with the same result: her life unraveling.
Charlie turned away from the pool and walked a few steps to the Zen garden, a rectangular patch of sand scattered with polished pink quartz and black obsidian rocks. Picking up a small rake, she began to scratch a list of pros and cons into the sand.
Stay True Allie Who?
I have a best friend for the first time in my life—and I don’t want to lose her. Darwin is my soul mate. How can I pick a girl I just met over the boy I’ve loved my entire life?
Enrolling in Alpha Academy is all about making the most of myself. I need to impress Shira, not worry about Darwin! But how can I be my best self without Darwin, the one person who makes me feel most confident and secure?
If Darwin and I are meant to be it will happen for us… someday. Why not let Allie be happy in the short term? Wait! Darwin doesn’t even like Allie. He likes me! Turning him down for Allie won’t make a difference for their relationship.
Darwin and I are young. A break might be healthy. Brakes are only good for one thing—screeching to a stop.
Charlie nibbled her cuticles and studied her list. One wrong yank and the fabric of her life would collapse.
“Buddha? What should I do?” Charlie shouted up through the cavity of the giant deity. Her low, sensible voice struck her as screechy and desperate as it echoed off the hammered-silver walls. “I need a sign. And I need it fast.” She turned in a slow circle, like a satellite searching for a signal. A bird passed over the open sky above—was that the sign? Was it telling her to leave? Charlie bit her lip and struggled to interpret it, but it was so vague.
Ping!
A text from Buddha! How very modern.
She ran to her aPod.
Allie: Where R U? Hash browns at brkfst!
A slow smile spread across her face.
“Thanks, Buddha,” Charlie whispered, stepping out into the tropical sunshine of Alpha Island. She yanked the elastic out of her ponytail and liberated her brown waves. She had her answer. She finally knew what to do.
The only question left was: could she go through with it?
2
APOD MESSAGE
TO ALL STUDENTS AND FACULTY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH
5:00 P.M.
FEEL THE BREEZE?
CHANGE IS IN THE AIR.
ASSEMBLY AT THE PAVILION.
6:00 P.M.
DON’T BE LATE!
—SHIRA
3
OUTSIDE THE PAVILION
ISLAND PATHWAY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH
5:44 P.M.
Hurrying down the gravel path between the dorms and the Pavilion, brushing past palm fronds, giant ferns, and fragrant plumeria, Allie A. Abbot’s heart was soaring like the wings of the phoenix-shaped building in front of her.
Surrounded by Alphas in their school unifor
ms—clear gladiator sandals, balloon-sleeved button-down shirts, and pleated metallic miniskirts that twinkled in the twilight—Allie may not have been among friends, exactly, but at least she wasn’t in disguise anymore. Her blond hair was back, navy blue eyes no longer hid behind fake green contact lenses, and she’d finally rebooted her golden tan. A beauty must-have she was forced to sacrifice while pretending to be Allie J. Abbott, the pasty eco-maniac who accused her of stealing sun from the flowers… along with her identity.
Unfortunately, the identity part was true. But oh, well. That was more behind her than the butt floss she proudly called underwear. The days of wearing recycled granny panties were over.
Over the past couple of months, Allie’s self-esteem had congealed faster than food court Chinese food. The image of her boyfriend Fletcher, and best friend Trina, making out had been burned into the pleasure center of her brain. But now the burn was starting to scab over and Allie could put her energy toward scar-free healing. No more crying over the pieces of her broken heart. No more posing as Allie J. Abbot, the mega-famous folksinger whose acceptance letter she had accidentally received in the mail. No more black hair and bare feet. She had Charlie now. She had Darwin.
She had hope.
Read the rest of BELLE OF THE BRAWL,
coming October 2010.
And for more series secrets,
visit the Alphas online at
alphasacademy.com
My Little Phony - 13 Page 15
