The Pretty Committee Strikes Back

by Lisi Harrison

  “I can't just show up at home early.” Kristen turned away from the mirror and looked at Massie like she was insane. “My parents aren't expecting me back until Friday.”

  “Tell them the soccer game got canceled because someone got hurt,” Claire suggested.

  Ugh! Why is everyone so obsessed with Kristen and her lame parents? Can we puh-lease move on?

  Massie felt the anger building inside her again. It came harder and faster than it had before. Even the roots of her hair ached from the pressure. She couldn't hold it in any longer.

  “Kuh-risten.” Massie turned away from the mirror and looked her friend directly in the eye. “Puh-lease! I am trying to get myself into game mode here and I can't if you keep going on about your ahn-noying parents and your stupid memory skills. Try to think about someone other than yourself for once.”

  Kristen's green eyes immediately welled up with tears.

  “Suh-orry.” Kristen gathered her clothes and stomped barefoot toward the door. “But I was under the impression that you and Derrington already kissed. Re-mem-ber?”

  “I know. I'm sorry I lied.” Massie felt terrible for making her friend upset. She wanted to explain everything but would have wait. The clock was ticking.

  “Whatevs.” Kristen hurried out.

  “So what are you going to tell the MUCK girls?” Massie asked Claire once she heard the door slam.

  Claire was too stunned to answer. She was still focused on Kristen and her tears, but once again, Massie didn't have time to worry about that. Not tonight. Why couldn't anyone understand that?

  “Kuh-laire.” Massie slammed her plastic tube of vanilla-flavored dental floss down on the marble countertop. She was so frustrated she wanted to cry. “What are you going to tell the girls?”

  “Uh.” Claire stopped picking her cuticles and looked up at Massie. “Okay, sorry.” She cleared her throat and stood up tall. “I'm gonna to tell them I saw you and Derrington sneak off behind the girls' cabin and that we should go spy on you.”

  “And you're sure you can get them there quickly?” Massie started pacing.

  “Positive.” Claire nodded.

  The gentle sound of the lake lapping up against the sandy strip of narrow beach was suddenly drowned out by the noise of everyone piling out of the dining pavilion. Dinner was over and free time had officially kicked in. Everyone had forty-five minutes to do whatever they wanted before Mr. Myner continued his fireside reading of Hatchet.

  Massie inhaled and held her breath for as long as she possibly could. When she exhaled, her tensed shoulders finally relaxed.

  “You're a sex goddess in three … two … one,” she told herself. When her countdown was over, she lifted her head and dabbed on a final coat of Cinnabon Glossip Girl, making sure the center of her bottom lip had an extra dollop, to make it look fuller. “Okay, let's do this.”

  The weight of the thick gloss on her mouth made her feel secure and safe, like she was wearing a protective shell. “I'm going to get Derrington. As soon as you see us behind the cabin, get the girls.”

  “Got it.” Claire turned toward the mirror and fussed with her short bangs.

  Massie rolled her eyes and threw open the door of the shower house.

  Iswear, Massie thought to herself as she made her way down the steps of the shower house, if Claire messes this up because she's too focused on her Cam kiss, she will be dead to me.

  There was a damp chill in the air and Massie jammed her hands into the side pockets of her black satin bomber jacket to keep warm. Her knuckle brushed up against one of the sharp points of her M pin and scraped her skin. She had forgotten it was in there. All of a sudden she flashed back to the humiliating moment when Derrington had ripped it off his shorts and tossed it in the mud. The memory was enough to make her want to back out of the plan and hop on the next Adirondack Trailways bus with Kristen. What if he was so mad at her he refused to go behind the cabin? What if Claire brought the girls over and he was yelling at her? What if he really didn't like her anymore? How long would it take for her to get over him? Would she act as pathetic as Claire, or would she handle heartbreak with grace and dignity? Massie shook that thought from her head, hoping she'd never be in the position to find out.

  She stepped away from the light of the shower house and hid in the shadows, watching her friends flirt and giggle outside the dining pavilion.

  Olivia and Alicia were taking turns trying to walk using Plovert's crutches while Josh held him up to keep him from falling. Kemp and Derrington were trying to convince Dylan and the MUCK girls to eat leaves, Layne was playing Hacky Sack with the nonsoccer boys, and Cam was walking toward Powwow Log with a huge smile on his face. Massie felt like an outsider, a pathetic wannabe. And that was unacceptable.

  She stepped out of the darkness and took long, confident strides toward Derrington without looking back.

  “Hey, Livvy's gonna eat a twig for twenty dollars,” Dylan announced when Massie joined their circle.

  “Great.” Massie reached for Derrington's hand and pulled him away without saying another word.

  “What are you doing?” Derrington shook his arm free and stopped halfway between his friends and the girls' cabin. His voice was more serious than Massie had ever heard it before. Normally he would have been a lot more playful, but he was clearly confused, maybe even a little frightened.

  “I have to talk to you,” Massie insisted. She tried to make it sound urgent, so even if he were mad at her, his curiosity would compel him to follow her.

  “Oh, now you want to talk to me?”

  “What's that supposed to mean?” Massie asked, even though she knew. She remembered her too-nauseated-to-talk performance on the bus and all the other times she'd avoided being alone with Derrington since they had arrived at the camp. “Where are you taking me?”

  “I'd like a little privacy,” Massie purred, throwing in a sex goddess wink for good measure. Where were the MUCK girls? Why hadn't they seen that?

  “Fine.” Derrington's expression softened. He held out his arm so Massie could grab it again. She didn't let go until they got to her birch behind the girls' cabin.

  Massie leaned against the tree and positioned Derrington so he faced her. That way the girls would see her front and center when they approached.

  “What?” He hooked his fingers through the belt loops on his khaki shorts and rocked back and forth on the heels of his Timberlands.

  Massie had no idea what to say next. She thought about explaining why she'd been ignoring him and considered apologizing for lying to the MUCK girls about their kissing history. But nothing seemed appropriate. Derrington looked too ah-dorable for a serious conversation. He was bobbing his head up and down to a mysterious beat that must have been playing in his head and only stopped when he heard the boys laughing in the distance.

  “Wonder what happened.” Derrington's dirty blond hair blew around his sparkling brown eyes. He looked like an anxious puppy dog that wanted to be let out to play.

  Was this the moment Claire had been talking about? It had to have been, because Massie had no clue what to say next. You're going to have your first kiss in three… two.. one, she told herself. Then she tilted her head a little to the right.

  “What?” Derrington asked.

  “What what?” Massie repeated, her head still cocked.

  “You look confused,” he said.

  She lifted her head a little, realizing she might have tilted it a little too far, giving him the wrong idea.

  “I'm not confused,” Massie said softly. “Au contraire.” She lowered her eyelids until Derrington's face blurred. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, she moved toward him. Massie stuck her hand inside her coat pocket and squeezed her M pin. The sharp points hurt as they dug into her palm, but the pain gave her something to focus on other than her pounding heartbeat and sweaty pits. She squeezed the pin harder.

  Think of the dimmer switch in your bedroom.

  Think of the dimmer switch in your bedroom.r />
  Think of the dimmer switch in your bedroom.

  Massie thought she heard Derrington giggle and opened her eyes. But his mouth was soft and relaxed, almost like he was asleep. As she got closer to his face, Massie felt the warm tickle of his breath above her lip. She was in his airspace and milliseconds away from touchdown.

  Where was Claire?

  But girls or no girls, Massie couldn't stop. She was in too deep. And to pull back now would be like asking someone to stop diving once they'd already jumped off the board.

  Finally their lips touched. And then they pressed together. With every passing second the pressure got stronger, until Massie's top teeth felt like they were being forced to the back of her skull. But she didn't mind. It still felt better than kissing Doose. At least Derrington didn't have whiskers.

  Massie released her grip on the M pin and slowly slid her hands out of her pocket. She placed them gently on Derrington's hips, like they were slow dancing. He hooked his fingers through her belt loops and rocked back and forth to the beat of whatever was playing in his head.

  Where's Claire?

  Massie felt like her head was going to explode from lack of oxygen and didn't know how much longer she could hold her breath.

  Hurry, Kuh-laire.

  Right when Massie thought she was going to pass out, Derrington pulled away and gasped for air. Massie searched his face for signs of extreme joy. She longed to see a loving glint in his eye or a satisfied smile on his face. But all she saw was the back of his palm wiping the shiny Cinnabon gloss off his lips.

  Did I do it wrong? Was the Cinnabon flavor too sweet? Would something in a traditional mint have been better? It's all Claire's fault for teaching me to kiss on a stupid moose.

  Massie looked over Derrington's shoulder but no one was there. Now they would have to kiss all over again. But that didn't seem so terrible. She was actually looking forward to it. Massie tilted her head again and slowly leaned forward. But Derrington stepped away.

  “Block.” His voice was shaky.

  “Yeah.” Massie batted her eyelashes. She wanted to look pretty and girly when he said, “I love you.”

  “I…” He paused and looked down at his boot. He gently kicked the side of the tree a few times before continuing. “I, uh—”

  “What is it?” Massie tried to sound patient but needed him to say it before the girls showed up so she could kiss him again.

  “I, uh, don't think we should hang out anymore.”

  “What?”

  Massie heard a loud ringing in her head. Everything around her started spinning and her mouth tasted like pennies. Was this really happening? Maybe they were still kissing and the lack of oxygen to her brain was causing her to hallucinate.

  “You're just so moody,” Derrington said. “I never know—”

  Massie heard footsteps crunching in the leaves. They were getting louder and closer. It was Claire and the girls. Without another thought she grabbed Derrington's head. She skipped the head tilt, the dimming eyes, and the gentle touchdown and went straight for his lips.

  Derrington was so surprised, he lost his balance and fell back into the snow. Massie knew his bare legs must have been numb but decided to worry about that later, once the audience had cleared out.

  The MUCK girls were shhh-ing one another and giggling. Massie only had one option. She threw herself on top of Derrington and continued to kiss him on the lips. The more he struggled, the harder she pressed into him. And when she couldn't hold him in position any longer, Massie lifted her head and looked past Derrington. She widened her amber eyes and opened her mouth, hoping the girls could make out her horrified expression in such low lighting.

  “Kuh-laire,” Massie screeched. “What are you doing here? Can't I get any privacy?”

  The girls ran off immediately, leaving Claire behind to face Massie alone.

  “Sorry.” Claire tried to sound regretful.

  “Just leave.” Massie winked.

  Once everyone was gone, Massie stood up. She felt light and giddy. She held out her hand and lifted Derrington to his feet. The backs of his bare legs were red. But all Massie could think about was the look of shock on everyone's faces when they'd seen her on top of him. Her plan had worked perfectly.

  “Sorry.” Massie fluffed her hair. “They can be so immature.”

  Derrington didn't say a word. He was too busy rubbing the backs of his knees.

  Massie wondered if he still meant what he had said about them not hanging out anymore. Maybe he'd changed his mind. Now that they'd gotten kissing out of the way, she had no reason to avoid him anymore. In fact, now she wanted to see him all the time.

  “So, uh, why'd you do that?” Derrington tugged on one of the tree branches that hung above his head.

  “I …” She paused. It wasn't like she could just come right out and say, “I needed to kiss you to get my popularity back.” And now that it was over, Massie wasn't even sure that was the only reason she'd done it. She actually liked kissing Derrington.

  “Well?”

  “I wish you would change your mind,” Massie whispered in case any of the girls were still listening.

  “Why?” Derrington asked. “It's not like you like me or anything.”

  “That's so un …” Massie stomped her foot.

  “Un-what?” He tore a leaf in half.

  “Untrue.” Massie's voice cracked. “It's you who doesn't like me, remember?” This was not the conversation she'd expected to have after her first kiss and suddenly, Claire's do-over obsession with Cam started to make sense. It sucked when things didn't go as planned, especially first kisses.

  “Why do you say that?” Derrington crumpled up the leaf and threw it on the ground.

  This was getting ahn-noying. “Be-cause you said you didn't want to hang out anymore.”

  “Oh.” Derrington looked at Massie for what seemed like the first time. His expression softened and his eyes lit up. “That was before.”

  “Before we kissed?” Massie felt funny saying kissed out loud. It was kind of embarrassing.

  Derrington turned red. “No, before I knew you liked me.”

  Massie crinkled her eyebrows, grateful for the wax she'd gotten just before the trip.

  “I just said those things because I thought you were going to say them to me first.” Derrington bit down on his lower lip. “I thought you were over me.”

  “No,” Massie said. “I just wanted our relationship to be private. You know how much I hate being in the public eye. It can be so ahn-noying sometimes.”

  Massie reached into her Pocket and pulled out the M pin. “Want this back?” She tilted it back and forth like a hologram, so he could see the rhinestones glisten in the moonlight.

  Derrington held out his hand and wiggled his butt. He closed his fist around the pin, then fastened it to the bottom of his shorts.

  Then, without saying a word, he leaned in and gave Massie a long thank-you kiss. It felt so good, Massie decided to keep this one to herself.

  LAKE PLACID, NEW YORK FOREVER WILD CAMPSITE POWWOW LOG

  Tuesday, February 24th 7:25 P.M.

  The minute the MUCK girls saw Massie lying on top of Derrington, Claire knew her mission was accomplished. She was free to meet Cam.

  Finally!

  She had a zillion questions for Massie, including, What were you and Derrington doing on the ground? Did you like your first kiss? Were you nervous? And was my timing okay? But all of that would have to wait until later. She had waited weeks to kiss Cam, and now that their time had come, Claire wasn't going to let anything stand in her way. Not even Massie Block.

  Everyone was indoors now, changing into pajamas for the nighttime reading. Except for Mr. Myner and Mr. Dingle, who were tossing logs and leaves into the pit so the fire would be in full blaze when everyone arrived. Merri-Lee was perched on one of the logs beside them, sipping a glass of white wine.

  “Everything okay, Claire?” Mr. Myner crouched down and snapped a branch across his
manly kneecap. He chucked both halves into the smoldering pit.

  “Yup,” Claire chirped as she passed them. She knew she should have stopped but it was almost impossible. There was too much energy coursing through her body.

  “Then where are you racing off to?” Mr. Myner asked. “Evening program starts in fifteen minutes.”

  “Oh, uh, yeah, I know.” Claire smiled. “I just forgot my gloves in the dining pavilion and I wanted to get them.”

  “Would you like an escort? It's a little dark over there.”

  The bottoms of Claire's feet tingled. In a few seconds she would be alone with Cam, surrounded by darkness. The idea was thrilling and terrifying at the same time, like riding a giant upside-down roller coaster.

  “No, I'm fine.” Claire hurried farther ahead before he could insist on joining her. “I know exactly where they are.”

  “Okay, just holler if you need backup.” He smiled like a fearless superhero.

  “’Kay,” Claire shouted over her shoulder.

  “You're so brave, Cole.” Merri-Lee giggled.

  “Ew,” Claire said to herself. Dylan's mother flirting with their geography teacher was more disgusting than Layne licking the rim of an empty Go-Gurt tube.

  Once she was out of their view, Claire forced herself to slow down. She didn't want to show up all panting and sweaty. Besides, it was better to appear casual and confident. Claire leaned back against the shellacked wood walls of the dining pavilion and applied a fresh coat of cherry-flavored ChapStick to her lips. After a quick bang fluff and a few cheek pinches, she was ready.

  She made her way across the grass toward Powwow Log taking light, graceful steps. She wanted to appear before Cam like a beautiful angel. Not like a desperate sex maniac. She tried to steady her breathing by holding her breath as long as she could, then exhaling through her nose, a little bit at a time.

  The closer she got, the more Claire was certain that they had picked the perfect spot. The log faced Lake Placid and was lit by the silver light of the moon as it reflected off the water's glassy surface. It was the best seat in the house.