The caller was unidentified.
"h.e.l.lo? Oh ... uh ... hi, Jocelyn ... uh-huh ... Well, why are you RSVP"ing to me?"
Ma.s.sie wiped the steam off the mirror so she could watch herself talk on the phone. She looked annoyed. "You"re supposed to call Kuh-laire ... not me me."
Jocelyn stammered while she rushed to explain that Ma.s.sie"s name had been on her invite, not Claire"s. But Ma.s.sie wasn"t paying attention. She was replacing the damp towel around her body with a fresh warm one off the heated rack. She was finished in the bathroom and done with Jocelyn.
"Do you hear that buzzing?" Ma.s.sie asked.
"No."
"There must be something wrong with my phone," Ma.s.sie said. "I can"t hear-"
She hung up and tossed the phone onto her bed.
"Why did she call me? me?" Ma.s.sie said to Bean as she towel-dried her hair.
When she flipped her head back up, she noticed the five Dirty Devil costumes splayed across her purple duvet. Inez must have finished working on them late last night and dropped them off while she was in the shower.
Red pleated microminis (which were once frumpy knee-length skirts), with long arrow-tipped tails sewed onto the back, lined the foot of the bed. Above each one was a pair of gray boy shorts with Kiss It Kiss It written across the b.u.t.t in silver glitter. Tiny black Pet.i.t Bateau tanks with strategically placed rips and tears were splayed out like a fan. Ma.s.sie checked the top left side of each one, the spot usually reserved for the designer"s logo, to make sure her instructions were properly executed. They were. Red st.i.tching personalized each girl"s costume- written across the b.u.t.t in silver glitter. Tiny black Pet.i.t Bateau tanks with strategically placed rips and tears were splayed out like a fan. Ma.s.sie checked the top left side of each one, the spot usually reserved for the designer"s logo, to make sure her instructions were properly executed. They were. Red st.i.tching personalized each girl"s costume-Ma.s.sie Devil, Kristen Devil, Alicia Devil, Dylan Devil, and and Claire Devil Claire Devil. Ma.s.sie could barely look at the last one. It just didn"t belong. Right beside Bean"s doggie bed was a tiny black shirt that said Bean Devil Bean Devil across the back, but Ma.s.sie was too upset to smile. across the back, but Ma.s.sie was too upset to smile.
"Bean, you are the fifth, not her her," Ma.s.sie said.
Bean blinked.
She heard a familiar honk and knew that Isaac, her driver, was ready to take her to school. Ma.s.sie, still in her towel, searched for something exciting to wear.
In the last week she had done ties for belts, earrings pinned to blazers, dresses over jeans. She"d even mismatched her boots and worn one black and one brown. But now that it was Friday, she was tapped.
The fashionably challenged would look to her for weekend outfit ideas, and they deserved to see something fabulous. If they didn"t, they would find another style muse. And Ma.s.sie couldn"t let that happen.
The horn blasted one more time and Ma.s.sie contemplated faking sick. She had to think fast. She quickly reached for her Halloween costume and slid it on, admiring the flattering fit. There was little left to the imagination, but, Hey Hey, she thought, it"s Halloween it"s Halloween.
Ma.s.sie grabbed Alicia, Kristen, and Dylan"s costumes and bolted out the door. She was in such a hurry, she accidentally left Claire"s behind.
At least that was what she"d tell her mother.
OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL.
THE HALLS.
8:25 AM AM.
October 31st The girls always turned heads when they walked the halls of OCD, but when the four Dirty Devils pa.s.sed, students stood in awe.
They looked striking and confident in their matching costumes. Like a gang of s.e.xy fembots on a mission to take over suburbia. Everyone who pa.s.sed either complimented them on their daring outfits or told them how excited they were about the party.
"This is a huge mistake," Kristen muttered.
"Why?" Ma.s.sie asked. She didn"t look at Kristen when she spoke because that would ruin the blank runway model stare she was working for the crowd. It felt great to be wearing something new, and she didn"t want Kristen"s insecurities to ruin the moment.
"OCD has a pretty strict "no skin" policy and we"re breaking it on like five different counts," Kristen said. "According to the OCD manual, we"re supposed to be covered from the top of our b.o.o.bs to an inch above our knees and-"
"Puh-lease," Alicia chimed in. "It"s Halloween. No one will care."
"Yeah and even if they do, so what?" Dylan added. "The last skimpy outfit I was thin enough to fit into was designed by Pampers."
By third period there had been at least four Dirty Devil wanna-be sightings. By lunch there were eight.
"There"s another one," Alicia said, pointing to Jaedra Russell.
She was ahead of them in line at the Cafe, wearing a super-short jean skirt and a black V-neck that had been torn just below the ribs.
"We"ve started more trends in one day than Marc Jacobs has in a year," Kristen said.
They slid their trays a few inches closer to the cash register.
"Aren"t you so glad to be one of us?" Ma.s.sie said to her friends, then answered her ringing cell phone.
"Speaking," she said with an eye roll. "It"s AUDREY," she mouthed.
"You"ll be at the party tonight? ... Well, I"d be excited too if I was you ... really really excited, considering you"ve never been invited to one of my parties before." Ma.s.sie covered the mouthpiece so she could join her friends, who were hysterically laughing. "How did you get my number? ... Really. Are you sure it didn"t say Claire? You never were a good reader... ." excited, considering you"ve never been invited to one of my parties before." Ma.s.sie covered the mouthpiece so she could join her friends, who were hysterically laughing. "How did you get my number? ... Really. Are you sure it didn"t say Claire? You never were a good reader... ."
Dylan grabbed the cell phone away from Ma.s.sie"s ear and pressed end. The girls cracked up. Audrey called back, but this time Ma.s.sie hit ignore and dropped the phone in her Prada messenger bag.
"That"s the fifth call I"ve gotten this week from an LBR," Ma.s.sie said. "And unfortunately every one of them has RSVP"d "yes.""
"Is Derrington coming?" Dylan asked as she pulled the loose skirt up over her hips.
"Yup, and so are all of his cute friends," Ma.s.sie said.
Trays in hand, the four girls made their way through the sea of lunch tables, stopping every so often to chat with their adoring fans about the highly antic.i.p.ated boy-girl party that was only hours away.
"Ma.s.sie, is it true that Landon Dorsey is doing your party?" Mandy Ross asked.
"Totally," Ma.s.sie said. "She said this party is going to be one of her best."
"Will there be sugar-free candy?" Suze Gayner asked.
"If Dylan"s Candy Bar makes it, we"ll have it," Ma.s.sie said.
"Are you guys wearing the Dirty Devil costumes tonight or do you have something else planned?" Vanessa Covers asked.
"You"ll have to wait and find out." Kristen shook her glittery b.u.t.t.
"Can I bring a dance mix I burned last night?" Ava Waters said.
"Totally."
"Is it true that Becca Wilder thought of the boy-girl party first?" Parker Lemons asked.
"What do you you think?" Ma.s.sie looked Parker straight in the eye. The girl responded with a nervous giggle. think?" Ma.s.sie looked Parker straight in the eye. The girl responded with a nervous giggle.
"We should have held a press conference," Ma.s.sie said when she sat down.
"Seriously," Dylan said. "Can you believe Allyson asked if your house had any good make-out spots?"
"I know," Kristen said. "Hopefully the only thing going on her lips tonight is a tube of ChapStick. Did you see all those cracks?"
"Any more calls from your new BFFs, aka the LBRs?" Alicia asked Ma.s.sie.
"Jocelyn was telling everyone in math that she spoke to you this morning before school," Kristen said.
"No way!" Ma.s.sie said.
"I swear. Then two seconds later Liza and Hope said they they spoke to you last night," Dylan said. "I think Hope even said you guys talked for hours." spoke to you last night," Dylan said. "I think Hope even said you guys talked for hours."
"NO WAY!"
"I heard that too," Kristen said.
"EhmaG.o.d, that can"t can"t be good for your reputation." Alicia twisted open her bottle of Perrier and the whole thing fizzed over and soaked her California rolls. be good for your reputation." Alicia twisted open her bottle of Perrier and the whole thing fizzed over and soaked her California rolls.
"Great, thanks a lot," Alicia said to a stranger at the table behind her.
"How is that my fault?" the girl said.
Alicia didn"t respond.
"Did you tell everyone Hope was lying?" Ma.s.sie asked Dylan.
"I was about to, but the teacher walked in."
Ma.s.sie"s head started to spin. The sound of everyone talking in the Cafe suddenly seemed too loud to bear and the dirt smell of the grilling veggie burgers made her want to puke.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She waited for the panic to pa.s.s before she spoke.
"If Hope and the other LBRs are saying I"ve been talking to them on the phone, people might think I like like them. I"ll be ruined." them. I"ll be ruined."
"That is brutal," Kristen said. "How did they get your number?"
Ma.s.sie had a hunch but was interrupted before she could answer.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Claire asked. She was wearing a faded Good Charlotte concert tee and a loose patchy jean skirt. Both were obviously borrowed from Layne.
"Go ahead," Ma.s.sie said.
"I mean in private," Claire said.
"She"s gonna tell us everything you say, so you might as well just talk to her here," Dylan said.
"Fine." Claire pushed her bangs to the side of her forehead and tried to tuck them behind her ear, but they weren"t quite long enough to make it. "I thought we were going to wear the same costumes tonight."
"We are." Ma.s.sie"s voice was flat and impatient.
"Yeah, but now I can"t wear mine because all the boys will think I went home after school and copied you," Claire explained.
"Believe me, none of the boys will be giving you or your costume a second thought tonight," Ma.s.sie said. "Besides, how are they going to know what we wore to school today?"
"Supposedly everyone at Briarwood has already heard about your s.e.xy costumes," Claire said. "The boys have been talking about them all day."
"Really?" Ma.s.sie"s face lit up. She forgot all about the Losers Beyond Repair for a second.
"Why didn"t you tell me you were going to wear your costumes today?" Claire asked. Her voice trembled. "I could have worn mine too."
Ma.s.sie stood up and placed her hands on her hips.
"Normally I would make up an excuse so I wouldn"t have to tell you straight to your face that I never wanted you to be a part of our costumes. But since you decided to put my cell phone number on every loser"s invitation in the greater New York area, I"m not going to bother," Ma.s.sie said. "Who cares what our mothers say at this point? The party is a done deal. Go be Elmo or whatever it was you were going to be and leave me alone."
Claire opened her mouth like she was about to say something big, but before anything came out, she took off. Ma.s.sie saw Layne get up from her seat by the bathrooms and chase after her. Ma.s.sie secretly hoped Claire wouldn"t tell on her, but she was too mad at the moment to try and stop her.
"To the Dirty Devils," Ma.s.sie said, raising her gla.s.s of lemon water.
"To the Dirty Devils," they all repeated back.
OCTAVIAN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL.
NURSE ADELE"S OFFICE.
8:42 AM AM.
October 31st Claire burst through the door of Nurse Adele"s office. She turned to her whenever she needed a sympathetic ear at school.
"Claire, is someone after you?" Adele asked.
Claire wanted to laugh, but she was too distraught.
"You know how you told me to stand up to Ma.s.sie?" Claire said. "Well, I did."
"And?" Adele said.
"Let"s just say she was taller," Claire said.
"What happened?" Adele asked.