Lisi Harrison - Boys R Us

THE BLOCK ESTATE

Sunday, October 11th
5:35 P.M.

Claire Lyons trudged across the immaculately manicured lawn of the Block estate, feeling the same way she felt after a worthy contestant got voted off American Idol: Technically, she hadnt been the one everyone text-rejected. But somehow, she felt the sting just the same.

Cam Fisher flirt-punched her shoulder. You okay?

Huh? Claire glanced up at her crush. The warmth in Cams one blue eye and one green eye shielded her against the late-afternoon chill. She buried her hands inside the sleeves of the burgundy Briarwood Tomahawks jersey she wore over gray leggings and flirt-punched him back. Easy!

Ow! He laughed. A grape bubble gum cloud puffed from his mouth. It smelled like love.

Worried about Massie? Cam slipped his arm around her shoulder and left it there for approximately three Mississippis before stuffing his hand back in the pocket of his red hoodie.

Claire nodded, nibbling her Blistex-coated bottom lip to keep from purring. Now was not the time to think about how close she and Cam were standing or how he could practically read her mind. And now was definitely not the time to sneak an intoxicating noseful of Drakkar Noir. Now was the time to focus on being there for Massie, since the rest of the Pretty Committee was avoiding her the way Lindsay avoided food.

It had been less than forty-eight hours since Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen had boycotted Massies Friday night sleepover, but to Claire, it felt longer than Lent. Shed spent most of that time fielding four-way texts and calls from her friends, having no idea how to respond. Dylan had vented about how she and Derrington could have taken their crush public a week earlier if it werent for Massie holding her back. Alicia had bragged about how much better her cheer squad, the Heart-Nets, was going to be than Massies, since Alicia was a superior dancer/choreographer. And Kristen had kept moaning about bad sushi.

Massie, on the other hand, hadnt reached out once since Claire and Cam had shown up to her religiously honored sleep-over and found her totally alone. Her silence felt eerie, like the calm before the doors opened for a 75 percentoff sale at BCBG. Madness was sure to follow.

Do you really think Alicia and Dylanll stay mad forever? Cams gentle voice brought Claire back.

She wished she could tell Cam that the Pretty Committee would be back together before dinner. But Alicia and Dylan seemed done with Massies rigid, Lycra-ing ways. Done with the alpha controlling everything: whom they crushed on, what they wore, and what they did with their Friday nights. Actually, Claire understood their frustration better than anybody. Before Massie, shed been perfectly content with her non-designer wardrobe. Now she could barely walk past an Old Navy without imagining being shot at by a round of deadly comebacks.

Dunno, she replied honestly. She tried not to think about what could happen if her friends stayed mad. Sure, Lycra kept a tight hold on things. It could even feel suffocating. But it also held everything in its place. Without Massie, the Pretty Committee could fall apart. And where would that leave Claire?

Sucks, he offered, obviously trying to sound sympathetic and male at the same time.

It was adorable that Cam thought he knew just how dire the situation was. But no matter how many times Claire tried to explain, he couldnt possibly understand. At this point, a reunion for the Pretty Committee seemed less likely than a five-year wedding anniversary for Spencer and Heidi.

Claire stopped in front of the French doors of the Blocks sunroom and peered inside the canvas tote slung over her shoulder.

Mood music? Cam prompted her.

Check. Claire fingered the CDs theyd burned and decorated with purple glitter earlier that day, one for each of Massies possible states: PAYBACK PLAYLIST! (Avril, P!nk), SMILE SONGS (Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield, Partys Just Begun by the Cheetah Girls), and MASSIE AND ME! (True Friend by Miley Cyrus, My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson). Claire hoped the last one would remind Massie that she wasnt totally alone.

Gummies?

Check. Claire patted the small, clear plastic bag of gummies at the bottom of the bag. They were sugar free, so Massie wouldnt have to worry about the calories. And Claire had personally removed every green gummy from the bag, knowing how Massie hated them.

Aaand, last but not least, Keds? Cam finished.

Check. Claire gazed longingly at the three pairs of worn sneakerswhite platforms, springy polka-dotted mules, and sporty camouflage lace-upscowering at the bottom of the bag. Mud-stained hedge clippers stood stiffly inside the left platform, like a soldier waiting for its call to action. She shuddered at the thought of Massie transforming her beloved Keds into canvas carcasses. But there was no better target for the alphas aggression than non-designer footwear.

Theres still time to save them. Cam hip-bumped her.

No, I just have to be strong, Claire joked. As controlling as Massie could be, shed ultimately made Westchester feel like home. Shed given Claire a place to belong, and friends to belong to. And that was worth all the Keds in the world.