Best Friends For Never Part 19

"Ma.s.sie, if you guys have another trick planned to embarra.s.s me in front of-," Claire started to say. Ma.s.sie cut her off before she could finish.

"Claire, do I look like a total female dog?"

"Wait, Ma.s.sie, I'm not calling you a total b.i.t.c.h, total b.i.t.c.h," Claire said. "It's just that in the past, you guys have-"

"Fine, I'll admit it." Ma.s.sie stopped walking so she could paint her thimble. "Dylan and Kristen have something fabulously nasty planned, but believe it or not, it has nothing to do with you."

Claire looked wary.

"Tormenting you is so September." Ma.s.sie locked eyes with Claire. "It's out."

"Does that mean I'm in? in?" Claire asked. Her blue eyes were wide and full of hope.

But Ma.s.sie didn't answer. She blew the polish on her thimble and patted it with her index finger to make sure it was dry. "Let's vote."

Alicia and Olivia were already in the crowded lobby, campaigning for votes and complimenting the Teen People Teen People editors on their outfits. editors on their outfits.

Ma.s.sie's first instinct was to campaign harder, but when she saw the number of thimbles in her box, she realized it wasn't necessary. They were leading by at least thirty. Ma.s.sie kissed her purple thimble and dropped it in along with Kristen's and Dylan's. She looked at the picture that was taped to the side and giggled. She looked normal-gorgeous, in fact-but Claire's eyes were crossed. On purpose! The photographer had offered to reshoot the picture, but Claire insisted on leaving it. She said it would make people laugh.

Claire spent the rest of the break comforting Layne. Ma.s.sie went to check in with her compet.i.tion.

Alicia and Olivia were standing by the voting table.

"You know what's funny about the word thimble, 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?"

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

"Thtupid," Alicia called after the boy. Ma.s.sie laughed, but Olivia was too upset to join her.

"You know, Ma.s.sie," 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." Ma.s.sie turned on her rubber platforms and left to find her parents.

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

Once everyone was inside, Princ.i.p.al 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.

Princ.i.p.al 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."

Princ.i.p.al 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?" Princ.i.p.al Burns asked.

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

Doo doo, doo doo, doodoodoodoodoo, doo doo, doo doo, doo doo ...

Finally Princ.i.p.al 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 ...

Princ.i.p.al 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 a.s.sembly 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 a.s.sistant 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 Ma.s.sie 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," Ma.s.sie said as she squeezed Bean to her chest.

Claire was too busy chewing her fingernails to respond.

"With 102 thimbles, we have Ma.s.sie 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 Fas.h.i.+on Week Uniform Contest. Looks like it's blazers, jeans, and tie belts from here on out!"

Ma.s.sie stopped bobbing. Alicia started.

"How is that possible?" Ma.s.sie 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 way more than them during the break." more than them during the break."

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

"Ew," Dylan said. "Could they be be any more conceited?" 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 me cry," Claire said. cry," Claire said.

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

Ma.s.sie 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 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! 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," Ma.s.sie 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," Ma.s.sie said as she pointed her discovery out to her teammates.

"Why did you vote for ALICIA?" Dylan snapped.

"I didn't, airhead!" Ma.s.sie said. "Gawd, don't be such an Olivia. Olivia."

"They must have switched our pictures," Claire said.

"EhmaG.o.d," 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," Ma.s.sie 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," Ma.s.sie 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, 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," Ma.s.sie said. "And when the time is right, we'll show everyone who the real real losers are." losers are."

Ma.s.sie 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, Ma.s.sie, nice going," Alicia said. They were back-stage, gathering their belongings. "You totally gave us a run for our money."

Ma.s.sie 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," Ma.s.sie 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." Ma.s.sie sounded bored.

"Someone likes you," Alicia gushed. "A lot."

"Really?" Ma.s.sie 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?" Ma.s.sie asked.

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

"Really?" Ma.s.sie 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," Ma.s.sie said nonchalantly.

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

Ma.s.sie looked at the rhinestone-covered Keds on her feet. Nothing made sense.

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

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

"Wouldn't he rather like Kristen or Dylan?" Ma.s.sie asked.

"He told me he only made plans with them them 'cause he thought you'd be there." Alicia seemed thrilled by this news, but Ma.s.sie couldn't understand why. "So what are you going to do?" 'cause he thought you'd be there." Alicia seemed thrilled by this news, but Ma.s.sie 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," Ma.s.sie said. She walked away from Alicia in a daze.

If Cam didn't like her, her, then who then who did 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. 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.