Free The Pretty Committee Strikes Back by Lisi Harrison Page A

spot beside Claire's parents.
    “Uh, where's your mom?” Claire asked Dylan.
    “She'll be late,” Dylan said casually. “Her live show ended at eight a.m. and she's coming all the way from the city. She may not get here before the bus leaves. That's why all my luggage was in the Range Rover. I thought I explained all that when I got in the car.” Dylan shook her head and turned toward Massie.
    “Ohhhh, right.” Claire watched Cam from the corner of her eye. He was yanking a blue canvas hockey bag from the backseat of his brother's car. He turned toward his brother: they mussed each other's moppy dark hair and high-fived goodbye.
    “Kuh-laire!” Massie snapped.
    Claire whipped her head around. Her blue eyes were narrow with confusion, like she had just been woken out of a peaceful sleep.
    “Be cool,” Massie mouthed.
    Claire bit her bottom lip and shrugged.
    “Massie.” Kendra Block tapped her daughter on the shoulder. “Is this everything?” She pointed at the five black Tumi suitcases that William had unloaded from Moby.
    “Yup.”
    “I thought you had six bags, not five.” She adjusted her oversize Chanel sunglasses and ran her red manicured fingernails through her bob blowout.
    “I do.” Massie patted her pink Coach.
    “Okay then.” Kendra snapped her fingers at the security guard who was waiting to transport her daughter's luggage. “I guess that's it.” She gave her husband, William, a stern look. He immediately pulled out his platinum Tiffany money clip.
    “Take good care of these girls.” William Block loosened a fifty-dollar-bill and handed it to the driver.
    “Daaa-aaad,” Massie groaned. She grabbed the cluster of chains around her neck and twirled them between her fingers. “This isn't an airport.” She turned away from her father and rolled her eyes so her friends would know she did not approve of his ignorance.
    Dylan and Alicia snickered.
    “Much appreciated, sir.” The security guard glanced around the parking lot, then quickly stuffed the bill into the back pocket of his navy polyester pants. He smirked at Massie as he turned the key in his cart and putt-putted toward the bus.
    “LBR,” Massie muttered under her breath. It didn't matter that he had no idea Massie had just called him a loser beyond repair: it made
her
feel better. “’Kay, we should start making our way toward the bus.” Everyone was already there, greeting one another.
    The girls quickly hugged their parents and thanked them for dropping off their bags. Then they linked arms, walked toward the bus, and didn't look back.
    Massie led them straight into the center of the group and immediately began accepting her round of morning compliments.
    “Massie, Iloveyournecklaces,” Carrie gushed.
    “Thanks, Carrie.” Massie quickly looked the girl over, looking for something nice to say in return. “I love how, uh, curly your curls look today. Did you start using a new conditioner?”
    “No butIrinsedwithcoldwaterinsteadofhot,” Carrie confessed.
    “Brilliant.” Massie searched the crowd for Derrington. The bus was leaving at 9 a.m. sharp and he still hadn't arrived.
What if he changed his mind and decided not to go?
She immediately tuned into Dylan's conversation, hoping a new topic would help keep her mind off her missing crush.
    “Will you
please
just breathe on me or something,” Alexandra begged Dylan.
    “Believe me, Alex, you don't want the flu I had,” Dylan insisted.
    “But you look so good now.” Alexandra tapped her green braces as she examined Dylan's body.
    “Thanks.” Dylan batted the air like it had been nothing at all.
    “Massie, you look like you've been blessed with the bug too.” Alexandra turned away from Dylan. “You seem thinner than you did a few weeks ago.”
    Massie knew her weight loss had come from a bad case of Derrington nerves, not that she would ever admit that to Alexandra. “Really?” Massie looked down at her legs. “I've been eating a lot of cheese lately. Maybe