Cross My Heart and Hope You Cry | The Clique Fanfiction

14

Briarwood-Octavian Country Day School

Massie's Range Rover

Monday, September 14th

3:39 PM

Massie steadfastly ignored the seat in the car where Claire should've been sitting. Instead the Pretty Committee now used it as a setting place for their array of designer totes (and one Forever 21 backpack) and the occasional Louis Vuitton duffle bag that she'd gifted Kristen last year to use for soccer practice. Her gaze lingered on her purse as it jostled slightly when the Range Rover slid over a speed bump, sending a faint jingle in the air from the charm bracelet she'd shoved in her bag in a last-minute decision that morning.

She'd found it resting innocently on the hardwood floor of her room right in front of her bedroom door. By the skewed position (and the fact that it was on her floor) it had been obvious for her to discern that it'd been slid through the gap underneath her door sometime during the night. She'd almost stepped on it when walking out of her room, and it was only a small gleam as a morning ray of light hit the metal that alerted her to the silver bracelet that was about to be crushed underneath the toe of her stylish mules.

Her breath had hitched when she picked it up, easily recognizing who it belonged to. She knew what it meant, Claire knew what it meant, which is probably whe she had given it to her at a time where she couldn't stop her from doing so. By giving back the bracelet Claire was saying, "I'm not a part of the Pretty Committee anymore," and that drew the breath from her lungs.

She'd stared down at the innocuous charm bracelet resting innocently in the palm of her hand with disbelief, her jaw dropping unattractively as the piece of jewelry mocked her. Claire had ignored her all weekend, but she never thought that her comment in the car would push her to break completely from their group of friends, especially when she'd done much worse to the girl (Hollywood came to mind and she had winced). The weekend his been one filled with unyielding stress and fear of the week to come, and Claire leaving the Pretty Committee in what was the most tumultuous time of her life made her want to kick off her mules, flop onto her bed and cry into her silk pillow, undoubtedly staining it with her carefully done makeup.

It was only the sound of her mother's voice over the intercom that broke her out of her spiraling thoughts.

"Massie?" She'd called through the white speaker by her door.

She'd had to clear her throat of the thickness from tears she refused to let fall down her face. "Yeah, mom?"

"Claire got a ride from her friend, so just leave when you're ready."

She hadn't replied, and seeing Claire sitting so happily with her LBR friends made insecurity grow in her chest like a wave. How was she, Massie Block, not better than a trio of the most uncool girls on the planet? How could Claire possibly choose them over the cool elegance of the Pretty Committee? Was it because of the video that was released last week? Could she not take the embarrassment of being associated with them? The answers eluded her, and many times she found her gaze boring into the back of Claire's head as if hoping she could read her thoughts and find out once and for all. Not even her fresh kale salad was enough to bring her mood up, and she couldn't help but miss Claire as she finally pulled her gaze away from her jingling purse.

"Okay, you guys, I have something worth, like, a thousand gossip points," Alicia says, either ignoring or not recognizing her lackluster mood as she leaned forward excitedly, unintentionally sticking her sizable bust out almost lewdly.

"Jeez, Alicia, warn a girl next time - those things are like hazards," Dylan crows as the girl's sudden movements almost cause her to drop her diet shake.