The Clique by Lisi Harrison Read Free Book Online

rows of kiosks that look like ATM machines,” Massie continued. “Put your student ID card in and your schedule will pop out. The café is to the left along with the gym, the dance studios, the pool, and the spa. On your right are the seventh-grade classrooms and the teachers’ lounge. Meet us here at exactly 3:25 if you want a ride home. If you’re not here, we’ll assume you decided to walk.”

O CTAVIAN C OUNTRY D AY S CHOOL T HE S TARBUCKS K IOSK
    11:25 A.M . September 2nd
    Second period had just ended and the girls met at the newly renovated on-campus café for chai lattes before their next class. The café was beautifully done up, complete with cherrywood paneling and brass accents. Kristen carefully grabbed the hot tea from the guy in the Starbucks booth and walked toward Massie, Dylan, and Alicia. They were leaning against a wall mural of people drinking hot beverages throughout history, their hands filled with notebooks, pocketbooks, and venti-size cups.
    A gaggle of studious girls dressed in different-colored Juicy sweat suits sped up and looked at the floor as they walked past Massie.
    “Look, it’s the Mathletes,” Massie said. “Cheer up, girls, school has finally started again.”
    They knew better than to respond.
    Alicia leaned toward her friends and whispered, “I think Jena Drezner is wearing her dog’s shirt by mistake. Look.” She pointed. “It barely covers her rib cage.”
    “Hi, you guys,” Jena said. “How was your summer? You all look so amazing, as usual. Hey, Massie, I heard you’re taking that new girl under your wing.”
    “What?” Massie said.
    “Yeah, everyone’s saying you have a new BFF,” Jena said. “I was hoping I could meet her. It’s been a while since we’ve had a real ‘fashion don’t’ around here. I’ve almost forgotten what one looks like. But if anyone can whip her into shape, you can.”
    “Check your source, Jena. Obviously if I had a new BFF, she’d be here right now.” Massie rolled her eyes and took a sip of her latte.
    When the girl left, Massie leaned in close to her friends and whispered, “I heard she peed in her bed at sleepover camp this summer.”
    “I heard the same thing,” Alicia said.
    “Too bad, I said it first, so I get two gossip points,” Massie said.
    But Massie had gotten a lot more than a few points from her encounter with Jena. She’d gotten tipped off to the fact that people were talking about her and Claire.
    “My social life is in a state of emergency,” Massie said under her breath.
    “You’re not really going to be friends with Claire,” Alicia said. “Are you?”
    “Yeah,” Massie said. “I’m dumping you and bringing her on full time.”
    “Are you serious?” Alicia asked. Her smile faded. A look of sheer horror took its place. “Is it because I didn’t want to cancel our shopping trip to take care of you yesterday? ’Cause I was only kidding.”
    “I know, so was I,” Massie said.
    She watched Alicia cross her arms in front of her chest like she had just caught a chill, but Massie knew she was hiding her big boobs. She always did when she got nervous.
    “Burberry cap,” Massie said. She pointed at a seventh grader wearing a hat made of the signature plaid. “No punch backs.” Massie hit Kristen on the arm as hard as she could.
    “Owwwww!” Kristen yelped. Her books fell to the floor and the scalding chai latte covered her chest and left arm.
    The first person to spot someone wearing anything made by Burberry got to punch whoever they wanted as hard as they wanted. That was the rule. They had been playing this for the last two years and had all suffered a painful blow at one time or another.
    Massie heard the familiar squeak of rubber against the floor. Her entire body tensed up. That high-pitched sound meant Claire and her Keds were getting closer.
    “Kristen, are you okay?” Claire asked.
    “She’s fine. We do this all the time. See?” Massie pointed to Kristen, who forced a