Claire (8 page)

But now, Claire couldn’t help seeing it all through Massie’s amber eyes. And suddenly the whole theme thing seemed childish.

Just like her friends.

Claire wanted to hate Massie for making her feel this way. But couldn’t. She had no one to blame for her insecurity tsunami but herself. Before Massie had arrived, she’d been proud of her hometown. Proud of its people. Proud of its pageants.
Gawsh!
Why did she always assume she had to
be
like Massie to be
liked
by Massie?

Claire grin-glanced at her FBFFs and made a silent promise: She was not going to let Massie Block influence her behavior toward them. Start-innnnnnnnnnnnnnnng . . .

. . .
now!

“Remember the time we tried to set a world record by seeing how long we could sit under this table?” Claire giggled at the memory.

SAS smiled but did not lift their eyes.

“How long did you last?” Jay chuckled. “An hour?”

“More like two, Mr. L,” Amandy giggled. “And it would have been longer if
he
hadn’t thrown fire ants at us.”

Todd proudly patted himself on the back, then sat on his father’s lap. “You should have heard the screams!”

“We did!” Jay and Judi laugh-blurted at the same time.

“I started dialing nine-one-one before I even knew what happened,” Judi reminded them.

Soon, everyone was cracking up. Claire’s teeth chattered with joy.

“Sounds like a real YouTube moment,” Massie mumbled, then flipped her hair. The pure essence of plants that was Aveda’s signature scent temporarily eclipsed the peanut buttery smell of the cake.

Claire felt her smile wane. She was about to roll her eyes to show Massie that she too thought the whole ants-under-the-table thing was goofy. But wait! If Massie didn’t like their idea of fun, she could leave.

“Hold on a minute, you’re not going to spread this, are you?” Amandy quickly sobered.

“Huh?” Claire asked while her mother searched the kitchen drawer for matches.

“You know, you won’t tell the other judges embarrassing stories about us, right?”

Claire knit her blond brows in confusion.

“Why aren’t you denying anything?” Sarah leaned forward and covered her mouth in shock. “Is it because you already spilled?” She gasped and turned to SA. “She already spilled!”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t even
met
the other judges yet.”

“Aha! You said ‘
yet
.’” Sari pointed her finger in Claire’s face. “But you’re planning on it.”

“Planning on
what
? On meeting them or telling them?” Claire looked at her father, hoping for a witness to the insanity. But he waved his hands like someone who didn’t want to get involved.

Out of desperation, she glanced at Massie, but surprisingly, the alpha didn’t have a single trace of an I-told-you-they-were-crazy-FLBRs expression on her face. Instead she was rubbing Chanel cuticle cream on her thumbnail. All traces of anger seemed to be gone. She looked serene—as if she hadn’t just gotten abandoned by her parents and then sent to another state only to walk into a roomful of strangers parading around in her clothes.

“So, who are you gonna vote for?” Amandy fanned her face with the Minnie Mouse paper plate.

Claire opened her mouth to answer, then paused. She hadn’t really thought about it.

“I met her first,” Sari insisted. “’Member, Claire? We were gymnastics partners. I spotted you on the balance beam. I caught you when you started to wobble. It’s almost like I saved your life.”

“Yeah, but I was the first one to sleep at her house,” Sarah insisted.

“Only because I had the chicken pox.” Amandy pounded her fist on the Formica tabletop. “Thanks to
you
!” She pointed at Sari.

“Me?” Sari squealed. “I caught them from y—”

“What are they fighting about?” Massie asked quietly. “What
voting
?”

“Tell ya later,” Claire mumbled back.

“Who wants cake?” Judi shouted over the shouting.

“Meeee!” Todd and Jay shouted.

“Here it comes,” Judi announced as she placed the flaming ice cream cake in the center of the table. The letter-candles burned with the pride of an Olympic torch.

“On the count of three, I want Claire, Sarah, Sari, and Amandy to blow out the part that says
MISS KISS
. And Massie, you get the
WELCOME
part. Ready? One . . . two . . .”

“What do I get?” Todd whined.

“This.” Claire slid her finger along the edge of the rectangular cake tray. She hooked a chunk of white icing and flicked it at her brother’s face. It landed right on his nose.

“Claire!” Judi huffed, trying to look angry. But her pinched smirk gave her away.

Massie burst out laughing while Jay playfully licked it off his son’s nose.

“Ew, Dad!” Todd giggled.

“Can I keep the
MISS KISS
candles, Mrs. L?” Amandy asked, completely ignoring the giddiness on the Lyonses’ side of the table.

“No fair!” Sarah rubbed her curly blond hair. “I was going to ask.”

“No, I was!”

“Why don’t you blow them out first?” Judi tried to sound like she wasn’t annoyed. “Before the ice cream melts.”

“Fine,” Amandy snapped. Then she leaned forward and blew.

“What happened to our three count?” Massie looked up at Judi, her amber eyes wide with innocence.

Judi shrugged while SAS began fight-pulling the candles.

“Um, is this full fat or low fat?” Massie smacked the lower lip of the cake with the back of her spoon.

“Is she serious?” Amandy asked, stuffing the
M
,
K
, and two
S
candles under her butt.

“Yeah, I’m serious,” Massie huffed.

“Exactly how lame do you think we are?”

“Do you want me to answer that?” Massie scoffed, scooping up a piece of cake.

“Ha!” Todd shouted. He held out his hand so Massie could high-five it. But Jay pulled it down.

Claire stuffed a huge piece of cold peanut butter ice cream into her mouth and tongue-batted it around until it started to melt. It was either that or speak, and she had no idea what to say. No idea who to defend. No idea how her day had ended up this way.

Was it Miss Kiss pressure? The colliding of two worlds?

Or had everyone changed?

“We would
never
have
non
fat ice cream cake.” Sari licked the side of her
I
candle. “How gross would
that
be?”

“Seriously gross,” Amandy said, and Sarah agreed.

“Oh.” Massie pushed her plate aside.

“How rude,” Sarah murmured.

“Whatevs, I’m allergic to nuts, anyway,” Massie said, digging through her makeup bag.

Claire recalled Massie eating Nutz Over Chocolate Luna bars on several occasions but decided this was not the best time to point that out. Her friends might have been feuding, but not with
her
. And she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

“Oh yeah?” Amandy smoothed a finger over her thick brows. “What kind of nuts are you allergic to?”

Massie pulled a gold YSL compact from her makeup bag and held the mirror in front of SAS. “This kind!”

SAS huffed. Todd laughed. Jay and Judi focused on their cake. Claire didn’t know whether to high-five Massie or book her on the next flight out. So she did what anyone who was caught in the middle of feuding friends would do. She downed another slice of full-fat cake, and when she finished it, she ate some more.

TOHO SQUARE
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN KISSIMMEE

Sunday, August 9 6:49 P.M.

There was a certain feeling Claire got when Cam would gaze at her with his one blue and one green eye. It filled her with heat. Security. It made her believe she was special, even beautiful. And tonight, even though he was miles away
and
ignoring her, she had that feeling.

It was that perfect time of day when the sun was low but still shining. It cast an orange glow on the sides of the charming buildings in historic downtown and warmed people’s cocoa-buttered skin like one last kiss before bedtime. On the stage inside Toho Square the local pop band Carbon Footprint began playing their upbeat hit, “Nature’s Candy.” Flip-flops flapped as fans pushed through the thickening crowd, racing to the grassy dance floor.

“Let’s meet at the white press tent at”—Jay checked his black diving watch—“nine fifteen.”

“’Kay.” Claire bounced on the toes of the gold gladiator sandals Massie had insisted she borrow.

Judi leaned over and hugged her daughter. “Have fun,
judge
.” She squeezed hard, enveloping Claire in the light scent of lilies and spearmint Dentyne Ice. “We’re so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Claire tried to wiggle loose. She felt like a windup doll that was being held back, her insides all geared up to go.

“Don’t party too hard.” Todd straightened the red bow tie he’d insisted on wearing with his white T-Odd Jobs tank top and black surf trunks. “We have an early day tomorrow. Three lawns and a fish tank cleaning.”

Claire rolled her eyes and grabbed Massie’s arm, pulling her away from reality and toward the pink VIP carpet that led to the entrance.

Just like the guests, the iron “welcome” arch at the head of the outdoor recreation area had been highly decorated in honor of the special occasion. Red glitter covered the poles, and a plump pink balloon mouth hung between them.
MISS KISS
was written on the top lip, and
KISS OFF
was scrawled across the bottom. It was a bittersweet event that bid farewell to last year’s winner and made room for this year’s. Even though it wasn’t for points, everyone in attendance knew the power of a first impression and had nicknamed the annual party accordingly.

“They call this the Miss
Butt
Kiss,” Claire explained, adjusting her
JUDGE
sticker even though it was perfectly placed above the pocket on the sequined blue and red–striped Luella dress Massie had let her borrow for the occasion.

In a trillion years, she’d never imagined spending the Butt Kiss with an alpha from Westchester. Sarah, Amandy, and Sari were supposed to be by her side. The plan for the day had always been:

1. Morning tanning and playlist prep in Sarah’s backyard.

2. Lunch at Sari’s dad’s restaurant. Pig out—it’s on the house!

3. Get dressed at Amandy’s (she has her own bathroom). Apply lucky glitter colors on the inside of wrists.

4. Photo session by Claire.

5. Get a ride into town from Denver, Sarah’s hot stepbrother.

6. Smile-strut past the judges eight times (our lucky number).

7. Dance and size up competition.

8. Avoid judges when leaving so they don’t see our sweaty bangs.

9. Begin hard-core prep for the pageant.

But after last night’s social storm, Claire thought it might be better to keep everyone separated, just for now. And since she wasn’t competing and didn’t
have
to look perfect for the party, it kind of made sense.

Surprisingly, SAS had understood. When they’d all met this morning, they had told her they’d respect her boundaries now that she was a judge and assured her that they’d give Massie a second chance. They’d even promised to set a place for her at their pig-out lunch so she could be there in spirit; otherwise they’d miss her too much. In return, Claire had vowed to help them buy makeup for the pageant. So what if that was against contest rules? She was their
best
friend. It was to be expected. And that’s exactly what she told them. The promise had been enough to mend the hairline fracture in their friendship, seal in the love, and keep the peace. For one more day, at least.

“Ehmagawd, is that Rory Gilmore?” Massie tightened the purple men’s tie she had threaded through the belt loops of the black satin shorts she’d paired with a matching vest. She was the only one in attendance wearing the forbidden color, and she seemed to delight in the drive-by glares she was getting from the Pastel Posse (as she called them).

Like a manatee in a sun shower, Claire let the comment slide off her back. So what if her home had a small-town vibe? It was charming. Festive. Spirited. Warm! And maybe, if Massie just gave it a chance, she’d appreciate it too.

“Claire?” Lorna Crowley Brown appeared in front of her, wearing a loose white blouse covered in DIY lipstick kisses from her own heart-shaped mouth. She had tucked the shirt into white capri jeans that fit snugly over her pear-shaped bottom. “Here is your rulebook.” She handed Claire a red leather–bound binder filled with dividers and serious pages. “There is a section called Fairness Over Friendship. I suggest you read it thoroughly.” Her narrow green eyes bored into Claire’s. “And try to limit your mingling tonight to the other judges.”

“Of course.” Claire held the notebook close to her heart. It smelled like roses.

Lorna placed her plump hand on the small of Claire’s back. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind walking the pink carpet so the press cameras could take your picture . . .”

“Of course,” Claire said, like this happened to her every day. But on the inside she was doing that thing where you jump and click your heels together.

Finally, Massie would see that
she
was an alpha too.

“Claire Lyons! Judge and star of
Dial L for Loser
,” Lorna announced to the press who were corralled behind BeDazzled stanchions.

They lifted their cameras and began clicking. The onslaught of attention gave Claire a bit of nervous tunnel vision. The music and party chatter sounded garbled. Muted. Under-water. If not for the crisp scent of Chanel No. 19, she would have had no idea that Massie was right beside her.

Sneaking a side peek, she caught the alpha coyly twirling her purple hair streak and posing with hand-on-hip confidence.

“What magazines are these guys from?” she managed through a frozen smile and clenched teeth.

“Mostly local papers and a few schools,” Claire muttered through the corner of her mouth.

The perfume scent was instantly gone. Massie ducked under the lenses of the cameras and hurried inside to the party.