Dial L for Loser (29 page)

and Dara Sammet’s like this:

and Payton Lawrie’s like this:

until, finally, she came up with what was sure to be an eBay-worthy autograph:

The five-minute warning bell rang and Claire’s heart quickened. She hadn’t even taken off her jacket yet, let alone fumbled with her lock and fished out her American history book. Beads of light sweat gathered on her forehead as she forced her hand to sign faster. But the faster she signed, the more she sweated. And the more she sweated, the stringier her bangs became.

“Will you call my older sister and tell her you know me?” asked Olivia Ryan, Alicia’s beautiful ex-BFF. A glittery black-and-gold beret was angled atop her blond curls, giving a Parisian spin to her otherwise standard-issue skinny black jeans and simple white Oxford.

“Uh, can I do it after class?”

“Call my sister, too,” Candace Sheppard begged.

“You don’t have a sister.” Olivia shoved her orange Nokia in Claire’s face, accidentally bashing her nose.

“Ouch!” Claire doubled over.

“Can I take your picture?” asked Emily Kohn, holding a lime green Motorola Pebl directly between Claire’s eyes.

“Uh…” Claire glanced at Massie, desperate to be saved. But she, Alicia, and Dylan were too busy signing magazine photos, pencil cases, and backpacks to notice. Kristen was the only one free to go to her locker. And while her slow shuffle and dejected pout indicated that she wasn’t happy about her lack of attention, Claire found herself almost envying it.

The final bell rang.

“Let’s pick this up at lunch,” Massie called to her groupies. “Table eighteen.”

A hurried round of thank-you-sooooo-muches and welcome-backs were fired at the Pretty Committee as everyone scattered.

“Hollywood was fun, but I like Westchester better.” Alicia fumbled with her lock. “We’re way more famous here.”

“Whatevs.” Kristen slammed her locker. “I hope you feel
famous
getting a late pass,” she shouted, and then hurried to class.

“Oh, we will!” Dylan called after her.

“What’s
her
problem?” Alicia asked on their way to Principal Burns’s office.

“Not enough FOKs” Massie shrugged in a sucks-for-her sort of way.

“Huh?”

“Fans of Kristen.”

Dylan giggled.

“I double-dog heart that,” Alicia squealed.

Claire sat between Dylan and Alicia on the hard wooden bench outside the principal’s door, thinking about the secret pro/con list she had tucked away in her jacket pocket.

2 MOVE OR NOT 2 MOVE?
CALIFORNI-YAY	CALIFORNI-NAY
Photography is my favorite hobby. But acting is my second. And I’ll get to star in movies and play the kind of girls everyone wants to be. BONUS: If I ever come back, I’ll automatically get the lead in the school play (unless it’s a musical).	Leaving Cam. Again.
I will possibly meet and have sleepovers with Dakota Fanning.	Leaving the Pretty Committee and Layne.