Belle of the Brawl (19 page)

“Point-t-t-t,” Alicia agreed through chattering teeth.

Massie pressed a button on a sleek silver remote. A second later, the electric fire in the stone fireplace ignited.

Dylan tossed her stained mittens into the hungry flames and then shook her crimson locks.

“Nice lice, Dyl!” Kristen cackled. Alicia snickered, her freshly manicured toes dangling just above the heated tile floor.

As Dylan whirled back toward them, her Brazilian blowout whipped around her face. “Don’t even joke! When Megan Lambert got lice, her friends scattered like roaches in a Raid storm.” She stuck her butt out to warm it in the fire’s glow.

“Let’s see what you got.” Massie stood, and once again the pile of rocks cascaded off her warm back and crashed to the ground. Bean bolted under the glass coffee table.

“Nyyyetttttt!” Tatiana let out a yelp as one of the rocks bounced against her toe. “Off! Off!” she insisted, waving Kristen and Alicia to their feet. With a grimace, she nodded at the other masseuses, who quickly folded up their tables, packed up their oils, picked up their rocks, and followed her out into the cold afternoon.

“
Danke
very much,” Massie called after them sweetly, putting on a fluffy white robe.

The three women responded by slamming the barn door shut.

“Isn’t
danke
German?” Kristen giggled.

“Oh, whatevs,” Massie shrugged. “They dan-kare.” She padded over to Dylan’s pile of bags and pulled out a baby blue cashmere hat with earflaps and tassels. It looked like something Kuh-laire would wear. With a wince, she dropped it back in the bag. “You really did buy
everything
.”

“I maxed out my card,” Dylan admitted. “But it was totally worth it. I got open-toed booties in faux leopard
and
faux cheetah.”

“Ohhh,” Alicia whine-pouted. “I’m faux jealous.” Her shoulders were covered with spiderweb-like indentations from lying down on the massage table. “I can’t buy anything right now. My parents told me they would send me to the Spanish Riviera for a week if I didn’t shop from Thanksgiving to Christmas.” She buried her nose inside Dylan’s Saks bag
and inhaled a Ralph Lauren sweater-coat. “Ahhhh! It’s better than new puppy smell.”

Bean lifted her little black head and growled.

“She was only kidding, B,” Massie assured her pup, applying a coat of Pineapple Spice Glossip Girl to the pug’s mouth. The pug licked it off and then sneezed. “My parents would
never
shop-block me.”

“Must be nice,” Kristen said with a frown.

“It is,” Massie beamed.

THUNK!

THUNK!

THUNK!

Three snowballs hit the windows, slithering down the glass like snot. A peal of high-pitched laughter followed the barrage. Kristen and Alicia threw on thick robes, and the four girls raced to the windows.

Claire, dressed in a My Little Pony cap and a bright red puffy coat, was pelting snowballs at Layne and their new friends—a willowy blonde and a petite brunette.

“They’re ruining my snow!” Massie stared at the once pristine yard, which was now covered with LBR boot prints.

“Cheap footwear leaves the most horrible tracks,” Dylan sighed. “Like the abdominal snowman.”

“You mean
abominable
snowman,” Kristen corrected.

Dylan pinched some snow off her fluffy hood and dropped it onto Kristen’s head. “Takes one to know one.”

“Ew, lice!” Alicia giggled, pointing at Kristen’s scalp. “Let’s go before we catch it,” she joked, backing away.

Kristen shook her blond hair in Alicia’s face.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Massie drew an
X
on the foggy window, her finger squeaking on the pane. “It’s too bad we can’t give Claire lice. Maybe her ah-nnoying friends would leave.”

THUNK.

THUNK.

THUNK!

The girls jumped back as another round of snowballs smacked into the barn.

Todd dashed in front of the window and bowed, proud to claim responsibility for the latest round.

Massie whipped her iPhone out of her robe pocket. “Unless…”

“Is there a lice app?” Kristen asked, twisting her damp hair into a sloppy bun.

“I wish,” Massie smirked, her breath clouding the window as she coaxed her brain into constructing the ultimate plan—a plan that would accomplish her sinister goal without implicating her sinister mind. Seven breath clouds later, she had it. And sent an urgent text to Claire’s younger brother.

Massie:
Come 2 the barn ay-sap. Impt.

Bwoop
.

The message had been sent. Seconds later, Todd and his best friend, Tiny Nathan, appeared in the doorway. Todd looked like a freckled Buzz Lightyear in his puffy white-and-green
snowsuit. Nathan resembled a poo in his three-sizes-too-big brown snow pants and matching hooded coat.

Todd sniffled. “You wanna join our team?” He pulled off his hood. His orange hair was spiked with sweat. “We’re called Big Balls.”

Nathan giggled. And then Todd giggled. And then Nathan giggled some more.

“No, this is nawt about joining your—”

Massie’s iPhone buzzed.

Kristen:
??? R U doing?

Alicia:
??? Does this have 2 do w lice?

Dylan:
Ha! Big balls.

Massie:
Quit bugging me.
Trust me.

Massie reached for the pack of Mango Surf–flavored Orbit sticking out of Dylan’s purse and popped a piece in her mouth. She bit down, recalling the satisfying flavor that squishing the competition usually left in her mouth. “I just learned a new massage technique that I’m dying to try on someone. It’s supposed to increase scalp circulation and prevent hair from sweating.” Massie waved away the imaginary smell coming from Todd’s head.

Alicia and Kristen exchanged confused looks. Dylan snatched the pack of gum out of Massie’s hand and stuffed four pieces in her mouth.

“Why didn’t you try it out on Kristen, then?” Tiny Nathan pointed out.

“This isn’t sweat.” Kristen smoothed the wet hair on top of her head. “It’s melted snow, okay?” She flashed Dylan a
thanks a lot
look.

Dylan blew her a glossy
you’re welcome
kiss.

Todd’s eyes darted between the two girls in confusion.

“So whaddaya say?” Massie asked Todd, putting the attention back where it belonged. “Wanna give it a try?”

“Oh. Okay.” Todd hopped up onto the couch and lay down. Tiny Nathan promptly pulled out his cell phone and started angling for a photo.

Kristen shrugged her athletic shoulders. Alicia finger-combed her dark locks to glossy perfection. And Dylan peeled a flattened gum-bubble off the tip of her nose.

Massie’s friends were the best that Octavian Country Day had to offer. Still, without Claire she felt emptier than Beyoncé after the forty-day master cleanse. But when betas defected to other crews, alphas didn’t beg them to come back. They drove the betas further away. And if a little brother got hurt in the process, so be it.

“Here I go.” Massie held her breath, stuck her hand into Todd’s matted locks, and gingerly began rubbing his head. Who knew when he’d last washed it? She made a mental note to Purell before eating.

“I can feel it working,” Todd muttered into the ecru linen cushion. After a few minutes, his breath became regular and heavy.

Dylan ran her hands through her hair the same way Massie was running hers through Todd’s. Alicia elbowed her.
“What?” Dylan asked, her red brows rising. “Todd said it was working.”

Kristen inched closer to Massie and mouthed,
What are you doing?

Watch,
Massie mouthed back. Then she fake-coughed and “accidentally” spit her gum onto Todd’s head. It disappeared inside a mass of red curls.

“Oh no!” she cried, quickly working the wad into his hair. “My gum!”

Todd’s head popped up. “Whhhaa?”

Tiny Nathan looked up from his phone and burst out laughing.

Massie widened her eyes in what she hoped looked like horror—and innocence. “Ehmagawd. I’m sooo sorry.”

Todd stuck his hand up and felt his sticky, artificially flavored Mango Surf–encrusted locks. “I’ve been gummed!”

Kristen and Dylan snorted back giggles. Alicia tightened the belt of her robe.

“It’s almost the same color as your hair. Maybe you should just leave it,” Tiny Nathan suggested. “You could stick stuff to it, like paper clips and things.”

Todd felt around the back of his head for the gum clump. “True.”

Massie shook her head vigorously. “No, no, no. We can’t leave it there. It’s dangerous. It can”—her eyes landed on Tiny Nathan—“stunt a person’s growth.”

In a flash, Todd sat up. His gummy hair stood up from his head like the Statue of Liberty’s crown.

“Stunting is not cool,” Tiny Nathan assured his friend.

“Ooookay,” Massie sighed. “There’s really only one thing to do.” She padded to the spa bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. Inside was the silver-plated electric razor her dad kept in the cedar-planked room. She clutched it in her Essie Mint Candy Apple–manicured hands and returned to the main room, where Kristen, Alicia, and Dylan had settled on the couch, watching Todd like he was a monkey at the zoo.

“Now, not everyone can pull off the bald look. But you have such great bone structure….” She held up the shaver and slid the button up to
HIGH
. The buzzing sound filled the room.

Todd stared at it, wide-eyed. “You want to
shave my head
?”

“No,” Massie nodded seriously. “I
have
to.”

The PC gasped. Todd’s mouth hung slightly slack. Tiny Nathan took out his cell phone and pressed
RECORD
.

“Think about it. Bald men are so…” She looked at her friends for help.

“Hawt!” Alicia added quickly. “Like, look at Bruce Willis.”

“Isn’t he dead?” Dylan asked.

Alicia shrugged.

“Britney Spears did it,” Kristen pointed out.

“So did Mr. Potato Head!” Dylan added helpfully.

Massie clicked to the Mirror app on her iPhone and held it up for Todd. “Think about how tough you’ll look.”

Todd looked at Massie and blinked. For a second she
thought he was going to freak out and run screaming to Mrs. Lyons. But then a huge grin spread over his face.

“And I’ll be so much more aerodynamic!”

Tiny Nathan ran over and gave Todd a high five. “We can beat our luge time!”

Massie’s high-glossed lips curved into a Cheshire cat grin. She held the buzzing shaver out in front of her. “Ready?”

Bean darted under the couch.

Todd nodded and sat down on a bamboo stool.

Kristen’s jaw dropped.

Dylan let out a shocked belch.

Alicia twirled her diamond studs at top speed.

With one last glance at her friends, Massie lowered the blade. A tendril of bright red hair fluttered to the floor like an autumn leaf. And then another, and another. The buzzing blades mowed easily through the orange glob of gum. She carved a path right down the middle of his scalp. Then she made another path right next it, first on the left, and then another on the right. More and more hair dropped down onto Todd’s skinny shoulders and then onto the camel-colored leather massage table.

“Looks like a motocross track,” Tiny Nathan marveled, lifting his camera.

Alicia covered her eyes.

Massie pictured each tuft of hair as one of Claire’s new friends. And with each strand she lopped off, she felt more and more like the Queen of Hearts, cutting off traitors’ heads in the name of control.

“Done,” she announced triumphantly a few minutes later, when Todd’s head was shinier than a new pair of patent-leather Choos.

Todd hopped off the stool and hurried toward the mirror opposite the fireplace. He sucked in his cheeks, unzipped his snowsuit, and popped the insulated collar. “You’re right,” he nodded at his reflection. “I
do
have a beautifully shaped skull.” He winked at his reflection, then rubbed the top of his head.

The Pretty Committee giggled into their eucalyptus-scented palms. They weren’t privy to the intricate details of Massie’s plan but were entertained by its execution nonetheless.