OCD was abuzz with gossip the next few days. With everything that had happened with Claire and now with Derrington's boys and the PC girls beginning to date, there was more to talk about than ever- and Massie was loving being at the center of it.
In gym a group of juniors asked her over a game of badminton how they all started dating so quickly. In chemistry her lab partner wondered aloud how they got Cam to hang out with them all so soon after the breakup. And in between classes girls were dying to know the details- and if the boys had any more friends the PC could hook them up with.
And yet, when Massie arrived back home that Friday afternoon, the only thing she could think about was how the PC still hadn't surpassed the DSL daters on the food chain. For every question they got about Cam there were 10 more anonymously posted online about one of the boys a DSL dater had hooked up with. And for every one like Massie got on her pictures with Derrick, Skye got two on a thirst trap. Something had to be done.
She stomped up the stairs in her heels and into her bedroom before kicking them off towards the walk-in-closet. She was about to march over and pick out a sleepover outfit when she noticed movement outside her window. Suddenly she found herself flicking the light back off and crouching down in the dim light. She moved slowly towards the window until she was against the curtain and moved it slightly to peek out with one eye.
Outside she could make out the Lyons' finally moving the rest of their stuff and she stifled a laugh. Her mom told her earlier in the week that they would be moving out by her father's request. Something about Claire's dad moving to a different office and them finally needing to find their own place. She remembered how careful her mom had been when telling her that despite moving out of the guesthouse, Claire would still be living in district and going to OCD. Massie couldn't believe Claire's bad luck. Here she had the opportunity to move away, and had probably hoped to forget everything that happened and start over at a new school. But instead she would be stuck at OCD, squirming like a cockroach under Massie's Jimmy Choo heel.
Massie pulled the curtains closed so Claire couldn't see in, as was custom now, and went back to look in her closet. The walk-in closet was roughly half the size of Massie's own room. In the center was a giant white ottoman that she now went to and rested on while looking around for options. She first glanced to the back of the room at her Massie-quin, which was still bare since she took the outfit off to get dressed this morning. Behind the figure, plastered on the wall was Massie's inspiration. Posters, magazine cut-outs, pinterest pictures, and even photos of her and the PC in their best outfits covered every available space on the wall. She noted the pictures of Kate Middleton and Megan markle that had inspired her look on Tuesday, and the J-fashion runway looks that inspired her kimono style top she had on now.
But as she searched the wall she couldn't find anything to fit her mood for that night, so she moved on to the left side of the room. Along the left wall stood white racks holding the majority of her clothes. She had modeled this portion of the room after a store, so that she could imagine how she had felt when picking the articles of clothing off the rack for the first time.
Unfortunately, as her eyes scanned over the material, she was unable to find anything worthy of being worn tonight. She turned around to the opposite wall on the right side of the room. There, against the wall, were custom floor to ceiling display shelves built specifically to hold Massie's favorite bags, shoes, hats, jewelry, and other accessories. All together it reminded her of a museum, with her items on display. She stood now and walked closer to them, seeing her reflection move in the glass. As she browsed her recent items she felt a familiar warm feeling, as though she was closer to cracking the case of what to wear. Finally she saw it.
A pearl necklace.
The necklace had been a gift from her great aunt a few years ago, and at the time Massie thought they had looked outdated. Now as she stared at the shiny white orbs, she remembered the story her aunt had tried to tell her about the necklace. Pearls had symbolized perfection and femininity, but above all they were a form of ettiquite. When she was a housewife in the 50s, her aunt had said, she would wear those pearls and feel like a proper young lady.
Massie pulled the necklace from its place and secured it around her neck. She couldn't become more popular than Skye by doing the same old things, or everyone would think she was an apple-c-er. She would have to be the opposite, and make being the opposite seem even better.
"If the DSL daters are sluts," she said to herself, "we'll be proper young ladies."
She stripped herself of her school clothes and slipped into a black silk pajama set with white trim, accentuating the pearls. She quickly brushed through her hair and tied it back in a low messy bun, pulling out a few face-framing strands. After adding a touch of lip tint, she bounded away to prepare the Cabana for the sleepover.