“Well, that was pretty pointless,” Dude said. “If it’s about mocking someone and the mocked person getting their revenge . . . I mean. Between just the two of us”—Dude gestured between himself and Jalen, then pointed at Warix—“and you too, probably, I mean . . . who haven’t we pissed off?” He heaved a sigh. “I need to quit it. I need a new line of work.”
Shelley squeezed his shoulder. “That’s good. That’s growth.”
“How about you, Shelley?” Jude asked suddenly. “Who did you mock?”
Shelley shook her head in bewilderment. “No one! I mean, like, no one ever!”
“Me too,” Cici said with a sigh. “I mean, me either. Or neither.”
“Oh, like you’re both too nice?” Warix sniped. “Whatever, I’ve heard girls talk before.”
“No, it’s just we’re not about that online,” Cici snapped. “Unlike you.”
“Yeah . . . but . . . you can’t be sure,” Dude said slowly. He scrubbed at his bleached spikes in frustration. “You’re online. You use GIFs and stuff. Memes. What if . . . what if it was something like that?”
“A GIF? Someone’s going to kill me because I used the wrong GIF?!” Shelley’s voice climbed in both tone and register.
“I’m just saying.” Dude held out his hand. “Jalen said he did an internet clip show. Viral stuff.”
“Yeah.” Jude’s eyebrows lifted in sudden understanding. “Viral stuff is everywhere.”
“That’s why they call it viral, hon,” Peach said to him, condescendingly, Plum thought, but Jude beamed like he was suddenly and for the first time the teacher’s pet.
“I guess that’s possible,” Cici said, nodding. “It’s possible I used some GIFs or clips. It’s all about jazzing up the makeup videos, you know.”
“Who doesn’t communicate with GIFs?” Shelley asked exasperatedly.
“How about you?” Dude asked, turning to Jude.
“Oh yeah, I mean, yeah. I’ve been on a few shows, you know, with the Holsy twins and Aaron Forster. They can get a bit rough, you know, not mean-mean but a little mean? Girls like it when they think there’s a rivalry or something. So yeah, maybe.”
“Can you think of one clip in particular? Or one time you felt bad about?” Dude asked.
Jude shook his head, dropping his eyes. “Not really. I mean, if we had the internet, I could look it up, but I don’t remember anything off the top of my head.”
Plum turned to her sister. “How about you, Peach?”
Peach flashed dramatically wide eyes and tented her fingers on her collarbones. “Me? I’m not mean.”
Plum had to agree. The hurt she felt from Peach was more about neglect rather than active malice.
Didn’t mean that the hurt was any less.
“It’s not about being mean,” Cici said. “It’s about just using a viral clip or something without thinking about it.”
“I think about everything I post, thank you very much.” Peach sat up straighter. “You don’t get a million followers without curating your brand.”
“Forget it!” Cici snapped, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder.
“I have stalkers, okay? Like, I’m at that level!”
“I think it’s fair to say we all have stalkers,” Warix drawled. “Well, we all share one, at least.” He snorted.
“Yes, fine,” Peach retorted. “But I have more than one. There’s a billionaire who’s OB-SESSED with me! He sends me flowers every day, he lets me use his car service, and if I’m going to a public event, he will be there the moment I post about it. He’s kinda cute, actually.”
“Oh my God, it’s like Fifty Shades. Make it stop,” Sofia pleaded.
“Yeah, yeah, you told us about Andre already,” Shelley said in exhaustion. “With the helicopter.”
“Oh, honey, oh no, Andre’s not a billionaire,” Peach said brightly.
Plum tipped her head. Was he just a regular guy, like a helicopter pilot?
“He’s a millionaire,” Peach explained, looking around the group.
“This is hell,” Warix said. “Did we all die in the kitchen? ’Cause this is definitely hell.”