Tuesday, December 16th
8:36 P.M.
“You doing okay, honey?” Judi Lyons asked, patting Claire on the shoulder. “It’s a lot to take in.”
Claire nodded, stunned by what her parents had just told her. One minute she’d been G-chatting online with Cam, and the next minute her parents had come into her room with these looks on their faces and said the Blocks were having financial trouble. They were about to go through a very hard time. Big changes were coming.
“Chin up, kiddo. We’re Lyonses,” Jay Lyons said, pushing himself off Claire’s bed. “And what do Lyons do?”
“We roar,” Claire mumbled, hugging her stuffed giraffe to her chest.
“That’s right,” Mr. Lyons nodded.
“We’re going to be okay, Claire Bear, I promise.” Her mom kissed her on the forehead, then shuffled out of the room behind her husband.
But it wasn’t her family Claire was worried about.
It was Massie.
Suddenly it felt like the past month was nothing but an ugly drawing on an Etch A Sketch that her parents had just shaken, erasing all the hurt and anger and fighting. All that remained was the fact that Massie’s life was about to change. This was about more than head shaving or clothing or where people sat in the cafeteria. It was about the fact that Massie would be devastated.
In a certain way, money wasn’t all that important. Claire knew that. But having your worst nightmare come true was. So Claire did what you do when a friend is in trouble: She put aside her petty grievances and decided to try and cheer up Massie.
Grabbing a bag of gummies off her desk and the Gossip Girl DVD set out of her CD locker, she put on her coat, told her parents she’d be back soon, and padded slowly across the icy lawn.
Inside the Block mansion, things were surprisingly still and calm. The plush rugs were still plush, and the freshly waxed floors were still freshly waxed. The display of orchids still emitted their subtle exotic scent from the marble mail table. But even though it all looked the same, Claire knew that everything had changed.
She walked up the stairs. A thin sliver of cool light escaped from under Massie’s door. “Massie?” she called, softly.
There was no answer.
“Massie?” Claire called again.
Still no answer.
After a minute of waiting and a quick bang swipe, Claire pushed the door open slowly and tiptoed inside.
Massie was on her bed, beneath her down duvet, hugging piles of clothes. She was crying softly, her legs making a tent around Bean, who had her nose buried in her paws.
“It’s me. I heard,” Claire said.
The lump on the bed didn’t move, but Massie’s tear-soaked voice rose from the pile of down. “What do you want?”
“I wanted to see if you were okay.” Claire walked over to the bed and put her hand on Massie’s knee.
Massie didn’t move from her pretzel pose. “I’m doing just great. Ah-bviously.”
“I’m so, so sorry Massie.” Claire sat gently on the side of the bed. “I’m so, so sorry that this happened to you and your family. It really totally and completely sucks. It just does. But you guys are going to be okay, I know that. And the bright side is that you don’t need money to be happy. I mean, look at me and my family. We don’t have a lot of money, but we’re happy. Your family will be just like that.”
Massie sniffled, but she didn’t look up.
“I brought you this,” Claire held up her bag. “It’s Gossip Girl season two. And…” She pulled a small bag of gummies out of her pocket. “Gummy crabs from my emergency stash.”
“You brought these… for me?” Massie sat up a little, wiping her mascara-stained cheeks.
“The gummies, yeah. The DVD I found under the couch,” Claire admitted. “You must have left it there at some point.”
Massie finally looked up. Her amber eyes met Claire’s cornflower blue ones.
And just like that, Claire felt like they were looking past the weeks of petty fights and stupid pranks, looking past everything they’d been through, and just really looking at each other. And finally each seeing, in the other, what had been there all along: someone to talk to, someone to laugh with, a confidante, a neighbor, a friend.
Claire smiled. Any moment now, Massie would rise up and throw herself tearfully into Claire’s arms, admitting that Claire was the closest friend she’d ever had and the only person she could ever be herself around.
Claire would give Massie tips on how to be middle-class. Soon, they’d shop the sale sections together, look for Elie Tahari and BCBGirl at T.J. Maxx, and wear outfits more than once. And Massie would finally learn about the comfort and cuteness that was Nanette Lepore for Keds.
Massie blinked and smiled slightly.
Claire opened her arms for the hug she knew was coming.
“Go away.”
Claire winced and stepped back. Her cheeks burned, as though Massie had just slapped her.
Massie propped herself up on her pillows. “When I want advice, I will watch Dr. Phil.” Her cheeks were bright red, and not from MAC shimmer powder. “And the rumor isn’t true, so don’t go spreading it. And don’t come here to gloat. Now puh-lease take your peace offerings, make like autumn, and leaf.”
With that, Massie threw herself back down on the bed and buried her head in her arms. Claire sat stunned for a moment. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no words would come out.
Finally, she stood up, feeling as though she were moving underwater. The Gossip Girl case slid off her lap and landed on the floor. DVDs spun out everywhere. Disc 1 hit the wall and cracked in two.
Claire knew exactly how it felt.