THE BLOCK ESTATE
WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER PARTY
7:40 PM
October 31st
Claire made her way past the moaning zombie waitresses who were offering up “horror d'oeuvres.” She got the hint that Massie wanted her to disappear, but she certainly wasn't going to spend the night standing beside the DJ booth. This was her party too.
“Hey, Blossom.”
Claire turned to see Layne lumbering toward her. People cleared the way to let her pass, not so much because they were polite, but because they were scared they'd get knocked to the ground if they didn't.
“Wow, you really went for the whole couch potato thing, didn't you?” Claire said to her friend before snapping her picture. Layne was stuffed inside a horizontal refrigerator box. The pea green cushions from her basement sofa lined the top and her face was painted brown, like a potato.
“I love this holiday,” Layne sighed.
Just then Alicia and Dylan walked by, twirling their tails and strutting their stuff.
“Oh, look, a couch poo,” Alicia said to Dylan.
“I'm a couch POTATO.” Layne adjusted her pillows. She looked at Claire and rolled her eyes.
“I'm glad you told me,” Alicia said. “I was about to compliment you on your new dress.”
“Yeah,” Dylan said. “Anything's better than those janitor friendly man pants you've been wearing lately.”
“At least I wore a costume. You look the same as you always do,” Layne said. “Identical to Massie.”
Claire was so impressed by Layne's courage and quick wit she wanted to throw her arms around her friend and give her a hug. But that would have to wait until the box was gone.
“Yeah? Well, you look the same as you always do,” Dylan said. “Stupid!”
Claire and Layne knew their comeback was much better and hurried over to greet their friends before a major fight broke out.
They made a few laps around the yard with Meena and Heather, who were dressed as dead versions of Paris and Nicky Hilton. They both wore blond wigs, barely there dresses, and green face paint. It looked like all seventy-five people showed up, and Claire couldn't help wondering if anyone would have come had it just been her name on the invitation.
For the most part, the boys were lingering around the treats table and the girls were hovering around the edges of the dance floor. Everyone seemed to be laughing and having a good time, but no one was mingling.
“This DJ is so Wal-Mart,” Meena said. “When is he going to stop playing those cheesy Halloween songs and start playing something cool?”
“Now,” Claire said. She led the way to the DJ booth.
“Excuse me.” Claire used her most polite voice. “Hi. Um, do you think you could start playing some real songs soon?”
The DJ looked down at Claire from his booth and smiled so big the bottom of his goatee spread across his chin.
“I thought you'd never ask,” he said. “That Landon Dorsey chick forced me to play this crap.”
Seconds later Britney Spears's “Toxic” was blasting out of the speakers and everyone rushed the dance floor. Meena and Heather were the first ones out there. “It's what the Hilton sisters would have wanted,” Heather said before they took off.
“Do you think anyone will ask me to dance in this stupid Powerpuff Girls costume?” Claire asked as she bobbed her head to the beat.
“See!” Layne shot her finger straight into the air like she had just made a brilliant discovery. “That's exactly why I didn't want you to invite the boys. If it was a girls-only party, you wouldn't care how you looked in your costume. You'd be dancing already.”
“Yeah, and if it was girls only, I wouldn't have come,” Claire said. “I've seen what these girls do for fun around here and it usually involves torturing me. So, if you won't introduce me to any boys, I'll do it myself.”
“Oh, right.” Layne smiled, amused, as if Claire had just told her she was swearing off gummies. “Better yet, why don't you ask your co-host to introduce you? I dare you.”
Claire bit her lower lip.
“If I do, will you promise to stay and talk to the boys with me?”
“Totally,” Layne said. She obviously didn't believe Claire would go through with it.
“Fine,” Claire said. “I guess I have nothing to lose except my life, which isn't worth very much these days.”
Layne rolled her eyes at Claire's melodramatic comment and playfully nudged her in Massie's direction.
Massie was standing by the bloody swimming pool, surrounded by a group of girls who were gushing over Bean's Dirty Devil costume. Four boys lingered on the outside of their tight circle, awkwardly punching each other.
Claire walked quickly at first but took smaller, slow steps once she entered Massie's force field.
“Hey there, co-host.” Claire smiled as she nudged Massie's arm. She knew that was probably a bad idea as soon as she did it.
“S'cuse me,” Massie said to her guests. She backed away from the circle and yanked Claire with her.
“What?” Massie barked when they were alone. The thick coating of black lipstick around Massie's mouth made her look so evil, Claire wondered if she was really in hell.
“Sorry to interrupt you, but I was wondering if—”
“Kuh-laire, do we look like a pair of boobs?”
“What?” Claire asked. “No.”
“Then stop trying to hang beside me,” Massie said.
“I was, uh, wondering if you could introduce us to a few of the Briarwood boys?” Claire pointed to Layne, who was watching from the azaleas.
Massie straightened the horns on her head before she spoke. “Why don't you ask the couch poo? She knows the same people as me.”
“She's shy,” Claire said. “Besides, our moms were probably expecting you to help me out since they think we're such good friends and everything. Right? Isn't that what you told them when you asked if we could throw this party together?”
Claire prayed that her voice was trembling. “How upset do you think they'll be when they find out you've been telling everyone this is your party?”
“Why guess?” Massie asked. “Why not tell them right now?”
Claire's insides froze. That was not the answer she was hoping for.
“Fine, I will.” Claire turned and headed down the path toward the main house. She looked down at her patent leather Mary Janes while she walked and prayed for a miracle. She had no idea what to do next, but she marched ahead like a girl with a serious plan.
“Okay, wait,” Massie called after her.
Thank you, God!
“Meet me in the out-of-order bathroom in five minutes. I'll bring over two guys that I think will be perfect for you and Layne.”
“No LBRs,” Claire said. She knew she shouldn't abuse her sudden power over Massie, but it was hard not to. “And no funny business or I'll talk.”
“Done,” Massie said.
As Claire walked back to Layne, she wondered if any boy was actually worth this kind of trouble.