THE WESTCHESTER MALL
LEVEL I
12:51 PM
October 25th
Claire and Todd ran through the automatic doors of The Westchester like they had just been dropped at Six Flags.
“Think they have a Dairy Queen here?” Todd shouted to Claire. He was trailing behind because of his recent foot injury.
“Every mall has a Dairy Queen,” Claire yelled over her shoulder. “Massie, wanna come find the gummy store with me?”
“I'd rather not waste my calories,” Massie said while checking her cell phone for messages.
Claire immediately thought of her friends back home. They all loved candy. They bought it together, shared it, and kept emergency supplies stashed away in their closets. The girls in Westchester acted the exact same way. Only to them “candy” equaled shoes and handbags, not sours.
Claire put her hand in the back pocket of her black satin dress pants (ugh, this stupid bet!) and ran her fingertips along the three dollar bills her father gave her before she left the house. She vowed to wean herself off sugar after this final indulgence. The Briarwood boys might think it was immature. Massie definitely did.
“Remember,” Kendra announced. “We're meeting in front of Nordstrom's in ten minutes.”
Sunshine poured through the skylights, filling the mall with warm light. The Westchester looked nothing like the concrete barns Claire and her friends shopped at in Florida. It didn't even have a Spencer Gifts or a Strawberry. Instead shoppers wove in and out of Louis Vuitton, Sephora, and Versace Jeans Couture. They wore big movie-star sunglasses and high heels that clicked and clacked on the shiny marble floors with every step they took.
Claire felt like the stylish mannequins in the window displays were looking down on her, just like Massie, Alicia, Kristen, and Dylan did.
Claire didn't feel comfortable until she set foot in the Sweet Factory. Familiar bins of colorful candy lined the walls and felt like home. She scooped a mound of gummies into a plastic bag and paid the cashier.
“Thank you for visiting the Sweet Factory.” The overweight teenager managed to hand Claire her change without looking up from his copy of Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution.
“No,” Claire said. “Thank you.” She popped an orange gummy foot in her mouth and headed back to meet the others.
Massie was the last to arrive at Nordstrom's and the only one who wasn't chomping on a sugary snack. Even Judi and Kendra were sharing a big black-and-white cookie.
“It must be hard to be around all of these stores and not shop, huh?” Claire said to Massie.
“I don't know,” Massie said. “I haven't really thought about it.”
But Claire knew Massie was lying by the way she stared longingly at people's bags when they passed. Suddenly Claire hated herself for suggesting the bet in the first place. Her goal was to be accepted by Massie, not resented.
“Want some calories?” Todd said to Massie. He held out a sticky Cinnabon.
“No thanks.”
“C'mon, just a bite. Taste the sin in Cinnabon.”
“No THANKS.”
“It's ha-ah-t.” Todd waved the pastry under her nose.
“Todd, did I order coffee?” Massie said.
“Uh, no,” Todd answered.
“Then why are you all up in my MUG?” Massie snapped.
“S'cuse me for offering,” Todd said. He backed away.
Claire giggled. She was digging through a bag of gummies, trying to avoid the green ones.
“Want some of these?” Claire offered the bag to Massie even though she knew it was a waste of time.
Massie reached in and pulled out a handful. Todd's jaw dropped.
“Oh, sure, you'll eat with Claire,” he said. “Since when did you start liking her more than me?”
“Since always,” Massie said.
Todd was so hurt he ran ahead to catch up with the mothers. Claire, on the other hand, was elated. Massie actually liked her better than someone. So what if it was her bratty brother? It was a start.
“He won't be bothering you for at least another hour,” Claire said.
Massie responded by grabbing more gummies.
The two girls slowed their pace to let Todd and the mothers get ahead of them.
“So what are you going to be for Halloween?” Claire asked.
“A Dirty Devil,” Massie said. It came out sounding like “a Duree Devuh” because she was chewing on a gummy worm. “You?”
“I was thinking maybe Blossom, the Powerpuff Girl. She's got brains, beauty, and a mean punch. And I already have the costume from last year.”
“That's all right, I guess. At least you're not one of those people who goes for the punny costumes,” Massie said. “You know, like a black-eyed p or a card shark.”
“Yeah, those costumes are so wanna-be clever.” Claire had never really given “punny costumes” much thought before but decided to agree anyway.
“I think you two should wear the same costumes since you're co-hosts,” Kendra called out over her shoulder.
“How did she hear us?” Claire mouthed to Massie.
“What a cute idea,” Judi chimed in.
Massie touched Claire's arm lightly as if to say, “Stand back and let me deal with this one.”
“Mom, that's a great idea if only we thought of it a few days ago,” Massie said. “It's just that I already have a costume commitment with Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen. Oh, and Claire really wants to be a Powerpuff Girl, so maybe next year.”
“Oh, come on. You could go as the PARTYpuff Girls,” Judi said.
Claire rolled her eyes. She thought she'd die of embarrassment.
“Uh, that's okay,” Massie said. “Things are fine the way they are.”
“Claire, wouldn't you rather be a Dirty Devil with Massie and her friends?” Kendra asked.
“Uh, yeah, I guess, but—”
“You were a Powerpuff Girl last year,” Judi said.
“I know, but—”
Claire could feel Massie glaring at her.
“Then it's settled.” Kendra pulled something invisible from her long eyelashes. “You'll both be Dirty Devils.”
Claire's stomach dropped like she was going down a steep roller coaster.
“Uh, okay,” she said.
Todd looked at Massie and giggled. He quickly brought his icing-covered hand to his mouth.
“Sorry,” Claire muttered under her breath.
But Massie turned her head away and tugged on her Armani tie belt.
Claire stepped into her line of sight and tried to apologize again, but Massie crossed her arms and said nothing.
Claire had the chilling suspicion that Massie would start acting like a devil a few days earlier than planned.