THE BLOCK ESTATE
THE GUESTHOUSE
Friday, October 23rd
6:45 P.M.
A blinding flash of light exploded in Alicia’s face as she stepped nervously into guesthouse living room. She screamed and blinked away the stars that swam in front of her eyes.
“Say cheeeeese!” Todd, Claire’s younger brother, sang in a British accent as Alicia regained her sight.
“Todd!” she screeched. “You almost blinded me!”
“That’s the price of celebrity, baby.” Todd shrugged, lifting a giant camera on a strap from around his neck. He was wearing too-short jeans that showcased his dingy white socks, a white T-shirt, and a leather jacket. A wool skullcap was pulled tight over his head, and dark sunglasses shaded his eyes.
“What’s that thing on your face?” Claire called from the couch where she, Dylan, and Kristen were sitting stiffly in their formal gowns. The other girls had gotten to the party early to put a few last-minute touches on the decorations.
“Yeah, what is that?” Kristen squinted at the black scribble of eyeliner that ran from Todd’s lower lip to his chin.
“It’s a goatee.” Todd looked offended. “Alicia said to dress up like the paparazzi, so I’m dressed like Adnan Ghalib.”
Alicia rolled her eyes in disgust, temporarily forgetting her pre-party nerves. She’d paid Todd and his best friend a hundred dollars to play the part of paparazzi for the party.“You mean that dirtbag Britney’s dating?”
“Used to date,” Todd corrected her. “They’re not together anymore. Not since the lawsu—” He realized his mistake too late. “There was nothing good on ESPN, so I switched to E!” he muttered.
“Busted.” Kristen laughed.
Just then, Todd’s best friend, Tiny Nathan, came through the doorway. He wore a teased brunette wig and Claire’s mom’s long black satin bathrobe and heels. Todd doubled over, collapsing on the sofa next to the girls.
“Ehmagawd!” Kristen laughed until she cried. Alicia’s cheeks hurt from smiling.
“And this,” Todd gasped, “is Maria Menounos. She’ll be doing the red-carpet interviews when the boys get here.”
“This sucks,” Tiny Nathan announced.
“You lost the coin toss fair and square.” Todd snorted. “Say it.”
Tiny Nathan dutifully pulled a cordless mic from the pocket of the robe. “I’m Maria, and you’re watching Entertainment Tonight,” he muttered.
While Todd and the girls cracked up all over again, Alicia smoothed the shimmering champagne-colored evening gown she’d ordered from Barneys. She knew she looked ah-mazing. But still, she’d never felt this nervous before a party in her entire life. Maybe that was because Massie was usually the one who took care of the details.
“Your hair looks great, Leesh,” Dylan called, patting her own hair, which had been flatironed and hung just past her boobs. She was wearing a strapless black gown she’d borrowed from the wardrobe department of The Daily Grind, her mom’s popular talk show.
“Love the earrings,” Kristen added, crossing her magenta chiffon–covered legs.
“Thanks,” Alicia said, trying to calm the nerves that were vibrating through her body at top speed. Her hair had been swept back in a loose, elegant chignon, and her mom had let her borrow a stunning pair of diamond chandelier earrings. The jewels pulled her earlobes, but knowing how hot she looked made the suffering worth it.
Diiiiiiiiiing-dong.
The guesthouse doorbell jolted Alicia back to reality.
“Ehmagawd, the boys are here!” Dylan squealed. Kristen and Claire jumped up, smoothing their dresses.
“Todd!” Alicia yelled, even though he was standing inches away.
“What?” he yelled back.
“Door!” Knowing Josh was only a few yards away made her even more nervous than she’d been just a few seconds ago.
“Right!” Todd grabbed his camera and scampered toward the front hall. Tiny Nathan lifted the hem of his black silk robe and click-clacked after Todd.
As quickly as possible in her skintight, floor-length gown, Alicia shuffle-waddled toward the dining room.
“Let’s go,” she whisper-hissed to the girls. “We don’t want them to think we’ve been waiting.”
“Right,” the girls whispered back, teetering behind her in their bejeweled high heels.
When Alicia had arrived at Claire’s yesterday after school, the Crate and Barrel white-and-blue dining room hadn’t looked like much. But she had single-handedly transformed the space from tired to inspired. The white table had been polished and dusted with Dior Night Diamond finishing powder to give it extra sheen. Glowing vanilla-scented pillar candles of varying sizes composed the centerpiece, and star-shaped balloons littered the floor and hung from the lights. The flea market oil painting of a winter lake that hung behind the head of the table had been draped in one of Alicia’s mom’s shimmering gold scarves. And the crystal stemware, ivory and gold china, and sterling silver at each place setting had been buffed and polished to perfection. The room screamed elegance and class. And that was exactly what Alicia was going for. So why did she still feel nervous?
“I bet the boys’ll look beyond cute in their tuxes,” Kristen said, straightening a place card that didn’t need to be straightened.
“I know,” Claire giggle-agreed, tugging anxiously at the oversize canary yellow gown she’d had to borrow from Dylan. “It’s a good thing we’re all dressed up, too, in case we want to head over to Massie’s later.”
Alicia’s head whipped toward Claire. But before she had a chance to ask her what that was supposed to mean, Derrington barreled through the door. He was dressed in jeans, a hoodie, and sneakers.
Alicia gripped the back of one of the dining room chairs, her nails digging into the antique wood, praying she was having a hunger-induced hallucination. Why wasn’t Derrington wearing a tux? She’d texted Josh to tell the boys the dress code was red-carpet chic. So what had happened?
Dylan’s glossed lips parted in shock. “What’re you wearing?” she asked, wrinkling her nose at his jeans and rumpled blue button-down.
“Why’s everybody on my case?” Derrington looked confused. “That weird little girl with the mic just asked me the same thing.”
Alicia finally recovered from her initial shock. “You were supposed to dress for the red carpet,” she snapped.
Dylan flushed. “Ehmagawd, Leesh, I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“I did dress for the red carpet!” Derrington protested. “Not everybody dresses up in a tux.”
“Yes, they do!” Alicia huffed, crossing her arms over her B-cups.
“The Jonas Brothers don’t!” Derrington said earnestly.
Just then, Dempsey, Cam, and Josh hurried through the door, Todd snapping shot after shot behind them.
“Who are you weeaaaaaring?” Tiny Nathan squealed from the living room.
“Would you lay off for a second, buddy?” Cam squinted, shielding his eyes from Todd’s camera.
The girls stood speechless as the guys crowded into the dining room. Cam and Dempsey were dressed in jeans too. Josh was the only guy wearing a tux.
“I can’t believe you guys didn’t have to dress up,” Josh said. He shook off his jacket, balled it up, and launched it across the table.
Alicia’s throat tightened. Didn’t have to? Josh should want to dress up with her, just like he should want to watch her try on clothes at the mall. Anger churned in her empty stomach. In under five seconds, the boys (minus Josh, sort of) had ruined the elegant atmosphere she’d slaved for hours to create. Glancing at Kristen, Dylan, and Claire, she knew they felt exactly the same way.
“Goooooaaaaaaaalllll!” Josh’s yell made the stemware on the table shake. He was cheering for Dempsey, who had folded one of the place cards into a paper football and was shooting it across the table.
“Maybe everybody should sit?” she said tersely, slipping into her chair at the head of the table. Josh sat at the other end, disappearing behind the centerpiece. Alicia was suddenly aware of her throbbing earlobes. How much longer they could possibly last under the pressure? How had Massie always played the part of hostess so incredibly coolly?
“So!” She took a deep breath, putting her ex-friend out of her mind, and forced herself to smile brightly. A Lily Allen song came on over the loudspeaker, and Alicia rang the tiny bell next to her dinner plate. “I have a little game for us to play. It’s called: Which celeb would you rather lip-kiss?”
“Love it!” Dylan proclaimed.
“Wait for it….” Derrington and Josh were holding a balloon over the candle centerpiece, lowering it closer and closer to the wavering flames.
POP!
“Niiiiiiiiiiccce!” the guys cheered.
Kristen, Dylan, and Claire giggled, then stopped when they saw Alicia’s face.
Alicia reached for her water goblet and chugged every last cooling drop to force back the flurry of angry reprimands creeping up her throat. “First question,” she said. “This one’s for the girls. Which celeb would you rather lip-kiss? Robert Pattinson, or—”
Suddenly, the opening beat of Britney’s “Circus” blasted from outside. The boys whip-turned toward the window.
“The fashion show!” Claire squealed, jumping from her seat.
Dylan and Kristen fidgeted with their silverware, pretending they didn’t care about what was going on outside. But Alicia could see Dylan unconsciously bobbing her head to the beat.
Giant white spotlights swung across the Blocks’ lawn, temporarily blinding Alicia as they dipped past the guesthouse dining room.
“There’s only two types of people in the world.
The ones that entertain, and the ones that observe.
Well, baby, I’m a put-on-a-show kind of girl.
Don’t like the backseat, gotta be first.”
“Here come the models!” Claire said excitedly.
That was enough for Dylan and Kristen to spring out of their seats and head for the window.
“ROBERT PATTINSON OR PENN BADGLEY?” Alicia shouted over the sound of Britney. But no one was listening.
The boys stampeded toward the window.
“Whoa.” Derrington’s jaw dropped as he stared out the window. “Isn’t that Eli Manning, the Giants’ quarterback?”
“Where?” Cam and Josh shoved for spots at the window.
“In the audience. I swear it’s him.”
Alicia twisted the gold silk napkin in her lap. Think. What would Massie do to get everybody back? But she already knew the answer: Massie wouldn’t have lost control like this in the first place. Stop thinking about Massie, she reprimanded herself. YOU are the alpha of this clique. YOU are the girl everybody looks up to now. But no one was looking at her now. She reached for the bell and rang it nonstop until Todd appeared in the doorway.
“Appetizers!” Todd announced. He and Tiny Nathan carried heavy sterling trays filled with hand-rolled sushi.
Alicia nodded at Tiny Nathan.
“PoshSpice–ytunarollswithwasabi,” Tiny Nathan squeaked, blushing as he lowered his tray to the table.
“Be right back with the main course,” Todd said.
But no one moved from their post at the window.
“Are those ninth-grade boys?” Kristen asked, standing on tiptoe.
“Is that dress from Hervé Léger’s new spring line?” Dylan sounded awestruck.
Claire tugged at her strapless gown and clamped her arms at her sides to keep them in place. “We should go check it out,” she suggested, turning around.
“Kuh-laire, we haven’t even had appetizers yet,” Alicia snapped, picking at a sushi roll on the platter in front of her.
“But it’s for a good cause…” Claire protested, fixing her gaze on Dempsey.
Josh and the boys turned around too, looking like little kids standing outside FAO Schwarz. Josh’s big brown eyes begged her to let him go.
Suddenly, Alicia wanted them to leave, so she could go home, change into her silk pajamas, and sob herself to sleep. But she couldn’t let them know how upset she was. And she definitely couldn’t let her crush go to Massie’s party and have more fun than he’d had at hers. She’d just have to go with him.
Alicia faked a smile so giant, it made her face throb. “I guess Todd and Tiny Nathan can serve the main course when we get back.”
“Great!” Claire didn’t even bother to look at her as she charged to the front door.
“Awesome.” Josh grinned.
Alicia was too upset to notice that his smile looked especially bright in the glow of candlelight. For a second she stared up at the ceiling, blinking back tears. Massie had come out on top. Again. Why had she even bothered? Maybe Alicia should have stuck with what she knew best: being a beta.
She shuffled toward the door, where her friends were eagerly filing outside.
“Watch the plate!” she heard Todd yell from the kitchen. “I don’t—”
The sound of glass shattering exploded. After a split second of silence, Todd and Tiny Nathan burst out laughing.
Alicia closed her eyes, knowing exactly how the plate felt.
Crushed into a million pieces.