The Pretty Committee Strikes Back Part 24

"Puh-lease, she's way too busy snuggling with Mr. Myner." Dylan looked beyond disgusted, as though she had just been forced to lick white deodorant chunks from the geography teacher's hairy pits.

"Well, we're going to freeze to death if someone doesn't rescue us soon." Claire breathed warm air onto her frozen fingers.

"The memory of cuddling up with Cam last night is keeping me me warm," Alicia said. warm," Alicia said.

Claire felt her spine stiffen and stopped moving. She glared into Alicia's eyes, silently asking, "You did not just go there, did you?"

Alicia responded by biting her bottom lip and nodding slowly.

"Why did you two stop walking?" Ma.s.sie called over her shoulder.

"We have to keep moving east if we're ever going to find our way out of here. It looks like we're losing light," Kristen added.

Claire and Alicia ignored them and continued staring into each other's eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Claire wanted to stop herself from saying what she was about to say, but it was too late. Common sense was no longer the gatekeeper of her words: anger was. "Well, I have the memory of kissing Josh and and Cam to keep Cam to keep me me warm." warm."

Everyone stopped.

"Really?" Alicia folded her arms across her chest and shifted her weight to one leg. "Well, at least I have hair on my forehead to keep me me warm." warm."

Claire resisted the urge to tug on her short blond bangs.

"That's just great, because I haaaave ..." Claire stalled while she searched for something bad to say about Alicia's looks. But it wasn't easy. "I have ... I have room in my sweater sweater to keep to keep me me warm." warm."

"Well, you won't have room in those Gap jeans if you keep eating those sours when you think we're not looking." Alicia looked at Dylan when she said that.

Claire's body shook with rage.

"You have food?" Dylan was too excited to be resentful.

"Hand it over." Ma.s.sie held out her palm.

Claire reached into her pocket and pulled out the bag. She felt a pinch behind her eyes and begged herself not to cry. They would think it was because she was giving up her secret food stash, but that wasn't it at all. Claire didn't want them trivializing Cam's gift by calling it food. The gummies and sours were so much more than that. They were love tokens-her love tokens. love tokens.

Ma.s.sie stuck her open hand under Claire's nose. Claire slapped the bag in Ma.s.sie's palm and looked away.

"Seriously, Claire." Kristen sounded disappointed. "How would you like it if I led myself out of here and left you all in the dirt to die?" She dug her hand into the open bag Ma.s.sie pa.s.sed around.

"I'd love to see that." Dylan chomped down on a green gummy.

"See what?"

"See you find your way out of here." Dylan chewed. "Because I think you're just as clueless as we are."

"Really?" Kristen took a step toward Dylan and pointed a finger in her face. "Then you you lead." She sat down on a fallen log and crossed her legs. lead." She sat down on a fallen log and crossed her legs.

"No way," Alicia pleaded. "Dyl, I love you to death but you can't get us out of here. You don't even know which way east is east is."

"No one does." Ma.s.sie twirled her necklace around her finger.

"You do," Claire said softly.

"Huh?" Ma.s.sie looked annoyed.

"You know which way east is."

Ma.s.sie put her hands on her hips. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you have a compa.s.s around your neck." Claire pointed at the gold chain Ma.s.sie had been tugging on all morning.

"What?" Ma.s.sie looked down. "Oh yeah." She giggled.

Claire wanted to remind everyone it was the third time she had saved them, but it was too late. The girls were already hugging Ma.s.sie and jumping up and down, calling her her their hero. their hero.

"Okay, okay." She pushed them away. "Let's not break it." Ma.s.sie pulled the necklace over her head and closed her palm around it.

"Lemme see it." Kristen was obviously anxious to see if she had been leading them in the right direction.

"Not until everyone makes up." Ma.s.sie held her closed fist behind her back.

Everyone's smiles quickly faded.

"Go on." Ma.s.sie pointed her chin at Dylan. "Why don't you start?"

"Why me?"

"Because you were the one who ran out here in the first place."

"Yeah, well, no one told you to follow me."

"Fine." Ma.s.sie smirked. "Then I'll start. I'm sorry I followed you out here. I really, really am. Be-lieve me."

Everyone giggled. Even Dylan cracked a smile.

"Dylan, I'm sorry I said you didn't know which way east was," Alicia offered. "I'm sure you do."

"Forgiven." Dylan waved her away like it had been no big deal.

"Now can I please check the compa.s.s?" Kristen said "Not yet." Ma.s.sie looked at Claire and Alicia.

Alicia turned away.

"Kuh-laire." Ma.s.sie folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Fine." Claire knew Ma.s.sie was right. It was time to end this feud and she certainly had a lot to apologize for, so why not go first? At least if they died out here, she'd go with a clean conscience.

"Alicia, I'm sorry I kissed Josh, but I honestly thought you said you were over him." Alicia didn't say anything, so Claire continued. "And I only did it because I was upset about Cam liking Nina. I was never trying to steal him away from you. I swear."

"Why didn't you just tell me? I spent all week acting like a total LBR trying to figure out who he liked."

"I guess I was scared you'd be mad." Claire lifted her eyes to meet Alicia's, even though she was deathly afraid of what she might see in them. "Or that you'd try to get back at me."

"Puh-lease, that's so unlike me." Alicia batted her eyelashes with exaggerated innocence.

Claire looked to the others, hoping for a little backup. Everyone looked away. "Is it really so unlike you to seek revenge?"

Alicia giggled nervously. Her cheeks turned bright red.

Claire could tell she was making Alicia uncomfortable. It felt too good to stop. "I would have gladly told you about Josh if I thought for one second you'd try to understand. But that's not something you like to do, is it? You'd much rather plan and plot and-"

"That's enough." Alicia held her palm in front of Claire's face. "What did you expect me to do, Kuh-laire? Thank you for stabbing me in the back? Hand you your knife back in case you ever wanted to use it again?"

Alicia was totally right. Claire had betrayed her friend and had been more concerned with the punishment than the crime. Was it because it seemed impossible to, imagine the beautiful and popular Alicia as a victim? Or had Claire been too busy thinking about her own feelings to even try? Either way, she knew she had been wrong.

"I'm really, really sorry, Alicia. I didn't mean to hurt you." The puddle of tears in Claire's eyes proved that this time she actually meant what she said, and for all the right reasons.

"It's okay." Alicia's voice was forgiving. "I'm sorry for using Cam to get back at you."

"Friends?" Claire looked up. She held out her arms.

"No way," Alicia snapped. "Not after that underwear thing you pulled."

Claire had forgotten all about that that.

"Alicia Rivera's underwear-a," Dylan chanted.

"It's not funny!" Alicia stomped her foot.

"It kind of is." Ma.s.sie covered her mouth.

Everyone laughed except Alicia. But the tops of her lips curled up like she wanted to.

"You have to promise to tell everyone it wasn't mine," Alicia insisted.

"Promise."

"Then forgiven." Alicia smiled.

"Thanks." Claire smiled back.

"World peace?" Ma.s.sie lifted her little fingers. The girls gathered around her and stood in a tight circle, linked by their pinkies.

"World peace," they echoed.

"Can I see that compa.s.s now?'" Kristen was bouncing up and down on her toes.

"Yup." Ma.s.sie handed it to her.

Kristen examined the needle, then tilted the round face from side to side. "Oops," she said under her breath. She turned her body to the left. "Everyone ready?"

"Were you trying to get us lost on purpose so you wouldn't have to go back?" Dylan asked.

"I may be scared of my parents, but I'm more afraid of starving to death," Kristen said.

"Don't worry," Alicia a.s.sured them. "My father will fix all of this."

"So will mine," Ma.s.sie offered.

"Mine too," Claire lied. The only thing her father could do was cheer them up by doing a funny dance or singing with a mouthful of Double-Stuf Oreos.

"Great, then off we go." Kristen wiped her eyes and led them back the way they'd come.

"Look, high-heel prints." Alicia pointed to the soft ground. "Dylan, do you think your mother is out here looking for us?"

"Those are deer tracks." Kristen rolled her eyes.

"People eat deer, you know." Dylan perked up.

"I'd rather eat my arm than eat a cute little deer." Ma.s.sie held her hand to her heart.

"I wouldn't mind eating your arm either," Dylan said.

"What?" Alicia giggled.

"It's true," Dylan said. "If I had to eat one of us for survival, I'd pick Ma.s.sie."

"Thanks." Ma.s.sie smiled with pride.

"Why her?" Kristen sounded offended.

"Because there's no fat on her but she's not too skinny either," Dylan explained. "She'd be like a quail or a small chicken."

"What's wrong with me?" Kristen whined.

"A little too muscular." Dylan quickly dismissed her absurd suggestion. "You'd be too gamey."

"Fine with me," Kristen said. "It's not like I want to be cooked."

"Sounds like you do," Ma.s.sie teased.

"And Claire." Dylan tapped her temple. "You'd make a nice little dessert."

"Thanks." Claire wasn't sure if she had just been complimented or not, but she was grateful to have been included.

"Hey, doesn't anyone like breast meat?" Alicia opened her jacket and flashed her tight-fitting sweater.

They all burst out laughing.