“Hey, Grant, what’s up?” S asked. His brother had called him unexpectedly.

“I’m worried about Valo. She’s really been taking things hard, despite her attempts to be strong,” Grant replied with a sigh.

S frowned and shut his bedroom door. This sounded serious, and he did not want anyone else in the house involved. “How bad?”


“She locked herself in the bathroom the other day. I picked the lock, worried out of my mind-- she had the water running in the tub for over an hour, and I was imagining… you know, the worst. She was sitting in the tub, just watching the water run from the faucet, and she was whispering the Serenity prayer. You know, ‘Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ S, she hasn’t been Catholic since she was twelve!”

“Things are that bad?” S asked, surprised. He didn’t know Valo well, but she seemed very strong and independent-- not the type to be upset by petty matters.

“Yeah. Oh, God, I don’t know what to do, other than say it’ll pass. I know she’s losing hope, and knowing the situation will blow over is a shallow comfort at best.”

“I wish I could help,” S said slowly, “but Charise and I are busy with our own concerns.”

“What’s the problem?”


“You know that high school news show Charise helped create?”

“Yeah. What happened, dissention amongst the ranks?” Grant responded.

“Worse,” S said with a sigh. “All of them have apparently been recruited by rival organizations. There hasn’t been a Clique News Crash release in weeks.”

“So, the news crew is no more?”

“Looks that way,” S replied. “But, here’s to hoping for a small miracle that brings them back together, eh?”

“Send some of that miracle over here, little bro,” Grant said softly. “Valo’s situation is pretty dire.”


Emily squinted, her vision blurred by her lack of glasses.

“You don’t need ‘em,” Andi had said. “We’ll be your eyes.”

Her hair hung back with a pink scarf tied in to keep the bulk of her hair out of her face. Her outfit was trendy and was similar to those of the other drama members.

“Now you look like one of us,” Andi remarked, clapping her hands delightedly.

The others-- Dina, Kayla, Renee, Clark, Brandon, and Troy-- murmured in approval.

“Let’s go to my house,” Dina suggested. “My folks aren’t home, and my bro can get us some party supplies.”

“Awesome,” Kayla squealed. “I freaking love your brother. He always gets everything we need.”

“Plus, he’s pretty hot,” Renee added.

“Come on, Emily,” Andi said. “You’ll have so much fun.” She scanned the boys briefly. “Brandon, you’re responsible for Emily. Make sure she doesn’t run into anything and that she has fun.”


“Take a hit, Ophelia,” Julia said impatiently. “We’re waiting.”

Ophelia shook her head and passed the prized item to the nearest person. “I’ll pass,” she said.

“You’re such an old lady,” Jared muttered, inhaling deeply. He passed it over to Julia. “Ju, I thought you said she’d be more fun.”

Ophelia frowned, trying to change the subject quickly to something, anything. Finally, she blurted out, “Hey, how about crashing a party?”

Ness sat up from her sprawled out position on the sofa. “Brill,” she exclaimed agreeably. “But who do we know who’s having a party?”

“The drama queens,” Luke blurted out. “Todd’s kid sister is in the group. He told us they asked him to get some beer and junk like that. Also, rumor has it they’re inviting a bunch of other people. Might be fun to gatecrash.”

“Let’s do it,” Julia exclaimed.

Ophelia sighed. I miss Emily, she thought. She knew how to have fun without drugs.


“Dudes!” Lyle yelled, racing into the living room. The other guys looked up from the video game.

“What?” Rick asked impatiently.’

“Drama club’s having a blowout,” Lyle announced.

AJ rolled his eyes. “Those freaks? Why bother?” he asked.

“Someone from the art club called and said they’re crashing. I think we need to show these artsy-fartsy types how to party.”


“The drama club’s holding a party,” Angela breathlessly exclaimed, shutting her phone and pocketing it.

“So what?” Heather asked.

“The art club and the athletes are planning to attend,” Angela continued.

Sherrie frowned. “The girls in the art club and drama club might go after our guys. We need to go over there and make sure no hanky-panky goes on,” she said, settling the matter.


“So, there’s this party…” Tiffani began.

Danielle shook her head. “No way, Tiff,” she said. “I’ve had enough carbs and sugar today.”

The others echoed similar sentiments. Tiffani scowled. “Whenever there’s something going on, you’re all like, ‘No, it’s bad for my diet’ or ‘Too fattening.’ You’re all skinny as sticks! What diet are you on, the ‘Eat It and Puke’ diet? Is that why you guys are always running to the bathroom after eating anything we make here?” She rose. “I’m not going to live my life scared of gaining weight. So, I’m going to that party, and I’m going to enjoy myself.”

“Tiffani, if you go, we’re kicking you out,” Danielle threatened.

“Do it, then,” Tiffani said sharply. “If I wanted to be around weight-obsessed dopes, I’d have stayed with the damn cheerleaders. You guys have a lot in common with ‘em; you can all get together and have a pukathon.” Tiffani turned on her heel and, without turning her head to look at the others, added, “See ya.”