Part 1 (1/2)
Pretty Little Devils.
by Nancy Holder.
PROLOGUE.
Sylvia: ”d.a.m.n it, Carolyn, I can still hardly hear you. Thank G.o.d you only have one more month on that loser phone. It doesn't get any reception.”
Carolyn: ”I know. I cannot wait. Can you hear me now?”
Sylvia: ”That might be funny if I actually could hear you.”
Megan: ”Same here. I thought three-way calling was supposed to make this easier.”
Sylvia: ”Moving on. Listen, Breona threw down again. At the mall. It was another Josh incident. She said he wants to go back to her, but he's staying with me because I 'put out.' 'Put out.' Who even talks like that?”
Megan: ”You have got be kidding me! What a s.l.u.t! She is dead!”
Carolyn: ”So dead. But you know she was lying, Sylvia. Josh would never say that.”
Megan: ”Totally lying.”
Sylvia: ”It was like she was begging me to lose it right there in the mall, you know? It was in the food court. I was standing in line at Boudin's and she just came over. She was smart to pick a public place. You guys know what I can do when I'm pushed.”
Carolyn: ”She's so decla.s.se.”
Megan: ”Vraiment. Did you talk to Josh yet?”
Sylvia: ”Excuse me? There is nothing to talk to him about. She's lying!”
Carolyn: ”G.o.d, Megan, you don't believe her, do you? You don't think Josh would actually say something like that about Sylvia?”
Megan: ”It's just...I don't know, I wonder how she can lie like that in front of everybody. Josh should know she's lying about him to people.”
Sylvia: ”You have a point. Josh should know his reputation is in danger.”
Carolyn: ”Except...it'll look like you don't trust him if you talk to him about it.”
Megan: ”Then one of us should talk to him.”
Sylvia: ”Maybe Ellen should. She's so nice. By the way, Ellen is our second agenda item, after we take care of this.”
Megan: ”Yeah, because she was wearing that r.e.t.a.r.ded outfit again-”
Sylvia: ”Megan, second agenda item.”
Carolyn: ”Right. Back to the first. Breona is such a ho.”
Sylvia: ”Well, it's just stupid, anyway. The way she deals with guys is dysfunctional. If I ever thought Josh really was staying with me because I-because we-”
Megan: ”She's so wrong. How can she think she can get away with this?”
Sylvia: ”That's my point. She can't. By the way, she talked about the incident, too. You know which one I mean.”
Megan: ”Oh my G.o.d.”
Carolyn: ”That s.k.a.n.k. She really is looking for trouble.”
Sylvia: ”Absolutely. But, as you say, no one will believe her. No one believed all the other gossip about your little entanglement. It died down over the summer. With the pictures.”
Megan: ”Was Stephan there when she mentioned it?”
Carolyn: ”Megan, get over Stephan. He just brings it up to get a reaction out of you.”
Megan: ”Whatever. We need to discuss how we're getting back at Breona.”
Sylvia: ”Give me your best ideas tomorrow morning. Before school. We are seriously weakened as a group if Breona thinks she can just say whatever she wants without any repercussions. Now, on to the second item. Let's talk about Ellen.”
Megan: ”She's been a total humiliation lately. That dress-”
Sylvia: ”One bad outfit I could forgive. But that hair...This is the beginning of junior year, ladies. We have to take ourselves seriously, or no one else will. When Ellen started falling all over that guy at the movies-”
Carolyn: ”She does act a little dorky on occasion....”
Megan: ”A little? His friends were laughing at us. She didn't even notice.”
Sylvia: ”Ladies, ladies. I don't want to get rid of Ellen. She's been really loyal, and she's a good friend to all of us. But it is a bit of a problem.”
Megan: ”It's like you always say, Sylvia. We are known by the company we keep. If we hang with losers, we're losers. We've worked hard to get where we are. We all take pains to look good, to be popular. What we do reflects on all of us.”
Sylvia: ”No. No dumping Ellen. It is not an option. We don't want people saying we turn our backs on our friends. It would be terrible publicity. Breona would jump all over it. And she would probably invite Ellen into her group just to get to all our secrets.”
Carolyn: ”Ellen would rather die than betray us.”
Sylvia: ”Well, it's a situation, definitely. She's losing ground. Maybe she's working too hard, babysitting too much. We could cut back on her jobs....”
Megan: ”Then we would have to do them. I've already got tons of homework, and Mrs. Sprague said I have to get some more extracurriculars if I'm going to get into a decent college.”
Carolyn: ”Like your brother?”
Megan: ”Back off, Carolyn!”
Carolyn: ”G.o.d, Megan, what's your problem? Your brother goes to a serious school. Does that, like, freak you out or something?”
Sylvia: ”Megan? Are you keeping something from us? Because friends share.”
Megan: ”No. It's nothing. I didn't understand what she meant.”