Massie Block: 12 years later, OCD's own Massie Block is editor and chief of her own fashion magazine. She's on top, exspecially with the help of her new assistant. But is this gorgeous newcomer who she seems?
Dylan Marvil: Massie may be the editor and chief, but She, Alicia, Kristen, and Claire are Massie's assistants. Life is nothing but glamour and fame, exspecially sine they are favored over Massie's lowly assistant, Sasha.
Kristen Gregory: Kristen uses her smarts to help Massie create the layout for the magazine. But when a newcomer threatens her place, and everyone in the magazine, Kristen is up for revenge! But will her plots end up destroying the magazine?
Alicia Rivera: Alicia is no longer the prettiest girl in town! Will this Gossip Queen be able to dig up dirt on Massie's new favorite or will she and everyone else be doomed?
Claire Lyons: Her sweet demeanor and be-nice-to-everyone policy makes her easy to minipulate. Will she be able to see through the newcomer's lies? Or will she be sucked in?
UP IN SMOKE
MASSIE'S OFFICE
SMOKE MAGAZINE
1:30 PM
Massie Block finished off the last of her Starbucks and ran a finger through her new short, wild and crazy hair. She had gotten it last week and loved the way she felt in it. Her amber eyes glazed over at the designs she was scanning, and she flipped the page hastily. A pounding headache straight between her eyes had been bothering her for hours, and nothing could help it.
Bored and irritable, Massie slammed the burgundy and gold designs book and opened the first drawer nearest to her, and shoved it inside. She then folded her hands together and rested her head. She scanned the building, but her head assistants were off getting more designs for the next issue. She had no one to tell Samuel his little designs sucked, or to run the book over for that matter. Sasha, her lowly assistant, was in the bathroom and wouldn't be back for another ten minutes. And Massie was desperate for Starbucks.
Sighing, Massie dropped her empty cup in the trash and smoothed her BCBG mahogany sequined crochet knit drape v-neck blazer. She opened her compact mirror and checked for any imperfections. When she found none she snapped it shut and put it back in her purse. She then flung it across the room and spun her chair away in an angry huff.
The view outside was amazing as she looked out her window. Or actually, the entire wall was made up of tinted glass with gorgeous purple, white, and gold curtains on either side that were rarely shut. Massie loved the view of New York City, but today it was lost in her. She couldn't seem to shake off her little cloud of anger.
Massie drummed her manicured fingers on the glass desk and tried her hardest not to pull a Claire and bite her nails. Finally, she just slammed a fist on the table, groped for her cell phone, and flicked it open. Her gold bracelets banged together as she pressed the numbers as hard as she could. BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.
The person on the other end answered after the second ring. "Hello?"
"A-LEE-SHEE-UH!" Massie barked into the phone. "I sent you to pick up the skirts for the shoot, swing by the Agency to see if they could send any more models, pick up my dry cleaning, help K and D carry the other clothes Samuel sent me, asked you to reserve a table for me and my mother and father at the restaurant down the street, and I also called for you to schedule a facial with Marcie over an hour ago. Where are you?"
"Sorry Mass," Alicia panted and Massie could practically see her best friend speed walking down the street, her black hair billowing behind her and her heels grinding into the cement.
"Well?" Massie asked. "GET HERE SOON! Oh- and call Claire and ask her to pick up more Starbucks on her way to the studio. Bye."
Massie hung up and felt a little better since she now knew where her people were. Well, maybe not K and D, but knowing Alicia, she would probably be here soon. Massie leaned back in her chair and was dozing off when she felt a slam on the table.
Spinning around Massie saw a very angry Sasha standing there, hands on the table. Massie raised her eyebrows and placed a hand on the brown book Sasha had "put" on the table. She looked up at Sasha's green eyes and hoped she looked as powerful as she felt. All the anger was building up and she could feel her about to explode. And Sasha's out-of-line behavior made her deserving of Massie's temper.
"Sasha? If that was you who slammed this precious book you will be punished accordingly…unemployment…"
"Kristen asked me to hand this to you," Sasha practically spat. "And I heard from her that Samuel's designs sucked. If I have to run back to his studio I-"
Massie stood, and made sure she was glaring at Sasha with all her strength. "Do you remember who I am?"
Sasha cowered under Massie's unhidden temper. "Ummm…"
"You boss? Sasha, do you remember who you are?"
Sasha bit her lip and lowered her eyes, trying to look weaker in hopes Massie would go easier on her. She shuffled a bit and back away a little.
Massie continued. "My assistant. And therefore your job is to assist me. Now, I want you to go to Samuel and tell him no, his designs are unacceptable, call Stacy ask for a bouquet of flowers, and then call Linda and ask for the guest list that is all now go."
Sasha sighed, nodded, and scurried off, knowing that is she didn't return in thirty minutes she'd as well not return. She's seen in happen to other assistants, and she would not mess up.
Massie smiled for the first time all week and grabbed the book after she heard Sasha's heels click further down the hall. She opened it, and fingered the pages and considered the designs. The first was a deep V-neck cocktail dress that looked disgusting. Massie tore the page and pushed her chair around again to look at her view. Massie looked down at the next page, hated the skirt, and tore that page too. She rolled the designs into paper balls and flung them over her shoulder.
"The guy can't design," She muttered. "How am I supposed to get a good layout if my outfits suck?"
Massie leaned down to stroke Bean…or rather Bean the second. The newer black pug was asleep and could offer no answer to her question. Massie sighed and glanced at a picture of the old Bean that she kept at all times on her desk. The old Bean would've known what to do. Sure, her new pug was good for small talk, but for large problems Massie might as well start talking to a wall.
Massie felt a little pang of sorrow she got every now and then. She refused to cry. She was a big girl now, editor and chief of her own fashion magazine. She'd tried designing, and had been a perfect whiz at it. And she still designed. But this magazine was her way to take over the world. It wasn't enough that everyone was walking around in her clothes. She needed full domination.
But when she looked down at the new designs that she'd been sent, Massie wished that she could just make her own clothes for the stupid F-in shoot.
Wait a minute, Massie thought. THAT'S IT!
Massie swung her chair around and reached for her purse. Scowling, she remembered how she'd thrown it on the floor. Massie grabbed a purple pen, snatched the post it pad and pivoted her chair so she faced the windows again. She scratched at the pad, but the pen was out of ink.
"GAWD!" Massie screeched and threw the pen over her shoulder. Assuming it had joined the other stuff on the floor, Massie swiveled the chair around and reached for another pen in the white and gold mug.
And she came face-to-face with a gorgeous stranger.
"Excuse me," The girl said. "I believe this is all yours?"
Massie eyed the girl for a couple seconds until she realized the girl was holding her pen, purse, and crumpled up designs. At a loss for words Massie took her purse, set it on the table, took the pen, set it in the mug, and grabbed the designs and chucked them in the trash.
"Who are you?"
The girl smoothed her outfit, and Massie noticed the girl was wearing the same black ruffle skirt she had seen in Vogue and wanted. "Well, I'm here because I had an appointment with a…" The girl paused and pulled out a palm pilot, and fiddled with it before continuing. "A…Kristen Gregory?"
"An appointment about what?" Massie asked.
"To be your assistant." The girl said. "Oh. I'm Melissa. Melissa Jordan Hawke."
"I don't recall K having an appointment with anybody," Massie said. "Give me your number, and I'll settle this and see what I can do."
Melissa nodded, gave Massie her number, and walked out. Massie sighed and ruffled through her purse and found her palm pilot. She began to type.
MASSIE'S CURRENT STATE OF THE UNION
IN
Me designing
New pens
A new assistant?
OUT
"Oh, and Ms. Block?" Melissa poked her head back in. "Please consider me. I'll work really hard."
All Massie could do was stare dumbfounded as the girl left, She sighed, shook her head, and returned to her palm pilot.
OUT
Samuel
Pens that don't work
Sasha
Hey everybody, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my first Clique fanfic. Feel free to comment!