The Christi Clique of Maryville Middle

“Melissa, Kalli! Get over here! It’s time for my makeup check!” Christi said. “Coming!” The two girls said together. Christi pulled up her makeup checklist on her Mac laptop and started reading it out loud.
“Mascara”
“Check”
“Lipstick”
“Check”
“Eyeliner”
“Check” “Girls, let’s go, it’s time for your first day as 7th graders!” Christi’s Mom showed up on the flat screen TV mounted on Christi’s wall. Every room in the huge, luxurious, house had received a TV just like Christi’s as a Christmas present from Jose the butler. The TV’s allowed the Jackson family to talk to each other face to face anytime they wanted to.

“Uugh! Mom, stop nagging us, we’re almost ready, gosh!” Christi whined to her mother. After the three girls were done perfecting each other they stepped to the elevator and rode downstairs. “I can’t believe we’re in 7th grade!” Melissa said. “Yeah I know, it seems like just last year we met in 1st grade,” Kalli replied. Christi could care less about being in 7th grade. She was more interested in Nicole Perry’s new makeover she had heard about. What if she’s prettier than us now, Christi thought to herself. “What if she thinks just because she’s pretty that she can join the Christi Clique?” “Oh well, it can’t be that bad.” Melissa, Kalli, and Christi stepped into the Cadillac Escalade, buckled their seat belts and started discussing the new year’s latest fashions. When the pearly white car approached Maryville Middle School Christi noticed a giant group of students huddled around someone. “What’s going on over there?” Christi asked, suddenly getting worried. All of her bad thoughts about Nicole Perry flooded back into her mind. The girls were relieved to be out of the car because of Christi’s oh-so annoying mother who was just determined to be a part of their conversation. They rushed over to the crowd. “Um-Hell-o? Why aren’t you people surrounding me?” Christi demanded. The whole group of people turned for about three seconds to stare at Melissa, Kalli, and Christi, but then went back to their business. “Well if they don’t adore us anymore, we’re just going to show them whose boss. Isn’t that right girls?” Melissa and Kalli just stood there with their mouths wide open. The group of people had broken apart and there was Nicole Perry. “Oh Nicole, you look gorgeous! How is your mother doing?” Melissa and Kalli swirled around to see who was talking but Christi already knew. It was her mother. Nicole responded with a very rude “what’s it to ya?” And strutted away. “Run, before she has a chance to say a word!” Christi ordered Melissa and Kalli. Mrs. Jackson wheeled around the corner burning rubber and brakes squealing. Three cars honked at her as she pulled into the middle of the intersection. “Uugh, Christi, how did your mother ever even get her driver’s license?” Kalli questioned and begin to feel a little uncomfortable about riding to school with her every day. “Um, I really don’t remember. Oh yeah, her twin sister took the test for her.” Christi responded very casually. “Wow!” Melissa and Kalli replied at the same time. “Reapply!” All three girls said together. They had decided that anytime they said something at the same time, it was time to reapply their lip gloss. “Oh no!” Christi whispered. “She’s coming over here!” “Hey girls! So how was your summer? Good? Terrible? Probably terrible, am I right?” Nicole Perry said in an “I think I’m so special” kind of voice. “Um, I don’t know who you think you are but you don’t talk to us like that.” Christi replied in a very snotty voice. “Isn’t that right girls?” “Yep that’s right; no one talks to the Christi Clique like that.” Melissa said, taking Christi’s back. Nobody seemed to realize that the bell had rang and they were late to the first class of the year. “OMG” Kalli shouted. “We’re going to be late to Mr. Brown’s class! The 8th graders said never be late to his class.” “So what?” Melissa responded to Kalli’s remark. Kalli ran all the way down the hall to first period. Melissa and Christi took their time getting down the hall, not caring even a little bit about being late to class. Kalli, of course made it to class before the late bell. “My number one rule is never being late. You will face the consequences. Number two: If I see your cell phones, IPods, Blackberries, or whatever, I get to enjoy them. Number three: This is history class and nothing else. Our discussions will strictly stick to history and there are no exceptions to these rules. But these are only my top three. The rest consists of…..” Mr. Brown rattled off while receiving nineteen blank stares. He was interrupted by the sound of a doorknob turning. Melissa and Christi walked into the room and took their seats next to Kalli. Melissa was singing to: Umbrella” on her IPod and Christi was texting on her iPhone. “Ah ha!” Mr. Brown yelled, causing Melissa, Christi, and the rest of the students to jump six feet in the air. “You two must be Christi Jackson and Melissa Fargo. The only two dumb enough to be late and use electronics!” Mr. Brown bellowed. By now Christi and Melissa had shoved their iPods and iPhones into their coach purses and immediately pulled out their textbooks and pretended to care about what they were reading.
“Would someone like to read my rules aloud to Miss Jackson and Miss Fargo?” Mr. Brown asked while giving the two girls a strange look.
All of the goody two shoes raised their hands. An hour went by and then the bell finally rang. “Thank God, I thought that class would never end.” Melissa complained. “I can’t believe you two. You could’ve had to make a call to your parents. One for being late and one for electronics.” Kalli warned Melissa and Christi. She always was the one who was worried about homework and detention and stuff like that. “And your point is? The other two girls said together. “Reapply!” They said followed by a roar of laughter. Melissa, Christi, and Kalli were too distracted by their alikeness in words that they didn’t see Nicole coming their way. “Hey buddies.” Nicole said in her usual perky voice. “Didn’t Christi tell you before that you don’t talk to us like that? Melissa texted Christi and told her: she needs to get out of our lives cuz we’re to good 4 her! “Guys, why do you have to be so mean?” Kalli whined. “I think that Nicole might actually be pretty enough to join the Christi Clique, what do you say?” “A member of the EWW Crew, no way, this is so exciting!” Nicole glowed. “I know, I bet we could be the best of friends.” Melissa agreed. Christi started walking towards the cafeteria for lunch and purposely didn’t sit with her friends and Melissa. Christi sent Kalli and Melissa a text: How could u w/out my permission? U guys r terrible! I can’t stand Nicole Perry! Didn’t u hear her? She called us the EWW crew!” Christi took a seat at the nerd table. She slammed five bucks down on the table and started screaming at the redhead freckle faced boy across from her. “Go buy me a low-fat soy latte and tell them to stir it until the cream melts, Now, go!” “Anything for Christi Jackson.” The redheaded boy said back with a glazed look in his eyes. Kalli, Melissa, and Nicole sat down elegantly next to Christi. (Now being a part of the clique, Nicole received lunch seating privileges and Christi wasn’t happy about it)
“Hello.” Kalli said with a blank expression. “Melissa and I ha-“. Kalli’s sentence was cut off by Melissa’s outrage. “You think you’re so pretty. No, really all you are is a snotty, snobby buttface! You better be lucky that Kalli is too nice to say anything back but, oh boy, I’m not holding it in anymore. I’ve always thought you were a stuck up snotty brat. But now that Kalli and I try to let someone else in for once you send a text message saying we’re terrible?” Christi was already mad but now she was furious. “Fine.” If both of you think I’m such a snotty, stuck-up brat, that’s fine, get out!” “What?” The two girls replied in outrage. “Yep, you heard me. Get out! You are no longer part of my clique. If you don’t respect me, you don’t deserve me! You’re the ones who said I was a snotty, stuck up brat… remember?” Christi responded.
Melissa’s face turned bright red with anger. “No, you don’t have to tell me to get out. You know why? Cause I’m already gone.” With that Melissa stormed out of the cafeteria and Kalli and Nicole sauntered behind her. “Oh no, now I’m all alone. Everyone knows the Christi’s are super popular, but that was when we were still the Christi Clique.” Christi thought aloud. “Here you go.” The boy returned with the low-fat soy latte. Christi’s thoughts and soy latte were interrupted by a splash of water landing in her hand. “How could you?” Christi looked up. She was staring at one of the non-popular girls. “What? Who said you could talk to me?” Christi questioned. “You’ve created monsters. You taught them everything they know. Follow me.” The girl cried. Christi got up from the table and followed the girls outside. She was absolutely mortified. Outside stood just about every girl at Maryville Middle, they were laughing, pointing, and staring at Christi. All over the basketball court, written in red sharpie was all of her most sacred secrets that only Melissa and Kalli knew. Christi couldn’t come to her senses. Why would that non-popular girl be so upset? Isn’t this all about me and my secrets? Christi looked closer at the red ink, Not only were Christi’s secrets written, there were photo shopped pictures from the yearbook of every girl looking like some animal or bug. Along with descriptions of why that animal was chosen:

Janet eats like a wild boar

Christi smells like a barn

Christi squeezed her eyes shut to keep from crying, but she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She ran to the bathroom and burst into tears. She couldn’t go to class like this. Christi sat in the bathroom and collected her thoughts and plans all through 4th period. Why had such a small thing made them so mad? “Oh well, I’ll just have to get them back.” Christi walked down the hall alone. She was being stared at and it made her stomach ache. She was used to being stared at, but not for this. The next day Kalli and Melissa weren’t at school. She found out later that they had been suspended for vandalism. The plan was in action. First, stay after school and take four cans of spray paint from the football closet (used to number the field). Next, go to the hallway that Melissa painted in art class. Third, write Melissa and Kalli, and Nicole with spray blue paint all over the wall. Lastly, get out. The next day Melissa and Kalli were back at school. They were blamed just as Kalli had hoped for and they were suspended again! (they were blamed for writing their names on the wall even though they weren’t really the ones to blame) “Melissa, Kalli, and Nicole to the front office immediately.” The principal announced over the loud speaker. “Mission accomplished, hmm, I didn’t know Nicole was involved too.” Christi said, “Well, I guess their suspension doesn’t start until tomorrow.” Christi accidently said a bit too loudly. “Miss Jackson, I’d like to see you too.” Christi whirled around and was face to face with Ms. Allister, the principal. Christi’s face turned purple with fear, her heart stopped, and her knees went weak. She had been found out. In the end, it turns out the night shift custodian had in fact seen Christi write “Melissa, Kalli and Nicole” on the wall. Kalli was in tears and the evil smile on Melissa’s face showed that she was furious but impressed. Nicole sat in the chair probably wondering to herself why she was in the office for something she didn’t do. “Take a seat,” Ms. Allister said calmly. “Ma’am?” Why did you do it?” Ms. Allister asked Christi. “I don’t kn-.” “She didn’t do it,” Kalli interrupted. “It really was Melissa and I.” “What?” Melissa elbowed Kalli in the rib cage. “Well you see, Melissa and I disguised ourselves as Christi in case we were caught, and we were but Christi was blamed,” Kalli lied to Ms. Allister. “Oh and Nicole, she has nothing to do with us. She just wants to be one of us.” Melissa finally started to catch on. “Well, I know that something is going on here and that Christi isn’t totally innocent, but I’ll let you off with a month of detention for you two and three weeks for Christi. Oh, and all of you will repaint the walls and the basketball court. Ms. Perry may not have detention for the spray painting names on the wall but she did help with the red sharpie, am I right?” “Yeah,” all four girls said together. “Reapply!” Everyone responded except for Nicole who didn’t know about the trend. The four girls spent all of their free time in detention for a whole month. Well, Christi went back to her after school shopping sprees after three weeks. The girls repainted over Melissa and Kalli’s name with baby farm animals without human faces. They also repainted the basketball court bright red to cover up the red sharpie. The four girls did become the Christi Clique again but they decided to change the name to the Christi’s so that the word “clique” didn’t have to be used. And also so people would stop calling Christi so bossy. I mean, I can’t imagine why! Christi never really caught on to Nicole but they did let her into the Christi Clique nonetheless. The end of the year came and Melissa, Christi, Kalli, and Nicole planned their trip to Paris. The only question is……what will happen next?