Pretty Little Devils by Nancy Holder

continued. “I was at my grandmother’s house last night. On my way home I saw all these cars and everyone going into this house. Trina Esposito, Stephan Nylund…It had to be a PLD party. And Hazel’s car was there—parked right next to Sylvia Orly’s!”
    â€œOh my God,” LaToya gushed. “Hazel, is it true?”
    Hazel nodded. She felt guilty about being at the party without the rest of the group, but they were bound to find out eventually.
    â€œThey were hanging out in someone’s backyard,” Lakshmi continued. “And they were smoking pot!”
    â€œWhoa!” Jamie gasped. “Hazel, did you do it?”
    â€œNo, I—” Hazel stared at Lakshmi. “Wait. How do you know about that?”
    Lakshmi shrugged. “I saw your car. I wanted to find out what was going on. I snuck around the back and peeked over the fence.” She turned to the others. “You guys, the entire football team was there!”
    â€œThat’s so amazing,” LaToya gushed. “Hazel, why didn’t you tell us Sylvia invited you?”
    Hazel frowned. “She told me to keep it a secret.”
    â€œWell, how was it? Was it as wild as everyone says?” Jamie asked eagerly.
    â€œYes…and no,” Hazel answered.
    â€œYou have to get us invited to the next one,” LaToya insisted.
    Hazel just stared. It was kind of sad, really. Lakshmi, LaToya, and Jamie had no clue. The chances of them actually being invited to a PLD party were slim to none.
    â€œI’ll see what I can do,” she fibbed. “In the meantime, Sylvia asked me to sit with her and the PLDs at lunch. Is that cool?”
    â€œThe coolest,” Lakshmi said. Her smile seemed genuine, a mixture of pride and happiness for one of her closest friends.
    Jamie and LaToya nodded like bobbleheads. Their awe knew no bounds. “Go on. Tell us all about it later, okay?”
    â€œOf course,” Hazel said, unsure if she was lying or not.
    Tray in hand, she made the long walk over to Sylvia’s table. As usual, the PLDs were looking fine. Sylvia was dressed in a sweet, blue-flowered, ruffled skirt and a blue stretchy top. Megan had on tan capris and pointed metallic flats very much like the ones Hazel had worn to the party.
    Hazel had ransacked her closet for the perfect outfit, coming up with a black skirt and kimono top. The skirt was just a bit too long. But she had good black boots, so that helped.
    Hazel couldn’t help noticing that people were watching her as she made her way toward the PLDs. At every table, heads turned and kids nudged each other, taking in the new development.
    Then Hazel saw that Matty’s eyes were on her too. He gave her a nod, almost as if he were offering her encouragement. Her face went hot.
    â€œHey,” she said as she reached the PLDs’ table.
    â€œBonjour,” Sylvia greeted her. “Have a seat.”
    Hazel set down her tray and pulled out the chair next to Ellen’s. The four PLDs shifted, leaning forward.
    Sylvia folded her hands. “Get home okay?”
    â€œYes, thanks. I mean, merci ,” Hazel corrected. “Did you find the cat?”
    â€œNo,” Sylvia told her, her full lips pouting for all they were worth. “Poor kitty.”
    â€œIt’s okay,” Ellen cut in. “I’m sure he’ll turn up.”
    â€œWell, it was a great party,” Hazel said.
    â€œJust a typical little soiree,” Sylvia said airily. “Nice to see that Matty Vardeman accepted his invitation, no?”
    â€œYes. Thank you for that.”
    â€œHe’s looking straight at you,” Sylvia informed her.
    Hazel shrugged. “Lots of people are looking at me.” As if Matty’s attention made no difference. Sylvia’s smile grew.
    â€œSpeaking of invitations,” Sylvia continued, “we’ve been thinking about inviting you to something else.” She paused dramatically.