The Pretty Committee Strikes Back: A Clique Novel

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The Pretty Committee strikes back is the fifth novel of the Clique series, in which Massie Block, Claire Lyons, Alicia Rivera and Dylan Marvil go on a school trip to Lake Placid, New York which is in the Adirondack Mountains.

All of the girls face their own troubles on this field trip. Kristen can't go on the field trip because her family can't afford the $1500 fee. She tries to teach memory classes to earn some money but doesn't succeed.

Massie has started a secret "kissing clinic" (MUCK - Massie's Underground Clinic for Kissing) to regain her popularity, but what the LBRs (Losers Beyond Repair) who have joined this club don't know is that Massie has never kissed a boy.

Claire is trying to get back together with Cam and doesn’t want Alicia to know she kissed Alicia’s crush, Josh Hotz. This is a challenge, because ever since Claire kissed Josh, he's started flirting with her and complimenting her, which makes things very obvious.

Meanwhile, Alicia is desperately trying to figure out who Josh likes.

Dylan is just trying to avoid her famous talk show host mother Merri-Lee Marvil, who comes along on the trip with her camera crew to shoot a Mother's Day special. Dylan dislikes that her mother and the girls' geography teacher, Mr. Myner, have been flirting with each other.

Everyone is still excited for the trip. The girls are especially excited about the boys. But on the first day Mr. Myner confiscates the girls' electronics, extra food and excess luggage, making them only use what they need. And Massie's carefully thought-out wardrobe that she packed is accidentally soaked by her leave-in conditioner. The trip has not gotten off to a good start.

Massie tells her kissing clinic about how she and her crush Derrington have been making out, but in reality, she has never kissed him. Claire is the only one who knows the truth and plays along. After a disappointing first session, Massie runs out of things to teach her students and asks Claire to secretly teach her how to kiss. Everything goes well in the second session and the girls actually believe Massie until right afterwards. The girls in the kissing clinic ask Derrington about kissing Massie. Derrington has no idea what they're talking about and accuses Massie of kissing other guys and throws the M pin she gave him on the ground, right in front of everyone.

While avoiding the angry MUCK girls Massie is surprised to find Kristen in the woods. Kristen had told her parents she was going on a soccer trip and took a bus to Lake Placid. At night she hides under Massie's bed and eats leftovers that the girls bring her.

Meanwhile, Claire misses Cam a lot, so in the middle of the night she sneaks into the boy's cabin desguised in Kristen's soccer clothes and explains the whole thing to him. They make up. Just as they're about to kiss right there, they stop and decide to have their first kiss the next night at 7 p.m. at the Pow-Wow log. To make it more romantic, they agree not to talk to each other for the whole day until they kiss.

To regain the trust of the MUCK girls and convince them Derrington was lying because he was sensitive about people knowing about him and Massie kissing, Massie plans to actually kiss Derrington at 7 p.m. She arranges for Claire to bring the girls to spy on them at the same time and witness her kissing.

However this conflicts with Claire and Cam's scheduled kiss. Claire, who was previously worried that Alicia knew about her and Josh Hotz, thinks that maybe Alicia didn't find out after all and trusts Alicia to pass a note on to Cam changing their meeting to 7:30.

In her jealousy, Alicia doesn't give Cam the note and Cam thinks that Claire has stood him up. Alicia goes after him and tries to kiss him as revenge on Claire, even though she doesn't really like him. Claire finds them, confronts them but before Cam can completely explain she runs away in tears.

That night Cam sneaks into the girl's cabin desguised in Massie's clothes. He and Claire make up again and kiss. Claire is finally satisfied.

The next morning, one of the Briarwood teachers finds a pair of satin underwear in the forest posing an environmental hazard right next to a snowy owl's nest. The teacher holds it up in the cafeteria that morning. Claire knows it is her friend Layne, but to get back at Alicia, she says it belongs to Alicia. Everyone laughs and makes fun of Alicia by chanting "Alicia Rivera's underwear-a!"

Alicia gets upset and runs from the dining hall. Dylan leaves to bring food for Kristen and good-natured Claire still feels the need to apologize to Alicia. Naturally Massie follows her friends.

The girls enter their cabin to find Mr. Myner and Merri-Lee snuggling togetheron a couch. Dylan is so disgusted with them she reveals that Kristen has been living under Massie's bed, then runs away. After learning she's in serious trouble, Kristen follows her friend. Massie, Alicia and Claire run after them deep into the woods (even though Mr. Myner has threatened to expel anyone who goes into the woods without permission).

They become disoriented on the trail and spot what they believe to be a bear. Luckily it's only a deer, but the girls start to get hungry and cold. Claire and Alicia start to fight but after a long conversation decide to make up. They find their way out of the woods after being lost the whole morning. When they return to the campsite people are searching all over for them.

Mr. Myner lectures them and then informs them that they have been expelled.