My girl Claire was fed tf up. And we’ve all been there. The point where you have tried, tried, tried and yet there is no winning with this individual or situation. She resolved in her mind that the necessary solution was to be exactly like the person who was against her. No, be better. Outthink and maneuver. (Who said middle school wasn’t like the art of war? It so very much was.) And chillleeeee, the TPC (like the royal court when the kings or queens fell from mighty power), secretly have been waiting for it for so long. The backhanded compliments, the whispered judgment of outfits not fitting Massie’s standards, or hiding the fact of simply just being or enjoying something that didn’t fit the “norm” was exhausting (secretly of course). TPC was ready for this shuffle. I, personally, have felt this in corporate life or even in friend dynamics. Trying to appease against the machine or individual that seems very set against you. Sometimes it makes you want to get “the win” even if it changes who you are briefly in that moment.
I'm going to combine my answers to prompt one and three. I feel that a win by any means necessary can sometimes (often) feel empty- at what cost did you win? I can say there are arguments in my life I may have "won" but I feel pretty bad about after for what was said. In those cases, it didn't justify. Does it matter that you won if you hurt someone you love in the process? I've even had times in life when I took a cheap shot at someone who I didn't like. It felt pretty good in the moment, but later on felt embarrassed that I stooped to trying to make someone else feel small. In these chapters there wasn't anyone who I could truly root for 100%. It felt kinda good to see Massie get a taste of her own medicine, but that novelty quickly wore off. I also felt disappointed with Claire but also knew where she was coming from. Its the complexity of being human.
Answering prompt number two! I think that for the PC, there's a ton of insecurity between the group where they know at a drop of the hat, one of them could be kicked to the curb (as we see in the rest of the series). I feel like Massie plays on all of their insecurities, so when Claire was deemed 'ahhh-proved' by Massie and then the PC thought Massie stabbed them in the back by betraying their secrets, they partly felt like getting so close to Claire after ditching Massie was a way to get back at Massie - something they could never successfully do and will never successfully do as the series progresses.
1. Claire was too clouded by anger to feel remorse for Massie, and she overtook TPC more so as revenge on Massie rather than needing to fit in with TPC. I don’t think Claire thought about Massie’s feelings because she channeled her inner Massie to take her down, which unfortunately was the only way she was going to succeed! I felt bad for Massie in these chapters that her best friends were willing to throw away her friendship for a girl they hardly knew. The harshest and most unforgivable act of Claire’s was using Dylan’s body issues just to get back at Massie, from that moment Claire went too far. Dylan would have rocked that mini KUH-LAIRE!
2. The pretty committee befriended Claire just to get back at Massie! I think they jumped ship so easily because there were probably communication issues between TPC for a while and the cracks were beginning to show. Massie was not an easy girl to be friends with!
3. Yes, so maybe I have a little more Claire in me than I thought!
Two wrongs don't make a right, but sometimes it feels like they should... I get why Claire felt she needed to do something to get back at Massie. As bad as it sounds, it's normal to want someone to get karma or feel the way they made you feel - which in Claire's case, was absolutely isolated and humiliated. This part of the book is tough because while, in a way, I was rooting for Claire to pull it off, I also felt like she was better than that and made some pretty low comments about the girls' insecurities. Basically, she didn't need to go that far. But at some point, she did need to take some kind of stand or the girls would have kept making her life miserable. TPC were so quick to ditch Massie for the same reason Claire pulled the chat heist off - they wanted revenge! It definitely motivates these characters throughout the books, whether it's something as small as the little jabs they make at each other, or bigger actions like Alicia switching the ballot boxes at the fashion show because she felt she deserved that win. Whether it is deserved or not, sometimes we just need to feel like we won, even if it's temporary and false.
I don't feel like Claire completely deserved this win I think it was more so the girls kind of falling in line because they recognized Massey no longer had any social standing at OCD. Massie had a lot of money and access but if she doesn't have people looking at her and following her lead , she feels as if they're the loss there. Also I think Claire just felt good because she wasn't at the receiving end of Masie's cruelty but no I don't think it was a deserved win she was just like thank God she's not bullying me anymore
My girl Claire was fed tf up. And we’ve all been there. The point where you have tried, tried, tried and yet there is no winning with this individual or situation. She resolved in her mind that the necessary solution was to be exactly like the person who was against her. No, be better. Outthink and maneuver. (Who said middle school wasn’t like the art of war? It so very much was.) And chillleeeee, the TPC (like the royal court when the kings or queens fell from mighty power), secretly have been waiting for it for so long. The backhanded compliments, the whispered judgment of outfits not fitting Massie’s standards, or hiding the fact of simply just being or enjoying something that didn’t fit the “norm” was exhausting (secretly of course). TPC was ready for this shuffle. I, personally, have felt this in corporate life or even in friend dynamics. Trying to appease against the machine or individual that seems very set against you. Sometimes it makes you want to get “the win” even if it changes who you are briefly in that moment.
I'm going to combine my answers to prompt one and three. I feel that a win by any means necessary can sometimes (often) feel empty- at what cost did you win? I can say there are arguments in my life I may have "won" but I feel pretty bad about after for what was said. In those cases, it didn't justify. Does it matter that you won if you hurt someone you love in the process? I've even had times in life when I took a cheap shot at someone who I didn't like. It felt pretty good in the moment, but later on felt embarrassed that I stooped to trying to make someone else feel small. In these chapters there wasn't anyone who I could truly root for 100%. It felt kinda good to see Massie get a taste of her own medicine, but that novelty quickly wore off. I also felt disappointed with Claire but also knew where she was coming from. Its the complexity of being human.
Answering prompt number two! I think that for the PC, there's a ton of insecurity between the group where they know at a drop of the hat, one of them could be kicked to the curb (as we see in the rest of the series). I feel like Massie plays on all of their insecurities, so when Claire was deemed 'ahhh-proved' by Massie and then the PC thought Massie stabbed them in the back by betraying their secrets, they partly felt like getting so close to Claire after ditching Massie was a way to get back at Massie - something they could never successfully do and will never successfully do as the series progresses.
1. Claire was too clouded by anger to feel remorse for Massie, and she overtook TPC more so as revenge on Massie rather than needing to fit in with TPC. I don’t think Claire thought about Massie’s feelings because she channeled her inner Massie to take her down, which unfortunately was the only way she was going to succeed! I felt bad for Massie in these chapters that her best friends were willing to throw away her friendship for a girl they hardly knew. The harshest and most unforgivable act of Claire’s was using Dylan’s body issues just to get back at Massie, from that moment Claire went too far. Dylan would have rocked that mini KUH-LAIRE!
2. The pretty committee befriended Claire just to get back at Massie! I think they jumped ship so easily because there were probably communication issues between TPC for a while and the cracks were beginning to show. Massie was not an easy girl to be friends with!
3. Yes, so maybe I have a little more Claire in me than I thought!
Two wrongs don't make a right, but sometimes it feels like they should... I get why Claire felt she needed to do something to get back at Massie. As bad as it sounds, it's normal to want someone to get karma or feel the way they made you feel - which in Claire's case, was absolutely isolated and humiliated. This part of the book is tough because while, in a way, I was rooting for Claire to pull it off, I also felt like she was better than that and made some pretty low comments about the girls' insecurities. Basically, she didn't need to go that far. But at some point, she did need to take some kind of stand or the girls would have kept making her life miserable. TPC were so quick to ditch Massie for the same reason Claire pulled the chat heist off - they wanted revenge! It definitely motivates these characters throughout the books, whether it's something as small as the little jabs they make at each other, or bigger actions like Alicia switching the ballot boxes at the fashion show because she felt she deserved that win. Whether it is deserved or not, sometimes we just need to feel like we won, even if it's temporary and false.
I don't feel like Claire completely deserved this win I think it was more so the girls kind of falling in line because they recognized Massey no longer had any social standing at OCD. Massie had a lot of money and access but if she doesn't have people looking at her and following her lead , she feels as if they're the loss there. Also I think Claire just felt good because she wasn't at the receiving end of Masie's cruelty but no I don't think it was a deserved win she was just like thank God she's not bullying me anymore