I always assumed that the hardships and embarrassments that we endured in junior high would never be repeated. Was I wrong!

Just like most stay at home moms, I wanted to have a social life. I wanted a nice normal group of friends that I could have lunch or coffee with and talk about adult topics. I thought I had found this group and relished in the fact that my social calendar was full most days. The group was a fun mix of thirty-somethings that evolved from bunko to supper club and even girls nights out. We had a good time. Little did I know that this group could make a person feel so inferior and so unsettled.

I am a normal (OK that could be debated) 35 year old woman. I have a good marriage (most of the time) and two beautiful, healthy children. After my second child was born I decided not to return to work and thus began the process of making a life as a stay at home mom. I live in a southern town that is growing fast and my husband and I were smart enough to buy a house in the "right" neighborhood before the prices began to skyrocket. We also were members of the "right" church and sent our children to the "right" preschool. Do you see the pattern? I began to meet different women at church and school and began the process of courting new friends. Never once did I realize that in the process of the friend dating I was gravitating to the popular clique. Yes, I said it because no matter what anyone thinks, cliques do not disappear after high school plus, this group was fun! The women were well-dressed and wealthy. They went out to dinner and had parties. Before I knew it, I had become a member of the "Group". I could never keep up with these girls financially but I knew that my personality kept me around and I was a good friend.

About six months after I started really associating myself with my new friends, the leader of the group, or the "Queen Bee" and I really began to connect. That was it! Being friends with her cemented my status as a group member. Life was just about perfect, or was it? The "Queen Bee" was the girl everyone flocked around. She had the best clothes, a great body and a never-ending supply of money. We started talking two to three times a day. Our children played together all the time and I became her confidante. Just to be truthful, her life was not as perfect as it seemed from the outside but I kept her secrets and truly believed that she was a good person. I even began to talk about others and

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