Cromwell with his pinched expression. Ivy, looking waxy and pale, clutching the cell phone through
which her father was barking orders. Detective Hauer, holding the X'd-out photo of Cheyenne,
Noelle, Ariana, and Ivy in his gloved hand. Even the lawyer lady looked me up and down.
"Miss Brennan, Miss DuLac. This is not a theater matinee," Headmaster Cromwell said bitterly,
crossing his arms over his chest. " Kindly wait inside."
"Fine. I just want to say one thing to Ivy," I told him. Then I looked her in the eye. Looked right at
the girl who had spent the last two months doing everything she could think of to ruin my life, and
slowly smiled. "I hope you get everything that's coming to you," I said firmly.
Her jaw dropped slightly, and her eyes filled with confusion and ire. But I didn't care. I just
slammed my door right in her face.
"Wow. That was cold," Sabine said.
"She deserves it," I told Sabine, my tone grim. "For everything she's done to me, to Cheyenne...
she deserves much worse."
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SO READY
That night I hummed to myself as I put the final touches on my new-and-improved gift for Josh. I
hadn't felt so at peace in my room since moving into Pemberly. In fact, I had lived a long while in
Billings without feeling this calm and secure. But now, the police finally had my stalker in custody.
For the first time in weeks, I was certain that nothing bad could happen. For the first time in weeks
I felt truly free.I was washing my hands of this mess. Ivy was now officially the problem of the
Easton Police Department.
I slipped Josh's gift into the small red box I had purchased at the stationery store that afternoon,
then affixed the glossy white bow to the top. Satisfied that I had done the best I could, I turned
and checked myself out in the mirror on the back of my door. I smiled at my reflection. My long
brown hair was pinned up on one side, while the other fell in sultry waves over my shoulder. I
wore black mascara and dark red lip gloss I had picked up on that fateful fund-raiser
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weekend in New York. Sparkling in my earlobes were the diamond earrings Walt Whittaker had
given me last year. The effect was totally simple and totally glam. But the best part was the dress. I
was wearing the red Nicole Miller dress Portia had bought for me all those weeks ago. It had only
been worn once before, when I'd gone on that awful date with Hunter Braden, and I had a feeling
he wouldn't remember it at all, considering how very self-absorbed he was. The Billings Girls
would all remember it, of course, and that was exactly how I wanted it. Wearing this dress meant
they hadn't beaten me. Wearing this dress meant I had risen above.
I just hoped Portia didn't try to tear it off me like the ugly stepsisters had done to Cinderella. That
would not be pretty.
There was a knock at the door and I quickly opened it. Sabine and Constance stood in the hallway,
cuddled into their long wool coats. Constance's red hair was pulled back from her face with wisps
hanging down around her cheeks, and she wore more eye makeup than I had ever seen her
attempt before. Sabine was looking as natural as ever, but she had woven a small braid into her
hair on the right side and clasped it with a tiny rhinestone clip.
"Reed, you look gorgeous," Sabine gushed, looking me up and down.
"Ready to party?" Constance asked, pushing herself up on her toes in excitement.
A little thrill ran right through my chest. This was the first night of the rest of my life. I grabbed
Josh's gift and my coat on my way out the door.
"You have no idea how ready."
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THE EASTON HOLIDAY DINNER
"So, is anyone making a toast?" Constance asked, taking a sip of red punch."No way," Sonal replied
with a snort. "I could never get up in front of the entire school and do that."
"I know. Me neither," Constance said. "Worst nightmare."
Much to my shock, Constance had stayed by my side for the entire cocktail hour--or mocktail hour,
I suppose, since only sodas, punch, and sparkling cider were served. Maybe Sabine's bravery was
rubbing off on her. Whatever the cause, I appreciated it. In fact, before long I was surrounded by
friends. Constance, Sabine, Marc, Astrid, Diana, Sonal, Shane. For a leper I was doing quite well for
myself.
"Really getting a lot of mileage out of that dress, aren't you, Reed?" Shelby asked, looking me up
and down with a sneer as she, Portia, and the Twin Cities strolled by. Shelby was wearing a royal
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blue dress I had never seen before, with an asymmetrical, off-the-shoulder neckline and full skirt.
"It is the only one she's got," Portia added. She was, as ever, sporting her signature green--a slim-
cut dress that showed off every single curve.
There was definitely a comeback in there. Something about how Portia only ever wore the same
nasty color, but they sidled off before I could respond, laughing happily at their lame insults.
Okay. So maybe I wasn't doing perfection.
"Ignore those cows," Astrid said, laying a cold hand on my bare arm. She was as funky as ever in a
punked-out pink dress with black and purple netting over the skirt and a pillbox hat. Her shoes
were black lace high-top Converse. "Instead, let's discuss how the Crom has completely
transformed the cafeteria. I expect it took him ages to plan all this. Perhaps he has a soft side after
all."
"I kind of doubt the last part, but it is pretty spectacular," I admitted.
On every window hung a real fir wreath decorated with pine-cones and red ribbons, and real
evergreen swags were draped along the walls, strung with white lights as well, filling the room
with the comforting scent of fresh pine. All the chairs were covered in green velvet and secured
with red bows, and at each china place setting was a small favor of Godiva chocolate, presented in
a little red sleigh. But the real main attraction was the clothes. The students of Easton definitely
knew how to clean up. Everywhere I looked there were velvet frocks and pearls, wrist-length
gloves and kitten heels, tuxes and silk
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scarves. It was one big constant-motion fashion show. Even the flasks the guys were hiding in the
pockets of their jackets were superchic. Monogrammed or platinum or leather or, in Dominic
Infante's case, Gucci.
And then, of course, there was the tremendous Christmas tree in the center of the room. The star
at the top nearly brushed the panes of the skylight, and every sparkling ornament on the tree was
perfectly placed. White lights twinkled and winked from its boughs, and the garland was made of
hand-strung popcorn and cranberries.
"Do you think the garland is real?" I asked.
"It is. I already checked," Marc said, popping an hors d'oeuvre into his mouth.
"How did you check?" Constance asked.
Marc turned pink and shrugged one shoulder. "I ate a kernel."
Everyone laughed and I let myself bask in the total peace and tranquility of the moment. For the
first time in so long I felt normal. I felt social. I felt warm. Over by the tree, students were lining up
to add their gifts to the pile, which was now overflowing into the aisle between tables in both
directions.
"So, who did you get in the gift thing?" Astrid asked me.
I gla
nced at Marc, who looked quickly away. "I'll never tell," I replied.
"Oh, rubbish! It's over now. You have to tell," Astrid wheedled.
I blushed and shook my head. The last thing I wanted was for all my friends to be watching Josh
when he opened his present. "Nope! Never!"
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"God. I wish I had been there," Sonal whispered behind me.
"Been there for what?" I asked, tuning in and hoping to distract Astrid.
Sonal looked at Diana and Shane as if she had been snagged.
"When they dragged Ivy off," Shane answered for her. "Did you see anything?"
I glanced around to see if anyone was listening in, then took a step closer to Sonal, drawing the
entire group into a tighter circle. I had never been big on gossip and rumors, but for once there
was a story I was dying to spread. If only because this story might finally prove to everyone that I
was innocent.
"Not much," I admitted. "But Sabine and I heard the whole thing. It sounded like they were pretty
convinced she had something to do with Cheyenne's death."
Of course, I'd heard nothing of the sort. But I knew what I knew.
"The girl is definitely guilty," Sabine put in. "You could see it all over her face."
"You must be freaking out, Reed," Constance said. "I mean, Josh is dating her."
"I know," I replied, my heart sinking.
I looked over my shoulder again and immediately found Josh in the mingling throng. I had been
paying attention to his whereabouts all night. He had been sticking close to his usual crowd, Trey,
Weston Bright, and the other guys from Ketlar--and seemed to be having a good time, considering
his girlfriend was in police custody. Was it because he couldn't care less about Ivy, or because
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he was so convinced that nothing would come of it? So convinced of her innocence.
Oh, how I hoped it was the former.
"Well, at least it gets you off the rumor mill," Diana said with a small smile. "You must be happy
about that."
"You have no idea," I told her with a laugh.
Soon everyone would know that I was innocent. Soon Noelle and Josh would realize that I had
been right all along. That I had saved them both from being hurt. Soon everything would be back
the way it was supposed to be.
Well, almost the way it was supposed to be. I spotted Amberly on the other side of the room,
wearing a light blue sheath and holding court with Missy and Lorna. With her around, there would
be no room for me in Billings, even if Noelle miraculously decided to forgive me. Part of me
wanted to grab the cocktail sauce from a passing waiter's tray, go over there, and dump it over her
platinum blond head--get back at her for destroying my room the way she had, for invading my
privacy, trashing my things, trying to take my place. But I simply clenched my fingers and told
myself to chill. Now was not the time or the place. There was always tomorrow for a catfight.
Tonight I was focusing on the positive.
A sudden tinkle of silver bells brought the conversation in the room to a complete halt.
Headmaster Cromwell stepped up in front of the tree. For a man who had just watched two of his
students get hauled off by the cops, he was looking calm and composed. Happy, even.
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"If everyone will take your seats, the first course is about to be served," he announced, with the
proud air of someone who was pulling off the event of the season.
"I'll see you guys later?" I said to Marc, Sabine, and the other Billings Girls.
"Definitely," Constance replied.
With a smile, I wove my way toward the Pemberly table with Diana, Shane, and Sonal. It was so
nice to feel as if I had friends again. But at the same time, my heart started to pound with
trepidation. The start of the meal meant that the moment of truth was coming. I hugged myself
and hoped that I was prepared. Before long, my fate would be decided.
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* * *
"So I just want to say 'Hells, yeah' to the members of the men's soccer team!" Trey announced,
gesturing so vehemently with his right hand that his sparkling cider sloshed over the side of the
glass in his left. "Thanks for the most kick-ass senior season ever!"
The members of the team, peppered throughout the room, went wild, and everyone else joined
in, cheering for Trey's toast as he downed his drink. Headmaster Cromwell, however, didn't look
all that pleased.
"Thank you, Mr. Prescott," he said, stepping up behind Trey and laying a heavy hand on his
shoulder. "That was very eloquent," he said sarcastically.
Trey glanced at the headmaster, chagrined, and dropped into his chair. Across the table from Trey,
Josh shook his head and smirked. The speech was kind of out of character for one of the most
mature guys on campus. I wondered if Trey had brought along his own flask, or if he had been
sipping from someone else's.
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"And now, moving on to Pemberly..." Headmaster Cromwell stepped up to the end of our table.
My breath caught in my throat and instantly, my body temperature doubled. This was it. Now or
never. "Would any of the Pemberly ladies care to make a toast?"
Everyone at the table glanced at everyone else. I was just starting to think it might be wise to wait
for someone else to go first, when it became clear that no one had any intention of saying a thing.
I suppose the women of Pemberly weren't exactly an extroverted crowd. Headmaster Cromwell's
lips pursed in annoyance, and suddenly I found myself raising my hand at table level.
"I have something to say."
Instantly, murmurs sprung up at all the surrounding tables and quickly spread the length and
breadth of the room. My heart started to pound in earnest.
"What's she going to say?" Amberly whispered. "Thanks for letting me get away with murdering
one of my friends?'"
Right. So even though the news of Ivy's arrest had spread across campus like a bad stomach flu, I
guess not everyone believed in her guilt quite yet. I had expected the headmaster to be relieved
that Pemberly wasn't going to entirely let him down. Instead, his face clouded over. I really was
not his favorite person on campus.
"Fine, then," he said gruffly. He lifted his chin and announced to the room, "Miss Reed Brennan
would like to make a toast!"
The level of buzz in the room grew as I awkwardly pushed my chair back and stood. This was it. My
big, brilliant win-Noelle-back plan. I had publicly humiliated her with the Dash video. The only way
I
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could think of to make up for it was to publicly praise her.
My knees were quaking like a Jell-O mold in an earthquake, and for the first time, I was annoyed
with myself for not bringing my notes along. I had thought it would be more sincere if I spoke from
the heart, without the aid of index cards. But now that I could see the disapproving faces at the
Billings table, I couldn't remotely recall what I'd been going to say.
My heart pounded quick and shallow. Everyone here was against me. I couldn't do this. What was I
thinking? In about two seconds people were going to start hurling half-eaten rolls at me.
Then I looked at Noelle. She was watching me with amused interest, her arm crooked over the
back of her chair, her legs crossed at the knee, the full, scalloped skirt of her black dress drap
ing
elegantly toward the floor. This was for her. I had to remember that. This was all for her.
"I would like to toast Noelle Lange," I announced in a loud, clear voice.
That really got the room going. Chairs squeaked, people laughed, incredulous voices filled the
room. How was I ever going to get them to shut up? I glanced at Sabine helplessly, but her mouth
was hanging open in total shock. Constance and Astrid looked blown away as well. All right, so I
hadn't warned them that this was coming, but couldn't they understand? Didn't they know that
sometimes a girl just had to lay it all on the line?
"Excuse me!" Headmaster Cromwell shouted. "I expect the same silence and courtesy for each and
every one of your schoolmates!"
A hush fell on the cafeteria. An energized, anticipatory hush, but
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a hush nonetheless. Noelle reached for her water glass, took a nonchalant sip, and replaced it on
the tablecloth before returning her attention to me, one eyebrow raised. I could just imagine what
she was thinking:
This should be interesting.I cleared my throat and began.
"As many of you... well, all of you, know, this has been a rather insane and traumatic semester for
me. For a lot of us," I said. "There has been a lot of grief, a lot of upheaval, a lot of rumors--some
very true, some very false," I said, the words of my preplanned speech coming back to me in a
rush. "But I'm not here to defend myself or clear my name. I think that will come in its own time.
I'm here to say that I would never have gotten through any of it without the friendship of Noelle
Lange."
Noelle shifted in her seat ever so slightly. I was getting through to her. I had to be.
"Noelle is a true friend. She is someone who always has your back. Someone who will do anything
for you if you need her. Someone who is creative and good and kind."
At this point I looked Noelle right in the eye. My palms were sweating so badly I was afraid I was
going to drop my champagne flute, but I pressed on.
"And I'm sorry if I forgot all that for five stupid minutes. I'm sorry to have thrown away something
so precious to me, over something so superficial. A friendship that could have lasted my whole life,
over something so fleeting."
From the corner of my eye, I could see that everyone at the Billings
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table was either gaping at me or at Noelle. But the two of us simply stared at each other.
"So here's to Noelle Lange," I said, raising my glass. "A true asset to Billings, a true asset to Easton,
and the true friend I hope will forgive me someday."
There was a prolonged moment of silence. I think everyone was so stunned they forgot where
they were.
"To Noelle Lange!" Headmaster Cromwell announced finally, raising his glass. Not so much to save
me, I'm sure, but to save his ceremony.
"Noelle Lange!" the room echoed.
We all sipped our drinks and I stood there, waiting for a reaction from Noelle. Waiting for any kind
of sign. She simply sipped her sparkling cider and looked at me as if she was seeing me for the first
time. Then she finally turned back to her table, turning her shoulder to me. That was it. No smile.