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swer. I knew I had been in my own, tortured little world the past couple of days, but I couldn't afford to ostracize my friends. Especial-
ly not now. These girls were all I had left. "It's not you," she replied, laying her book aside. Relief. I got up and walked over to sit at
the foot of her bed. "So what's up? I swear I won't get mad." Unless you're after Josh too. Then, no guarantees.
Sabine shot me a hesitant look. Then she seemed to make up her mind. She pulled her knees up and hugged them to her, resting her
chin on the left one. "It's Noelle," she said, deep resignation in her voice. Of course. Instantly, my shoulder muscles coiled. Truth? I
was sick of Sabine complaining about Noelle. She had been doing it ever since the day Noelle had returned to Easton, and it was start-
ing to grate on my nerves. Why couldn't the two of them just get along? Or at the very least, let each other be. "What about Noelle?" I
asked, sounding defensive. "See?" Her green eyes widened. "This is why I didn't want to tell you! You're just going to defend her."
I took a deep breath and pulled myself all the way up onto her bed, sitting with my legs curled under so I could face my roommate.
Patience, Reed. This girl is one of your best friends. Don't bite her head off for having feelings. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just... you
guys are my best friends. I wish you could just bury the hatchet or whatever. But if she did something, I want to know about it. So
what happened?" Sabine dropped her knees down, plopped a green throw pillow onto her lap, and toyed with the chenille fringe along
the edge. "I just don't understand why it's automatically assumed that she'll be the one to go to New York with you. It's like whatever
you do, she just expects to be included."
"Well, Noelle lives in New York. She knows the place like the back of her hand. And I've been there exactly three times," I replied.
"I need her there." "But London and Vienna are going, no?" Sabine asked. "They know the city well too." I shifted my legs into a
more comfortable position. "Well, yeah..." Sabine tossed the pillow aside and leaned forward. "It just felt like once again she was in
charge," she told me. "She's so proprietary when it comes to everything Billings. It's like she can't accept the fact that you're the pres-
ident now." I sighed at the overplayed riff. Sabine had been telling me this for weeks. She hadn't trusted Noelle from the moment they
met, and she was overly protective of me and my presidency. I knew it must have been hard for Noelle to see someone else running
things around here, but she hadn't let it show. Not once. For some reason, however, Sabine couldn't recognize that.
"It doesn't matter if she accepts it or not. It's fact," I told her. "And when it comes down to it, she has way more experience plan-
ning these events than I do. I need her help if we're going to save Billings." Sabine slumped and looked away, reaching for the pillow
again. "It just... it would have been nice to be invited to New York, "she said morosely. "I've always wanted to see it." Instantly, a big
cartoon lightbulb snapped on over my head. This wasn't about the fact that Noelle was going on my Save Billings road trip. It was
about the fact that Sabine wasn't. 'You want to go?" I said, brightening. "Why didn't you just say so?" Sabine shrugged. "Well, you
and Noelle acted like it was just for you and the Twin Cities, so..." "Sabine, there is no
law stating that only the four of us can go. You
should totally come." "I should?" she asked, her mood doing a quick one-eighty. "Definitely! You have an artistic eye. I'd love to have
your opinion too," I told her, pushing myself up off the bed. "Besides, every Billings Girl has to see New York. It's, like, a cultural im-
