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biting her lip. And she had a very good point. Last year I had needed Noelle and the other Billings Girls. Their friendship had seemed
so important to me--to helping me leave my old life behind and become the person I wanted to be here at Easton. But now I was that
person. I was Billings president. And all those other girls were gone. Everyone but Noelle. Did I really need her hanging around, con-
stantly reminding me of how lucky I was to know her?
Definitely not. The door opened. "Reed, we have to talk," Noelle said. I looked at her. Looked at Sabine. My chest was heaving
from all my running and ranting. My heart pounded in my ears. What to say? How to handle this? "Do you mind?" Noelle said to
Sabine. "She can stay," I snapped. "This is her room, not yours. This house is not yours. I may have thought it was once, but I was
wrong. It doesn't all belong to you. We don't all belong to you." Noelle took a deep breath. She crossed her arms over her chest and
looked at me. "Okay. So obviously you're pissed off about something." My skin tingled as I faced off with her. I felt like I was about
to go into battle. Like I was Russell Crowe in that gladiator movie my brother was so obsessed with, standing just outside the gates of
the Colosseum, listening to the crowd that was salivating for my blood. "Try a lot of things," I replied.
"You still think I'm trying to take over," Noelle theorized. Sabine quietly moved away and sat down on the edge of her desk chair
from the side, watching us. "You're not?" Noelle rolled her eyes and tipped her head back. "Reed, we both have the same goal here.
We're both just trying to save Billings. God, this is more for you than me. You're still going to be here next year. Do you want to
spend your senior year in Pemberly?" "That's not what this is about. This is about you trying to sabotage me," I replied, crossing my
arms as well. "Sabotage you?" Noelle's face screwed up in confusion. "What are you smoking?" "Did you or did you not call back
Cheryl after we left and convince her to say the place was booked? " I demanded, my face hot at my own audacity. Noelle appeared
shocked. But was she? "What?" "I think you did. I think you knew all along that the St. Sebastian was going to fall through and that's
why you booked Loft Blanc," I told her. "It's vintage Noelle. Not only do you get your way, but you get to swoop in and look like the
hero to everyone in the process."
"You're cracked!" Noelle said sharply. "I would never do something like that." "Oh, wouldn't you?" I shot back. Noelle took a deep
breath and pushed her hands through her hair, lifting it back from her face. "Okay. Don't get me wrong. There's a lot I'd do to get my
way, but do you have any idea what a huge waste that would have been? My family may have a lot of money, Reed, but we didn't get
where we are by burning huge piles of it for no apparent reason." "Yeah. Right." "Look, I only booked Loft Blanc because I've been
through this before," Noelle told me, lifting a hand. "Two summers ago, my cousin's wedding got canceled the week before the cer-
emony because the place she booked went under. It was a total nightmare. Ever since then my mother has booked two venues for ev-
ery important party we've hosted. And I think you know that this is one hell of an important party."
I stared at Noelle's face. For once her expression was completely without guile. She looked almost desperate. Desperate for me to
believe her. And, to be honest, I'd never heard her try to explain herself so vehemently in my life. "Swear you didn't book the St. Se-
bastian," I demanded. Sabine shifted in her seat, and I knew she was annoyed that I was caving, but I ignored her. "Reed, I swear,"
