Ambition Read online

breath. She stormed across the room. Everyone turned to look at me now. To see what I would do. They must have been disappointed,

  because I could think of nothing. Like a deer in headlights, I just let her come. "Ivy." Josh stood as she passed before him, but she

  flinched away. In two seconds her hand was on my arm. Grip like a vice. She dragged me away from Constance, who let out a gasp.

  "What are you--" "Back off," Ivy snapped at her. Ivy pulled me into the corner near the emergency exit where we were partially hid-

  den from view by a large potted plant. I couldn't see anyone from this vantage point, which meant they couldn't see me either. My

  pulse started to race. Suddenly the airy room was full of murmurs. What was Ivy doing? No one treated the president of Billings this

  way. The thought finally woke me up from my stunned stupor and I snatched my arm back, sure her grip was going to leave finger-

  shaped bruises. "What is wrong with you, you--"

  "I know you were in my room at the Legacy," Ivy said, cutting me off. She stepped right up in my face, her dark hair like two blan-

  kets around those eerie blue eyes. I took an instinctive step back, then hated myself for it. "You found my albums. You left them all

  over the floor, so I know that you know." "Know what?" I said, stalling for time. "Don't play dumb. It's beneath you," Ivy said. Weird.

  Was that a compliment? "Did you tell the police about me and Cheyenne?" she asked. She was all accusatory. Indignant. As if I had

  done something wrong. I lifted my chin and looked her dead in the eye. "Yes, I did. You've got to admit, it's all a little suspect," I said

  firmly. "You guys are best friends all the way up through sophomore year, but now you hate each other out of nowhere? Put it all to-

  gether with your shady criminal past and whatever this deal was with your grandmother and you start to look like a suspect to me."

  "Shut up," Ivy said venomously. She didn't even register surprise at the revelation that I knew about her family and her indiscre-

  tions. "Do not talk about things you will never understand." "So make me understand them," I replied, growing warm from all the

  adrenaline. "What the hell happened between you guys?" "I don't have to explain myself," Ivy said with a sneer. "Least of all to you."

  That sneer got right under my already taut skin. "You think you're so superior, don't you? You people with your rituals and your sister-

  hood crap and your blackball ceremonies," Ivy said, her eyes narrowing. "Well, guess what, Reed? It's your turn now. Your turn to

  find out what it feels like to be blackballed. We're going to see how you like it." I couldn't breathe. All I could see were those black

  marbles in my desk drawer. She had put them there. She had to have put them there. Why else would she be saying these things to

  me? Ivy was my stalker. She had somehow gotten her hands on a key to Billings, whether by stealing Kiki's or getting one in the of-

  fice or finding one some other way--it didn't matter. However she had done it, she was guilty. There was no other explanation.

  "I've never done anything to you," I said through my teeth, trembling from head to toe. "I barely even know you. Why are you do-

  ing this to me?" Ivy smiled evilly. "Haven't done anything. Yet." She turned to go and I instinctively reached out and grabbed her.

  "Stop lying, you freak." Her eyes went wide as she looked at my fingers on her arm. "You little-" "Ivy!" Josh came up behind her and

  touched her shoulder just as she made a move to attack. To hit me, push me, scratch me? I had no idea. But the touch of his fingers

  stopped her. "Come on," he said in her ear. Right in her ear. Their cheeks touching. Josh's skin against hers. I was going to throw up.

  "Come on. Let's get out of here," he said in that soothing voice I knew so well. It sent shivers of regret and longing and pain down my

  spine. "You don't need this. Let's just go." Ivy bent her head forward. Leaned her shoulder into him. "Fine. I'll go." Josh turned away,

  his hand now on her back. He never looked at me. Not once. "But this isn't over," Ivy said to me as he tugged her along. Said loud

  enough for every salivating student in the solarium to hear. "You just sealed it, Reed. Billings is going down. And I'm taking down ev-

  ery last one of you with it."

  ***

  Ivy. It was her. I was sure of it now. She hated Billings. She hated me. Maybe she even had some sort of sick, twisted, leftover loy-

  alty to Cheyenne. She was the one messing with me. She had to be.

  As I walked back to Billings with my friends, my hands shoved deep inside my pockets, the cold air clearing out my senses, it all

  made perfect sense. Maybe Cheyenne was the one who had ended their friendship. If what Noelle had said was true--that Ivy had

  turned down the invite to Billings--then Cheyenne might very well have cut the girl off. Nothing meant more to her than Billings. She

  never would have been able to accept the fact that someone didn't want to be there as much as she did. So maybe Cheyenne had ended

  their friendship, but Ivy still loved her. Maybe Ivy felt as if Billings had been responsible for the end of her friendship, for the end of

  her best friend's life. And now... now she was taking it out on me. "Reed? Reed, where are you right now?" Tiffany asked, leaning for-

  ward to get into my line of sight as we reached the front door.

  "Just thinking," I replied. Oddly enough, I actually felt relieved. Happy. Safe. There was a theory that made sense. One that even

  exonerated all my friends. I couldn't believe that I had ever suspected any of them. Astrid, Shelby, even Missy. I hated Ivy for making

  me into a paranoid freak who thought her friends were plotting against her. But at the same time, I was ecstatic to know that I was safe

  among my friends. Everything was going to be fine. "Don't waste any of your brain space on Ivy," Tiffany said, rolling her eyes. "The

  girl has completely lost it." She yanked open the first door and used her electronic key to get through the second. "You guys want to

  hang out for a while?" Rose asked as we all shed our coats in the foyer. "Actually, I think I'm just going to go check my e-mail and go

  to bed," I replied. "It's been a long weekend."

  I trudged up the stairs to my room, Constance and Sabine trailing behind me, gabbing about Ivy and whether she could possibly be

  a killer. I tried to tune them out, but they were far too loud. "I never liked the girl. The way she walks around here acting like she runs

  the place," Sabine said. "And she looks like a witch. With that pointy face and the dark hair and all the black clothes," Constance

  added. "Honestly? It's like The Wizard of Oz. Cheyenne was the good blond witch all in pink, and Ivy's the scary, psycho witch all in

  black." Sabine paused for a moment. "But in that story, the good witch survived and the bad witch melted." "Maybe we should go

  throw some water on her and see what happens," Constance said flatly as they followed me into our room. As they continued to gab

  over on Sabine's side, I opened my computer with a sigh and brought up my e-mail. Instantly, my heart stopped beating. I had an e-

  mail from Dash. Right there at the top of the page. It was titled "Long overdue," and it had been sent from a new e-mail address. Ap-

  parently he had wised up about his girlfriend's e-mail know-how.

  Finally. Finally something. The guy sure took his dear, sweet time. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure the girls were occu-

  pied, then started to sit down in my chair. I was about halfway to seated, when the chair and the whole world dropped out from under

  me.

  Right beneath Dash's e-mail was an e-mail from Cheyenne. And beneath that another. And beneath that another. I shakily re
ached

  for the mouse and scrolled down. Her name filled the whole page. It filled the entire page after that. And another. And another. The

  more I clicked, the more my eyes stung, watering until I couldn't focus anymore.

  I had blocked Cheyenne's address. Changed my own. I had stopped this. How had these e-mails gotten through. How? Was it Ivy?

  Was she some kind of computer hacker? Was she trying to show me that she could get to me no matter where I was?A bubble rose up

  in my throat and before I could stop it, a strangled sound came right out. I slapped my hand over my mouth, shut the browser, and

  quickly powered down the computer. But it was too late. Sabine and Constance had stopped talking. "Reed? Are you all right?"

  "M'just... sick," I mumbled. And it was true. The second I spoke I felt dinner coming back up. I raced past them into the bathroom,

  slammed the door, and fell to my knees in front of the toilet. After retching for what felt like an eternity, I flushed and put my butt on

  the floor, shoving myself back against the wall, wondering if I'd ever really feel safe again.

  * * *

  The morning was always better. By the light of day everything seemed fine. Nightmares seemed impossible. Still, I didn't go near

  my computer. As much as I wanted to know what Dash's e-mail was all about, I couldn't handle Cheyenne's name staring me in the

  face like that. That was no way to start a day. At breakfast everyone was discussing the upcoming fund-raiser, whom they might bring

  as dates, what they were going to wear, where they would stay in the city that night, when Portia came whirling in with a copy of the

  New York Post. "O. M. G.!" she said dramatically, whipping the paper open and slapping it down in front of me. "Look at this!" It

  was the infamous Page Six gossip column, and staring out at me was a large, full-color photo of Kiran Hayes in a hot pink dress,

  draped all over some Adonis and smiling seductively at the camera.

  She had grown her dark hair out, and it fell in perfect waves over her tan shoulders and back. Gorgeous as always. "What is this?" I

  asked, pulling it closer as Noelle, Tiffany, and Astrid rose out of their seats to better see. "Check the cap!" Portia instructed, pointing a

  manicured nail at the text beneath. '"International It Girl Kiran Hayes celebrates her eighteenth birthday in style at the Ritz in Amster-

  dam,'" I read aloud. "'But don't fret, kiddies. Word is Miss Hayes will be bringing the party stateside next month. Think you're a VIP?

  You'll know if you receive an invite.'" "Sweet!" Tiffany said, sitting down again. "There's nothing like one of Kiran's birthday par-

  ties." "She didn't have one last year," I pointed out. "That was because of all the... unpleasantness," Noelle said dismissively. "Did you

  guys know she was planning a party here?" Vienna asked from the other end of the table. "No," I replied.

  "Of course," Noelle said at the same time, digging out a spoonful of yogurt and berries from her bowl. She looked at me from

  across the table and smirked. Of course she knew and I didn't. Of course. But did that mean I wasn't going to be invited? That I didn't

  rate as one of Kiran's VIPs? "So, Reed. Have you thought about who you're going to bring to the fund-raiser?" Noelle asked, smoothly

  changing the subject as she took another bite of breakfast. "Do I really need a date?" I asked. "I'm going to be busy enough as it is

  without babysitting some guy." "Are you kidding? Of course you need a date," Portia said as she slid into a chair at the other end of

  the table. "How would it look if the chairwoman of the event didn't have a date? Answer? N.G."

  Great. I had no idea people cared about such things. I glanced over at a small table near the corner, where Josh and Ivy sat together

  and alone, talking urgently over their untouched meals. Suddenly I felt hollow inside.Were the rumors that Josh and Ivy were together

  true, or did it just look that way? Part of me wished I knew for sure, but a larger part of me wanted to know nothing--wanted to be able

  to keep living in my own little world. A world in which he was still pining over me. He couldn't have started up with someone else so

  fast. Especially not a girl like her. And he certainly couldn't have been kissing Ivy in front of Pemberly. He was Josh. A gentleman. A

  thoughtful, caring, sensitive person. He just couldn't. As I watched, Josh leaned even closer to Ivy and hot anger shot through me. Did

  he really have to be so public about it? Did he really have to rub my face in whatever he and Ivy had? I was going to find a date who

  would put Josh to shame. I would do it if it killed me. And I was also going to find some way to prove that Ivy had been stalking me.

  He could never be with her if he knew that. Right? My phone trilled, knocking me out of my daze. I fished it out of my bag quickly

  and checked the screen. The call was coming from the manager of the St. Sebastian.

  "It's Cheryl Wallace," I told Noelle. Her brows knit as I answered it, which gave me a thump of foreboding. Did this mean that

  something was wrong? "Hello?" I answered. "Hello, Miss Brennan. This is Cheryl Wallace from the Saint Sebastian," a woman's

  voice said pleasantly. "How are you this morning?" "Fine. How are you?" I asked, confused. "Well, I have some bad news, unfortu-

  nately," she said. I automatically turned away from my friends, swinging my legs into the aisle between tables. "Bad news?" I repeat-

  ed, lowering my voice. "Yes. I'm afraid there was some sort of snafu with our scheduling program," Cheryl said. "It seems your date

  has been booked for weeks." "What?" I blurted loudly. "No. That's not possible." Everyone at the two Billings tables fell silent, as did

  half the dining hall. I placed my hand on my forehead as my heart began a panicked dance inside my chest.

  "I'm so sorry, Miss Brennan, but there's nothing I can do." "No. There must be something. The fund-raiser is less than a week

  away," I said desperately, closing my eyes against the curious stares. "We signed a contract. We... we put down a deposit." "Which

  will be refunded in full, of course," she said politely. "You're not getting it," I replied, my voice so tense I barely recognized it. "The

  invitations have already been sent. You can't--" "Again, Miss Brennan. I'm very sorry. But--" "Don't tell me there's nothing you can

  do!" I shouted. "Who booked the place? Maybe I can call them and convince them to--" "I'm afraid I can't share that information,"

  Cheryl said, clucking her tongue. "But you have to! There has to be something I can--"

  "Please accept my apologies, Miss Brennan. I'll put your check in the mail today." With that, she hung up and I started to hyper-

  ventilate. I placed my phone on the table and slowly turned around, resting my elbows on either side of it. I stared down at the screen,

  willing it to ring again. Willing Cheryl to call back and tell me it was all a joke. A misunderstanding. But the phone lay still and silent.

  "Reed, what is it? What's going on?" Tiffany asked. "She said... she said the place had already been booked. They messed up," I

  replied, looking up at all of them desperately. "She says there's nothing she can do."

  The Billings Girls stared back at me, shocked. I had let them down. I had let them all down. "There goes the fund-raiser," Missy

  said finally. "And Billings," Rose added, looking ill. Tears stung my eyes. What were we going to do? I had let them all down. Every

  one of them. I was going to go down in history as the president who killed Billings. "All right, all right. Everyone calm down," Noelle

  said loudly. "I happen to have a backup plan." "You do?" Vienna asked. "You do?" I echoed, feeling a rush of hope. Noelle looked at

  me and folded her a
rms in front of her on the table. "I booked Loft Blanc," she told me. There was something approaching an apology

  in her eyes. "Just in case." "You what?" I blurted, my relief turning to anger. "Why would you-" "Just in case," she repeated. "When

  you throw together an event this fast, it's always good to have a backup."

  My skin started a slow burn. All day Sunday she had acted as if she had come around to my way of thinking. That the St. Sebastian

  was the best venue for our event. But all the while, she had already gone behind my back and booked the place she had wanted. She

  had been hoping something like this would happen. I could see it in her eyes. "Noelle! You are a genius!" London cried, getting up

  and hugging Noelle from behind. "What would we do without you?" Vienna added.

  Suddenly everyone was getting up, congratulating Noelle. A few people even golf clapped for her achievement. And I had to sit

  there and watch it all. Watch them thank her for saving my ass. Watch her preen at the attention. No matter what I did, no matter how

  hard I worked, it was always Noelle who saved the day. Always Noelle who got the credit.

  DIABOLICAL

  "I am so glad Noelle had a backup plan," Constance gushed as she slid into the seat next to mine in calc class that afternoon. "I

  swear, when you said that place had been booked already, I saw my life flash before my eyes. I mean, to get into Billings and then

  have it shut down? That would be so not fair." "Yeah. Thank God for Noelle," I grumbled halfheartedly, taking out my heavy calculus

  tome. Sabine and Missy looked at each other as they took their own seats nearby, and both scoffed in unison. That was interesting. I

  was pretty sure I'd never seen those two connect on anything. Ever. "What?" I asked warily. The rest of the classroom started to fill in

  around us, but Mr. Crandle hadn't arrived yet. "You know that Noelle booked the St. Sebastian herself," Sabine said, perching on the

  edge of her chair. "Who else has the money to pay for the venue and bribe them to lie to you?" My heart tumbled down along my rib

  cage. "What are you talking about? What do you mean, lie?" Missy laughed and shook her head as she opened her notebook. It was all

  I could do to keep from elbowing her in the face.

  "We were there, Reed. We all saw their schedule. There was nothing booked for this Saturday," Sabine said in a soothing tone, like

  she was explaining a deathly diagnosis to a delicate cancer patient. "The only way this could have happened would be if someone

  called up after we booked it and offered them more money." "No," I said, shaking my head, even as my cheeks turned pink with irrita-

  tion. "She wouldn't do that." I might have been irritated that Noelle always seemed to manage to save the day, but I couldn't believe

  she'd actually plot against me. That she would set up a situation just so that she would have to swoop in and fix things. "Yeah. No

  way," Constance agreed. "Oh, please. Would you wake up already?" Missy said incredulously. "Did you not go to school here last

  year? What would Noelle not do to get her way? " "Nothing," Sabine agreed. "She couldn't handle the fact that you made all the deci-