Private (Private 1)

in historical New England. Farmhouses, covered bridges, skaters

“They all get good grades—”

on a frozen pond. All very quaint and old-fashioned. All almost

“Even if your grades sucked before. Go figure,” Diana Waters,

funny when juxtaposed against the kid with the MP3 player who was another girl from our floor, interjected. She was a pixie-ish girl executing a sleeper hold on some other guy in an effort to comman-with short blond hair and clear braces. “Plus every captain of every deer his portable game system. Or the girls swapping summer

team and every president of every club lives there—”

32

K A T E B R I A N

P R I V A T E

33

“They’re achievers,” Missy said. “Women who lived in Billings

table in the very center of the cafeteria. Leading the pack was the girl have gone on to be senators, movie stars, news anchors, novelists.”

with the dark hair and the scar that was now hidden somewhere

“And college? Forget about it,” Diana said. “They get recom-

underneath a pristine white linen blazer and black T-shirt. I flushed mendations from all the Billings alumnae and every single one of just thinking about it, knowing it was there when she had no idea that them ends up at an Ivy. Every single one.”

I knew. She was tall—even taller than my five nine from the looks of

“You’re kidding,” I said.

her—and, I couldn’t help noticing, in flat shoes. She spoke to the

“I shit you not,” Diana said. “Their track record is blemish-

ethereal girl, who walked next to her with her head tipped toward her free.”

friend, but with that far-off expression in her eyes.

“Yes, it is,” Missy said as she spread some low-fat cream cheese Behind them was the sly girl, whose light brown hair was again

on her bagel. “I can’t wait until next year. To have one of those huge up in a messy bun. She led with her hips as she walked, her back rooms? The cages they have us in now have got to be a human rights straight and her chin up. A gawky brunette boy stared at her as she violation.”

passed him by and she winked at him surreptitiously. He turned a

“What makes you think you’re going to live there? I thought you deep, disturbing shade of purple before sliding down in his seat had to be invited, ” I said pointedly.

and hiding behind his manga book. The girl laughed to herself, tri-

“I will be. I’m a legacy,” Missy said. Like, duh. “Both my mother umphant.

and my sister lived in Billings.”

With her was the cherub, whose blond curls bounced as she

Okay. Now I hated her even more. The fact that someone like