Private (Private 1)

“What?” he said blearily. Then he grinned. “Gimme a break.”

Girl! I wanna be a Billings Girl! They’re my friends ! They’re so nice to He lunged for my neck and started kissing me again, his hands

me!” he fake-whined.

groping.

I couldn’t breathe. He was throwing my own words in my face.

“Hey, come on.” Hot tears sprang to my eyes. “Everyone’s

Words I spoke to him in private.

watching.”

“Thomas—,” I said. It came out as a pathetic whisper.

Thomas leered. “I know. I like it.”

“What’re you, using me now?” he shouted. Thomas stepped

I glanced toward Noelle, who had joined the others. Taylor

toward me. He was right in my face. “Using me to get to them?”

194

K A T E B R I A N

P R I V A T E

195

I was going to throw up. Or pass out. What was he doing? How

But then Kiran was there, hooking her arm under mine, and

could he treat me like this after everything that had happened?

hauling me up with Taylor’s help. Blearily, I looked around and saw

“I—”

that the Billings Girls, all of them, had gathered around me to face

“Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I can’t be used , ” he said.

Thomas. I tried to breathe without choking a sob. Tried to wrap my

“And I no longer want you here.” He grabbed my shoulders and I

brain around what was happening.

gasped as he turned me around toward the path. “So go.”

“Thomas, what the hell is wrong with you?” Ariana demanded.

I stood motionless.