Private (Private 1)

K A T E B R I A N

The Billings Girls never left my side. But even with them rallying around me, I was beyond mortified. I couldn’t believe they had just witnessed all that. Thomas’s vehemence, his mocking. The

things he had said about how much I wanted them to like me. What they must think of me now . . . I couldn’t even imagine. I had to get A NEW BEGINNING

away from them.

“I’m going back,” I announced.

Noelle’s face grew serious. I averted my gaze, embarrassed.

“No. You’re not,” Kiran said. “Screw him. Stay and have fun.”

“I can’t,” I said, near breakdown. “I have to go.”

“That’s it. From now on you are staying away from Thomas

I turned around and staggered blindly into the path. I heard

Pearson,” Noelle said. Her footsteps were heavy and unforgiving as footsteps behind me, and then a voice. “Reed, wait. I’ll walk you we stomped over the cool grass around the football field. “I don’t back.” I turned around. Noelle.

know why you ever got involved with him. New-girl mistake.”

With every step, my bloody knee twinged and I winced, feeling

the humiliation and confusion anew. I was emotionally exhausted.

Thomas had worn me down.

“He said he wanted to apologize,” I told her. “He said he wanted to be good enough for me.”

“Odd way of showing it,” Ariana said.

I hadn’t even noticed her there until she spoke, but now I realized that the two of them flanked me like a security detail. I wanted to say something to make myself look better. To erase Thomas’s

pathetic illustration of me as some kind of loser who was dying for their approval. But I had a feeling that anything I said would just make it worse.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

198

K A T E B R I A N

P R I V A T E

199

“I’m fine,” I said, hugging myself. “I just . . . don’t get it. What We were just approaching the back of Billings House, which was

did I do?”

right behind Bradwell, when we heard the sound of tires crunching

“You didn’t do anything,” Noelle said, her thick hair bouncing

over gravel. My heart hit my throat and Noelle yanked me roughly back from her face as we descended the hill toward the dorms,

back against the stone wall of Billings. We all stood there, not mov-keeping close to the tree line. “He’s always been a mean drunk.