Ambition (Private 7)

"M'fine," I mumbled. "Just have to get out of here." "Okay." He stood up, repositioning his stuff as it slid in his hands. "I'm Mar-

cellus Alberro. Marc for short. And you're Reed Brennan." I looked at him quizzically. Why he felt the need to tell me my name was

beyond me. "Yeah." "I thought it was so cool how you didn't back down from Cromwell," Marc said with a smile. I immediately

thought of my encounter with West. Damn. Was this guy going to use my so-called bravery as a segue to ask me out too?

"I'm gonna do a story about it for the Chronicle, " he told me. "I was actually just on my way up to the offices to do some research

and see if they've ever tried to shut down a whole dorm like this before. I'm on the paper," he added needlessly. "In case that wasn't

clear." I heard myself laugh, which was a surprise. "Well, good luck with your story, Marc-For-Short," I said, shoving the door open

and letting the cold air pour in. All I wanted to do was go back to my dorm and do that curling-up-in-a-ball thing. "Thanks. I'd like to

interview you for it, if I could," he blurted. "Now?" I asked. "Now's good. If you can." Couldn't he see what a mess I was? I was in no

shape to be interviewed. But still, maybe it was a good idea. Get the press behind us. Some free publicity. Another distraction. "Actu-

ally, I--" But Ivy's laughter cut me short. It wafted down the hallway from the studio, through the air vents, along the walls. It was ev-

erywhere. And it made the hair on my arms stand on end. Josh had made her laugh. Angry, bitter, brokenhearted Josh was down there

right now, making Ivy Slade laugh. "I'm sorry. I have to go," I said Letting the door bang behind me, I tore across the rapidly darken-

ing campus, leaving an understandably confused Marc-For-Short Alberro behind.

BLACKBALLED

I had to call Dash. He was, after all, the reason I was such a total mess. I had risked everything for him, and now that I knew that I

had risked and lost, I had to know why. Why had he lured me up to the roof at the Legacy? Why had he begged me to be with him?

Why, when he was still in love with Noelle? Why, when all along he was planning on getting back together with her?

Or had he already? Had he gotten back together with her before we had hooked up? The idea sent my pulse into panic-attack mode

as I rushed through the dark to Billings. I had to know. After everything that had happened, I deserved some kind of explanation. I

knew now that I'd been used, but I was not at all blameless. I needed to know how awful my infraction was when it came to Noelle.

Had I simply hooked up with a friend's ex right before they had gotten back together, or had I helped the guy cheat on said friend?

There was a big difference.

"Reed! Wait up! Hold the door!" someone shouted as I slid my electronic key through the slot next to the inner door to Billings.

The outer door was slowly closing as Kiki Rosen managed to slip through. "Hey. Thanks," she said, breathless. "I lost my key." "You

did?" I asked. "Yeah, over the weekend. Probably somewhere between here and Boston. I gotta go to Hell Hall tomorrow and get a

new one. Such a pain in the ass," she said, tugging the earbuds from her ears. I could hear tinny guitar music and drums blaring

through them. She hustled inside and headed straight for the parlor off the Billings lobby, where a few people were hanging out.

"You coming?" she asked over her shoulder as she struggled out of her puffer coat. "Astrid said we were going to talk fund-raiser."

"In a minute. I have to do something first," I replied. I sprinted up the stairs before anyone could protest, taking the steps two at a