Ambition (Private 7)

the presidency. Wouldn't dating Trey be a bit too morbid?" For a long moment no one spoke. My heart felt sick. What was Astrid im-

plying? That I was trying to take Cheyenne's place? I knew she and Cheyenne had been friends for years, but she had told me they

were never that close. So this was an odd comment to make. Was she upset with me for taking the presidency and running with it? Up-

set enough, perhaps, to plant black marbles in my desk drawer?

"What?" Astrid said innocently as everyone looked at her. "I'm just saying I think people would talk." "Okay. Moving on..." Noelle

said, shaking her head incredulously. "Hunter is right over there, Reed," Tiffany said, leaning in from the far end of the table. "Why

don't you go talk to him?" I glanced over at Hunter, who sat at one of the smaller tables with Trey and West, looking as hot as ever in

a striped shirt and semi- destroyed blazer. My eyes instantly flicked to Josh's usual table, but he wasn't there. Still, that feeling of long-

ing in my heart told me all I needed to know. "I just can't, you guys," I said. "I'm not ready to--"

The cafeteria doors opened, and this time I looked right away. The entire cafeteria seemed to screech to a standstill as Josh Hollis

and Ivy Slade strode through those doors together. He was wearing my favorite sweater of his--high-collared and gray--and looked

amazing, his dark blond curls all tousled by the wind. She looked like a witch in her slim black coat, her raven hair parted down the

middle. A gorgeous witch, but a witch nonetheless. A witch whose head was bent so close to Josh's as they walked and whispered, I

saw their temples brush. As I sat there, catatonic, the pair of them strolled right by me. Right by me without a glance. I felt like I was

going to retch. "They're not--" I couldn't even finish the sentence. "I don't know. They have been hanging out a lot the last couple of

days," Missy sang, sounding happy to impart the gossip.

No. Not possible. Why Ivy? Why did it have to be Ivy? Did he hate me that much? "Are you all right?" Sabine asked me. "She's

fine," Noelle replied for me. She leaned across the table. "What you're feeling right now, Reed? You need to use that. Get up and go

over to Hunter. You don't have to marry the guy. You just have to talk to him long enough to make Josh green." "She's right," Shelby

put in, checking her brows in a compact. "God put hot boys on this earth for this very purpose." Josh and Ivy emerged from the break-

fast line together. Walked to a table together. Sat down together. Alone. Apparently he was not going to wake up one day and forgive

me. Was not going to realize that me hooking up with Dash while drunk was right on par with him hooking up with Cheyenne while

drugged. Apparently he was just going to move on. With the girl I loathed most at Easton.Screw him. Screw. Him.

"Fine," I said. I pushed myself up and pressed my hands into the table for a moment, steadying my knees. "I'm going." I turned,

cleared my throat, and tossed my hair over my shoulder. This gave the entire cafeteria time to take notice. To see that the Billings

president was on the move. In the beginning the fact that everyone was constantly watching me had been disturbing, but today I would

use it. Today everyone would be talking about how Reed Brennan made her move on Hunter Braden. Slowly, I strolled toward

Hunter's table, my heart pounding sickly in my chest. Even with all of the eyes in the room watching me, I could feel Josh's on my

back. You think Ivy hurts ? Try this.

Hunter looked up as I approached. I pulled out the chair across from his and sat slowly, gracefully. Trey and West didn't seem to