Ambition (Private 7)

as I paused to close the door behind us. The two chauffeurs were just gathering up the last of our things and I was about to thank them

when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. Ivy. Speed-walking away from Billings toward Pemberly. My heart stopped

at the sight of her. What had she been doing over here? And why was she in such a rush? She was moving so quickly and was so

oblivious to her surroundings that she practically mowed over Amberly Carmichael and her group of followers, who had paused for a

chat on one of the paths.

"See you tonight, Reed! We can't wait!" Amberly called out to me, waving a mittened hand. I took a deep breath and told myself to

forget about Ivy. Right now I had to get through tonight and declare a Billings victory. Then I could deal with her. "See you there!" I

shouted back. I jogged across the quad to catch up with my friends, past Bradwell to the circle, where the limos idled near the curb.

Everyone randomly piled into the cars, intent on getting out of the cold. As I settled in and looked around, I found that I had ended up

with most of the seniors. Noelle, Tiffany, London, Vienna, Rose, Portia, and Shelby. Tiffany reached into a vat of ice built into the

door and extracted a bottle of champagne. "Let's get this celebration started!" she announced, popping it open.

Everyone cheered as foam washed over the side of the bottle onto the floor. We squealed and pulled our feet back, out of the line of

fire. As the car pulled away from the curb, Rose passed around champagne flutes and Tiffany clumsily poured. "I would like to pro-

pose a toast!" Noelle announced, lifting her glass once everyone had been served. "To Reed!" "To Reed!" everyone chorused, lifting

their glasses. "No, ladies. I wasn't finished," Noelle admonished with a sly look. Champagne sloshed everywhere as the limo hit the

speed bump near the bottom of the hill, and we all laughed. "This girl has saved Billings, she's landed herself an adorable boy and has

half a dozen more pursuing her, and she looks simply fabulous," Noelle continued. I blushed and my friends cracked up laughing.

"What I'm trying to say is, you clearly chose wisely when you chose our president," Noelle said, looking me in the eye. Everyone

murmured their agreement. My heart was about to burst. "To Reed." "To Reed!" It was one of the best moments of my life.

BEST FRIENDS

I loved that I was sipping champagne in a salon on Park Avenue with a sign on the door that read Closed for Private Event. I loved

that people kept stopping on the street and peeking in, trying to get a glimpse of what fabulousness might be occurring inside. I loved

the way it felt to be on the inside looking out, instead of the outside looking in.

It was one of those moments when I realized absolutely and unequivocally how lucky I was. How the hell did I, Reed Brennan

from Croton, Pennsylvania, end up here, talking to a U.S. senator about which eye shadow she should go with while Frederica Falk

lined the lips of a famous morning news anchor, and twin fashion heiresses swapped nightmare customs stories with my friends over

in the corner? Unreal. "So. This is going well," Noelle said, sidling up to me as the senator politely took her leave. But not before

pressing a check into my hand. I unfolded the check and my eyes widened at the number. I held it up for Noelle to see. "I'll say."

She smiled. "That's nothing. Check out the wad that Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumber over there handed to Tiffany so they

could have a closed set during their shoot with Tassos." She turned around, her back to the crowd, and pulled out a rolled-up stack of