Ambition (Private 7)

Starting now.

I reached into my bag for my new perfume and popped off the cap. "So, what was the last concert you saw?" I shouted to be heard

in the depths of her closet. I spritzed the perfume just as Portia, Rose, Tiffany, and Sabine returned from the bathroom, gabbing away.

The scent filled my senses and I instantly gagged. Cheyenne. It smelled like Cheyenne. The scent was in my nose, on my clothes, in

my hair, floating in the air all around me. Cheyenne's scent. Cheyenne's signature sweet, flowery scent. The other girls froze in their

tracks. "Did you just spray Fleur?" Rose asked, confused. "That's a little weird, Reed. Cheyenne's perfume?" Portia said. "No! I" I

glanced down at the bottle. It was a small round atomizer with the word Fleur printed across it in smoky white letters. Where had this

come from? I hadn't packed this. I checked the bag I'd extracted it from to make sure it was mine, and it was. My pajamas, my book,

my makeup bag.

"I didn't bring this," I said, feeling dizzy. The scent was in my head now. Making me foggy even as my heartbeat pounded against

my chest. "I packed the bottle I bought at Barneys last weekend. I swear. It was called Free, remember?" I said, looking to Sabine for

confirmation. "Well, maybe you picked up this one instead when you were packing," Sabine replied, looking a little concerned. "No. I

don't own any other perfume," I snapped, feeling like a caged dog. "That was the first bottle I've ever bought." Noelle emerged from

the closet at that moment and saw everyone staring at me. "Reed? What's wrong?" I took a couple shaky steps back and dropped onto

the edge of her bed. "This isn't mine. I didn't bring this. I didn't buy it. I would ever... I'd never want to smell like... Somebody must

have put it in my bag."

I looked up at all of them, wide-eyed, my pulse visible in my wrists, and they simply stared back, disturbed. Disturbed and con-

fused and worried. "Reed, why would anyone put Cheyenne's perfume in your bag?" Tiffany asked. "I don't know!" I wailed, shaking

and on the verge of tears. Her scent was all over me. Choking me. "Why would anyone do any of the things they're doing? Why would

anyone--" I stopped abruptly, realizing I'd said too much. A few of the other girls had joined us now and everyone was watching me as

if I were an escaped lunatic. "What things?" Rose asked, hugging herself. I glanced around the room. I couldn't tell them. They were

going to think I was insane. And maybe I was. Maybe I was losing my mind.

"I have to get out of this dress," I said, standing and grabbing for the zipper behind my neck. My hands were so slippery with sweat

they couldn't grasp the zipper. "Get me out of it. Somebody unzip it!" I demanded. Constance rushed forward and undid the zip. Cool

air rushed all over my skin and I let it fall to the floor, kicking it aside. "I can't wear that. It smells like her," I rambled, standing in

front of all of them in my one and only set of lacy underwear. Goose bumps covered my bare skin, and I was starting to lose my

breath. "I can't wear that. I have to wear something else." "Reed, calm down." Noelle broke through my line of horrified onlookers

and grasped my arm. "You can wear something of mine. It's all good." "Are you okay?" Sabine asked, as Noelle led me back through

the crowd toward her closet. "Do you need anything?" "Just get rid of that bottle. I don't care what you do with it," I said, gasping for

air. I glanced at the offending bottle that I'd left on Noelle's bedspread. "Just get rid of it."