"I told her to change on the plane, but she just wanted to get here," Noelle said with a shrug.
"Well, we can't blame her for that. Hi, Noelle," Taylor Bell said, joining us. She bit her lip and looked down at the ground before meeting my eyes. "Hey, Reed."
"Hey!" I reached over and hugged her, since she was clearly tentative about seeing me. "You look incredible."
"Thanks," Taylor said, blushing.
What little baby fat she'd been carrying around a year ago was gone and had been replaced by some serious muscle tone. Even her
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face looked tauter. Gone were the rosy red cheeks, replaced by pronounced cheekbones and a slight tan. Her blond hair was as curly as ever, but it was longer, grazing her shoulders. Her buttery locks danced in the island breeze as she turned around to show off her new physique and blue strapless dress.
"I've been dieting and working out like a fiend for the last nine months," Taylor said giddily. "I am so winning the Upton Game this year."
""Wait a minute. You didn't shed the poundage just for Upton," Noelle said incredulously.
Taylor blushed deeply. "No. Of course not. I did it for me."
But she obviously had done it for Upton. Which Noelle was clearly about to say before we were interrupted.
"Noelle! So good to see you!"
We all turned around to find a tall girl with stunning green eyes and gorgeous auburn curls striding toward us. She wore a green halter dress and gold hoops and was trailed by a guy who could only be her brother. He had the same eyes and hair color, though his was straight and brushed aside in a preppy 'do. He wore madras shorts and a light-yellow polo shirt, and he had a kind of tight look about him, as if he were born with a stick up his butt. Clearly these were the Ryan twins.
"Paige. Good to see you, too," Noelle said as she hugged the girl, though I could tell from her tone that she didn't mean it. "Hi, Daniel," she added to the guy.
"Noelle," he replied with a nod. "Don't suppose Dash is with you."
"Not at present, no." Noelle looked past the twins at an older
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couple who were now approaching. "Mr. and Mrs. Ryan. You've outdone yourselves once again."
"Ah, Noelle. Always so polite," Mrs. Ryan said.
She leaned in and gave Noelle a double-cheek air kiss, gripping Noelle's elbows as she did so. I couldn't help but notice the size of the emerald on her finger. It overlapped the two fingers on either side and was surrounded by huge diamonds. It was so big it was ugly, even though I knew it must have cost a fortune.
"Ryan family, this is my friend Reed Rrennan," Noelle said, stepping aside.
Mrs. Ryan, a Rillings alum like her daughter and descended from Jessica Billings, the Billings founder, clearly recognized my name. Her green eyes quickly flicked over me, and she pushed up the sleeves of her flowing blue silk jacket, which she wore over a black top and pants. For a woman of her age, she had a seriously toned body and healthy tan, and her auburn hair was cut into a sleek, short 'do. If not for the sour look on her face, she would have been very attractive.
"Reed Brennan, the girl whose questionable leadership skills put the future of Billings at risk," she said tersely.
My jaw dropped. Paige hid a laugh and looked away. I felt myself start to close up--the unworthy Croton girl--but something inside of me said no.
"My questionable leadership skills? Do you mean the way I saved the house from being disbanded by raising five million dollars for the school?"
I'd had enough of backing down. She couldn't talk to me that way,
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even if this was her insanely sprawling estate. Kiran suppressed a giggle, but she didn't do a very good job. I could feel Noelle trying not to smile as well.
"Well, your insolence certainly hasn't been exaggerated," the woman said. "I can see why the girls voted you out, but I can't imagine why they let you back in."
"Calista," her husband said warningly, stepping up to grip her arms from behind. He looked at us and smiled. "Why don't you kids go grab yourselves something to eat?"