"Omigod! Reed! The view from my and Kiki's room is
so gorgeous!" she rambled. "I can't believe I'm in Billings! I can't believe it!" "Why are you so excited?" Sabine asked, looking up from a turquoise T-shirt she was folding. "Is this place special somehow?" "You have no idea!" Constance trilled. "This is the most exclusive dorm on campus. They don't let just anyone live here." Except this year. "So when do we get our necklaces?" Constance reached out to touch my diamond B. "Did you notice that Cheyenne's is bigger than everyone else's?" I knew it! "I can't wait to get mine!" "Calm down, Constance. Take a breath," I told her, laughing guiltily. Little did Constance know that she wasn't actually a Billings Girl yet. At least not as far as certain people were concerned. "I'm sure you'll get one eventually." Especially since I'm planning to help you and Sabine pass whatever stupid test Cheyenne comes up with. "Oh, God. I can't wait! I have to call Whit! He's going to be so happy for me! He told me I could still get in, but I didn't believe him. He was just being Whit, you know? You know how he is. Anyway--" Constance whipped out her cell phone to call Whittaker, who was now a Harvard man. She turned away from me and Sabine as she greeted Whit and squealed into her phone. I shot Sabine an apologetic glance, but she just smiled back. No eye-rolling. No judging. Which were the reactions Constance often got around Easton. Sabine really was going to get a culture shock at this school.
"Yeah," Constance was saying. "There's a new girl living with Reed, so we're not rooming together, but-- No. She's right here. Okay. Sure." She held out the phone to Sabine. "Whit wants to welcome you to Easton." Sabine looked surprised, but took the phone. "Hello? Yes. Thanks! It's nice to meet you, as well." "Omigod, he's so sweet, isn't he?" Constance asked Sabine. Sabine nodded and smiled as Whit gabbed away. My heart felt warm just watching them. Yep. These two were going to pass Cheyenne's test if it killed me. They were exactly what Billings House needed
* * *
The day had turned from warm to blazing hot by the time we all headed out for class. Sabine and I walked around the quad together--me in khaki shorts and a T-shirt, her in a layered yellow dress and pink tank that no one else around here could ever pull off--taking the long route so that I could point out the various buildings. Somewhere along the way she took out a tiny blue leather-bound book and pencil and started to jot notes. "What are you doing?" I asked, amused. Sabine blushed and hid the notebook against her chest. "I'm awful with directions. If I don't write this down, you'll just have to tell it all to me again tomorrow." "Right. So this is Hull Hall, but we all call it Hell Hall," I said as Sabine made a quick entry in her book. I lifted my hair off my neck and tied it up in a quick ponytail, trying to cool myself off. "It's where the faculty and deans and the headmaster have their offices." "I was there this morning," Sabine recalled, tipping her pencil toward the door. "The headmaster had us all meet him there before he brought us to Billings."
"Makes sense," I said, then turned toward the pathway to the library. "Now down here is . . . Josh." He and Gage were walking toward us from the direction of Ketlar. Josh wore an orange T-shirt that had the words don't know what you're talking about stamped across the front in brown. Gage wore his usual smirk and a pristine white T-shirt. His gelled hair had gotten about a half an inch taller. He probably thought it looked cool. I thought he looked like he'd just driven through a wind tunnel. "Josh? Is that a building?" Sabine asked, moving her thick dark hair over her shoulder. I could feel sweat dripping down my back. She looked cool as a winter breeze." No. It's a guy," I replied with a laugh as Josh and Gage joined us. "Hey." "Hey," Josh replied. "New girl," Gage said with a nod in my direction. "How's life in the bowels of America? Your town get that newfangled electricity thing yet?"
Wow. He wasted no time getting right on my case, did he? Picking on me had always been one of Gage's favorite pastimes. So juvenile. "Dude, she's not new anymore," Josh said. "I'm new!" Sabine piped up. Gage turned to her, and an appreciative grin spread across his face. A grin that turned my stomach. "New new girl," he said, looking her up and down. "I like." I wanted to vomit, but Sabine blushed. Ew. "Ignore him," Josh said, stepping in front of Gage and pushing him away with the back of his hand. "We only hang out with him for charity's sake. Looks good on the college apps. So you must be Reed's newbie. I'm Josh."
"Sabine," she replied. She glanced at his shirt. "I guess I won't ask you for directions." 'Tou get it! I didn't think anyone would. I was trying to be ironic. Or rebellious. Or something. Since they didn't give me someone to mentor," Josh said. Then he leaned toward Sabine's ear. "Confidentially, I don't know why they asked Reed, either. She knows nothing about anything." Sabine giggled and looked up at me shyly. Gage's cell phone rang and he answered it, thank God. "Okay, Hollis. I think your work is done here," I said. "Please don't offend her. I need her or I'm totally lost," Sabine joked. "Eh. It takes more than that to offend Reed," Josh said, waving a hand. "Believe me. I know!" Gage offered, raising his free hand. "I like your accent. Where're you from?" Josh asked. "Martinique?" Sabine said it like a question.
"No way! My family used to go down there every winter break! We should talk later. See if we know any of the same people," Josh said. "Sure," Sabine said shortly. "Loser! Let's hit it," Gage said, closing his phone. "We've got that new Spanish hottie first period. I want a seat up front so I can work my mojo." "Dude, hooking up with a teacher is so five years ago," Josh said. But he turned to go. "I'll see you ladies later." I wasn't sure why he hadn't kissed me, but I was glad he hadn't. I didn't want to go all incoherent and mushy in front of Sabine. "Listen, Sabine. Gage? You don't want to go there," I told her the moment they were far enough away. "Why not?" she asked. "Because he's a man whore and kind of a jerk. Believe me. He is not to be trusted."
"Too bad. But the other one is cute," she said, looking Josh up and down as he jogged away. "They should give us one of those instead of a mentor." I felt a hot flash of jealousy, but made myself laugh. "Okay, hands off," I said as jokingly as possible. "I know. I know. He's with Cheyenne. Don't worry. I would never go after another girl's guy," Sabine said, strolling ahead. It took a good five seconds for my brain to wrap itself around what I'd just heard. Then it felt as if it were slamming into a brick wall. "He's not with Cheyenne," I corrected her, catching up. "He's with me." Sabine stared at me for a long moment, her green eyes blank. Then she bit her lip, like she was snagged. "Oh. Really? I thought. . . no. Forget it." The hot flash of jealousy was now burning brightly over my whole body, the flames fanned by a wave of total uncertainty. "No. What did you think?" I asked.
Sabine looked around, like she would rather be anywhere but here. Like she wanted to glom on to any of the klatches of students skirting their way around us just to get away from me. This was really starting to get under my skin. "Sabine. What?" I demanded. "It's only ... I saw them when I first arrived this morning. Josh and Cheyenne. Of course I didn't know who they were then, but. . . They were sitting on a bench together and they seemed very . . . cozy. I thought they were a couple." Okay, Reed. Breathe. You cannot process information without oxygen. And you definitely can't pummel Cheyenne without oxygen, either. Pummeling is serious cardio. "Are you sure it was them? I mean, you don't really know anybody yet," I pointed out, hopeful. Sabine seemed to brighten. "Maybe not. Maybe it was another blond girl. There are a lot of them here."
That rationale didn't make me feel entirely better. She hadn't exonerated Josh, just put him getting cozy with some other random blonde. Suddenly my stomach was wishing I hadn't insisted on stopping at McDonald's on the way to school. Egg McMuffins and gut- clenching jealousy do not make a good pair. "Wow. So possessive!" Sabine asked, starting to walk again. "Not that I blame you. I'm sure you're constantly fighting off potential threats with a guy like him." "What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped defensively. Did she think I wasn't good enough for him? Sabine's jaw slackened. "Nothing! Just that other girls must be interested. It was a compliment, really." Guilt permeated my gut and I wanted to smack myself. What was I jumping all over Sabine for? She hadn't done anything wrong. "I'm sorry. I guess I am possessive," I said
with a sheepish smile. My insides still felt all warm and gross, but I wasn't going to take it out on her. Cheyenne, however. ..
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Sabine told me, touching my arm. "I had no idea." I cleared my throat and stood up straight. "I'm not upset," I told her. "Josh and I are totally together. Whoever you saw, it wasn't him." Sabine did a sort of double take as she looked at me. "That was strange." "What?" "That look. You just so reminded me of my sister," she told me. "She gets that same venomous look in her eyes when she's talking about guys."
"Venomous? Really? I didn't know I could do venomous," I joked, trying to lighten my own mood. Venomous, huh? Noelle would be so proud. "Well, you can. Trust me," Sabine said with a grin. "You must love him very much." "I do," I told her. I do. More than anything. Which was why I was going to get to the bottom of this Josh and Cheyenne thing. Before my heart spontaneously combusted.
A PIECE OF EASTON
"They're all in there," Vienna told us, leaning toward the gilded mirror in the Billings lobby to check her lip gloss. She touched a fingertip to her bottom lip to remove an invisible imperfection, then fluffed her dark hair. "They look like a bunch of scared little kittens. It's almost cute." "Kittens," Cheyenne said slyly. "I like that." I eyed her carefully as she smoothed her already sleek blond do. She was wearing a white blouse with short puffed sleeves and a black pleated mini. Her toenails were red, her fingernails pink, and her skin shone like a Jergens ad. Every inch of her was buffed, waxed, and toned to perfection. But still, I just couldn't see Josh going for her. He was too anti-establishment. Too laid back. Too .. . into me.
"Everyone ready?" Cheyenne asked, looking around at the group of Billings Girls gathered behind her. "Can I just go on record as saying I don't agree with this?" I put in. Cheyenne fake-gasped, putting her hand over her mouth. Her sapphire ring glinted in the light from the chandelier overhead. "I'm so shocked! Reed doesn't agree." I tried to formulate a comeback, but she had already rolled her eyes and strode into the parlor where the new girls were all waiting. My fingers curled in frustration. "She is in rare form tonight," Rose said, coming up behind me. "Why are we letting her do this, exactly?" I asked.
"That's why," Tiffany replied as the rest of the Billings girls followed Cheyenne eagerly. She lifted her long-lens camera, focused, and snapped off some rapid-fire shots. "They love this crap. We're outnumbered." I took a deep breath and lowered my chin. "Let's get this over with." The couches and chairs were back in their usual places, and Constance, Sabine, Astrid, Missy, Lorna, and Kiki were all gathered in them, forming a U. Cheyenne stood in front of the fireplace with the rest of the girls lined up on either side of her against the wall. Rose, Tiff and I slid into place near the corner, as far away from the action as possible. Like we could remove ourselves from guilt that way.
"Ladies, we've called you here to dispel any uncertainties," Cheyenne began, stepping away from the wall. "The administration may have placed you here, but you do not all belong here." My heart started to pound. Did she have to be so condescending? Constance and Sabine exchanged a nervous look. I wished I could just go over there and tell them not to worry. But that would have to wait for later. "Living in Billings House has always been a privilege, not a right," Cheyenne continued, looking down her nose at the girls. "So we, the girls who actually earned the privilege of living here, have decided that you all need to earn that privilege as well. Therefore, we have devised a task for you." I could see Constance gulp. She knew maybe half of what I had gone through last year, trying to get into Billings. I was sure she was peeing in her pants by now.
"We all think the house could use a little sprucing," Cheyenne continued, lacing her fingers together, arms down, and looking around the immaculate parlor. "We'd like to bring a bit of Easton and its history inside our walls. Your job is to do just that. Find some piece of Easton-- something special, something with a story or some significance--and bring it back here to grace our parlor. You have seventy-two hours." All the new girls exchanged a look of trepidation. Even Missy and Lorna, who had up until now been walking around with their noses in the air like they knew they belonged, had the sense to look ill. "I'm sorry. You want us to steal something?" Sabine asked. "Is that a problem?" Cheyenne asked, eyebrows raised.
"No. Of course not," Astrid answered for the group, laying her hand atop Sabine's. "I'm sure we've all nicked a few things in our day, haven't we, girls?" Kiki shrugged. Everyone else was a blank. Why would they ever have to steal anything? Sabine, I wasn't so sure about, but as for the rest? Each of them was worth ten million more than the last. "Good. All right, then. We'll leave you to it," Cheyenne said brightly. "Three days from now we'll all meet back here, and you can present your offerings to us. And girls? They had better be impressive. This is Billings House. Whatever you bring in here had better be worthy." She stared Constance down as she said this. Constance shrank back into the couch. Then Cheyenne strode out, followed by Vienna, London, Portia, and the others--all of us--one by one. I tried to shoot my friends a bolstering look as I went by, but they were too busy seeing their lives flash before their eyes to notice.
"Well. That should separate the women from the girls," Cheyenne whispered triumphantly, back in the hall. "This is so unnecessary," I said, shaking my head. "God, Reed, what flew up your butt over the summer?" she snapped. "I thought you were cool." "Likewise," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest." Look, I know you miss your little 'friends,'" Cheyenne said with elaborate air quotes. "But I'm in charge now. And I, for one, am not going to let trash take over this house." I felt like I'd just been slapped. Her unspoken meaning was obvious to the world. She believed that Noelle and Ariana had invited trash in. That I was said trash. I wanted to retort, but I was so offended, I lost all ability to think, and Cheyenne took the opportunity to turn on her heel and stride away. The rest of the girls avoided my gaze as my fingers curled into fists. My frustration suffocated me. In two hours I would come up with the perfect response. And it would already be way too late to use it.
* * *
I sat at the end of the pew in morning services the next day, flipping through my assignment notebook, feeling overwhelmed. I already had two papers and two labs due next week, plus a quiz in American history to see how much we had retained from last year. When finals are over, we're supposed to be able to immediately forget all the dates and facts we crammed into our heads to make room for new information. Didn't the teachers know that? Well, not Mr. Barber, of course. I don't know why I was surprised. "Everything okay?" Sabine whispered, noticing my maniacal page-flipping." Fine. Just readjusting to the insanity," I told her. "It is a lot, no?" she asked, her eyes wide. "I had no idea. And I still have to choose something to steal for Billings as well," she whispered. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out," I told her. I wanted to strangle Cheyenne for putting that tense look on Sabine's face. How was she supposed to know what had history or a story around here? She'd only been here for a day. Even I was having a hard time coming up with ideas.
"And now, I have an exciting announcement to make," Headmaster Cromwell said, effectively snatching our attention. Anyone who had let his or her mind wander during the usual proceedings snapped to. "Next we will be hosting an alumni weekend, which will include a black-tie dinner at the Driscoll Hotel in Easton," he said with a proud smile. A few people around me groaned. There was nothing exciting about that. The Driscoll Hotel was this castle-like historic landmark in the center of town. It had been built around the same time Easton had opened its doors, ostensibly to host all the wealthy parents and grandparents when they came to town for parents' weekends, graduations, and the like. No Ramadas for that crowd. I had heard it was as gorgeous on the inside as on the out, but had never had the privilege of seeing for myself.
"And each and every one of you will be required to participate in some fashion," the headmaster continued. "What?" Missy blurted. "He has to be kidding." Grumbles abounded throughout the chapel. One of the guys across the way pantomimed being hanged from the gallows. Such maturity. "There will be a decorations committee, a food committee, and an invitations committee, as well as waitstaff and greeters," the headmaster continued, unfazed. "Ms. Ling, the housemother of Bradwell, has graciously volunteered to be the student liaison for this event. You will all see her by the end of the week to volunteer for one of our committees. If you do not, you will be placed wherever you are needed. I strongly suggest you choose for yourselves. Disinterested students might find themselves washing dishes with the Driscoll staff until the wee hours of the morning."
"I don't do dishes," someone near me groused. "I don't do anything," someone else joked. "You should all see this dinner as an opportunity to present an impeccable image to our esteemed alumni," the headmaster continued, talking over the murmurs and whines. "Let's show them what Easton is all about. Let's show them that this is an institution of which they can be proud." "And to which they still want to give money," Kiki said under her breath. "Ms. Ling will keep office hours in Hull Hall each day this week and next between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to take your names and preferences," the headmaster continued. "Thank you all for your kind attention. You are dismissed." "We should volunteer for the waitstaff," Sabine suggested as we got up, the pews around us creaking and cracking as they were relieved of our weight.
"Waitstaff? Why?" I asked. I scanned the crowd for Josh, something that came automatically now that we were back. "Because then we can circulate all night, meet all the alumni, do a bit of networking," Sabine suggested. "It'll be fun." I looked at her, impressed. I was sure no one else at this school was hankering to volunteer for the lowly wa
itstaff. But Sabine was right. I could actually benefit from it. Maybe some wealthy alumni would be so impressed with my ability to handle a tray, he would volunteer to pay for my entire college education on the spot.