Private (Private 1)

“Wouldn’t you like to know, glass-licker?” Noelle asked.

“Didn’t you hear? Your roommate is going home,” Noelle said

Kiran smirked. Ariana stared past me. Taylor quickly looked

innocently. “She broke the honor code.”

away.

“Like hell she did,” Natasha said.

“Wh . . . what?”

Noelle’s eyebrows went up. “I’m shocked at you, Miss

I had no idea what else to say. A cold finger of fear slid down my Crenshaw! Are you suggesting that the Board of Directors has made spine.

a mistake?” she asked. “Because I would think twice about making

“I saw Thomas, Reed,” Ariana said. “I saw him leaving your

that accusation if I were you.”

dorm this morning.”

“I’m not accusing them. I’m accusing you,” Natasha spat.

My heart squeezed down to the size of a rotten peach pit. “He

I glanced at Taylor, but she hadn’t noticed me there. What the

was just—”

hell was this about?

“I thought I told you never to talk to him again,” Noelle said. “Or

“You might want to think twice about that, Natasha,” Kiran said, was that just another thing you decided you were above doing?”

stepping up. Ariana touched her arm and shook her head as if con-Oh, God. Oh God Oh God Oh God. So they hadn’t forgiven me for frontation was just too gauche.

the Barber thing. Or they had, but now I’d screwed it all up again.

For the first time, I saw uncertainty behind Natasha’s eyes. She

“I didn’t ask him to come over,” I blurted. “He just showed up.

glanced around at Kiran, Ariana, and Taylor. Then her eyes fell on Noelle, I swear. I didn’t even want to talk to him.”

me and she took me in as one with the others. As if I was part of

“So pathetic,” Kiran said. “She can’t stay away from him. I told whatever it was she was sizing up. Then she mustered a disgusted you.”

expression and finally—I thought, wisely—retreated.

My face burned with the knowledge that they had been dis-

When she was gone, my mind reeled with questions, but I kept