Private (Private 1)

“Come on, you guys,” Noelle said, turning away. Kiran and Taylor

“This is the girl I was telling you about,” Ariana said. She had the fell in at her sides and they walked off together, like a moving wall. All slightest of southern accents, so muted that it was as if she added it the others followed—everyone except Ariana, who tilted her head as an afterthought.

apologetically, looking somewhere over my shoulder.

My empty stomach churned and I tasted bile in the back of my

“Sorry,” she said. “Noelle can be a little blunt.”

throat. I could feel the girls from my floor looking at one another.

“Yeah,” I managed to say.

56

K A T E B R I A N

She tucked her wispy hair behind her ear. Like me, she wore no

jewelry or makeup, but still seemed more sophisticated than I ever would be. Her skin was so pale that I felt that if the sun from the skylight shifted, I’d be able to see right through her. For a moment she refocused her blue eyes directly on mine and I saw with perfect LUCK

clarity that they were sad, even though she was smiling.

“Well, see you,” she said finally.

Then she turned her attention to her book again, and trailed off after her friends. Already I wondered if I had imagined the sorrow.

Of course I had. What would a girl like her have to be sad about?

“Hey, new girl.”

“Way to piss off the Billings Girls on your first day,” Missy said.

As we were on our way out of the cafeteria, Thomas Pearson

“Were you really spying on them?” Constance asked.

pushed himself away from the gray brick wall and fell into step with

“Not exactly,” I replied, privately cursing myself.

me. Constance shot me a look like Hello, supah-stah. Like how could What was wrong with me? All I had done since I had arrived here I possibly know a guy this hot on only my second day there?

was dig myself a hole. With the teachers, with the Billings Girls.

Search me.

Now I was going to have to do everything I could to scramble out.

“Hello,” I said coolly. Even though my pulse was racing.

“Got something for you,” Thomas said.

He produced a small medallion from his pocket. It was bronze

and had a square hole in the center. He held it up between his

thumb and forefinger, looking quite pleased with himself.