Revelation (Private 8)

nudging elbows. I felt tears of anger and embarrassment well up in my eyes. I couldn't take much

more of this. All this time I had trusted her. All

this time I had thought she was one of my only true

friends. But all the while I had been living with the enemy. Sabine had tortured me for months and

I had never once suspected her.

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My God, she must have gotten such satisfaction out of seeing me slowly losing it. Seeing me lock

myself in the bathroom. Watching me tear my dress off before the fund-raiser because the

perfume on it was Cheyenne's. She was one of only three people even to know that photo of

Cheyenne and me existed, so she must have dug through my stuff until she found it and used it

against me. I had treated her like my best friend and all the while, she had been plotting with

Ariana.

Ariana. That was how Sabine had known about the blush beads and the bedding, Ariana must have

told her. It was all so perfectly, sadistically planned. Sabine probably gave me that stupid rug just

so she could crush the blush beads into it later.

Noelle gripped my arm tighter. "You're out of your mind, Sabine."

Sabine just laughed. "Oh, Noelle. Perfect little Noelle. You were the hardest to deal with. You kept

getting in the way. Protecting Reed. Explaining it all away. Keeping her sane. Acting the part of the

good friend."

Everyone was listening now. Everyone silent. I frantically searched the crowd for Ivy. Where was

she? Had she called the police? Why weren't they here yet?

"It wasn't acting," Noelle said, her glossy hair falling over her shoulder. "Unlike you, I don't have to

pretend to be someone's good friend."

"Yeah? So I guess you were a good friend to Ariana, then? When you kidnapped her boyfriend and

then became best friends with the slut who stole him away."

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Noelle narrowed her eyes. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"But you know what that feels like now, right? To lose your boyfriend to Reed Brennan." Sabine's

eyes flickered between me and Noelle. "Although it looks like you've already forgiven her. I have

to say, I expected more backbone from you, Noelle."