I had been seduced. It was official. There was no turning back
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now. I finally looked up and met Noelle's dark eyes from across the room.
“No more secrets?” I said.
“None.”
I took a deep breath and looked at Ariana. She gazed back with that enigmatic smile. Part of me was still angry. And I knew that part of me always would be. But I had chosen this. When I had first been welcomed into Billings, I had known what these girls were capable of, at least to some extent, and I had still chosen them because I knew what they could do for me. I knew the kind of future I could have with them. And in the here and now, they made me feel special. Important. Like I had true friends. In the end, that was what this whole game had been about. They might have had a sick way of going about it, but they'd just wanted to make sure that I was a true friend.
It was all about loyalty, just as Whittaker had said. Loyalty was paramount.
Lesson officially learned.
“So, are we okay?” Ariana asked finally.
'Yeah. Can we get back to the party already?“ Noelle added, pushing herself up. ”I'm very over this conversation."
'Yeah,“ I said, and almost couldn't believe I'd said it. ”We're okay."
I was exhausted, crashing from my adrenaline rush, but somehow I managed to lift myself up off the bench. Taylor gave me a quick hug and slipped out ahead of us. Kiran kissed both my
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cheeks and winked, then followed. Ariana simply lifted the curtain and ducked out. I was about to go after her, when I realized that the most important question of the night had yet to be answered. I stopped and turned to face Noelle.
“So, those files I found on Ariana's computer--the crib sheets and the IMs,” I said. “Those were planted too?”
Noelle smiled slowly. “Everything for a reason, remember, Reed? Everything for a reason.”
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* * *
Hours later we emerged onto Park Avenue together, holding hands, laughing, trying to hold Kiran up as she fumbled and stumbled. The entire night had been a blur of drinks and dancing, of stories and sightings. I had avoided the alcoves for the rest of the night, sticking to the safety of the ballroom with the rest of the girls. Noelle and Dash had disappeared for an hour and came back looking disheveled and groggy and satisfied. Kiran had made off with a group of people from Kent and had returned to us in a different gown, which cracked everyone up. A personal joke I didn't quite get, but that I didn't ask about. I had a feeling that I didn't want to know.
Thanks to the white-?gift tradition, Kiran had on a white fur stole over that new gown, Taylor was toting a gorgeous Chanel bag, Ariana had a pair of Dior shoes dangling from her fingers, and Noelle was wearing a crystal tiara that I knew would join the pile of junk under her bed the moment we got home. I had traded a seriously ugly designer belt with a girl from Barton to get the beautiful Tiffany white-?gold-?and-?sapphire ring I now wore
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around the ring finger of my right hand. Other than Whittaker's diamonds, this was my first real jewelry ever. I couldn't help holding up my hand to admire it every five seconds.
I was doing just that when a beefy hand slipped into mine and the courtyard gate locked behind us. I looked up, startled and slightly tipsy, to find Whittaker hovering over me.
“Whit!” I said with a smile. “Where have you been?”
“That's exactly what I was going to ask you,” he said a bit petulantly. “I barely saw you all night.”
Behind me, Noelle, Ariana, and Taylor giggled, snorting their laughter through their noses.
“I know. I'm sorry,” I said, laying a hand on his chest. “I was celebrating with my girls.”
“Celebrating what?” he asked.
Noelle came up and threw her arm around Whittaker's large shoulders. “Girl stuff, baby. Girl. Stuff,” she said, slapping his face on the last two words.
That sent her into drunken hysterics and I had to laugh along. Maybe I was a bit tipsier than I realized.