but empty. I didn't want to beg. I didn't want to explain myself while my blood was still hot with
anger. But I sensed this could be my last chance. "I was drunk. I thought you guys were broken up.
I am so, so sorry."
For a split second I saw the depth of the hurt Noelle was feeling reflected in her eyes and it
stopped my heart. I had destroyed her. My best friend. The person who had been there for me
through some of the worst moments of my life. I had hurt her beyond all repair. All of this, this
huge scene, was just her way of protecting herself. Her way of saving face. My guilt compounded
exponentially. I deserved her punishment. I did. But did it have to be this?
Suddenly, she turned her head to the side and blinked. When she looked at me again, the
imperious stare was back.
"It doesn't matter what you thought," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Dash was and is
mine. And even if we had been broken up, you don't go there. Not with a friend's ex."
I blinked and Noelle smirked.
"Yes, Reed. I know you're dying for an update, so here it is. Dash
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and I are still together and we're always going to be together," she said. "One moment of
weakness on his part is not going to change that. Especially when you so clearly threw yourself at
him."
That was beyond untrue. Dash had been the one to invite me to one of the secluded tents on the
roof at the Legacy. Dash had been the one to initiate things once I got there. But clearly either he
or Noelle had decided to rewrite history so they could move on with their life together. Somehow,
all the blame was being laid squarely on my shoulders.
"But don't worry. Fair is fair," she told me, lifting her chin. "You're not the only one being
punished. He will be groveling for a long, long time."
"Noelle, I'm sorry for what happened," I said, wiping my sweaty hands on my jeans. "You're right. I
stepped over the line. And I'll do anything to make it up to you. But Noelle, come on. This is
between you and me. You didn't have to drag the whole dorm into it."
A smile slowly twisted its way across Noelle's face. "I didn't. The vote wasn't even my idea."
I blinked, stunned. "What?"
"Have you forgotten everything, Reed? This is what Billings is all about. We take care of each