"She has got to be kidding," Noelle said. Portia put her hand to her chest as she peaked in and grimaced. "L.O.T.I." "Huh?" "Laughing on the inside," Rose clarified Portia's abbreviation. "What the hell is this, the underground railroad?" Gage asked, blowing pot smoke right in my face. "I'm not going down there," London added. "No way." "You guys, Suzel would not have sent us here if it was dangerous," I told them, grabbing one of the flashlights. "We have to go before someone notices the lights. If you're in, follow me. If not, just make sure you're not seen sneaking back." "Wow. That was very authoritative of you, Reed," Noelle said, without a hint of teasing. "Thanks," I replied, ducking through the entryway. Josh grabbed my wrist, stopping me. "Are you sure about this?" I glanced over my shoulder at him. My heart was pounding, and my palms were sweating so badly the plastic bag around my gown was slipping from my grasp. But all those faces were looking to me expectantly. I wasn't about to back down. Not after all that work. I wouldn't let everyone down.
"I'm sure," I said. I handed him the flashlight and took his free hand in mine. There. That was much better. "Now let's go."
MY MOMENT
The tunnel let out through the side of a hill, smack in the middle of the woods. Josh and I gulped the fresh air as we emerged. I felt like we'd been feeling our way along the passage for hours, but when I glanced at my watch, I found it had been only a fifteen-minute walk. "Now what?" Josh asked, as the others crowded out behind us. We moved the flashlights along the tree line. It was pitch-black. "There!" I shouted, ecstatic to have spotted a pathway through the trees. Josh and I forged ahead with Sabine, Constance, Noelle, and Gage at our heels, the others trailing behind. Two minutes later, we found ourselves at the side of a quiet road, where a line of stretch limousines awaited our arrival. At the sight of the cars, the entire Legacy crowd hooted and hollered. Several people slapped me on the back, hugged me, kissed me. I think that, until that moment, many of them had their doubts that I was going to pull this off. "Reed, you are going to go down in Billings history," Tiffany said, snapping my picture.
"Try Easton history," Lance added. "Reed Brennan, you are a goddess among girls," Gage told me. "Gage, you just said something to me without insulting me in the process," I said. "Must be the pot." He laughed and strolled toward the cars. "This is your moment, Reed. Savor it," Noelle whispered in my ear as she slipped by me. And so I did. All these people were happy and laughing and excited because of me. Because I had refused to give up. I couldn't have stopped smiling if I even wanted to. It really was my moment. "You gonna put that on?" Josh asked, looping his arm around my waist as he looked down at my still-bagged gown. All around us, girls were disrobing right in plain sight and slipping into their dresses. "I'll be right back." I ducked back into the trees to do my own quick-change. Josh followed after me.
"Why, Mr. Hollis. Think you're going to sneak a peek?" I joked, glancing at him over my shoulder. He blushed and scratched at the back of his head. "Well, no. Unless, of course, you want to give me a peek." Josh had never seen me naked. I had never seen him naked. In a towel, yes, but not fully naked. But right then, in all the revelry and adrenaline of the moment, I was feeling brazen. Daring. It was Legacy night. The night anything could happen. And so, there in the middle of the woods with his flashlight shining on me, I stripped slowly down to my underwear, never taking my eyes off his. Josh watched my every move. I felt less self-conscious in front of him than I had felt in front of Noelle and Darla the seamstress. I felt like I wanted him to see me. I thought he would fidget or blush, but he was mesmerized. He looked at me like I was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.
Then I reached back and unhooked my bra. That woke him up. "What are you--" "My dress is strapless," I told him. "Don't." He stepped forward and picked up my gown, unzipping the bag around it so fast I thought he was going to tear something. He lifted the dress out and held it up to my half-naked body. "Someone could come back here. I don't want anyone to see you--" His eyes were pleading and I instantly understood. He didn't want anyone to see me but him. I loved him so much at that moment, I wanted to cry. So what if he didn't care about the Legacy? He cared about me. He loved me. "Okay, not now," I said. Then I leaned forward, the dress between us, and kissed him. "But soon?" Josh swallowed hard. I could tell it was taking everything he had to control himself. "Soon. Definitely soon." Suddenly, I couldn't have cared less that Dash was going to be there tonight. In fact, I now intended to avoid him completely if at all possible. All I wanted was Josh. All I needed was Josh. "Maybe we should just stay behind tonight," Josh suggested, his voice thick. "Just you and me."
There was a second there when I almost said yes. Who wants to turn down a proposition like that? But then someone on the street shouted, and I laughed. "Josh, we can't. It's the Legacy." Something shifted in his eyes as he looked at me. For a second I thought he was going to start in again. About how unnecessary this whole thing was. How lame. I braced myself. Felt my adrenaline start to rise. My defenses snap into place. But then he smiled. "You're right. It's the Legacy," he said. "So get dressed already and let's go." Thank God. I wasn't sure I could deal with another speech right now. But I suddenly felt shaky. Like I'd just come very close to some steep precipice. Like tonight had just been rendered fragile. I shoved my feet into my dress, and tried not to think about it. Five minutes later we were all settled into our limousines and I was nestled in between Josh and Sabine. Noelle, Constance, Gage, Tiffany, and Rose made up the rest of our party, while everyone else had crowded into the limos behind ours. There were champagne bottles chilling on ice in the bar, but no one had cracked them. No one spoke.
We all stared at my iPhone and waited. And waited. Dead silence. I looked at Noelle. It was almost seven o'clock. This could not be happening. After everything we'd been through, we could not be foiled because Jenna Korman's daughter didn't want to send us a text. And then the phone beeped. I grabbed it up, heart in my throat, and elation overcame me. "We have the address!" "What is it?" Rose asked. "It's ?325 Bayshore Drive, Boston." Josh, Constance, Tiffany, even Sabine whooped happily. But over it all, Gage and Noelle spoke in unison. "No effing way." My heart dropped at their tones. His angry. Hers incredulous. "What?" Rose looked like she'd just swallowed a worm. "What?" Noelle reached over and grabbed my phone from me, staring down at it. "That's Ivy Slade's address."
* * *
"This place is sick," Josh said, practically pressing his nose to the window. He hadn't spoken much on the three-hour drive, so I was gratified to hear him say something so positive. One thing I loved about Josh in general--he was so not jaded. Even with family homes in New York, Berlin, Paris, Maine, Vail, and Hawaii, he was always still able to see the opulence and beauty in his surroundings.
No one else seemed at all fazed by the modern mansion that rose before us as the limousine pulled up the winding drive, but I had never seen anything like it in my life. Set into the side of a rocky cliff overlooking Boston Harbor, the house was white, with at least five floors, each with floor-to-ceiling windows that stretched all the way around the square facade. Outdoor decks circled each level--the lowest being the widest--and they all overflowed with revelers. Up on the roof, more Legacies gazed down, holding drinks and curiously watching the arrivals. The decks had been decorated with colorful flags in orange, red, and gold, which whipped around in the frenzied breeze. Between the altitude and the wind coming off the water, it seemed like a windswept locale.
Our car pulled up in front of a massive smoked-glass door. Outside stood two guys who looked like they'd just gone AWOL from the Marine Corps. They stared us down as we toppled out of the car, giddy with triumph and champagne. "Ladies," the taller and darker of the two said, stepping in front of the door. "Gentlemen," he added with a sneer, as Gage cackled at one of Lance's jokes. He'd been getting messier and gigglier with every swig of alcohol. "You have something to show us?" "Sure do!" I trilled, stepping forward and holding out my hand. The guy checked out my ring. There was a brief moment of total silence in
which I was sure he was going to spot it as a fake--that Ungari had somehow outed us by making ours too big or using the wrong gold or something--but then he nodded to his buddy, who turned and opened the door. I twirled by him, laughing with relief. God, I wished Ivy had been there just then, watching as we so easily crashed her party. Every time I thought about her smug face, about the fact that she'd spent the past few weeks strolling around campus, believing she'd outwitted us, it made me want to throw something. I couldn't believe she had tried to keep her own classmates out. Including the guy to whom she was currently giving up the goods in front of the entire school on a daily basis. She must have worn a wig to order the invites and tokens, thinking a disguise and a bad alias would be enough to hide her secret. What, exactly, was her inner malfunction?
If she hated Easton and everyone there so much, why the hell had she come back? But no matter. We had the last laugh. I could not wait to see her face when I finally did find her. I hung by the door until my friends made it past the Legacy police. Once Josh and all the Billings Girls were through, I stepped inside. The center hall stretched to the sky, open to all five floors. High above, connecting the east side of the third floor to the west, was a catwalk about four feet wide, with chrome guardrails on either side. Directly above that, in the center of the high ceiling, was a perfectly flat, square skylight, which afforded a stunning view of the stars above. Toward the back of the huge hall two spiral staircases stood, stretching, up, up, up into the house, all the way to the roof. Everything was black and white, except for the red marble floor beneath our feet, the framed modern artwork on the walls, and the incredible multicolored modern sculpture--all twisted metal and sharp angles-- directly in the center of the room. Around it, waiters and waitresses delivered iridescent cocktails to the couture-clad girls and tuxedoed guys. Laughter and chatting filled the well-lit room. For now it was all very civilized. The real Legacy had yet to begin.
"This is unlike anything I could have possibly imagined," Sabine said, sufficiently awed. She hadn't seen anything yet. But why spoil the surprise? "I hate to say I told you so--" "But you were right. I have a feeling this is going to be a night I'll never forget," Sabine said earnestly. "Thank you, Reed." I grinned. Better late than never. As we moved further into the wide-open center hall, deep, melodious bells chimed all over the house, echoing loudly throughout the room. Signaled by the chiming, all the guests poured in from the outdoor decks, and the noise level grew to a deafening pitch. Somewhere nearby, Constance squealed. I turned and saw her throwing herself into Whittaker's arms, the skirt of her green gown kicked up so high I got a glimpse of a purple thong.
Constance wore thongs. Shocking. I turned away, not because of her creamy white butt cheeks, but because I was sure that if Whit was there, Dash couldn't be far behind. And I wasn't ready for that. Not by a long shot. The bells all went silent at once. The guests looked around in curious anticipation. There was a distinct sizzle in the air. "What's this?" Sabine asked. "The welcome," Noelle said, sidling up to join us. She tilted her head toward the sky, and there was Ivy Slade, striding out onto the catwalk above our heads. She wore a black-and-white striped gown with a sweeping train and a variegated hem, each stripe trailing out a bit longer than the last. Covering her eyes was a huge black feather mask, the plumes of which stretched at least two feet above her head on the right side. Her face was pale, her lips a deep red. She looked like something right out of the pages of Vogue.
From behind her back, she lifted a large silver bell and shook it. The chime echoed throughout the house. Everyone fell silent. "Welcome one, welcome all!" Ivy called out, looking imperiously around the room. "It is my honor to host this year's Legacy and to welcome you all into the inner sanctum. Of course, this year, the inner sanctum is all around us." She opened her arms wide to encompass the entire house. "On each floor you will find myriad pleasures to tickle your senses," she continued, striding along the catwalk as she looked down on us all. "So come. Enjoy. Immerse yourself. And remember...what you see here... what you do here... who you touch here... who you screw here..." She paused, slyly eyeing the now laughing crowd.
"All will remain here," she said. "For this is the Legacy, my friends. You are the chosen." "Yeah, but chosen by whom?" Noelle muttered. "So make peace now with whomever you worship and never... look...back!" All the lights in the house were doused. There was a general gasp, a momentary panic, and then thousands of moving strobes flicked on, accompanied by a driving dance beat, flooding the room with an insane whirl of color. The cheer was intense. The dancing began instantly. People shouted. Hands grasped. Drinks were poured. In all the mayhem I almost lost sight of Ivy, but she was coming our way. Descending the steps. Holding her gown up with both hands as she nodded to her guests like she was the queen and they mere peasants. Before she could even hit the floor, I was shoving through the crowd. "Reed!" Josh shouted. "Where are you--" "I'll be right back!" I replied. Through sheer force of will, and major bicep strength, I arrived at the foot of the spiral staircase at the exact same moment as Ivy.
"Ivy Slade!" I shouted. A screeching girl in a hot pink gown ran by me, driving her heel into my foot as she was pursued by some guy who had already lost his shirt. I barely even noticed the pain. Ivy looked at me quizzically. "Yes?" I whipped off my mask. Her reaction was filmworthy. Her jaw dropped. Her skin grew waxen. And then, shock over, a steel veil descended over her eyes. "Who let you in? " she said through her teeth, swooping toward me like a black-and-white bat. I lifted my hand. Under the lights, my gold Legacy ring flashed red, then pink, then green, then yellow. Ivy was hypnotized. "Amanda Hold?" I said, savoring the total shock on her face. "And thanks ever so much for inviting all of Billings," I added, putting on a sickly sweet voice. "How very generous of you. I'm sure we're all going to have just the most fun!" And then, satisfied that I had obliterated her big night, just as she had tried to obliterate Easton's, I backed away with a smile and melted into the crowd.
* * *
Hours passed. Or maybe it was minutes. I wasn't sure. I was drunk. It was all sweat and bass and bodies and hands and silk and skin and blur. I hadn't seen Josh in forever. Not since I'd left him to find Ivy. But I hadn't moved. Not really. I'd spent the whole night on the same floor, dancing with whatever configuration of friends was there at any given moment. I didn't need to visit the druggie floor. Didn't want to visit the sexy floor unless I first found Josh. So why move? Why not just drink and dance and sweat? If Josh wanted to find me, he could find me.
Why didn't he want to find me? "Reed! Here!" My vision blurred as I spun around, and I held my head until it passed. Okay. That was weird. Perhaps I should slow down on the alcohol intake. When my sight finally cleared, Sabine appeared before me, holding out a frothy pink drink. Three, actually. One for me, one for herself, and one for Vienna. She was having a good time. I could tell. Her forehead shone with sweat and her eyes were bright. Because she wanted to check out every inch of the party, she'd been getting drinks for all of us all night and exploring as she went. The Legacy had officially won her over. "This party is unbelievable!" she shouted, pushing her straw around as some girl dragged a guy off the dance floor, his hand already working down the top of her dress.
"I know! This is exactly what I needed!" I replied. Then hiccupped. Then laughed. My brain felt like it was bobbing happily on a river of pink froth. "Isn't it fabulous to just not have to think?" Sabine smiled. "Absolutely." Just then, a pair of arms encircled my waist. I was about to throw them off--random guys had been attempting to grope me all night-- but then I felt Josh's familiar, soft lips on my neck. "Hey!" I cheered, turning around in his arms. A bit of my drink sloshed over onto his sleeve. My vision blurred again and I had to grasp him to keep from falling sideways. How much alcohol was in those pink things, anyway? "Where've you been?" "Around," Josh said. He leaned right into my ear, so I could hear him without him yelling. "Hey. You wanna get out of here?" Something stirred deep, deep down below. I smiled. "Like, up to the roof?" Word had travele
d fast that there were several tents set up on the roof, for those more modest partiers who didn't want to grind with each other in a group setting--which was apparently what was going on up on floor three. I so didn't want to know. Josh's expression darkened a bit. I blinked. What happened?
"No. I mean, like, get out of here. Go. Head home," he said. I stepped back unsteadily, and his arms fell away. He had to be kidding me. We'd just gotten there! Hadn't we? "Really? You want to leave? " I asked. "Who wants to leave?" Vienna shouted, slinging her arms around me. Her purple dress had slipped so low there was definite visible nipplage. "You can't leave! No one's even hurled yet! My money's on Constance. She's such a lightweight and--" "Not now, Vienna," I said, throwing her off. "Fine. Buzzkill," she griped, dancing away. Josh's hands were in his pockets now. "I just... I'm not into this, I'm sorry. It's the same as it is every other year and I'm just... bored. Can't we go somewhere and be alone?" He said this in a leading way and my mind flashed back to the woods. To my half-naked self. To him suggesting we bag the Legacy and stay home and, it was implied, have sex. Him and me. Our first time. He wanted it to be tonight.
But why? Why now? Why tonight? Was it simply because he didn't want to be here? Was he trying to find the one thing he could dangle in front of me to make me actually leave with him? It was so manipulative. So... passive-aggressive. So... not Josh. And something inside of me snapped. "Why tonight?" I demanded. "We can be alone practically every other night of the year! Why do you have to do this now? " Josh's eyes flashed. "I thought... I mean, you said 'soon,' remember? I thought..." He looked at the ground, frustrated. Some big, thumb-headed guy careened into his side and Josh shoved him away without a glance. "Or is drowning in Fuzzy Navels suddenly more important?" "No! I meant it. I meant soon," I replied as I dodged another pair of lethal high heels. The bumping, grinding, raucous atmosphere was not making this conversation easier. Neither was the fact that my head was starting to pound in time with the beat of the music. I was having a hard time focusing on Josh's face. I took a deep breath and concentrated. "Just... not now. Why do you want to make me leave? You knew how much I wanted to be here tonight. You knew--"
"And you knew I didn't want to come here, but I did. Now all I'm asking you to do is leave a little early. To be with me. You'd think you'd want to be with me, considering you're supposed to be my girlfriend. Considering, I don't know, we're supposed to be in love!" The thumb- head slammed into him again, laughing as he moshed with his friends. "Get a life!" Josh shouted, shoving him once more. The guy laughed and loped off. Thumb-head was not helping the situation. "Josh, I do love you," I shouted blearily. "You know I do! But why do I have to prove it by leaving here? Do you have any idea how much work I put in just to get us here? I don't want to leave yet. I'm having fun!" "This is fun? This is fun! ? " Josh shouted back. "A bunch of drunken idiots pawing each other and acting like it's some kind of privilege? I thought you were above all this, Reed! I thought you were better than this!"
"Better than this? This is your world, Josh. I'm just trying to be a part of it," I snapped. "God! When did you get to be such a downer?" Josh clenched his jaw and looked at me, hurt. "When did you get to be such a Billings Girl?" The way he bit out those final two words, he may as well have said "bitch." I felt like he'd just dug my heart out with a shovel. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them spill over. "Screw you," I said.
Josh stared at me. For a moment I thought he was going to walk away, but he didn't. "I'm sick of this, Reed. This isn't you--blowing off your friends, getting trashed, acting like you're above everyone." My jaw dropped. "I do not act like I'm above everyone!" "I don't like what these people are doing to you, and I can't just stand by and watch it happen. I'm sick of it. It's time for you to choose, Reed," he said, stepping closer to me. "It's them or me." I glanced at my friends, but it took me a good couple of seconds to find them. They'd moved their dancing selves a few feet away, ostensibly to avoid the argument. Noelle laughed as she tossed her hair back. Tiffany twirled Portia under her arm. Kiki attempted to instill some form of rhythm in Constance. They were having fun. Like they were supposed to be. And I... I was miserable.