Private 06 - Legacy (16 page)

"I'll tell you later," I said to Noelle. "Reed. Come on! What did she say?" Noelle asked as everyone else grumbled. But I didn't turn back. Josh waited for me as I skirted our picnic area and crossed the quad. Seconds later I was in his arms. As he held me, he let out a sigh that sounded a lot like relief. He smelled like salty air and firewood smoke.

"I'm sorry," I said over his shoulder. "I missed you," he replied. And then we went off to find someplace a little more private than the steps of Hell Hall.

* * *

The tokens arrived on Wednesday afternoon. I couldn't wait to hand them out, but considering Cromwell's anti-Legacy decree, we knew that the last thing we should do was open up a table in the cafeteria with a sign that read get your legacy tokens here!

Instead we opted for a more secret locale. Just before the post office closed that evening, we delivered a stack of envelopes to the window, one for each Easton legacy, plus all the Billings Girls. We realized we could have just given them their rings in the house, but why should our friends miss out on the intrigue?

Then, Thursday evening after dinner, Noelle and I stole off to Gwendolyn Hall, hunkered down on the bench under the old, crumbling entryway, and waited. Gwendolyn was the original Easton class building--the oldest structure on campus along with the chapel--but it had been boarded up for years. All the windows and doors were covered with wooden planks and hand-painted keep out signs. Last spring I had asked Natasha why the administration hadn't torn it down, considering it was kind of an eyesore now, and she'd laughed at my naivete. Apparently you didn't mess with tradition at Easton, even if it was covered in weeds and probably infested with critters. "Check it out," Noelle said, pressing her finger into the wooden surface of the bench on which we sat. I leaned over her knees to see which of the hundreds of etchings she was pointing at. There, carved into the wood grain, was a heart containing the initials DM + NL. It looked newer than most of the etchings, but definitely older than the freshest of the bunch. I forced myself to smile. "When did you--" "Dash did it. Freshman year," she said with a self-satisfied smile. "So not like him. Mr. Play by the Rules."

I wondered if it would surprise her to know that Mr. Play by the Rules had now almost kissed me twice, when clearly she believed that his heart belonged only to her. Of course, the moment I thought it, I felt guilty. Noelle was my friend. How could I have such traitorous thoughts while sitting right next to her?

"Ever come here with Josh?" Noelle asked. "No," I said, the memories of Thomas that I always tried to keep at bay suddenly rushing in. "Not with Josh." I looked away. "Oh," Noelle said. An uncomfortable silence fell over us. Thank God she spotted the first of our customers a moment later. Everyone had been given a specific time to show up, spaced at three-minute intervals. We had given Gage the earliest time, so we could get him in, out, and over with. "Well," Gage said, grinning lasciviously as he climbed the steps. "This little scenario breeds all kinds of possibilities. Do you want to go one at a time or both at once? Because I'm down with either." He rubbed his hands together and practically licked his chops. "Ew. Just stop," I said. I whipped out one of the small black boxes and handed it to him. Gage, who was apparently still entertaining the idea that his invitation to meet us here was some kind of sexual overture, looked confused. Until he cracked open the box. "No way." He popped the money clip out, tossed it, and caught it. "Is this what I think it is?"

"You're going to the Legacy. Congratulations," I said, then looked at Noelle. "Although I'm now wondering why we included him." Gage didn't seem to have heard me. He dropped to his knees and kowtowed at my feet. "I take back everything I ever said about you, Reed Brennan. Clearly you learned a few tricks back in the barn." "Thanks. I think," I said. Lance Reagan was the next to show. He glanced at me and Noelle and Gage, who was still on his knees, and looked a tad disconcerted. Maybe we shouldn't have chosen the most notorious make-out spot on campus for our transactions. But then, it was the number-one spot for a reason--it was private, hidden, and off the beaten trail. "Dude! We're going to the Legacy!" Gage announced, jumping up and slinging his arm over Lance's wide shoulders.

"Seriously?" Lance asked, his eyes suddenly hungry behind his glasses. "You can go now,"

Noelle said to Gage. "What? Why? I want to play," Gage said, pouting.

"Because the whole point of this was to not draw a crowd and arouse suspicion," I said.

"Well, if you didn't want to arouse anything... ," Gage began, looking down at our legs, bare thanks to our skirts. I had dressed up for the occasion. "Just go!" Noelle and I said at once. Gage finally took the hint. Over the next hour Noelle and I handed out rings and money clips, enjoying the gushing gratefulness of our peers. Then, finally, Josh climbed the stairs. He was wearing a broken-in Harvard T-shirt under his houndstooth jacket and jeans with tiny holes in the knees. So cute my heart skipped a beat. I stood up and smiled as I handed him his money clip. "Thanks," Josh said, not even opening the box. "Aren't you going to open it?" I asked, disappointed. "Oh, I know what it is. Gage is out there telling everyone." Noelle and I rolled our eyes. "Unbelievable."

Noelle got up and trudged down the stairs to check on the situation. I was glad she had left us momentarily alone. "Aren't you excited?" I asked, reaching for Josh's hand. "We're all going! Even me." Josh smiled slightly. "Well, that part's good." My heart thumped extra hard. Where were the thanks? Where was the pride over a job well done? "What's wrong?" I asked. "Nothing," he said, stashing the box in his pocket. "It's just... more drunken depravity? I think I'm kind of over it." I felt like he'd just punched me in the gut. Here I was, running all over the place trying to get us into the Legacy--trying to save face for Easton and keep him and everyone else from missing out on the biggest party of the year--and he wasn't even going to thank me. Worse, he didn't even want to go. If Dash had been standing here, he would have been psyched. He would have thanked me for real. I was sure he would have.

God, what was wrong with me? I had to stop doing that. I had to stop comparing them

"I'm sorry. That came out wrong," Josh said, holding my hand. "Of course we're going and of course it's going to be fun. And you should see how psyched everyone is out there. You've made a lot of people really happy, Reed." Okay. That was slightly better. But I still wished that had been his first response. "Idiots were all standing out there in a clump," Noelle said, reappearing. "Do they not get the point of the secret meetings? I swear, it's amazing any of them even got into this school." She stormed by us and sat down again to consult our list of who was yet to come. Josh stepped closer to me. "And I like that you're using your power for good instead of evil," he whispered in my ear. As he pulled back, his eyes darted to Noelle.

Message? Noelle was evil. So much for getting over it. "Thanks," I said, rolling my eyes. And I forced a laugh. Because I knew he wanted me to take it as a joke, and I didn't feel like prolonging this. "I'll see you guys," Josh said, acknowledging Noelle for the first time. "Later, Hollis," she said. As he loped off, I couldn't help feeling let down. Why couldn't he be proud of me? Why couldn't he support me? Why couldn't he just be positive for five seconds in a row?

That night I returned to my room after a grueling study session with Kiki and some other people from my AP chem class. We had our first major exam the next day, covering everything we'd learned so far this semester, and after listening to my classmates spout formulas and compounds and measurements, I was starting to think that I had, in fact, learned nothing. Maybe I could get Mr. Dramble to postpone the test. Did the Billings influence stretch that far? Exhausted, I dropped down at my computer to check my email. There was one from my brother, Scott, titled "Nittany Lions Rule!" That could wait. Another from my mom--a forwarded message, which was probably one of those stupid poem/chain letters that had been circulating the Web for years. Mom had just discovered e-mail, so all those urban legends and dumb-blonde jokes and stories of undying love we'd all read a thousand times were still new to her. I bypassed that as well and went right for the message at the top of the list. Sent only minutes ago. From Dash. It was titled

"Congratulations." I glanced over my shoulder, as always, before clicking it open.

Reed, I heard about your coup. Nice work! I knew you could do it. Whittaker is so excited I think he might have strained something. Is it too weird to say I'm proud of you? Is that something "just a friend" would say? WB Dash

So much better than that last e-mail. And see? This was the kind of response I had wanted from Josh. Pride. Congratulations. Was that so hard? My heart fluttered as I started to type a response, but then I paused, thinking of Noelle. Thinking of the fact that she and Dash were probably going to the Legacy together and that he still-had neglected to tell me. I deleted the first line and started over.

Dash, Thanks. And yes, I think just friends can be proud of each other. BTW, I heard you're going with Noelle. That's great. Reed There. That would show him how very unaffected I was by his--An e-mail popped up almost immediately. From Dash. He was online right now. Why did that thought make my pulse race like I'd just sprinted the four hundred? Reed, Yes. She told me she got one of the money clips for me. Good thing. There are certain people attending whom I'd like to see.... Dash After that I couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

Our gowns were delivered the next day. All the other Billings Girls had received boxes from home or had ordered several dresses online so they could shop in the privacy of their own rooms. Even the ever-reluctant Sabine had received a gown from her mom. A gorgeous, modern white dress with a silk rope halter collar and an extremely low back. Everything was now in place, and everywhere we went, the Easton legacies were engaged in hushed conversation, speculating over where the party might be, who might or might not attend. The sense of anticipation was exhilarating. It put nearly everything else, classes, exams, Cheyenne, even Josh and Dash--out of mind.

But there was still one slight problem. "I checked the fence on my morning run," Noelle whispered, slipping into the seat across from mine in the library. "It's sealed up."

"Damn. And with the security cameras on all the other entrances..." "The Crom's really covered all his bases," Noelle muttered, dropping her history tome on the table with a bang. "It's like we're living in Alcatraz." "You're not giving up, are you?" I hissed, leaning over the table. "Of course not," she snapped. "I'm just saying--" We both looked up as a shadow fell across the table. It was Amberly, looking pert and perfectly matching as ever, with Lara and her other omnipresent friend hovering behind her. "Hi, Noelle! Hi, Reed!" she said with a smile. "Hi, Amberly," I replied.

I still didn't know what to make of this girl. She seemed sweet enough, but there was something blank behind her smiles. "Omigod, Noelle, I just found out my family is going to be in New York for Christmas this year," Amberly said, clutching her books. "Now you can take me to all the good parties!" Noelle smirked. "I would, Amberly, really, but my family always goes to the islands for Christmas." Amberly's face fell like an anvil in one of those old Roadrunner cartoons. "Oh." And then it lit up again. "Well, maybe I can get them to switch their plans to the islands. My parents would do pretty much anything for me."

"Good for you." "I know. They're fabulous," Noelle said. "What are you doing for Christmas, Reed?" Amberly asked me excitedly. "Are you going to the islands, too?"

I had to laugh. "Um, no." "Well, maybe," Noelle said, eyeing me. "Seriously?" I asked.

"Why not? You should absolutely come along. I'm sure Christmas in Blahtown, USA, is 'superfun,' but you haven't lived until you've spent the holidays in St. Bart's." Okay. This was an unexpected turn of conversation. The very idea of living the sweet life with Noelle over break made my skin tingle. But could I really ditch the parentals and Scott for my mom's first sober Christmas in years? "I'll have to think about it," I said. "But thanks, though." "Oh, you have to come! Then we can all hang out together!" Amberly trilled. "I'm calling my mother right now." She whipped out a lime green phone, which perfectly matched the lime green stripe along the hem of her dark blue sweater, and flipped it open.

Noelle rolled her eyes as she shifted in her chair, turning to face Amberly's beaming face fully. "I don't mean to be rude, Amberly and... entourage," she said to the silent sentries standing behind her. "But we're kind of in the middle of something here." Amberly hesitated for a second, then closed her phone. "What? What's going on? " she asked.

"You can tell me, Noelle. We're such old friends." "I know. We are," Noelle said smoothly. "But this is Billings business," she said. "Something you'll know all about in a couple of years, I'm sure." Amberly lit up like the Fourth of July. Noelle had just thrown her the bone every girl at Easton wanted to chomp on. The possibility of getting into Billings one day. Behind her, her friends started to whisper urgently amongst themselves.

"Really?" Amberly said. Then, perhaps hearing how desperately grateful she sounded, she cleared her throat. "I mean, I'm sure," she added, lifting her chin a bit. "Well, if you need any help at all, you know where to find me. And don't forget to call me about St. Bart's! It will be so much fun! 'Bye, Noelle! 'Bye, Reed!" She and her friends strolled away and I was about to launch back into our conversation when Noelle turned to me with her knowing smirk. "You have a plan, don't you?" I said, recognizing that particular glint in her eyes. "Not a plan, exactly," she replied. "But an inkling..." Before I could ask her what she meant, I saw someone hovering just on the other side of the stacks behind Noelle. My heart skipped a startled beat. Someone was spying on us. Listening in. I saw a flash of blue eyes, white skin.

I jumped up, shoving my chair back. "What? Reed? What's wrong?" Noelle asked, I held up a hand and darted around the stacks. Irrationally, I thought of Cheyenne. I thought of Ariana. As impossible as either of those scenarios might be, someone was following me. Someone was watching. Who else? Who else would want to keep an eye on me? I had no idea what I was going to say or do. No clue how I was going to confront who or whatever I was about to encounter. But in the next second I realized I didn't need to know. Because no one was there.