Read Online Scandal by Kate Brian - Free Book Online Page B

up and walk out. I could feel it in my bones. If I had to choose between her and Noelle …
    Well, I didn’t want to have to do that.
    “I thought you weren’t coming,” I said to Noelle.
    “Are you kidding? Who could ignore an invite like this?” she said, tossing her cream envelope down on my desk like it was a random scrap of paper. She eyed the book clutched in my arms, my teacher’s desk, the students’ desks and chairs gathered in front of me, and gave a wry smile. Then she turned and sat down in the very last desk at the end of the arc.
    “Well, Teach?” she said, arching an eyebrow. “How about you educate us on this secret society of yours?”
    “Secret society?” Astrid gasped.
    “What? That’s so cool!” Kiki added.
    Suddenly everyone was whispering, their chairs creaking and shifting. I glared at Noelle. She’d just swooped in here and snatched my big announcement right out from under me.
    “Oops,” she mouthed.
    I rolled my eyes. “You guys! Quiet down! ” I whisper-shouted.
    Everyone shushed everyone else and soon they were all facing me.
    “Okay,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Yes, we are all here to talk about forming a secret society. The Billings Literary Society, to be exact. It was started back in 1915 and was functioning all the way up until Easton absorbed Billings School for Girls in the 1970s.”
    “How do you know all this?” Missy interrupted, her nostrils flaring in annoyance.
    “Someone left this for me,” I said, lifting the book. “It’s the history of the society.”
    Tiffany, Rose, and Astrid all sat forward, eying the book with a covetous gleam in their eyes.
    “We may not be able to rebuild our house, but we can keep the spirit of Billings alive at Easton,” I said.
    Just then, a door opened and closed upstairs. My heart vaulted into my throat and everyone froze. Amberly reached out and grabbed Kiki’s arm. Footsteps slowly crossed the hall overhead. I closed my eyes and prayed that whoever it was hadn’t seen the candlelight, hadn’t heard our voices. There were a few more footsteps. A slam. Then nothing. I looked down the row of terrified eyes, stopping at Noelle. She was glaring at me so hard I could practically read her thoughts: If this stupid little project of mine got her expelled, she was going to eviscerate me.
    Ouch.
    “Um, Reed?” Kiki said. “I vote that if we’re going to keep meeting like this, we don’t do it here.”
    Everyone relaxed a bit, laughing quietly.
    “Don’t worry. If everything goes as planned, we’ll only have to meet here one more time,” I told them.
    “So?” Noelle said, crossing her arms over her chest as she sat back. “What is the plan?”
    “Well, before we talk about anything else, I should tell you that the BLS will only have eleven members,” I said, my heart beating nervously. “That’s a really big rule in the book, and I’ve decided to adhere to the book completely.”
    “But there are fifteen people here. For some reason,” Portia said, eyeing Ivy snidely.
    “I know,” I replied, ignoring her pointed tone. I swallowed hard. “Four of us will not get in.”
    This announcement was met with dead silence. I glanced nervously at Ivy. She lifted her chin and gave me a confident look.
    “How are you going to decide who doesn’t get in?” Tiffany asked.
    I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “The book outlines three tasks that each prospective member has to complete. The pledge mistress—that would be me—grades them. The four lowest scorers would be cut. That’s how they did it back in the day, and that’s how we’re going to do it now.”
    They all exchanged dubious looks. I half expected Shelby or Portia to walk out at this point. They weren’t exactly the type of people who looked forward to being tested in any way. And I’d always had the impression that Billings didn’t mean as much to them as it did to the rest of us.
    “So, if you’re all in …” I paused to