Hey everyone!
Thought I would update early today! Here's the new chapter, hope you enjoy...

I do not own the Private Novels; Kate Brian does...

I started my walk again, towards Pemberley and felt very confused. Why was Astrid glaring at Trey, once I spoke of Ivy? Did something happen that I didn't know about? Did something happen between Astrid and Ivy? Astrid would always go to Trey's room, since they couldn't be public because Astrid thought people would find it strange to be dating your dead best friend's ex-boyfriend. And Trey roomed with Josh.

Something happened that I didn't know about. What if it had to do with me? What if Astrid hated Ivy, because she was now with Josh and practically was all over him. Astrid was always a good friend to me and Billings girls always stick together. In the hallway that day, when I questioned Josh as to why Astrid got kick out of her old school, Baylor, Astrid had overheard and joined in on our conversation. Once Josh left she said, "you crazy kids should really get back together".

Astrid must have hated Ivy. That's just another reason Ivy hated me. Yes I was jealous of her with my ex. But she has to deal with a lot, and I'm just making things worse. I don't even deserve the forgiveness she has given me. It truly is time to let her have Josh right now. She deserves him.

But something in the back of my mind was nagging me. As in Astrid's words, I was truly under the gutter about something. And I needed to find out what that something is soon.

I was paranoid. That easy. For the rest of my short, three minute walk back to the hell hole I once I called 'home', I was paranoid. The swiftest movements of the branches, that were held onto the oaks would freak me out, and make me skittish.

Why couldn't life be easy? As in Cinderella, once she fits her small, fragile foot into the glass slipper everything is perfect. You would think because the murderer(s) have been found, everything would go back to normal for me. Sabine confessed that she drugged me and Dash. Why can't Josh just easily be mine again? And, why can't Ivy just be erased from the picture magically. Yeah, I like the girl and everything that has happen to her is all my fault, but give me a break!

Why? Simple. Because life isn't a Cinderella story and fifty percent of the time, you don't get your happy ending. Once a problem has been solved in my life, triple amount of problems come at me. It's like a domino effect, once one goes down, they all go down, until their all down, they keeping going.

I just had to wait till all my problems would be up. I had to solve the new problem at hand. Why did Astrid hate Ivy? I'm speculating this theory, maybe Ivy had hooked up with Trey a while ago. A one night fling. Astrid could have possibly found out and hate Ivy.

But I should know, the deeper you dig, the deeper the lies get. For now I just needed to put whatever was going on that I didn't know about away for the time being, and focus on the tasks at hand. Billings. And a talk with Josh.

I still was paranoid as I entered my old dorm room. I took a look around and compared it to my new Billings room that I now shared with Noelle. It was easy, there was no comparison. My new closet at Billings is a hundred percent nicer than this piece of crap that I was trying to live in. I would have rather slept in the closet than this place.

I shook my head, to stop my train of thoughts and get to work. I decided to take a shower first so I grabbed my bag of necessities, a White Plain tank top to go under my Ralph Lauren Navy Blue Cashmere Sweater and Dark Wash Straight Leg jeans from Citizens of humanity, including underwear and walked towards the bathroom. I went through my bag and found my shampoo and conditioner, body wash and razor blade. After taking a shower, and washing my hair, I got dressed. I towel dried my hair and decided that I would just let it dry naturally today. I went to brush my teeth and put light makeup on, not much.

I walked out of the bathroom about thirty minutes later, and went to start the dirty deed of packing my room. I checked the clock and saw that is was 6:30 A.M. With a deep breath, I plunged into my old crammed closet and brought out my suitcase. I started to fold up all of my clothes first, then followed it by my shoes which didn't take long.

By the time all of my clothes and shoes were put away, I had about four suitcases full. It was almost eight and I pondered whether or not I wanted to go to breakfast. I decided not to, and just to finish up packing. I went to get my other suitcase in my closet, when I found a picture of me and Sabine.

My breath hitched and my heart stopped. I recognized the picture immediately. It was when we went to New York, to look at places that we could hold our Billings Fundraiser at. We were right in front of Barney's clothing store, Constance just had to go there. Me and Sabine looked so happy. She really did full me.

Tears slowly started to escape my eyes and I started to breath faster. How could she? How could she be Arianna's sister? I took a seat on my made bed, the picture still in my hand. She was such a great friend. I looked around my room when I remembered the day her and Constance came over, a few days after I moved into the horrid place. They brought over some decorations, to make it feel more homey.

I looked towards the rug that Sabine had brought over. The one that she spilled the bead's all over, just like Cheyenne had done when Noelle and the others put me through their hazing rituals, and I had to clean everyone's room. Cheyenne didn't like me much then. Sabine probably got me that rug just for that reason.

All along I thought she was the one I could trust. She was a better friend than even Constance. I had confided the secret I was holding about my stalker and how I thought Ivy was the killer. But it happen that through her worried façade, she was laughing and enjoying my pain and confusion. Psycho bitch. Just like her sister.

With a deep breath to calm myself, I said, "Goodbye Sabine. You really were a great friend." And with that I ripped the picture in two, followed by four, eight, ext.. pieces. The torn picture that laid in my hands was a resembling of how many times my heart has been broken the past two years. The last of my tears leaked out of my eyes and walked over to my trash can and emptied the pieces.

I let out another deep breath and went to get a tissue off of my dresser. I quickly dried my tears and blew my nose lightly, not wanting anyone to notice my small breakdown. I threw away the tissue and started to pack again.

I was almost finished when there was a knock on my door. I checked the clock quickly, seeing it was almost nine. I walked over to the door and opened it, revealing Noelle, sporting a crème Lacoste cashmere sweater, dark wash skinny jeans, somewhat like mine and brown ankle boots. "Hey," she said as she entered my room.

"Hey. How was breakfast? I decided to skip it to finish packing."

"Yeah about that. Thanks for telling me that you were coming back here. I've been trying to call you ever since I woke up. Luckily Astrid said she saw you earlier when she went on her early run-the girl is crazy-and told me where you were." I looked towards her, away from my suitcase and saw that she was sitting on my bed, and held a worried look on her face. "Are you okay?"

I let out a light chuckle then said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry though, I was just so busy packing that I didn't even realize. I really am sorry."

She smiled at me, and easily forgave me, "It's okay. Just don't do it again." She laughed and gave me a joking icy glare, there's the Noelle I loved and missed. "Anyway, the Crom is holding a emergency meeting in the Chapel. So we can finish this later."

"Oh, okay," I said and set down a perfume bottle that I was holding to put it away in my suitcase. I took a quick look around the room and it was mostly empty. I probably only had about twenty more minutes left of packing, then I should be done.

I went to get my Silver Steve Madden flats, that had a small bow on the front of them. I slipped them on and went to get my phone. I heard Noelle clear her throat near my doorway and saw her tapping her foot up and down. I rolled my eyes and said, "Don't get your panty's in a bunch, I'm coming."

As I passed her I gave her an icy glare for acting the way she did, and she seemed somewhat shocked. "You've come a far way glass-licker. I trained you well," she said and I just rolled my eyes while shaking my head.

We walked through the doors of Pemberely and I was happy to see that it was a partly sunny day out, yet freezing cold. We made our way through the quad, students giving me questionable looks and whispering god knows what to their friends. I let out a dramatic breath and rolled my eyes again. Stupid rich, teen, gossip snobs, I shouted in my head.

Noelle laughed and said, "You really are becoming like me." I gave her a confused look and scrunched my eyebrows together and she added, "Stupid rich, teen, gossip snobs. I'm going to try and not take that as an insult."

I mentally scolded myself, "I can't believe I said that out loud," I whispered. Noelle just started to laugh harder and I gave her another icy glare and she quickly stopped. Wow. Since when did I have this much power over Noelle?

My own conversation in my head was put to a stop when we entered the Chapel. "I'll meet you outside after," Noelle said and took her seat in the Senior section. I nodded my head at her and went to my sit in the Junior student section.

Constance and Astrid had saved a spot for me in between them and I quickly said thank you. I felt all eyes on me, and students all around whispering. I didn't realize that me and Noelle were the last ones to arrive until now. I turned my head to the right and saw Josh staring at me intently. My breath hitched and I quickly turned my head back to the front where the Crom was about to speak.

"Thank you students for coming. This is an emergency meeting. As many of you know, miss Ivy Slade is currently in the hospital, withstanding injuries from a Miss Sabine DuLak, who has been recently expelled. To let some who don't know exactly what has happened I will inform you on the recent Revelation. Two nights ago, at Miss Noelle Lange's and Amberley Carmichaels party, there was confrontation between Miss Reed Brennan and Sabine DuLak. Miss DuLak was holding a rifle gun on her, and during the confrontation had shot it off. The bullet hit Miss Slade.

"Now I'm not much for the gossip mills here at Easton, but I have recently been informed of some serious tribulations here at Easton. As many of you remember, we lost a student here just a few months ago Cheyenne Martin, and we have found that through Miss DuLak's confrontation that she was the one who pushed Miss Martin, into taking a substantial amount of sleeping pills, that lead her to her death.

"We have also been notified that Miss DuLak is related to Arianna Osgood. Many of you must remember what had happened here last year. I was currently not the Headmaster here at the school, so I do not know much of what exactly went on here last year, and I personally don't want to. The only thing I know of Miss Osgood, is that she murdered another student here at Easton, a Thomas Pearson.

"As I told you at the beginning of the year, I will not stand for any delinquent predicaments and I stand by my statement. I don't know exactly what has been going on at this Academy, but I will tell you now that it will never happen again. I was informed that Miss Brennan and Miss Slade had been stalked by Miss DuLak." His voice was hard as he spoke and turned his head towards me as my eyes widened.

"I am sorry Miss Brennan for what you have been through, but if you would have come to me earlier with all of this information, this could have been easily avoidable," he spoke towards me. He was right. We could all have avoided this. I could feel the intense stairs from my fellow students, all ready starting rumors that it was all my fault. He sent his attention back towards all the students.

"Yet the past in the past, and now we can only move on from this terrible tragedy. I want all of you to listen as I say this, if there is any unnecessary or out of the ordinary problems going on here at the Academy, I want you to come to me immediately. As long as I am this school, I will make it my personal goal to make you students safe again and not let any more tragedies enter this academy.

"This is Easton Academy students, not a soap drama show. So I would like all student's to take a break from teenage drama and focus on mid terms, for the rest of the week and a half that you have here at the school. When next semester comes, this will be a different school. It will once again be Easton Academy. That will be all for today, you may leave and go back to whatever it was you were doing before."

The Headmaster nodded his head once and walked to the back of the chapel. As the students in the front row started to get up and exit the chapel at an accordingly manner, I sat frozen like a statue, staring straight ahead of me.

If only I would have told someone about the person who was stalking me, or that someone was stalking me. If only I would have went to the police first once I realized that Sabine knew Arianna and could hold some vendetta towards me. Ivy could be safe and no harm done to her. My guilt would be gone. Everything would be easier. But life isn't a Cinderella story, I needed to get that through my head.

Astrid shifted her body towards me, as she was on the left of me and asked, "Reed, are you okay? You look somewhat flushed?"

I had to shake my head, to get myself out of the trance I was in. Once Astrid asked what she had asked, the students that overheard as they walked by, started whispering to their friends. I took a deep breath and exhaled, "I'm fine," I lied, "I just want to get out of here."

She nodded her head and said, "We're next up to leave, don't worry Reed. If you need to talk I'm here for you." She gave me a warm smile and soothed me as she softly rubbed my arm.

I smiled back to her as Constance risen from her seat next to me and I followed. We very slowly made our way out of the bench seats and onto the narrow strip that lead to the front doors. I bent my head down so I didn't have to see the rude and unnecessary comments and gossiping that the students were saying about me.

My head started to get heavy and all of a sudden I rammed into Constance's back by accident. I picked my head up so fast I could've gotten whiplash and said, "sorry" to Constance. She turned her head and gave me a smile, which I returned but I knew came out fake.

I looked to my right to see all eyes on me and rolled my eyes. I caught Noelle's face and she smiled, I returned it, and again mine was fake. I turned to my left to once again see all eyes on me, and a piercing blue eyes that I would never forget. Josh was staring at me, and had a worried look on his face as he met my gaze. I didn't know how long we were staring at each other, seconds, minutes or even hours it didn't matter. Everything that had happened and was happening all around me, vanished.

Me and him were the only ones left in this chapel. Me and him. All of my troubles drifted away and I felt whole again. That was when I truly realized that I loved him. Even if he wanted to be friends, I loved him. But all too soon, reality came crushing back in as Astrid gave me a slight nudge to move along and follow Constance, who was already a few yards away from me. A blush crept onto my cheeks and I caught to catch up with her.

As we exited the chapel, I felt somewhat better. Astrid told me that she would wait for Trey, since he was going to help me move my things back to Billings. I went to sit on a lonely bench near the chapel so I could wait for them and Noelle.

There was a slight breeze that blew my soft wavy hair around my face. I could faintly smell the honey peered and silk that scented off of my shampoo. I closed my eyes taking in this wonderful moment. I took a deep, yoga breath and exaggerated the exhale of breath.

I heard someone clear their throat and say, "Umm, Reed? I was wandering if we could talk?" The voice was all too familiar to me. I didn't even need to open my eyes to see who it was, but I felt safer when I looked in those blue eyes.

"I think we need to," I said softly. I patted the space next to me on the bench, and slowly scooted over so there was enough room for him to sit. I tried to give him a warm smile, which he saw through as fake and gave me a sad one.

'Please' I prayed in my head. 'Just let me have this one Cinderella story moment'. But as I set my eyes to Josh, who turned his body towards me, I knew I would never get it, not until I got him.

So...what do you think? Thanks for all the reviews and guesses to the Ivy thing. Now no one has been EXACTLY right. Someone though has been VERY CLOSE! And you know who you are! By close I mean, just missing one small detail...Please keep guessing and reviewing, I love the guesses i think it's fun! Anyway, I'll try to update soon. Oh and for all the Pittsburgh Steelers fans out there; GO STEELERS GO! Their going to tampa! Welcome to the sunshine state! Anyway, please read, review and guess; that's all I ask!

-Marie