Free Private 04 - Confessions by Kate Brian Page B

door. A blast of wind hit her in the face, and then in walked Noelle, Kiran, Ariana, London, Vienna, and the rest of them, followed by Scat himself, our neckless head of security.

    "Girls! Whatever were you doing out at this time of night?" Mrs. Lattimer put on a good show of being shocked and appalled, but it was just that. A show. She knew every move Noelle made and was bribed big-time to keep her mouth shut about all of it. Noelle glared at the woman. Then Dean Marcus walked in and closed the door behind him. An iron curtain of dread settled over all of us. I caught Natasha's eye. This was not good. Cheyenne was almost red with rage. "In the parlor, please, everyone," the dean said. Only Vienna hopped to and rushed right into the room where we already stood.

    "Now!"

    I'd never heard the dean yell before. Not really. Even Ariana flinched. "Well. That was a waste of a good-hair day," Kiran said as she sauntered by me. Noelle waited until everyone else was inside before taking her dear, sweet time strolling in behind them. She took a spot by the wall near the armchair where Kiran sat and struck a defiant pose. The dean looked around at all of us. "I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am in you girls," he said sternly. "And not just those of you who flouted the rules tonight, but those of you who let them do it and didn't say a thing to stop them." I felt Natasha tense next to me and I touched her arm. Now was not the time to debate the dean. We could do that later if we needed to, after he'd had a chance to calm down and maybe take a Tums. Or ten.

    "You girls have the privilege of residing in one of the most prestigious dormitories on this campus. Billings was the first women's residence at this academy. Its alumnae have gone on to be some of the most powerful, well-respected women in the world. How do you think those women would feel about the way in which you have spat upon this institution with your actions?" "They'd probably be pretty proud," Noelle said under her breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear. There were a few giggles and I just wanted to throttle someone. "Ms. Lange, is there something about this situation that amuses you?" the dean asked, appalled. "Because if you like, we can go back to my office and you can tell me all about it before I expel you."

    Someone gasped. But Noelle . . . Noelle just smiled, never taking her eyes off the dean. Cool as the other side of the pillow. "No, Dean. I'm not amused." The dean hesitated a moment. Clearly he wasn't used to dealing with the likes of Noelle Lange. But he soon recovered and returned to his speech. Still, he didn't look in Noelle's direction again.

    "I don't have to tell you girls that the rest of the school looks up to you. You set the example. When I appealed to the student body for their support, I was appealing primarily to you. They will follow whatever course you blaze, and you just blazed a course right into the woods and through a hole in a bloody fence!" I thought the top of Cheyenne's head was going to blow right off. She was the type of girl who lived to set the right example, and she'd tried to do just that. But Noelle had ruined it for her. Noelle had turned lily-white Cheyenne Martin into a black sheep. "Now, I warned you that there would be grave consequences for any indiscretions," the dean said. "Well, here they are."

    No one in the room breathed. Every single girl around me tensed. Everyone except Ariana, who hadn't blinked since her return; Kiran, who just looked bored; and Noelle, whose defiant expression had not changed. "From this moment on, when you are not in class, in the chapel for services, or in the cafeteria for meals, you will be in the library, seated at the center tables, studying." "What?" Kiran finally snapped to and a few of the other girls stirred. "Mrs. Lattimer will be there with you at all times to keep a head count," the dean continued, giving our housemother a stern look. As if,