The Ivy: Scandal by Lauren Kunze, Rina Onur Read Free Book Online

ringing in her ears making it difficult to process the words that continued to flow from Alessandra’s lips.
    “Unfortunately a lot of the family finances still need to be sorted out, and we’re not sure when Gregory will return to school. He sends you all his regards and thanks you for your support and your patience. He wants you to know that he’s thinking of all of you even though he is going to be unreachable for sometime except by his family members and…well, me, obviously!” Alessandra laughed. “And so…if anyone has any messages that they’d like me to pass on, let me know, and I’m happy to answer any questions, too. All I ask is that you continue to be supportive during this time in any way you can. Thank you.”
    “And thank you for the update, Alessandra.” The clear, high voice cut in from the head of the table at the center of the room, midway between Alessandra and Callie. “Gregory has been a dear friend of mine and my family’s for as long as I can remember, and I know that we’re all rooting for him.” Lexi looked at Clint, who nodded grudgingly. The black eye that Gregory had given him over spring break had all but faded, but Clint’s hard feelings for his squash teammate evidently had not.
    “Looks like somebody’s still bitter about what happened between you and Gregory at Harvard-Yale,” Vanessa whispered under her breath.
    Mimi leaned in. “A little ironical, coming de toi , is it not?”
    “Please!” Vanessa snapped in a hushed tone. “That whole crush was so last semester. Besides, it was always Callie who he…Callie? Callie!”
    Callie wasn’t listening. Instead, she could not tear her gaze away from Alessandra. Had Gregory really called her? Were they actually staying together?
    She’s lying, Callie decided. She could still picture that copy of an Insider article in the bottom of Gregory’s trash: obviously he had read at least one of the “Behind the Ivy-Covered Walls”installments. And if Alessandra was willing to be dishonest about one thing, who’s to say she hadn’t made everything else up, too?
    “She’s lying,” Callie said out loud. “I know it.”
    Mimi made a face.
    “What?” Callie demanded, looking between her and Vanessa.
    “It just seems like kind of a big thing to lie about,” Vanessa admitted with a grimace.
    Callie stared from Alessandra, to Clint, to Lexi, and then back to Alessandra. “I—I’ll be right back,” she managed, lurching to her feet.
    Vanessa reached for her hand. “Are you all right?”
    “Bathroom,” Callie sputtered, heading for the facilities.
    A dizzy spell threatened to overtake her. Gripping the edge of the sink, she tried to steady herself, willing the tiny room to stop spinning. Breathing deeply, she turned on the faucet and splashed cool water on her face. Maybe Gregory really had called Alessandra. Maybe they were still together; maybe he’d changed his mind. Or maybe he hadn’t changed at all—and was still the same womanizing, unreliable, irresistible, unattainable a-hole that Callie had turned down at the start of that semester when she’d chosen Clint instead.
    Oops. What had seemed like “better boyfriend material” then was currently out in the dining room fork-feeding Callie’s worst enemy and probably experimenting with various ways to elide their names into a celebrity nickname (Clexi? Alexint? Clinexis? Kleenex!). He had also cheated on Callie (with Lexi) and liedabout his friendship (with Lexi), which he had maintained, at least in part, due to parental pressure from his mother, who had urged her son to cozy up to Lexi’s uncle, a governor, for the purposes of his securing a summer internship.
    Eugh—another wave of nausea assaulted her. Was Gregory staying with Alessandra for similar reasons? Because her father had invested in his father’s hedge fund and now he had no choice?
    But then why apologize for the “delay” on a Post-it note instead of just pre-dumping (since they had never