The Ivy: Secrets Read Free Page B

boys,” said Mimi. “What are you going to do about Vanessa?”
    “What am I going to do? Why should I be the one to do anything?” asked Callie.
    Mimi shrugged. “I am not sure I am understanding the expression correctly, but I think it is you who should be the bigger person. Even though she is the bigger person this way,” Mimi added, gesturing toward her hips.
    Callie laughed. “You might not be on her side if you knew what she did to me—”
    Mimi cut her off. “I am not taking sides. I do not judge. In fact, I really do not care what happened. I just do not want to spend my reading period being the Berlin Wall.”
    Am I East or West Germany? Callie wondered.
    And so Callie had eventually returned to her desk to pen an apology to the girl who had sold Callie’s secrets to Satan in exchange for a “guaranteed” membership in the Hasty Pudding social club. The club, which had rejected Vanessa in favor of Callie, had been the original source of tension in their relationship. (In graphic form it looked like: frenemies → friends → BFFs → frenemies → WWIII.)
    It was then that Callie had spotted the “Manifesto” taped to her bedroom window. And so, when she began to write, her words took on a slightly different tone than a traditional apology.
    In response to Item 1) You hooked up with Gregory at Harvard-Yale when you knew how I felt about him , she wrote:
    What happened at Harvard-Yale was a huge mistake. It was wrong for us to have slept together, and if I could take it back, I would.
    In response to Items 2) You screwed up our entire room dynamic and 3) You blew it with Clint , she couldn’t help but agree.
    I messed up the room dynamic, and I probably blew it with Clint.
    As for Item 4) You’re an all-out terrible person , she countered:
    I may be a terrible person, but if I am, then you are just as bad, if not worse.
    And now, on to Vanessa’s actions regarding Callie’s deepest secret, which she had conveniently neglected to include in the Manifesto.
    I cannot believe that I was ever stupid enough to put my trust in someone like you.
    Last but not least, in response to Item 5) There is no hope that I will ever forgive you. We will never be best friends ever again , she agreed, then amended:
    There is no hope for us in the future. I don’t see how we could even just be friends.
    “Let alone best friends,” Callie muttered aloud. And now, for the grand finale:
    There’s nothing I can do about the fact that we’re living in such close quarters—believe me, if I could, I would—so let’s just try to stay as far away from each other as possible.
    Setting down her pen, she took a deep breath and read the whole thing over from the beginning. Then, satisfied, she signed her name with a flourish. It wasn’t exactly the best apology; in fact, it sounded a bit more like a declaration of war. Better not let Mimi proofread it.
    “’Lucy, I’m ho-ome!’” a voice yelled from the common room. The sound filled Callie with dread. The bitch —to use the bitch’s own catchphrase— was back .
    “Ew, studying already? Reading period doesn’t even start until next week!”
    “Just trying to get caught up,” OK explained.
    Callie, note in hand, gritted her teeth. Here goes nothing, she thought. She stepped out of her room.
    “Hey. Vanessa.”
    Vanessa’s face froze for an instant, then relaxed. “Do you guys hear something?”
    Mimi rolled her eyes. Dana looked up from the calculus, wrinkling her brow. “Yes, Callie just said, ‘Hey, Vanessa’!” Apparently sarcasm was still missing from the vast lexicon of Dana’s brain.
    “Oh, my bad,” said Vanessa mildly. “I guess I just don’t know how to speak Traitorous Slut .”
    Callie’s fists clenched at her sides.
    “Well, really ,” Dana began, setting aside her book, “if you’re going to insist on using that foul language, perhaps we had better take our tutorial elsewhe—”
    “Have fun burning a hole in your pocket?” Callie cut