Lexa narrowed her eyes "I don't know, but don't worry, girls. I'm sure it's just a stupid prank. And we're going to find out who's behind it."
Everyone else looked relieved. They all went back to their rooms to get on with their day. Lexa, however, stayed behind. She winced as she looked over Ariana's hair.
"Wow. You got it the worst, huh?" she said.
"I guess so," Ariana replied, inwardly seething.
"Don't worry. Go shower and then I'll help you fix it up," Lexa offered with a smile.
"Thanks, Lexa," Ariana said, touched.
Safely inside her room, she picked up the jewelry box from the floor and placed it carefully on Kaitlynns desk. Her hands were still shaking, but her pulse had slowed to normal. More than anything, she was annoyed that she had allowed herself to feel even a smidgen of fear over something that bitch had done.
For just a moment, Ariana had let Kaitlynn take control. She would not let it happen again.
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SUPER SPIES
"Mr. Pitt?"Ariana peaked through the open door of her guidance counselor's office. He was kicked back in his leather chair, eating a powdered--sugar donut and reading a well--worn copy of A Brief History of Time. The moment she appeared he sat up straight and coughed, puffing a cloud of white sugar all over his dark blue sweater--vest. Ariana did her best not to wrinkle her nose in disgust. She liked Mr. Pitt, but if he didn't want to be caught slacking--off while indulging in sugar--caked carbs, why leave the door open? This was basic stuff.
"Miss Covington!"
He slapped the book closed, dropped the donut onto a piece of waxed paper, and dusted off his desk with the pinky side of his hand. His gaze was expectant as he rested his thick forearms atop the clutter of his desk.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Ariana asked.
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As she stepped inside, her hands clutched the strap on her messenger bag. Ever since the hair incident that morning, she'd been clenching her fists or clutching something all the time. She'd been forced to cut her extensions before she even got to Lexa so that her friend wouldn't realize her hair was fake. Then Lexa had shaped it into a new, shorter do that looked pretty shoddy, even though everyone kept telling her it was very now. As soon as she had a free minute she was going into town to get a real haircut.
"Absolutely." He gestured at the chair across from his desk, but she didn't take it. "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you had any SAT study guides you could lend me," Ariana said. "I've decided to take the test in October so I'll have plenty of chances to try again."
Although she didn't actually feel the need for study guides, her plan of attack was factual. It was one of the awful drawbacks of starting over--having to retake the SATs. Three years ago she'd nailed a nearly perfect score, but she'd gotten it as Ariana Osgood. It meant nothing now. As much as Ariana had always enjoyed taking standardized tests--the tiny circles to fill in with perfectly sharpened pencils, the warm vibe of tension and fear permeating the air, the excitement of knowing the answer--she dreaded the idea that she might not be able to improve on her original score.
"Of course, of course." Mr. Pitt got up and wiped his fingers on his brown pants, leaving a white sugar streak on his thigh, which he failed to notice. He bent and yanked open the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet behind his desk, which made a loud squeal, as if it hadn't been
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pried free in decades. Ariana glanced over her shoulder at the door just as Brigit popped through.
"Mr. Pitt! The copiers jammed again," she said breathlessly. "I wouldn't bother you but I need to make copies of this flyer for the first French club meeting before my next class."
Mr. Pitt whirled around, slamming his ankle against the side of the open drawer. Both Ariana and Brigit winced as his face screwed up in pain.
"All right. I'll be right there," he said through his teeth, clearly trying to hold back a groan.
"Thanks!" Brigit said brightly. She didn't so much as glance at Ariana, which surprised her. Ariana had pegged Brigit as the type of coconspirator who wouldn't be able to resist a gleeful glance to acknowledge a plan going well. Ariana was impressed that Brigit had more self--control than that.
"With all the money pouring into this school you'd think that some small percentage could be allotted to updating the guidance office technology," Mr. Pitt muttered, limping around his desk. "Forgive me, Miss Covington. I should be back in a moment."
"Take your time," Ariana said with a smile. All the time you need.
The moment Mr. Pitt was gone, Ariana raced around his desk, sliding past the open drawer. She was about to drop into his chair, but then she noticed all the stains and crumbs and tears and decided to remain standing. He was already logged into the school's intranet, so when she typed Allison's name into the search box, her file popped right up. Moving purposefully, Ariana clicked open Allison's schedule
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and memorized it with one glance. She then opened her final report card from the previous year and smiled.
Allison was a straight--B student, except for one subject. In chemistry, she had received a D for the year. Which would account for the fact that she was taking it again this year. All Ariana had to do was write up a cheat sheet for Allison's first chemistry exam, plant it on the girl, and then make sure it was found. Easy as apple pie. She quickly closed the file and glanced at the open door. The hallway was quiet. No voices, no footfalls. Ariana's heart skipped an excited beat. There was one other person she was curious about, and she might not have an opportunity this golden again. She placed her fingers over the keyboard and typed in Palmer's name.
His schedule popped up. All AP courses, plus college--level electives in government and business. Ariana grinned. She'd known he was ambitious, just like herself. And his grades from last year were straight As. Another file titled College Applications was just too tempting to resist. Ariana double clicked it and scanned the list of schools to which Palmer was planning to apply. Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, Arizona State (she supposed the son of the local congresswoman couldn't ignore his home state), and Princeton.
Princeton. The school Ariana planned to attend. Suddenly she saw the two of them strolling along cobblestone paths on a gorgeous autumn day, their feet crunching through the fallen leaves as they discussed politics and poetry and their plans for the future. It was all so perfect it hurt.
"Not a problem, Miss Rhygsted!"
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Ariana's heart vaulted into her throat. Mr. Pitt's voice was right outside the door. She grabbed the mouse and closed Palmer's file. Then she whirled around and hit the floor next to the still--open cabinet drawer. She squeezed her eyes closed and held her breath. She could not get caught. Could not get expelled because of this. If she did, she was going to come back here and kill Kaitlynn. Kill her using the most gruesome, agonizing method she could devise. After all, if Atherton--Pryce was taken away from her, if Palmer and Lexa and Stone and Grave and the rest of her friends were torn away, if her new picture of her future was obliterated, she'd have nothing left to lose.
"Miss Covington?" Mr. Pitt said.
Ariana's eyes popped open. Right in front of her was the yellow and red spine of an SAT study guide, smiling up at her from the open drawer. Ariana grabbed it and stood.
"Oh, hi! Sorry. Class is going to start any minute so I figured I'd just grab one myself." She held the book up a bit higher to illustrate. "I hope you don't mind."
Mr. Pitt stood in the doorway for a moment. His eyes traveled slowly to his computer, then back to her. Ariana's pulse throbbed frantically. Was he going to call her out? Check his computer's history?
Please, no. Please, please, no.
But then he smiled. "Not at all. Anything to help a Princeton hopeful."
"Thank you," Ariana said with a smile. She kicked the drawer shut and walked around the desk, slipping by him out the door. The cover of the book was slick with her sweat.
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/>
Completely disgusting.
"Anytime!" he called after her.
As she walked down the hallway, Ariana's back was stiff, just waiting for him to yell after her again. For him to discover that she'd searched his computer. But all she heard was the squeal of his chair as he sat down again, and soon she was out the door, basking in the late--summer sunshine.
She slipped the book into her bag and withdrew a tissue on which to wipe her palms. Who was she kidding? The guy had probably gone right back to his donut.
"Hey!"
Brigit jogged up from behind a maple tree and joined Ariana, her many plastic bracelets doing a noisy dance.
"Well? Did you get what we need?" she whispered.
"Got it," Ariana said with a grin, glancing around the circle casually.
"Yes!" Brigit cheered under her breath. "I felt like a superspy or something. So what's next?"
"All I need is a sample of Allison's handwriting," Ariana replied coolly.
"You think you can copy it?" Brigit asked.
"I know I can," Ariana replied. "Remember that time you asked what my thing was?"
"Yeah," Brigit said excitedly.
"Well, it's forgery," Ariana said with a smirk.
"Sweet," Brigit replied, completely unscandalized. "I bet that will come in handy once we get into . . . you know."
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Ariana's step lightened. She hadn't thought of that. "I bet it will."
"I'll get you something of Allison's," Brigit said confidently.
"Thanks, Brigit," Ariana said, nudging her in a friendly way. "I knew I could count on you."
Brigit smiled happily. "Oh, hey. There's Lillian!" she said, waving Kaitlynn down.
Ariana scowled as her roommate approached. She hadn't seen Kaitlynn since she'd woken up to the girl's surprise gift that morning.
"Hey, ladies," Kaitlynn greeted them. "Brigit, I love that necklace," she said. "Where'd you get it?"
Suck--up, Ariana thought.
"Thanks. It's a family heirloom," Brigit said, fingering the gold, diamonds, and aquamarines at her throat.
"So pretty," Kaitlynn replied. Then she looked at Ariana, her eyes dancing. "Nice haircut, A," she said. "I heard a few people got their hair chopped. Bizarre, huh?"
"Yeah. Bizarre," Ariana replied flatly. "You're so lucky they didn't get you."
"Yeah. I guess so," Kaitlynn tilted her head to the side, pretending to study the cut. "Maybe I can help you shape it later. I know a little something about short hair." She tossed her head to punctuate her point.
"Gee. Thanks. I bet you're good with scissors," Ariana replied.
"Oh, I am," Kaitlynn said. "Well, see you guys later. I just found
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out I placed into honors Spanish, so I have to get to the bookstore before lunch."
She twiddled her fingers and practically pranced away.
"See? That was sweet of her. She's making an effort," Brigit said.
Ariana clenched her teeth. "Yeah. Really sweet."
Sweet enough to make a girl barf.
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THE SETUP"Looks like you were right about your roommate," Soomie said as she and Ariana took their seats in the dining hall that day at lunch. Ariana followed her gaze and saw Kaitlynn settling into a chair at Tahira's table, laughing over something Zuri was saying. Ariana bit her tongue. Kaitlynn was no idiot. Psychotic, yes, but not an idiot. So what the hell was she doing with Tahira? If she wanted to be invited to the NoBash, she should have been sucking up to Brigit like she had earlier and avoiding Tahira like the latest strain of exotic flu. Or had it escaped her attention that there was a Princess War going on at Atherton--Pryce?
"Girl has no taste," Maria said under her breath, joining them.
"She's just trying to make friends," Ariana said, the words tasting like sawdust on her tongue. But if she was going to secure an invite to the NoBash for Kaitlynn, she had to talk her up.
Lexa strolled through the back entrance to the dining hall, her
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head bent in conversation with a petite girl with kinky red hair and glasses. Ariana had seen her around Wolcott Hall but had never met her. She was pretty in an unassuming way and wore no accessories other than an ancient, man's watch.
"Who's that with Lexa?" Ariana asked as the waiter approached their table.
"That would be April Corrigan," Soomie replied. "Resume as follows: senior, first in her class for three straight years; president of APH's Amnesty International club, the APH Beautification Society, and the National Honor Society; editor of the Weekly Report, editor of The Ash, and captain of the women's lacrosse team."
"Wow. That's a serious overachiever," Ariana said, duly impressed.
The Weekly Report was the online student newspaper, and The Ash was the literary magazine, which published four times a year and had been the first publication to carry the work of at least half a dozen Nobel Laureates and national poetry award winners. She hoped to join the staff of The Ash herself, when they first met early next week. She hadn't written anything in a long time--not since Dr. Meloni had maligned her work in their sessions--but that didn't mean she couldn't critique other people's work.
"Maybe. Or maybe she's just unfocused," Soomie groused.
"Girl like that has no idea what she wants to do with her life," Maria agreed, sliding into her chair.
"Unlike our little Maria here, who wants to save the world with her powers of dance," Landon Jacobs put in, giving Maria a cheek pinch as he joined them.
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"Says the boy who wants to save it through the power of pop," Maria said acerbically, barely making eye contact with her secret boyfriend.
"Hi, Landon!" Soomie said, sitting across from him.
Adam and Brigit walked in together and sat next to Soomie, so wrapped up in conversation they didn't even bother to greet anyone. Lexa split off from April and joined them just as the waiter arrived.
"What's up with April?" Soomie asked. "Starting another new club?"
"No, nothing like that," Lexa said with a brief smile.
Ariana saw Lexa, Maria, and Soomie exchange a quick glance. A casual observer wouldn't have caught it, but Ariana did, and her blood sizzled. Did April have something to do with Stone and Grave? Maybe she and Lexa were working together to figure out who had executed the prank that morning. Ariana wondered what they would do if they found Kaitlynn out. Disqualify her, probably. Could Ariana find a way to turn her in without Kaitlynn knowing?
Tor a moment, she felt the exhilaration of a new plan forming. But then reality set in. If Kaitlynn didn't get into Stone and Grave, Ariana would be the one to pay.
"What can I get everyone today?" the waiter asked, pencil at the ready.
Ariana ordered the turkey burger, seasoned fries, and a side salad. All this plotting and planning was making her hungry. Her friends quickly placed their orders as well and handed over their menus. The waiter was just about to step away from their table, from which Palmer
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was again absent, when Conrad Royce strode up and filled the vacant chair with his athletic bulk.
"Hey," he said to Ariana with a smile.
Ariana glanced at Lexa, who appeared bemused, then smiled at Conrad. "Hi. Glad you can join us. You know everyone, right?"
"Of course," Conrad said, dropping his burlap bag on the floor next to his chair. He leaned across the table to slap hands with Landon. "How's it going, bro? Heard you left a trail of broken hearts across Europe this summer. "
Maria blushed and looked down at her iPod, letting her hair hide her face. Had Landon really cheated on her, or was this just celebrity gossip?
Landon meanwhile, smiled, tossing his bangs back from his face. "You know how it is, man."
Conrad laughed. "Unfortunately, I don't." He shrugged out of his blue blazer and settled in. "Hey, Lexa," he said with a smile. "Saw you running the trail this morning. New kicks?"
Lexa smiled. "Yeah. This year's Asics line
is so lightweight. Have you tried them?"
"Not yet, but if you think it's worth it, I will," he said with a smile.
Lexa blushed slightly and ran her hand under her hair at the nape of her neck, fluffing it out slightly. Ariana exchanged a triumphant look with her friends. She had chosen wisely.
The door to the dining hall opened and in walked Palmer. Ariana was surprised to see him, since he'd been spending all his meal hours
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in the Hill since he and Lexa had broken up. Was it just a coincidence that he'd chosen today to show up in the dining hall, or was he here to see whom Ariana had set Lexa up with? Apparently it was going to take a little bit more than random meetings in theaters and bathrooms to help Palmer forget his ex entirely.
Palmer was just turning his steps toward their table when he noticed that it was full--that Conrad was the guy who had taken his place. He hesitated a moment, then turned quickly and joined his friends from the crew team a few tables over.
"What can I get you, Mr. Royce?" the waiter asked.
Conrad placed his order and Ariana sat back in her chair. On her side of the table, Brigit and Adam flirted shamelessly, while across from her Lexa kept sliding glances at their handsome newcomer. Now if only she could find someone other than Landon for Soomie, maybe they could all be happily paired off before the NoBash.
Ariana looked over at Palmer to see how he was faring, seeing Lexa with another guy. Palmer looked right into her eyes, smiled broadly, and flashed her a discreet thumbs--up. Ariana's heart tingled with delight. So he wasn't jealous. He had just wanted to make sure Ariana had picked the right guy for Lexa. And apparently, he agreed that she had. Ariana couldn't have stopped grinning if she'd tried.
Yes, very soon they would all be happily paired up.
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ACTION
Friday morning, Ariana awoke to find another pink jewelry box at her bedside, this one the perfect size for a ring. Her stomach filled with acidic dread. What had Kaitlynn done now?Quaking from head to foot, Ariana got up and inspected her hair in the mirror. It looked the same. Badly cut, slightly matted from sleep. The same. She turned and stared at the jewelry box.