Privilege 3 - Perfect Mistake (8 page)

"But my diet--"

"Forget your diet. We just got tapped. I say we let loose for one night," Ariana said. "Have you seen that triple--chocolate tart they have? I bet it's to die for."

"Oh, I am so very in," Brigit said happily. "Just don't tell Soomie and Maria, okay? They'll torture me about it."

"Don't worry. I'm good at keeping secrets," Ariana said, watching Kaitlynn bound down the hill arm--in--arm with Tahira. "Very good."

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THE WEAKEST LINK

"We are definitely going to be late for French," Soomie said, glancing at her BlackBerry on Wednesday morning.

"Yes, but it's so worth it," Ariana replied. Maria nodded her agreement.

They were kicked back on three of the cushy lounge chairs situated on the patio outside the Wolcott Hall cafe. The airy, flagstone square was dotted with planters full of brightly colored mums and flourishing Japanese maples, their deep red leaves backlit by the sunshine. There were a few students at the various tables, leafing through textbooks and indulging in croissants and scones. Behind them, down the hill from the house, the wide Potomac River burbled along peacefully. It was all so perfect it seemed impossible that it could be real.

And horrible to think that it could all be taken away. Ariana had been up all night, thinking about this whole sabotage idea, and she'd come up with one tiny problem: Presumably, the members of Stone

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and Grave were watching the potential members at all times. Which meant that if she sabotaged someone, they would see it. Wouldn't they sort of frown on the kind of behavior? If they were all about the brotherhood and mutual support, wouldn't sabotaging someone disqualify her?

"Where is that girl already?" Maria asked. "I need my caffeine."

"No, really?" Soomie joked, flicking her dark hair over her shoulder.

"What else is new?" Ariana added.

Having skipped breakfast that morning in favor of sleeping in, they had decided to grab coffee and pastries at the cafe before class. Or, rather, have others grab coffee and pastries for them. Lexa had been up at the crack of dawn for her daily run, and Brigit was on a phone call with the king and queen.

"Here you go, Ana. One iced skim latte with a dash of cinnamon."

Ariana looked up at Quinn, the sophomore who was on twenty--four--hour coffee duty for Lexa, Maria, Soomie, Brigit, and now Ariana. Lexa really had Atherton--Pryce Hall wired. Before the school year had even started she had locked down a whole troop of sophomores who were at the beck and call of her and her friends. Quinn and her counterparts, Melanie and Jessica, had all been on Team Gold and therefore all had access to Privilege House. Having them around was going to make everything that much easier. Noelle Lange would have been so impressed.

"Thanks, Quinn," Ariana said, taking the ice--cold plastic cup and

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sipping at the straw. She smiled happily, glad of one perk she didn't have to share with Kaitlynn. At least not yet.

"An espresso for Maria," Quinn continued, handing over the drink. Maria grabbed it like she was lost in the desert and it was the last cup of water on earth. "And a chai tea and an almond scone for Soomie."

"Thanks," the other girls said, giving their lackey brief smiles.

"Anything else before I go to Italian?" Quinn asked, quickly checking her Gucci watch. Her straight red hair was back in a tortoiseshell headband and she wore her uniform all tucked and pristine. Ariana appreciated the sophomore's attention to detail. When she got into Stone and Grave she was going to keep an eye on Quinn for potential membership.

"We're fine," Soomie said, taking a sip of her tea. "Don't be late on our account."

"Okay. Have a good day!" Quinn said before grabbing her overstuffed backpack and walking off.

Ariana leaned back in the chair and tried to relax--tried to think of something to chat about with her friends--but all that kept coming to mind was Kaitlynn and her death threats. After partaking in the Stone and Grave ceremony the night before, Ariana was more determined than ever to get in. But that would require three things-- first, not getting murdered by Kaitlynn; second, not letting Kaitlynn murder any of her friends; and third, being one of the four who got in, rather than the one poor soul who did not.

A pair of songbirds twittered in one of the nearby trees, and Ariana wondered sadly at the fact that she had to be thinking about murder at all on a gorgeous day such as this.

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It was too bad she couldn't ask for Soomie and Maria's advice. Find out if she was right about sabotage being a no--no to the Stone and Gravers. She had a feeling they were both in Stone and Grave already, and might have some useful advice, but she couldn't even tell them about the tapping ceremony the night before without risking Stone and Grave's wrath, let alone revealing the truth about herself and Kaitlynn.

Unless .... maybe she could ask them without really asking them. They would obviously know what she was talking about, but would probably answer without acknowledging it. At least, that was what Ariana would do for them if she was in and they were out.

"Ana, what is your problem?" Maria said suddenly. "You've sighed ten times in the last five minutes."

"Have I? Sorry," Ariana replied. "Just having deep thoughts."

"Anything we can help with?" Soomie asked.

"I wish," Ariana replied.

She took a deep breath of the early--autumn air. Should she give it a try, or would Stone and Grave consider even thinly veiled questions to be a crime?

"Try us," Maria said finally.

Ariana shifted in her seat. She decided to trust her friends. Trust that they wouldn't report her to Stone and Grave. If there was ever a time to rely on their friendship, it was now.

"It's just. . . there's something I want. . . and there are a bunch of people standing in the way of me getting it," Ariana said. "And I'm not sure how to deal with it."

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There. Technically, she hadn't said a word about Stone and Grave, so technically she had broken no rules. Soomie and Maria exchanged a glance.

"That's easy," Maria said, sliding her sunglasses atop her head.

"Take out the weakest link," Soomie said.

Ariana felt a sizzle of possibility skitter through her heart. She'd known she could count on them. And here they were, practically suggesting sabotage outright. So maybe it wasn't going to get her disqualified.

"The weakest link," she repeated.

Just then the glass doors behind them opened and out traipsed Tahira and Allison. They gabbed and laughed obnoxiously all the way across the patio to a table shaded by a red umbrella. Once seated, they attacked their apple--cinnamon muffins like a pair of rabid dogs let loose in a chicken coop. So unsavory.

Of course, Ariana could have turned it around on Kaitlynn and simply sabotaged her. Taking Kaitlynn out of the running would not only mean getting into Stone and Grave, but it would also mean Kaitlynn would not be there to annoy her all the time. But there was a problem with that plan. If she sabotaged Kaitlynn, then Kaitlynn might turn her in to the authorities--or worse, kill her.

The only option was to take someone else out. Then both she and Kaitlynn would get what they wanted. Mostly. Ariana would still have to deal with being tied to Kaitlynn for life, but at least she'd be in. And alive.

"The weakest link. The person who doesn't have the guts or the

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brains to fight back," Soomie added, scrolling through her e--mails on her BlackBerry.

Okay. Now they were definitely condoning sabotage. There was no question about it. Ariana stared at Tahira and Allison. She had already crossed Tahira, and the girl not only had a temper, but as daughter of the leader of Dubai, she had connections like no one else on campus--except maybe Brigit. She was definitely not the weakest link. But Allison . . . what did Allison really have going for her? She was pretty, sure. Athletic, definitely. Came from money--but who around here didn't?

Target acquired.

And Ariana knew just what to do. When she had wanted to clear a space in Billings House for Reed Brennan so that she could keep an eye on her 24/7, she had engineered a cheating scandal that had gotten Leanne Shore booted off campus. It had been so easy, Ariana could have done it blindfolded with one hand tied behind her back. So why not do that again? Allison didn't even have to get thrown out of school. She just needed to do something serious enough that Stone and Grave would take notice. Something they would consider unacceptable. Cheating still worked. It was a classic. The society wouldn't want to accept anyone who had been caught cheating and been publicly embarrassed. Suddenly Ariana felt more confident, relaxed, and happy than she had all night. Obviously Maria and Soomie knew what she was talking about, and obviously they wanted to help her get in to Stone and Grave. They had truly accepted her.

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"Thanks, you guys. I really appreciate it," Ariana said meaningfully.

"Anytime," Soomie said, brushing Ariana's arm with her fingers.

"But really, Ana, you don't need our advice," Maria said, draining her cup before she stood. "Y clearly have a talent for getting what you want.

ou Getting into APH and Privilege House is no easy feat."

Ariana's heart skipped a beat. There was something in Maria's tone she didn't like. Something knowing.

"Thanks," Ariana said, trying to read Maria's face as she rose from her chair.

"My father always says that you only need three things to succeed in life," Soomie intoned, slinging her black messenger bag over her shoulder. "One, ambition; two, intelligence; and three, a really good lawyer."

Ariana and Maria laughed as they made their way through the doors, headed for the front exit and the hill beyond. It was just paranoia, she was sure. How could Maria possibly know anything about Ariana's real past? As far as anyone here knew, she was Briana Leigh Covington. No one had any reason to question that.

Right?

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DEADLINE

As soon as the end--of--class tone came through the loudspeaker in history that afternoon, Ariana was up and out of her seat, her jaw clenched in annoyance. She had been looking forward to the class, history being one of her favorite subjects, but she hadn't been able to enjoy one second of it. During the entire fifty--five--minute class she had absorbed exactly zero knowledge. The moment Kaitlynn had walked through the door and handed her placement slip to Ms. Ferren, Ariana's shoulder muscles had coiled and her brain had flipped into thought--racing mode.

There had been no concentrating, no relaxing, no learning. It was all about Kaitlynn's breath on her neck. Her citrusy perfume choking the air. Her hand brushing Ariana's hair every time she raised her hand to answer a question. By the time the class was over Ariana was in serious need of a massage, a soothing yoga class, and an hour in a warm, lavender--scented bath. Then, perhaps, she would be able to breathe.

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"Hey Ana!" Kaitlynn called out in the hallway. "Wait up!"

Ariana kept walking, nearly tripping over some hapless freshman who had dropped his books in the middle of the hall. She turned up the speed as she headed for the stairwell. Not that it mattered. Kaidynn was at her side in no time.

"Aren't you psyched we're in the same class? I took the history test on Monday morning and they're letting me join my classes as my results come in so I don't miss too much," she babbled.

"Why you think I care about any of this is beyond me," Ariana said, her eyes fierce as she glared over her shoulder.

She turned sideways to make more room for the overweight professor coming toward her and scurried down the stairs. Kaitlynn paused for a moment at the top but soon recovered and jogged to catch up.

"Where are you rushing off to?"

"The appropriate question is, 'What am I rushing away from?" Ariana said through her teeth. Her hand gripped the oak railing on the stairs, steadying her steps as her body quaked with anger. Was it too much to ask that Kaitlynn at least not be placed in her classes? Between being her roommate and competing with her for a spot in Stone and Grave, she had to deal with the bitch enough already.

"Very funny," Kaitlynn said drily.

Maybe I should just trip her. Just put out my foot and trip her. With any luck she'll crack her skull on the marble and this will all be over. An accident. It would look like a total freak accident. Maybe I could even give her a push.

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Her foot flinched outward as Kaitlynn caught up with her, but she only succeeded in kicking the ankle of a tall, gawky boy in glasses.

"Ow. Watch it."

"Sorry," Ariana said, blushing. She hit the landing and kept moving, feeling hot an annoyed and stupid. Tripped on the stairs. Right. As if that would work. Stupid, Ariana. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She gripped her forearm and squeezed.

"So, have you figured out a sabotage plan yet?" Kaitlynn whispered as Ariana shoved through the heavy doors of the class building.

"I'm working on it," Ariana said, stepping quickly down the stone steps and onto the main green at the center of campus.

"Really? Because I thought I saw you reposing on the patio with your little friends this morning," Kaitlynn replied, keeping a friendly smile on her face for the rest of the world to see. "Didn't look like you were working too hard to me."

"Look, I have a plan. I just have to figure out how I'm going to execute it," Ariana said, pausing under a huge cherry tree. "Give me some time."

Kaitlynn took a deep breath and blew it out through her nose impatiently. "If I give you time it might never get done," she said, holding her notebook to her chest. "So how about a deadline? You've always worked well under deadlines."

Ariana tensed, reminded of how much Kaitlynn knew about her past. She'd known that the Fourth of July was the only day her escape from the Brenda T. could have happened, and how Ariana had made sure everything was in place before then. She knew that Ariana had

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found a way to raise a million dollars to pay Kaitlynn off in just a week. The girl knew way too much. Arian's grip on her forearm tightened. Then a pair of girls she recognized from Wolcott walked by and she forced a smile.