Last Christmas

wrong with her? She studied her napkin-white, silk, Italian-until the feeling passed.

  "Well, I'm jealous." Isobel adjusted the strap of her deep purple satin dress. "My parents are ditching me for

  Turks and Caicos. I'm campus-bound until Christmas."

  "You can come to New York with me if you want," Noelle offered with a shrug. "My parents won't even

  notice you're there."

  I wish I could take her upon that, Ariana thought, then immediately felt guilty. She picked one of the

  decorative red and gold-wrapped boxes off the table and ran the ribbons between her fingernails until they

  curled."Or you could come to Vermont with us," Paige said with a toss of her hair.

  She was just passing the flask to Ariana when Thomas Pearson appeared out of nowhere and grabbed it from

  her fingers. He dropped into the empty chair between Ariana and Paige and took a swig.

  "Good stuff," he said, clearing his long brown bangs away from his eyes with a casual flick of his head. "But

  then, you girls always have the good stuff, don't you?"

  "Great. Now I'm going to have to have it sterilized," Noelle groused, leaning over the table to snatch the

  flask.

  Thomas turned and smiled at Ariana, his deep blue eyes merry. She silently cursed her bad luck. Thomas had

  always made her uncomfortable. The way he thought he was better than everyone else. The way he constantly

  teased her. The fact that he was a loser drug dealer with no respect for anyone around him ...

  "Sterilized, get it?" he said to Ariana, his tone deadpan. He loosened his black tuxedo tie and slung one arm

  over the back of his chair. "Because I'm ridden with germs. She's hilarious."

  Ariana shifted her gaze and inched away from Thomas and closer to Daniel, tucking her shoulder into the

  crook of his arm.

  "Seriously, come to Vermont," Paige said to Isobel, ignoring Thomas as she always did. Even though he was

  Dash's best friend and came from one of New York's best families, Paige never gave him the time of day.

  "Save me from being the third wheel to the sappy couple over here," she added, gesturing at Ariana and

  Daniel with a strawberry.

  "Aw, you're just bitter because Brady dumped you the second he got to Yale," Daniel teased his sister.

  Paige's eyes flashed angrily. "Excuse me, I did not get dumped. I broke up with him."

  Everyone glanced around the table. They all knew that Brady Flynn had booted Paige. Several Yale-bound

  Easton alums had witnessed the dumping and instantly texted their friends about it. But of course no one

  would contradict Paige-to her face, anyway.

  "So what's the Lange family's Christmas protocol?" Isobel asked Noelle, deftly changing topics before Paige

  exploded. The last time Paige lost her temper, it had not been pretty. During chores one morning post-breakup

  she had reduced the normally tough Leanne Shore to tears, demanding she remake Paige's bed ten times until

  the hospital corners were at perfect ninety-degree angles. Afterward Leanne had spent an hour in the nurse's

  office with her inhaler, fighting off a panic attack.

  Ariana was proud that she had never broken down like that during hazing. Not in public, anyway.

  "The ballet, cocktails with my father's miserable excuse for an attorney and his overstuffed wife. The usual,"

  Noelle said. "My parents will probably try to sneak in a little face time with the extracurriculars and write it

  off as Christmas shopping, meaning they have to buy me more presents. They get a little ass, I get a little

  Armani. It's a win-win."

  Noelle talked about her parents' affairs like she was giving an oral report on the Industrial Revolution. As if

  there were nothing in the world that could have been more mundane. Ariana fingered one of her aquamarine

  drop earrings, envying how everything was so easy, so straightforward for her best friend.

  "I can't imagine what that's like, worrying about when your parents are going to schedule in their 'face time'

  with their sloppy sides." Daniel leaned back as the waiter delivered coffee cups and bowls of sugar to the

  table. "That's gotta suck."

  Ariana inhaled sharply. No one at this table needed a reminder about how happy and functional the Ryan

  family unit was. Noelle's dark eyes smoldered at the dig.

  "Well, Daniel, not everyone can have the perfect family, perfect grades, and the perfect girlfriend," Thomas

  said wryly, teasing Ariana with his eyes.

  "If we did, what would we tell our therapists about?" Dash joked.

  "Or pop Xanax over," Thomas added with a short laugh.

  "Like you need an excuse to pop anything," Noelle put in.

  Thomas smiled. "Touche, Miss Lange." He snagged a sugar cube from the bowl and tossed it into his mouth.

  "What about you, Ariana. Popped anything lately?"

  Prickly heat assaulted Ariana's skin.

  "Dude," Daniel admonished, sitting forward to glare at Thomas.

  "What?" Thomas feigned innocence with upturned palms.

  Ariana forced herself to glance at Thomas. He was looking directly at her with his searing blue eyes.

  Just then a camera flashed, illuminating the beveled edges of her glass with sparks of light. Ariana flinched.

  "Jesus," Noelle snapped, waving her napkin in the direction of the flash. "Sergei, enough with the stalkerazzi

  act already. Find new muses."

  Sergei Tretyakov stood just two feet from the table, a black Nikon

  with a telephoto lens hanging from his neck. Sergei was a Latvian exchange student and an outsider at Easton.

  He had dark, sloping brows, coal black eyes, and a slightly crooked nose. He could have been quirkily

  attractive, but he was painfully shy and had a tendency to stare. Plus he always wore these old, dirty tennis

  shoes no matter what else he had on. He was even wearing them tonight, to a formal event. Ariana could tell a

  lot about a person from their choice of footwear, and Sergei's kicks screamed "street urchin." Still, she felt a

  certain reluctant affinity for him. She was, after all, a fellow observer.

  "Just one more," he said softly in his lilting Eastern European accent.

  This time, he pointed the camera directly at Ariana and snapped away. Ariana blushed at being singled out.

  Daniel stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the marble floor. "Dude, did you just take a picture of my

  girlfriend?"

  The table went silent and Ariana could feel Noelle's eyes on her. She stopped breathing.

  Not again... not again... not again...

  Ariana watched Sergei's face go ashen. He backed away slightly, his shoulders curled forward.

  "I've taken everyone's picture tonight." Sergei was like a cowering puppy in the face of an irate owner.

  Ariana couldn't take it. Besides, the last thing she wanted was a scene like the one that had played out in the

  woods last summer. Not here. Not now.

  "Daniel, it's fine. Don't worry about it," she said in a soothing voice.

  But Daniel wasn't having it. "No, it's not fine." He fixed his eyes on Sergei and crossed his arms over his

  chest. "Do you think my girlfriend's pretty?"

  Sergei blinked uncertainly. "Well...I...yes?" It came off like a question.

  Daniel's cheek twitched. Several waiters brought out tartlets and creme brulee on silver trays, filling the room

  with the scent of smoked apples and nutmeg.

  "So what do you like best about my girlfriend? Her smile? Her hair?" Daniel's

  eyes gleamed. "Her cleavage?"

  Thomas and Dash hid smirks behind their hands. Noelle and Paige stood up, rolling their
eyes at the display

  of testosterone, and headed toward the bathroom. Isobel whipped out her Sidekick and started texting,

  probably alerting the other students in the room to the main event unfolding at table one.

  "Daniel, stop," Ariana said quietly as Sergei stared at the floor.

  "And do you take pictures of all the pretty girls?" Daniel asked, a condescending smile playing on his full

  lips. "Or is it just my girlfriend?"

  "I think I'll go now," Sergei said, backing away from the table. Ariana flinched as Daniel grabbed Sergei's

  arm. "Just a second, buddy."

  With one quick motion, he lifted Sergei's camera over his head and started scrolling through the stored

  images. Sergei made a swipe for the camera, but Daniel held it out of reach.

  "Oh, here's a picture of Ariana, and another and another. Isobel- you're in here too. And that's a nice one of

  Natasha. Hmm. No guys in any of these. Interesting. You know, you're lucky I don't call the cops on you,

  pervert."

  Thomas snickered quietly.

  "That's enough," Ariana said firmly, her cheeks flushed and heart racing.

  Daniel stared at her for a second, his eyes hard, angry, empty. Then his whole body went slack and he

  punched Sergei in the shoulder. "Kidding, man. I'm just giving you a hard time."

  "So can I have my camera back then?" Sergei looked bewildered.

  "A little later," Daniel said with a wink. "I think it's best if I keep it for now."

  The band switched to a slow song and the air suddenly smelled like hazelnut coffee. Sergei held out his hand.

  "You can't just take my camera."

  Daniel sat back down and cocked his head to the side. "Dude, you can't just take pictures of my girlfriend."

  Sergei looked torn for a second as he stared longingly at his Nikon, then turned away. In his haste to leave he

  nearly knocked over a waitress refilling water glasses at a nearby table. She glared at him and sopped up the

  spill with a napkin.

  "You shouldn't have done that." Ariana took a sip of champagne, hoping Isobel's message hadn't reached too

  many people. Hoping they hadn't noticed that her boyfriend had just senselessly humiliated the awkward

  exchange student.

  Daniel held his hands up and laughed. "Hey, I was just messing

  with the guy. Besides, he shouldn't being taking pictures of you. Not without asking, anyway. Guy has to

  learn a little respect." His voice turned serious, and he put his hand on her knee. It felt cold and heavy.

  Possessive. "You know I'd do anything for you, Ari. Anything. Don't forget that."

  Ariana smiled tightly. "I won't."

  Daniel's words should have sounded sweet and loving. But as Ariana caught a glimpse of Sergei across the

  room, looking naked and vulnerable without his camera, she couldn't help but hear them as a threat.

  PERFECT

  ***Ariana looked at her watch. Twelve twenty-seven a.m. She tried to fight the irritation that prickled along

  her skin. Her friends had left a half hour ago, her feet ached from her ivory Chloe heels, and the ballroom was

  nearly empty, save for a few stragglers and hotel maintenance workers, dutifully clearing tables and sweeping

  the floors.

  Stifling a yawn, Ariana surveyed the damage around her. Half-empty crystal flutes rimmed with fading

  Chanel- lipstick pouts littered the tables. The tapered candles that peeked from the Christmasy centerpieces

  had melted into nothing, and the sharp smell of burnt vanilla and wilting greenery hovered in the air. The

  chandelier that had seemed magical earlier in the evening now cast a garish light over the tired waitstaff. The

  room suddenly looked ordinary. Used. Ariana felt an inexplicable pang of sadness as she sipped the last bit of

  flat champagne from her glass.

  "Party's over, Osgood."

  Ariana jumped at the sound of Thomas's voice. He sat down heavily next to her on the bench near the

  ballroom's exit, his arms crossed over his wrinkled dress shirt. His blue eyes were slightly unfocused, and it

  was clear he'd had too much to drink.

  "So why are you still here?" She crossed her legs and placed her champagne flute on the floor. Thomas

  smelled like whiskey and something vaguely spicy.

  "Well, I'm certainly not waiting for my boyfriend, who's currently puking his guts out in the bushes. Because

  that'd be lame." Thomas sniffed and rolled up one of his sleeve cuffs.

  Ariana tugged on her necklace, moving it back and forth on its delicate chain. A tiny part of her agreed with

  Thomas. She should have taken up Noelle's offer to ride home with her and Dash. But then she thought about

  how Paige had glared at the suggestion-a not - so - subtle reminder that it was Ariana's duty as girlfriend to

  take care of Daniel. She just wished he hadn't challenged Gage Coolidge to that power hour. Because then

  she could be home right now, tucked between her sateen sheets.

  She turned to Thomas. "What were you doing out in the bushes?"

  "Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that. Bushes are always fun." Thomas smirked suggestively. "You've

  heard of fun, right?"

  "I do recall hearing of the concept," Ariana replied flatly, trying to step up to his banter.

  "Right. I can definitely see you getting stupid and crazy," he said sarcastically.

  Ariana's face grew warm. "I've done plenty of stupid and crazy things."

  "True. You are dating Daniel Ryan," he replied.

  "Ha ha," Ariana said, then realized with a pang how immature she sounded. Across the room a waiter dropped

  a wineglass. He swore, then bent down to pick up the jagged fragments. "Daniel and I are very happy," she

  added.

  Thomas put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. "So you thought his little tete-a-tete with Sergei was,

  what? Gallant?"

  "He was drunk," Ariana pointed out. "And if I remember correctly, you were laughing." She unhooked her

  vintage Gucci bag from her shoulder and put it on her lap .Her container of Tic Tacs rattled inside. "I was

  laughing at Daniel, not at Sergei." Thomas ran his fingers through his hair. One side stuck out a little over his

  ear, making him look, ever so briefly, like a vulnerable little boy in his rumpled formalwear. "So, are you

  ready to 'rock' in Vermont?" he asked with a knowing grin.

  Ariana felt like the words were a challenge. Even though her stomach twisted at the thought of losing her

  virginity to Daniel, she lifted her chin and said coolly, "I can't wait."

  A worker in his mid-twenties grabbed an empty bottle of Perrier off one of the tables, dropping it with a clank

  into the recycling bag he was dragging behind him.

  "Really? 'Cause you look like you're about to join Danny boy for a group vomit in the bushes."

  "You're disgusting."

  "Disgusting, but right." Thomas smirked. He pulled an old New York subway token out of his pocket and

  rolled it back and forth across the wood of the bench. It left a little black streak on the pristine oak finishing.

  "You do know you can do better."

  Even though Ariana knew he wasn't serious, knew he was just teasing her as always, she couldn't help feel a

  flutter at the compliment.

  "Daniel is the perfect boyfriend." Ariana met Thomas's blue eyes with her own.

  "Maybe on paper," Thomas retorted.

  And he was right. Ariana knew he was right. Daniel was perfect on paper, but sometimes, in reality, not so

  much. Like tonight. Getting drunk and treating Sergei like dirt and ignoring her when she asked him
to stop.

  Not so perfect.

  But she would never admit that to Thomas.

  "Please. He just had a little too much to drink. On a normal day, he's amazing," Ariana told him, pressing her

  hands into the bench at her sides and looking straight ahead. "Like last night, he knew I had a ton of work to

  catch up on so he brought me dinner in my room-plus a couple dozen roses"

  "Ooh. How original."

  "It was-"

  "Whatever. I don't want to talk about Daniel Ryan." Thomas leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head.

  "I want to talk about you."

  "Me." Ariana was nonplussed. "Yeah. What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

  "The worst thing?" Ariana leaned back too, molding her back as they amused him, then moved on once he

  decided he was bored. The kind of guy who hadn't batted an eye when his best friend, Eli Tate, had gotten

  expelled last year after the dean found him high in his room next to a half-empty bottle of Xanax-a bottle

  that everyone knew Thomas had sold him. More than that, she was supposed to be in love with Daniel.

  But for some inexplicable reason, she couldn't turn away from Thomas. Couldn't break eye contact. Couldn't

  help but want to do something wrong for once. Couldn't help but want him.

  "Someone's thinking naughty thoughts," Thomas sang in a whisper, gazing at Ariana's lips.

  Ariana's entire body tingled. She opened her mouth to speak, not knowing what she was going to say.

  "Ariana!" Daniel's bark obliterated the moment. "Let's get the hell out of here."

  Ariana instantly slid all the way to the other end of the bench, as if Thomas had just burned her with a hot

  iron. Had Daniel seen anything? Not that there was anything to see, but-

  "Wow. When he says 'jump,' do you say 'how high?'" Thomas teased.

  Ariana narrowed her eyes at him, even as her heart pounded a painfully fast beat.

  "Be there in a second," she called to Daniel. But he had already disappeared back into the hallway.

  Suddenly all Ariana could feel was the sting of Daniel's disinterest. Wouldn't most guys be a little bit

  concerned if they spotted their along the slats of the bench. She made a mental list of the things Paige and her

  friends had forced the new girls to do to prove their devotion to Billings. Like the time Paige had made her

  break into Hell Hall with a Sharpie and black out parts of the assistant headmaster's name plaque so that it

  read ass master. He started to whistle the theme to Jeopardy. "Stop it," Ariana said.

  "I want to hear something real. Something bad. Something hot." His voice dropped to a whisper, and he

  nudged her knee with his. Ariana froze. The light contact sent her skin humming. Suddenly his face was only

  inches from her own. She could feel his breath on her neck. Her own breath caught in her throat. "Come on,

  Osgood. Shock me."

  "Well ..." Ariana stalled, working to retain her composure and calm her racing heart. It was hard, though, with

  Thomas's eyes probing every inch of her body, as if uncovering every last one of her many secrets. She felt

  exposed. Naked. Exhilarated.

  What would he do if she reached up and touched his cheek?

  For a moment she felt dizzy, heady with the possibility that she could actually do it. He was right there. They

  were alone, relatively. He wouldn't be able to tease her anymore if she did something that risky. Yeah, that

  would wipe that knowing smirk right off his incredibly handsome face.

  Ariana felt her hands twitch with anticipation and shoved them under her thighs.

  What was wrong with her? This was Thomas Pearson. Everyone knew he was a player. The kind of guy who

  hooked up with girls as long girlfriend alone on a bench with a guy like Thomas? It was embarrassing. And

  Thomas had noticed it too. There was nothing Thomas Pearson didn't notice.