Perfect Mistake

  "Well, this has the Fellows written all over it," Lexa said.

  "The Fellows?" Ariana asked, sitting down next to Kaitlynn. Her legs felt as if she had run a mile. It was hard to believe that three minutes ago she had been dead asleep.

  "Definitely," Maria said with a nod. "Those guys can be seriously morbid."

  And dragging people up to the woods with bags over their heads to a fire surrounded by human skulls is what? Whimsical? Ariana thought.

  "Someone is going to have to retaliate," Lexa said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

  "Oh, yes. Someone definitely should," Maria agreed.

  Ariana just let them talk, wondering if Kaitlynn knew how dangerous this whole game was. If Lexa or anyone else had started to suspect Kaitlynn, there was no way Ariana would have been able to convince them to accept her. There was no way Brigit was going to invite a midnight toenail clipper to the NoBash. Kaitlynn would get none of the things she wanted, and would undoubtedly blame it on Ariana.

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  Somehow twist it so that Arianas delay in sabotaging someone had forced her to do what she'd done.

  Kaitlynn was much more than off the, deep end; she was being pulled out to sea by a strong undertow. Ariana was not dealing with a person who could be reasoned with, a person whose moves could be predicted. Kaitlynn was out of control.

  And that scared Ariana more than anything.

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  COUPLES, COUPLES, COUPLES

  At least it was a beautiful day. Hot and sunny with a light breeze. The perfect day for lazing around by the pond, pretending to study and working on one's tan. Which made it easy to convince Lexa and the others to join her down by the water after breakfast. As Ariana lay on her stomach atop a crisp cotton blanket, her copy of Kate Chopin's The Awakening open in front of her, she breathed deeply and tried not to think about Kaitlynn and her psychosis. She had to focus on the positive. And right now, the Lexa--and--Conrad plan was going perfectly. Soon after she and her friends had settled in, Conrad had arrived with his English notes as scheduled and quickly fallen into conversation with Lexa. The pair was currently strolling around the water's edge, pausing every now and then to admire the flower beds or watch the pair of swans cutting their graceful arcs across the pond's surface.They were obviously smitten. Ariana was sure that Lexa would

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  ask Conrad to the NoBash any day now. Then she could officially be declared over Palmer and he would be free to escort someone else to the party. Namely, Ariana. Sometimes she just couldn't get over her own brilliance.

  "Anyone thirsty?" Soomie asked, looking up from her thick physics text. "I'm gonna text Melanie and ask her to bring down some iced tea and snacks."

  "Lemonade for me, please," Ariana said, pushing her sunglasses atop her head.

  "Iced tea works for us," Brigit put in. "Us" meaning herself and Adam, who hadn't left her side all day. The two of them were currently sharing a pair of earbuds attached to Brigit's pink iPod, sitting so close together on their picnic blanket that Brigit's knee rested atop his thigh. So much for Brigit's nervousness around boys.

  "Wait. You're texting who for what now?" Adam asked, brushing aside a pesky bee that had been hovering for the last few minutes.

  "It's a long story. Brigit will fill you in," Soomie said, her thumbs already flicking over the keys.

  Ariana smiled as Brigit started to explain the whole concept of the sophomore slaves to Adam, trying not to make it sound scandalous, which it easily could. They really did make a cute couple. She glanced at Soomie, wondering what sort of guy she would like if she didn't have a crush on Landon. Maria had begged off the study session, saying that she had a pointe class in the city, while Landon was supposedly doing some interview for Entertainment Weekly. Ariana had a hunch that they'd sneaked off together for some alone time. While

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  she fully respected Maria's right to a secret relationship, she felt bad for Soomie, lusting after a guy who was seeing one of her best friends.

  She was about to return to her book and save the Soomie dilemma for another time when Kaitlynn's familiar laugh caught her attention. Ariana had avoided having to even look at her at breakfast by sitting with her back to Tahira's table. Now her shoulders curled as she glanced at the shoreline, flicking over the various groups of students dotted here and there. When she found the girl, she froze. Kaitlynn was standing near the edge of the pond in a pair of barely there shorts, chatting with Palmer Liriano.

  Ariana's vision instantly clouded over with tiny gray dots. She tried to breathe, but her throat closed in on her like a trapdoor.

  What were Kaitlynn and Palmer doing together? How did they even know each other?

  "What do you think of Lillian, Ana?" Soomie asked, following her gaze. "You live with her. Got any good dirt?"

  She's a bitch. An evil, sadistic, conniving, completely insane bitch who cuts off people's body parts in the middle of the night. How's that for dirt?

  But she couldn't say that. Of course she couldn't. At breakfast, Lexa and Maria had told everyone their theory, and they all had agreed that the Fellows were the most likely culprits. On the way out of the dining hall, Maria and Christian had cornered Palmer, who was eating all his meals with the crew team, and Ariana had a feeling they were confabbing about how to get back at the other society. Kaitlynn was in the clear, she knew.

  "Ana?"

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  In, one . . . two . . . three . . .

  Out, one. . . two. . . three. . .

  In, one. . . two . . . three. . .

  Out, one . . . two . . . three . . .

  Not only could she not tell the truth about Kaitlynn, but she had to talk her up. Had to get her an invitation to the NoBash. With Kaitlynn threatening murder at every turn, Ariana wasn't about to take chances. She would not allow herself be killed over something as trifling as a party invite.

  "She's pretty cool," Ariana said finally, feeling as if she was going to vomit or faint or both. "Actually, I was going to ask you, Brigit," Ariana said, looking over her shoulder. "Do you have any invites left for the NoBash?"

  Brigit tore her eyes away from Adam's cute face and glanced curiously over at Kaidynn. "A couple. Why? Do you want me to invite her?"

  Actually, I'd rather you tear out every strand of hair from my head one by one, Ariana thought.

  "No. I mean, I wouldn't presume to tell you who to invite," Ariana said with a wave of her hand.

  "But if you're friends with her . . ." Brigit said.

  Ariana tasted bile in the back of her throat. "Don't invite her on my account. I mean, you should get to know her first so you can decide," she said, sitting up and crossing her legs. She placed her book aside with regret. "I know. Why don't I invite her on our shopping trip? She has to take her last placement exam, but maybe she can meet up with us afterward."

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  Brigit and Soomie looked over at Kaitlynn again. She and Palmer were looking over something in a notebook, their heads bent rather close together for Ariana's comfort.

  "Okay," Brigit said. "It'd probably be good to get to know her."

  "Definitely," Soomie added, starting another text.

  Ariana guessed that Soomie was interested in evaluating Kaitlynn for Stone and Grave. Part of her wished Kaitlynn would do something stupid so Soomie would blackball her and this whole thing could be over. If Kaitlynn was kept out because of her own mistakes, she couldn't exactly take it out on Ariana.

  Not that she wouldn't anyway. Logic wasn't a big motivating factor for the deranged.

  "Good. It's a plan," Ariana said.

  Then she replaced her sunglasses over her eyes and tilted her head back so that the sun could warm her face--and so she could monitor Kaitlynn and Palmer out of the corner of her eye.

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  SMOOTH

  "Brigit! I just found the perfect shoes to go with your gown!" Lexa announced, jogging up to Brigit and Ariana, who stood before a brightly lit wall peppered with small, silver
shelves, displaying the most gorgeous array of shoes Ariana had ever seen. Behind them, Soomie, Maria, and Kaitlynn were trying on pair after pair of Jimmy Choos and Manolos and Louboutins. Every time Kaitlynn spoke, Ariana's shoulders tensed, so she was trying to tune her out. At least she had been alone with Brigit and Lexa for the gown--shopping portion of the trip. The three of them had hit the shops fast and hard before meeting up with the others for the shoe hunt. In the third boutique they had stormed, Ariana had found the perfect light blue chiffon gown, which was now hanging behind the counter where the salesgirl had offered to keep it safe and crease free while Ariana and her friends shopped."Let me see!" Brigit replied, bright--eyed.

  Lexa pulled her hands out from behind her back. Ariana breathed

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  in awe at the silver shoes. They each had one tiny purple stone just to the side of the peep--toe--the exact same shade as Brigit's dress. Unfortunately, they also had three--and--a--half inch heels.

  "You can wear them, since your toenails weren't destroyed by some lunatic in the middle of the night," Lexa said with a laugh.

  Ariana glanced at Kaitlynn, who was sitting on a leather settee. Her lips twitched ever so slightly. Ariana narrowed her eyes. What had she and Palmer been talking about down by the pond? Did Kaitlynn somehow know about Ariana's thing with Palmer? It made sense, because if she did, then obviously she would go after him. The girl clearly wanted everything Ariana had.

  "Lexa! I love them!" Brigit said with false excitement. Then she scowled. "Now put them back."

  "But Brigit! Come on!" Lexa wheedled. "You have to wear heels sometime!"

  "Wait, you don't wear heels?" Kaitlynn asked, looking up.

  "Never have, never will," Brigit replied. "What's the big deal, anyway?"

  "The big deal is you're a princess. Princesses wear heels," Kaitlynn replied, lifting a hand.

  "Couldn't have put it better myself," Maria added, pointing her toe in a basic black Christian Louboutin stiletto.

  "Besides, Brigit, look at all the beautiful shoes you're missing out on!" Soomie added, standing up and looking around, her palms up. "This place is roughly eighty--eight percent heels and only twelve percent flats."

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  "It's practically a crime against fashion that you're excluding all these poor, poor shoes," Lexa said, holding the silver shoe up in front of her face and pouting at Brigit over the toe. "Come on, if you don't get these I'm going to have to buy them out from under you. I need a new pair of shoes for my date with Conrad tonight."

  "You're going out with Conrad tonight?" Ariana asked, practically breathless.

  Lexa blushed. "He's taking me to the opera," she said giddily. "How sophisticated are we?"

  Ariana grinned. Lexa was clearly smitten. It was all she could do to keep from laughing in happiness.

  "Good. Then you buy them," Brigit said, waving at the shoe dismissively.

  "No way. I was only kidding," Lexa said. "You have to try them on."

  "Ana? Help me out here," Brigit implored.

  Ariana looked around at her friends--everyone but Kaitlynn-- their faces pleading.

  "Why don't you just try them?" she suggested. "Let us see how bad the situation really is."

  Brigit's shoulder's slumped. "Fine," she groused. "But if. . . no, when I break my leg, you guys are explaining it to my parents."

  "Deal," Ana said.

  "We need these in a six!" Lexa cried, corralling the nearest salesman before Brigit could change her mind.

  Ten minutes later, Brigit was outfitted with the shoes. She sat on a leather chair and looked down at her feet.

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  "My feet have never been so dressed up in their lives," she said with a smile.

  "They are absolutely gorgeous," Kaitlynn said, hovering over her.

  Brigit looked hopefully up at her. "You think?" she asked, moving her feet from side to side to inspect them from every angle.

  "Without a doubt," Kaitlynn replied with a friendly smile. Ariana did her best not to gag.

  "Okay. But you might want to stay out of my way," Brigit warned.

  She raised her arms up to Lexa like a toddler asking to be picked up. Lexa clasped Brigit around her elbows and hoisted her from her seat. Immediately, Brigit's right ankle gave out. Her arms flailed, clipping Kaitlynn in the cheek, and she fell right back into her chair.

  "Warned you," Brigit said moodily. Her face burned with frustration and embarrassment. "Sorry, Kaitlynn."

  "It's fine. I'm fine. Don't give up on my account. You can do this, Brigit," Kaitlynn said, spreading it on a tad thick, in Ariana's opinion.

  "Come on. Let's try it again," Ariana said, moving forward to help Brigit this time.

  She tugged Brigit to her feet and together they walked slowly around the myriad shoe boxes and discarded heels to a more open area of the shop. Brigit picked her way along as if she were walking on tiptoe through a field of glass. Every few steps, her ankles wobbled as if they were made of marshmallow rather than bone and cartilage. But Ariana kept a firm grip on the girl, and they were able to traverse the store without anyone getting injured.

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  "See? You can totally do it!" Lexa cheered.

  "Sure. As long as Adam doesn't mind being my personal walker all night long," Brigit said.

  "Adam's your date?" Kaitlynn asked, her eyebrows arched. "Adam with the insanely long legs?"

  "That's the one," Soomie replied.

  "Well, then you have to get them. How are you going to dance with a guy who's nearly a foot taller than you without heels?" Kaitlynn asked.

  Ariana shot her a look. Who was she to be telling Brigit what she needed? But the other girls just nodded.

  "She's right, Bridge," Maria said. "You don't want him to be stooping all night."

  Brigit sighed. "No. But I also don't feel like breaking my neck, either."

  "That's not going to happen," Lexa said, putting a supportive hand on Brigit's arm. "Maria will work on it with you, right?"

  "I can make you graceful by next week, guaranteed," Maria assured her.

  "Besides, I've already seen Tahira's shoes and they look like Birken--stocks next to those little lovelies," Kaitlynn added.

  Ariana's heart skipped a beat as Brigit looked up, her eyes hungry. Kaitlynn had just sealed the deal.

  "Really? They're fugly?" she asked.

  Kaitlynn laughed, her hand to her chest. "I wouldn't say fugly, but she will drool when she sees these."

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  Brigit dropped into her chair, kicked off the shoes, and put them back in the box. "Ring these up, would you?" she said, handing them to a passing salesman.

  "My pleasure," he said.

  Brigit shoved her feet into her sneakers and stood up again. "Thanks, guys. I never would have done this without you." She moved past them toward the counter. Ariana grabbed the shoes she'd chosen and went with her.

  "Are you sure about this?" she asked. "I mean, those shoes are amazing, but I want you to be comfortable."

  "I'll be fine," Brigit said. "You heard Maria. She's going to train me.

  They stopped at the counter together and looked back at the four girls, who were mulling over a pair of knee--high boots Maria was considering.

  "Kaitlynn's pretty cool, huh?" Brigit said, handing over her American Express Black. "I wasn't so sure about her, but she just totally gave me inside info on Tahira."

  Ariana bit her tongue. She had been so involved with her other plans and plots that spying on Tahira had fallen by the wayside, and Kaitlynn had just swooped in and saved the day.

  "Yeah, she's pretty cool," Ariana agreed nonchalantly.

  And smooth, she thought as Kaitlynn threw her head back in a laugh at something Maria had said. Very, very smooth.

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  BACKUP PLAN

  "Thanks for the invite, A, that was super fun," Kaitlynn said sarcastically as she closed their dorm room door behind them. She lifted her messenger bag over her head, tossed it on the floor
, and dropped dramatically onto her bed, splaying her arms over her head. "That Lexa chick is just way too cheerleader. And Maria? Does she always walk with her nose that far in the air? What's she trying to do, catch flies in there? Brigit's about the only one of them I can stand."Ariana's jaw clenched. She walked into her closet and shoved aside a few hangers to make room for her new light blue gown. Then she shoved aside some more simply to make noise and release her aggression.

  "If you don't like them, why are you so determined to hang out with them? Why don't you just find yourself some other clique to invade?"

  Kaitlynn laughed. "For the same reason you latched on to them, A. They're the best. Besides, you're always with them, and I do so cherish our quality time together," she added sarcastically.

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  Ariana clung to the clothing rail with both hands and leaned forward, stretching out the backs of her arms and holding in a groan.

  Control, Ariana. Control. You cannot rip down this clothing bar and impale her with it.

  Although the visual was comforting.

  Ariana straightened up, sighed, and looked down at her feet. She could get through this. She could. Look how much she had survived already. She rolled her shoulders back and walked over to the doorway between her closet and her room. Narrowing her eyes, she leaned against the doorjamb and looked at the girl whom she'd once called her best friend.

  "Well, you made some progress today," she said. "But if I were you, I'd quit hanging out with Tahira and the Shrill Brigade. In case you hadn't noticed, Brigit is not a big fan."

  "I've noticed," Kaitlynn said, shoving herself off the bed and crossing to her dresser. She pulled out a short--sleeved black cashmere top with a wide neckline. Then she shimmied out of her shorts and stepped into a flimsy silver skirt. "But a girl has to have a backup plan."

  She popped open her sickly sweet perfume and dabbed a bit onto her wrists and behind her ears.