"What was that?" Hudson asked.
"Nothing. Come on," she said, pulling him with her. "Let's go somewhere more private where we can talk."
"Wait," Hudson said, clinging to her hand. "Is Briana Leigh coming down? I feel like I should at least say hi."
Ariana looked past him at the door of the dorm, as if Briana Leigh might actually emerge from it. "Uh, no. When security called up, we both figured you'd want to see me, so she went off to lunch with some of the girls. She said to say hi, though."
"Oh. Okay," Hudson said. He didn't seem put out at all. Why would he be? He was holding the hand of the girl he loved. He didn't need Briana Leigh anymore. And hopefully, in about five minutes, he wouldn't need Emma Walsh either.
"Where to?" Hudson asked.
Ariana smiled, though her nerves were as frayed as Allison's split ends. "I know a perfect place."
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FAKE BOY FRIEND
"This campus is amazing," Hudson said, looking around as they approached a copse of shade trees near the edge of the pond. Ariana had noticed it during the debate victory party and knew the trees would afford some privacy. Unfortunately, Hudson veered off toward the water before she could lead him to the shade. There were two white swans cutting circles across the surface of the pond, and a warm breeze bent the longer grass along the shoreline. "How do you like it here?"Ariana's heart contracted. "Hudson, we need to talk," she said, turning her back to the water, which was rippling languidly in the breeze.
"Before you say anything, you're wrong," Hudson said, raising his hands. His eyes twinkled merrily.
"You don't even know what I was going to say," she replied impatiently.
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"Yeah. I do," he replied, shoving his hands into his pockets and taking a confident, wide-legged stance. "You were going to say I shouldn't be here. That it's over, blah, blah, blah," he said, pacing past her. "But what you fail to realize is that if it were over I wouldn't be here, and neither would you."
He paused behind her, forcing her to turn. "How very existential of you," she said.
"Thank you." He gave a modest nod.
Ariana sighed, trying in vain to bite back her smile. No. No smiling. She did not like him anymore. Could not like him anymore. This was over. No matter how handsome he looked against the backdrop of the bright blue sky. "Hudson, this is ridiculous. You go to school in Boston, I'm in D.C. I don't want a long-distance relationship."
"We can figure all that out," Hudson said, stepping closer to her. "Emma, all I know is . . . what we had this summer was real. I want to see where it'll go."
From the corner of her eye, Ariana saw a group of people walking toward the pond with picnic blankets and sports equipment. They were headed for the north end, yards and yards away, but the very sight of them made her shoulders tense. She had to get Hudson off the APH campus as quickly as possible, before he had the chance to interact with anyone else. It was time to stop playing nice.
"It's not going anywhere," she said flatly.
Hudson's smile faltered, but just briefly. "I disagree."
"Hudson, I was in Texas all summer, I needed a distraction, you were hot, and you were there," Ariana said, lifting her chin. "That's all it was."
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Hudson took a small step back. She could see the doubt and hurt in his eyes, and it pained her heart, but only for a moment. There were far more important things at stake than Hudson's feelings.
"I don't believe you," he said.
Ariana blew out a loud, exasperated sigh. "I have a boyfriend. I told you that. And if you want the brutal truth, I transferred here to be with him, not Briana Leigh."
"He goes here?' Hudson blurted.
The group of students were settling in near the edge of the pond. Ariana glanced over and noticed that Palmer was among them--and he was still standing--watching her. Ariana's fingers curled into a fist. This was not good. This was very not good.
"I'm sorry, Hudson, I have to go," Ariana said, turning away. Hoping against hope that he would just let it be. Then she felt his fingers close around her wrist. She whirled around, annoyed, and her own fingers curled instinctively. That was when she saw that Palmer was now approaching, a concerned look on his handsome face. Instantly, a new plan clicked into focus.
"Dammit. Here he comes," Ariana said under her breath, looking past Hudson.
Hudson had just enough time to glance over his shoulder before Palmer was upon them.
"Everything okay over here?" he asked in that proprietary voice. As if anything and everything that happened on this campus was his concern. Of course, to Hudson, it probably sounded as if he was just being possessive of Ariana. Perfect.
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"Actually, no," Ariana replied. She made a big show of wrenching her arm out of Hudson's grasp, then grabbed the spot where his fingers had been, as if he'd been hurting her. Which, of course, he had not. Palmer's gaze flicked to Ariana's wrist. He glared at Hudson, clearly appalled.
"Is that really necessary, man?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that made his biceps bulge. Ariana felt a thrill of attraction and forced herself to look at the grass beneath her feet.
"I wasn't. . . . I . . ." Hudson stammered.
"Palmer, can you please walk me back to my dorm?" Ariana asked, forcing a tremble into her voice.
"Of course," Palmer said. Then, much to Ariana's delight, he put his arm around her shoulders in a protective way. He was playing his role to perfection and he didn't even know it. "You're gonna want to leave campus before I call security," he warned Hudson.
Ariana and Palmer turned to walk away. They were a few yards off when Palmer took Ariana's fingers in his free hand and studied her wrist. "Are you sure you're all right? Do you want me to call security?"
Ariana was overwhelmed by his solicitousness. "No. I'm okay. He was just--"
"You can't end it like this, Emma!" Hudson called after her. "I know you care about me!"
A hot rush of anger overtook Ariana as Palmer paused. He had to freaking call her Emma, didn't he? He couldn't just get a clue and let it go. She turned around and shot him a look that would have killed
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a weaker guy on the spot. Hudson stopped in his tracks and he paled. If that didn't get the message across, nothing would.
"Why did he just call you Emma?" Palmer asked.
Ariana cleared her throat, buying time. How to explain this one away? "It's kind of embarrassing."
Palmer smirked. "What? Now you have to tell me."
"I ... I met him when I was out with friends and I could just tell he was creepy, so I gave him a fake name," Ariana lied, looking away as if humiliated by her own behavior. "And sure enough it became this whole big stalker thing. I don't even know how he got on campus."
"Wow. I am definitely calling security," Palmer said, reaching for his cell in his back pocket.
"No. No, it's okay," Ariana glanced over at Hudson, who seemed to be debating which way to go--back toward the gate, or toward her and Palmer. "He's harmless. I actually told him you were my boyfriend, so you coming over was pretty perfect. I think he's gotten the picture."
"You told him I was your boyfriend?" Palmer asked with a teasing smile.
"I had to tell the guy something," Ariana replied, the color rising in her cheeks.
"Well, then, let's make absolutely sure he's gotten the picture," Palmer said.
Then, before Ariana could even absorb his words, he'd grabbed her by the waist and tugged her into him. With his other hand he cupped the back of her head, leaned down, and touched his lips to
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hers. Ariana was so surprised she just melted into him and let him have his way with her for a good half a minute. Everything about him was so self-assured. The way he held her, the way he kissed her, the way his hand moved across her back. He was in charge, and Ariana felt safe. She felt like she belonged in those arms, as if she could stay there all day.
And then it was over. And al
ong with the air between them, the import of what had just happened rushed over her. Palmer had just kissed her. Lexa's boyfriend had just kissed her. Right out here in the open in the middle of campus. Talk about losing control.
But damn, was Lexa a lucky girl.
Ariana's fingers fluttered to her tingling lips. Palmer kept one hand on her waist and glanced toward the pond.
"Yeah, that did it. Stalker boy is on the move," he said.
Ariana blinked. She had forgotten all about Hudson. But sure enough, there he was, hoofing it toward the parking lot. Thank God that was over. And she hadn't been forced to do anything unsavory. He was part of her past, and her past was not welcome here.
"Let's get you back to Cornwall," Palmer said with a Cheshire cat grin.
Ariana took a deep breath. She had to get control of herself here, get control of the situation. The other day Palmer had basically told her that he couldn't like her, that he wouldn't do that to Lexa, whom he loved. But now, here he was, kissing her like she was the only girl on Earth. Like Lexa didn't even exist.
Ignoring the fact that her whole body was still responding to his
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kiss, Ariana managed to take a step back. "What the hell was that?" she demanded.
Palmer's face fell. "What?"
"You just kissed me," Ariana blurted. "I thought you had a girlfriend. I thought you were all in love. You stood there in the boat-house acting all holier-than-thou like you're some perfect, stand-up guy and then you--"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Palmer said, holding up both hands. "I just did that to help you out. That's all that was."
"Oh, you're such a martyr," she said sarcastically, knowing full well he'd enjoyed the kiss as much as she had. "I'm sure Lexa would see it that way if she found out."
"Wait. You're not going to tell her, are you?" he said, his eyes suddenly wide.
Ariana sighed. "No. Of course I'm not going to tell her. But it's not going to happen again."
Palmer looked momentarily, gratifyingly, disappointed. Ariana's heart flipped. She knew it. He had enjoyed it. Not that it mattered. Palmer was unavailable, untouchable, off limits. Lexa was too important.
But still. It was nice to be wanted.
"No. It's not gonna happen again," he said finally.
"Good. I think I can make it back to Cornwall on my own now, thanks," she said. "You should probably go find your actual girlfriend."
Then she turned and swiftly walked back to her dorm, already thinking ahead to a cold shower.
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WORTHY
"Okay, people, listen up!" Tahira shouted, quieting the relatively boisterous crowd of gold team members who had gathered around the fountain on Friday morning. Tahira was wearing a red top and red and purple sarong-style skirt with gold embellishments all over. Red, no doubt, because it was a power color, and she clearly lived to remind everyone that she was in charge. "I called this little impromptu meeting because you guys are slacking!" she shouted. "I need at least ten more volunteers to work the event tonight, and you can't slough this off on the freshmen and transfers. They are all accounted for already! So rise to the occasion, juniors and seniors. Show some freaking leadership skills already."There were general groans and whispers among the crowd where Ariana stood with Brigit, Lexa, Soomie, and Landon.
"Yeah, Soom. Why don't you show some freaking leadership skills already?" Landon joked, running his hand up under Soomie's hair from behind and letting it all slide through his fingers.
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Soomie blushed and knocked his hand away in a flirtatious gesture. "God! Quit doing that!"
"Why?" Landon teased, doing it again. "You have the softest damn hair on terra firma."
Soomie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Because it tickles," she said, shoving him away again. Her blush was so bright she could have directed traffic with it. Ariana wondered what Maria would think if she were there. Then Soomie's BlackBerry beeped and she whipped it out and groaned. "Maria's nine-one-oneing me from the Hill. I'd better go. You girls coming?" she asked the group.
Ariana bit her tongue. She had a feeling that Maria was nowhere near the Hill, but had somehow seen what was going on and stopped it. Nice play.
"She didn't text me," Lexa said, checking her phone. "You go. Let us know if she needs more backup."
"Okay," Soomie said reluctantly, backing away from Landon. "See you later?" she said, raising her eyebrows.
"Actually, I'll come with," Landon said, pushing his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
Soomie lit up at his words, even though Ariana was sure that Landon's offer was born out of concern for Maria rather than the desire to stay with Soomie. The two of them strolled off together.
"You guys wanna bounce?" Brigit suggested. "I'm sick of listening to this crap already."
Suddenly, Ariana's phone beeped and, against her better judgment, she looked at the screen. The text was from Kaitlynn. It read, simply:
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$$$???
Ariana's heart filled with dread for the hundredth time that week. She snapped the phone shut.
"Was that Maria?" Lexa asked.
"No. Just spam," Ariana replied. Then she glanced at Brigit. "You know, you should work the tables with us tonight. It'll be fun," she said with a forced grin.
If the plan that Ariana's brain was slowly forming was going to work, she would need Brigit there tonight.
"Yes! You totally should," Lexa put in.
Ariana smiled. Lexa's support was a helpful surprise.
Brigit scoffed from the back of her throat. "That would be a 'no way,'" she said, toying with a bangle bracelet. "I helped Soomie with the debate research specifically because I did not want to help Tahira."
"Don't think of it as helping Tahira--think of it as helping the team. Right, Lex?" Ariana said, glancing past Brigit at Lexa.
Lexa smiled at having her own words repeated back to her. "Right. Come on, Brigit, keep us company. If nothing else, it'll be fun just to see all those girls screaming all over Landon."
Brigit considered this. "That would be amusing. And good stuff for my blog."
"Your blog?" Ariana asked.
Brigit nodded excitedly. "Me and a bunch of other royals all blog on tiaradish.com. It's way fun. You should check it out."
"So you're in?" Lexa asked.
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"I'm in," Brigit said. Then she looked up at Tahira and raised her hand. "I'm in!"
Tahira scrunched her nose. "Fine," she said, making a note on her clipboard. "But now I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel here, people."
A few girls nearby laughed and two pink spots appeared on Brigit's cheeks. She rolled her eyes and turned to walk away. Lexa and Ariana followed, leaving Tahira and her pleas for volunteers behind.
"Don't let her get to you, Bridge," Lexa said, putting her hand on Brigit's back.
"She's not. I just have to go. I have to log my time on the treadmill," Brigit said quickly. "I'll see you guys later."
She took off for the state-of-the-art gymnasium at a speed walk. Ariana and Lexa paused to watch her go. "I don't know what I'm going to do with that girl," Lexa mused.
"What do you mean?" Ariana asked.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that Brigit can be her own worst enemy," Lexa replied. "With the eating thing and the Tahira thing. I mean, she's a junior now, and I've told her a million times that this is her last chance to get into the--"
Lexa abruptly stopped talking. Her gaze flicked to Ariana, and there was actual fear in her eyes. She swallowed hard and coughed, as if she'd just caught a fly with her tongue.
"Last chance to get into the what?" Ariana asked.
"I have to go," Lexa said, turning around and sprint-walking away, her brown hair flying.
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Ariana scurried to catch up. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute. Suddenly she felt as if she was on the verge of something huge. Something that might explain away dozens of tiny, niggli
ng little questions that had been biting at her brain for the past few days. Lexa made an abrupt turn and inexplicably headed for the library. The automatic doors slid aside to welcome her in and Ariana followed, shivering as the frigid air hit her bare arms.
"Lexa," Ariana hissed. "You have to tell me what you were about to say. I swear I won't tell anyone."
Lexa's expression was pained as she turned around. But Ariana wasn't about to give up. She hated knowing there was some huge secret out there and that she wasn't in on it. Lexa walked over to a display of information packets on the inside wall of the library and pretended to be engrossed. Ariana stepped up next to her and stared at the cover of a pamphlet about STDs and how to prevent them.
"You know you can trust me, Lex," she said under her breath. Lexa clutched her own arms. Ariana could practically the girl bursting to tell. "I promise."
"I am so, so stupid." Lexa took a deep breath. "Fine," she said, grabbing Ariana's hand.
She glanced around, then tugged Ariana into an alcove just outside a door marked Employees Only. Once inside, she peeked her head out again and looked around, just to be sure no one had seen them, Ariana assumed. All the cloak and dagger was making her even more excited.
Lexa breathed in again, closed her eyes, and blew out the breath.
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She looked Ariana in the eye. "Fine," she said again. "But you have to understand, I'm breaking about a thousand rules just mentioning this to you. If anyone ever finds out I told you--"
"I'll take it to the grave," Ariana promised.
"Okay." Lexa held her breath. When she spoke, it was at a whisper so quiet it could barely be heard above the whooshing air conditioner. "There are secret societies here at Atherton-Pryce. Three of them, to be exact. And right now, even as we speak, you're being evaluated."
Ariana's blood ran cold. Suddenly she felt as if someone was watching her from behind, and her spine curled. "What?"
"Each of the teams--gold, blue, gray--represents one of the societies," Lexa said in a rush. "You were picked to be on gold because you have some of the traits we--they--look for in a society member. Not everyone on gold is in the society, you understand. Only a select few people are asked to join. But if you're on gold, you're either in the society or you're being considered as a potential member."