Beautiful Disaster

  "Damn," Ariana said under her breath.

  She slid out from behind the counter and ducked down the hallway just as Brigit pointed toward the coatroom. Ariana didn't wait to see whether Brigit or her guard had noticed her. She simply kept moving,

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  down the hall, through a metal door, down a set of stairs, and out to the alleyway, feeling the whole way that at any moment someone was going to grab her shoulder. It wasn't until she was through the door and it had slammed behind her that she started to breathe again.

  Kaitlynn stepped away from the far wall. Ariana was momentarily startled, but she recovered quickly. She didn't even give the girl a chance to speak.

  "Here," she said, dropping the duffel at her feet on the silty ground. "Here's your money. Now leave me alone."

  Kaitlynn wore black leggings, an oversize flannel shirt, and a torn denim jacket. She nudged the bag with the toe of her clunky black boot as if she was checking to make sure it wasn't full of snakes.

  "It's all there?" she said dubiously. "One million dollars."

  Ariana sighed in an exasperated way. She could just lie and say that yes, it was all there, but she was sure that Kaitlynn would be calling her up tomorrow, making more threats.

  "It's close, okay? It's enough."

  Kaitlynn smirked. "Let's see how close."

  Then the girl sat down cross-legged, right there on the cold, dirty alley floor, and started to count.

  "You're going to do this here?" Ariana demanded, glancing around.

  "No. We are," Kaitlynn replied. "Sit."

  "I can't sit in this dress," Ariana said, looking down at her cream-colored Ralph Lauren. "Besides, I have to get back."

  "First you stiff me and now you're bailing? I don't think so," Kaitlynn said. "Sit."

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  Holding back the fury that was building inside of her, Ariana glanced around and spotted a metal door on the other side of the alley. She walked over and peeked through the cracked glass window. Inside was a set of industrial-looking stairs and a single, flickering lightbulb protruding from the wall. Ariana tried the door, which squealed as it opened.

  "In here," she said.

  Kaitlynn rolled her eyes, but picked up the bag and strolled over.

  "What if someone comes down?" she said.

  "Then we'll deal with it," Ariana replied through her teeth. "It's a lot better than being out here in the open where a police car could drive by or a security guard could come out for a cigarette."

  Kaitlynn walked inside and dropped down on the bottom step to resume counting. Ariana reluctantly joined her, crouching to the dirty linoleum floor and folding the skirt of her dress up over her thighs to keep it from getting smudged. She reached into the bag, pulled out a handful of cash, and started to count, keeping one ear on the stairs above for the sound of a slamming door or a footfall. Hours seemed to pass. Days. There was a ton of money in smallish bills. But they got through every single dollar. And when they were done, Kaitlynn did the tally.

  "Nine hundred thousand twenty dollars," she said, looking up at Ariana. "You were right. It's close."

  But was it close enough? Ariana couldn't bring herself to ask the question. Couldn't fathom letting herself sound that desperate. Kaitlynn slowly placed all the stacks of cash into the duffel bag. Then she zipped it up, shouldered the strap, and stood. She offered Ariana her

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  hand, but Ariana ignored her. For a long few moments Kaitlynn just stood there, silently regarding Ariana. With each second that passed, Ariana felt more and more trapped, more and more excruciatingly anxious.

  Just go away. Get out of my life, she willed Kaitlynn. What the hell is the difference between nine hundred K and one million?

  Finally, Kaitlynn spoke. "A hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money, Ariana."

  The fury inside Ariana exploded. Her vision clouded over and her fingers curled into fists. She bit down on her tongue so hard she drew blood.

  "Just take it!" she said through her teeth, her eyes so wide it was painful. "Just take it and get on the freaking plane and go!"

  Kaitlynn smiled. She shook her head and tsked softly under her breath. "You just don't get it. We had a deal. And if you don't get me the rest of the money by tomorrow morning, Ariana ..." She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, hit a button, and held it up. The screen read D.C. Police. "I have them on speed dial."

  Ariana shook from head to toe. "I hate you. I hate you more than I've ever hated anyone in my life."

  In that moment, Ariana actually felt this was true. She hated Kaitlynn more than she'd hated Dr. Meloni. More than she'd hated Reed Brennan, who had stolen Thomas Pearson from her, and Mel Johnston, who had threatened to take him away. More than she'd hated Thomas in those fleeting moments when she'd allowed his betrayal to burn under her skin.

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  Kaitlynn's smile widened, as if she was proud to hear it. "Wow. With you, that's really saying something." She patted Ariana twice on the shoulder. It was all Ariana could do not to reach up and twist the girl's arm out of its socket. "Tomorrow morning, B.L. Give me a call."

  Then she turned and shoved through the door. Ariana stepped into the alley and watched her go. Watched her disappear around the corner, taking with her all of Ariana's hopes for the future. Ariana's shoulders slumped. Every muscle in her body felt weak as she crashed from her adrenaline high, and her eyes welled with desperate tears.

  All that work. All that sneaking and stealing and praying that she wouldn't get caught. All of it was going to be for nothing. Because there was absolutely no way she was going to get her hands on a hundred thousand dollars by tomorrow morning.

  No way in hell.

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  PLAN C

  By the time the Atherton-Pryce Hall shuttle buses dropped Ariana and her friends off in the parking lot in front of the dorms, Ariana was physically and emotionally exhausted. Everyone around her was in a celebratory mood, telling stories about crazy things the fans had done and projecting the amount of money they'd hauled in, but all Ariana could think about was the fact that at this time tomorrow, her life would be over.Should she pack up tonight and flee? Wait until first light? And where would she go? She had no one. Not a friendly place on earth. She supposed she could go back to Texas for a few days. Briana Leigh's grandmother had liked "Emma Walsh." Perhaps she would put her up for a little while, but if Kaitlynn told the police everything, wouldn't they look for her there? Ariana suddenly felt exhausted and backbreakingly sad. How could she have failed? All that risk, and her reward was going to be a one-way ticket back to the Brenda T.The

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  very idea of being locked up inside those cinder-block walls again made her blood curdle and her heart pound with desperation.

  There was no way she was going back there. She would die first.

  But that left only one option. She was going to have to throw herself at Kaitlynn's feet and beg for mercy. The idea brought bile into the back of Ariana's throat, but it was all she had.

  "Well, everyone, thanks for all your hard work," Tahira said as the students gathered in the parking lot. "We'll be counting up our take tomorrow, but be assured, we kicked blue and gray's ass tonight!"

  Everyone cheered and whooped. Ariana forced a smile for Lexa and Brigit's sake. Brigit was the only one aside from Ariana who wasn't cheering. She just stared Tahira down like she was out for blood. Ariana felt a twinge of guilt over having made the situation between the two princesses even more strained, but it was worth it. Or it would have been worth it if she'd managed to steal another hundred thousand. If only she'd stayed behind that counter for another thirty seconds. Would she have been able to grab enough money to make this all go away?

  The regret weighed on her shoulders like the weight of the world was crushing her.

  "Come on," Lexa said, slinging her arms around Ariana and Brigit as the crowd broke up. "Let's raid my duty-free snack stash and celebrate."

  They were just approach
ing the alcove outside the door of Cornwall when Tahira and Allison obnoxiously cut in front of them and opened the door. "Thanks for all your help, Love," Tahira said sarcastically over her shoulder.

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  Something inside of Ariana snapped. She did not need this bitch mocking her on top of everything else. And suddenly, it was as if a door opened inside her mind and the perfect idea came popping out with a big "ta-da!" This was it. This was her salvation.

  "Okay, Princess," she said, extricating herself from Lexa's arm. She stepped up to Tahira in the doorway, facing off with her from mere inches away. "You, me, rematch, tomorrow."

  "Sweet!" Brigit said, cheering up considerably.

  Tahira laughed in an obnoxious way. "Please. Don't humiliate yourself again."

  "Forget humiliation," Ariana said as a crowd of Cornwall girls formed on the patio, unable to get inside because she and Tahira were blocking the door. "I'm so confident I'm going to beat you I'll wager . . . let's see ... a hundred thousand dollars on it."

  A hushed whisper skittered through the crowd of onlookers. Lexa's jaw dropped. "Ana, are you sure you want to--"

  "You don't have access to that kind of cash," Tahira countered.

  Ariana felt a bolt of fear. Tahira was, of course, correct on that score. She didn't even have access to a hundred dollars right then. But this was her last and only hope. The only way to avoid throwing herself at Kaitlynn's mercy. And she could beat Tahira. She knew she could. Especially when the alternative was jail and, potentially, death row.

  "Don't I? Do you know who my father was?" Ariana shot back.

  For the first time, Tahira broke eye contact, glancing at Allison as if looking for guidance.

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  She's scared, Ariana thought. She knows I wouldn't bet that much money unless I knew I could win. Ariana could practically hear Tahira weighing the pros and cons. The bragging rights and utter triumph if she won. The embarrassment if she lost. For a moment she was sure the girl was going to back down. Lose face now to save face later. But she couldn't let that happen. She needed Tahira's money."Ana. I don't know if this is such a good idea," Lexa said in her ear. Ariana ignored her. Maybe she would lose the chance to be in the secret society, but she'd get to keep her life.

  "Oh, look, Brigit, the Dubai princess is scared!" she teased, earning a satisfying laugh from the crowd. "I thought you were the number one tennis goddess on the eastern seaboard."

  "I am," Tahira said through her teeth. Ariana felt a sizzle of excitement and triumph as Tahira stood up straight. "Fine," she said. "Twelve noon on the court. You're on."

  Twelve noon would be too late. Kaitlynn was expecting a call in the morning. "Make it eight," Ariana said with a smirk. "I like to get my ego-crushing done before breakfast."

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  FREEDOM WON

  Tahira was sweating. Ariana could see it all the way from the opposite baseline. The fabric of her white tennis tank clung to her skin in unattractive splotches, and big, fat droplets wound their way down her forehead and into her eyes.Ariana, meanwhile, was as cool as the other side of the pillow. It was Saturday morning, and today, Tahira was Love. And Ariana was more than happy to pass along the nickname. She was up one set to love and five games to one in the second set. All she had to do was close out the next two points, and the money would be hers. Freedom would be hers. Kaitlynn would be history.

  "Are you ready? Because you can take a minute if you need to," Ariana said with false concern as she tossed the ball up and down in front of her. Brigit, Lexa, Maria, Soomie, and the rest of their friends laughed. Not Palmer, however. Although she was trying very hard not to care about that.

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  "Just serve the damn ball," Tahira replied, obviously fed up.

  "If you insist."

  Ariana tossed the ball up and slammed it across the net as hard as she could. Tahira lunged for it and just got her racket on it. The ball sailed back across the net and Tahira seemed as surprised as Ariana was that she'd had enough power to get it there. Ariana set herself up for a forehand and returned the ball to the opposite corner of the court, sending Tahira sprinting across the baseline. Once again, she managed to get her racket on the ball, but this time there was zero power on it. The ball hit the tape and bounced down on Tahira's side of the net.

  "Yes," Ariana said through her teeth as her friends applauded. She looked over at the stands and relished in their cheers. Everyone but Lexa was going nuts. Lexa merely clapped politely, an anomaly that irked Ariana.

  "That's forty to fifteen," Ariana called out. "This is match point."

  "Thanks for stating the obvious," Tahira replied, her chest heaving as she stood up straight. "How about you just shut up and serve?"

  "My pleasure," Ariana replied.

  She bounced from foot to foot a few times, her energy mounting as Tahira's plummeted, as if she was somehow sucking the girl dry from across the court. She smiled to herself, relishing the moment. This was it. If she won this point, her life was saved. She tossed the ball up, pulled back, and rocketed it across the court.

  Again, Tahira had to lunge. The ball glanced off the top edge of her racket, sailing high and arcing over the net.

  "Shit!" Tahira shouted.

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  The girl knew it was going to go long. Ariana knew it was going to go long. Everyone in the stands knew it was going to go long. Even Sumit and his roommate Jonathan, who had offered to act as line judges, knew it was going to go long. Ariana's heart leapt with glee, but she jogged backward just in case. If she needed to return, she was going to return it right between the girl's eyes.

  "Out!" Sumit shouted as the ball hit the ground at least a foot outside the line.

  "Yes!" Ariana cheered as her friends jumped up and raced toward her.

  Tahira let out a screech of frustration and slammed her thousand-dollar racket into the ground, breaking the frame in three places. She doubled over on the bench next to the court, hiding her face in her hands. She slapped Rob's hand away when he came to comfort her.

  "Oh my God! You did it!" Brigit cried, throwing her arms around Ariana. "I knew you could do it!"

  "Nice work, Ana," Maria said, nodding as she sipped her large espresso.

  Lexa hugged Ariana as Soomie snapped a picture with her Black-Berry. "And the wicked witch goes down," Soomie said with a smile.

  Ariana grinned at her friends, who had absolutely no idea how huge this win actually was. She had just saved her own life with a racket and a little green ball.

  "Excuse me. I have some business to attend to," Ariana said, strolling away from them and over to Tahira. The girl was still bent at the waist, a towel wrapped around her shoulders, which she was holding

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  against either side of her face. When she saw Ariana's sneakers in front of her, she simply stared at them for a moment, gathering herself.

  "Do you have something for me?" Ariana said.

  Tahira glared up at her. She reached into her tennis bag and pulled out her iPhone. Her eyes never left Ariana's as she held the phone to her ear.

  "Yes, Daddy. It's me," Tahira said into the phone, tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. "Yes, I need a favor. I need a hundred thousand dollars to settle a bet."

  Ariana held her breath. The girl was telling her father she'd wagered all that green? Was she insane? She could have at least come up with a good lie. No parent in his right mind would hand over that much money for a bet. Her skin prickled and already her mind started thinking three steps ahead, to new hair dye and the bus depot and a life on the run.

  "Thanks, Daddy. Yes. I know," Tahira said. She held the phone away from her ear and looked at Ariana. "You'll have it tomorrow morning," she whispered, as her father continued to talk on the other end of the call.

  Ariana blinked. The images of herself curled up in the back of a Greyhound, fending off smelly passengers on her way to Alabama or some such place disappeared in the wind. She couldn't believe that Tahira could actual
ly get her hands on a hundred thousand dollars so easily. She still hated the girl, but she was impressed.

  "In cash," Ariana said, figuring it couldn't hurt to ask.

  Tahira rolled her eyes. "In cash, okay, Daddy?" she said into the phone. "Thanks. Love you, too. Kisses to Mom."

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  She pressed her thumb into the touch pad, then tossed the phone back into her bag and stood up. Face-to-face with Tahira, Ariana could see that the girl was spent. Her hair was soaked with sweat and her eyes were bloodshot. When she walked off this court, there was no doubt in Ariana's mind that the girl would burst into tears over her public humiliation. As long as she was alone. She definitely had too much pride to let anyone see her break down. Oddly enough, another trait Ariana admired.

  "My father's man will be here in the morning with a briefcase for you," Tahira said smoothly. "Congratulations. You won the bet."

  "Thank you," Ariana replied. "I'm impressed that you're being so gracious about it."

  "Yes, well, that's the way I was raised," Tahira replied, reaching back to pick up her bag. "But I wouldn't be too excited about your little win here today," she said, brushing a hand toward the court as if it meant nothing. "There was something much larger at stake, and in that game, you definitely lost."

  Ariana's heart slammed into her rib cage as Tahira stared into her eyes, all fire and brimstone. She meant the secret society, didn't she? Now that she had won, she had Briana Leigh's life back. And that life had to be perfect. She needed that secret society. A sizzle of trepidation zipped down Ariana's spine and it was all she could do not to shudder.

  "You've just made a serious enemy, Ana," Tahira said with a sniff. "From here on out, I'd watch your back."

  With that, Tahira strolled away, followed by Allison, Zuri, and

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  Rob. Ariana took a deep breath and let it out slowly, telling herself to stay calm. For all she knew, Tahira was throwing out an empty threat to save face. Ariana had dealt with much more formidable enemies in the past. Like Kaitlynn Nottingham. Kaitlynn, whom she now had to convince to wait one more day for her money.