Beautiful Disaster

"She walked up to us," Brigit protested."Brigit," Soomie scolded. Ariana could only imagine she was calling Brigit out on the immature tone of her statement.

  "What do you mean, choose?" Ariana asked. She had the distinct feeling there was some kind of rivalry going on here, and she wanted to make sure she was on the right side.

  Allison hugged her laptop to her chest and stood next to Tahira. Tahira opened her mouth to speak, but Soomie got there first.

  "Tahira thinks everything is a competition. That's her thing," Soomie said.

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  "Please. I just like to get to know the fresh meat," Tahira said.

  "Yeah, so you can chew it up and spit it out," Brigit mumbled.

  "Very mature, Norway," Tahira shot back. She looked Ariana up and down. "When you get bored of the vanilla brigade over here, we're right across the way, having a lot more fun." She pointed blithely at the open door of the dorm room on the other side of the hall, where a few girls were gathered on the beds, gabbing and chatting. A huge pink diamond sparkled on the ring finger of her right hand. "You look like a smart girl. I trust you'll choose wisely."

  Then she turned and walked back to her own room, followed by Allison, who silently closed the door behind them.

  "Here we go, ladies!" Allison shouted out in the hall. "Pictures from my trip to Iceland!"

  There were a few cheers across the way, and then silence as the door to Tahira's room closed. For a long moment, no one said a word, and Ariana's very fingertips started to itch. Should she follow Tahira or stick with her first instinct? She had to have the right friends here at APH. Needed to align herself with the group that would introduce her to the right clubs, the right people, the right future. Which of these two factions would do that for her?

  "So obnoxious," Maria said finally, shaking her head as she walked over to the mirror, which hung on the wall near the door. She took her hair and twisted it, piling it atop her head. She held it there, checking herself out from every angle. "I'm surprised you didn't get into it with her," she said to Brigit.

  "Get into what with who?" Ariana asked, playing catch-up.

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  "It's a long story," Brigit said as she dropped down on Allisons bed, leaning back on her elbows. Clearly she wasn't going to elaborate further, which made Ariana feel even more left out. "Guess Tahira decided to room with Zuri this year."

  "Well, who wants to live with Allison?" Soomie put in. She was texting again, her fingers flying deftly over the mini keyboard. "A) The girl snores like a freight train; B) she's totally OCD about her teeth; and C) she's always getting those smelly care packages from home and letting them fester under her bed for weeks at a time."

  Ariana swallowed hard as her cluelessness started to eat away at her. Everyone here already knew everyone else--and she knew no one. She had to start from scratch, figure out which girls were worth befriending and then get them to trust her. But how would she even begin deciding that when she was sure that each group would feed her lies and jaded opinions about the other? She wished she had been here to witness whatever history there was between these two groups. Wished she could have seen it unfold for herself so she could make an informed decision. It was awful, feeling like the outsider,the

  girl not-in-the-know. A hot flush of anger started to creep up the back of her neck. She shouldn't have to do this. Shouldn't have to be starting over from square one like this. If it hadn't been for that bitch Reed Brennan . . . if Thomas Pearson hadn't been so taken in by her ... if it hadn't been for all that unpleasantness . . . she would be at Princeton right now instead of standing here trying to ingratiate herself to a bunch of girls two and three years younger than her. Why did all of this have to happen to her?

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  Just breathe, Ariana, she told herself.

  In, one . . . two . . . three ...

  Out, one . . . two . . . three ...

  She had to contain herself. Cut herself some slack. Give herself some time to catch up.

  "You don't want to go over there. Trust me," Soomie said, eyeing Ariana in a discerning way. Obviously she could tell that Ariana was at war with herself. "Tahira and her friends . . . they're fun, but frivolous . . . tacky. And you, I can tell, are a serious person. Serious and all class."

  Ariana smiled wanly at the girl. Suddenly Soomie was full of compliments. Could it be more obvious that she was just trying to keep Ariana from defecting to the other side? That she simply wanted to win? Ariana felt the power shift slightly in her favor. Now she was the one who would be doing the evaluating. Deciding which group was most worth her time. Perhaps this was a good development.

  "Thanks. So what did Allison mean when she said she wouldn't be my roommate for long?" Ariana asked, placing the unopened envelope down on her desk and feeling slightly more in control. She unzipped her small cosmetics bag and started to unpack.

  Brigit glanced at the others and they all exchanged a look. "Shall I?" Brigit asked.

  "Just don't leave anything out." Soomie sat down at Allison's desk and continued to text.

  "Okay, anal. I know you won't let me," Brigit said to Soomie. Then she turned to Ariana. "It has to do with that envelope," she explained,

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  her plethora of jewelry clinking and jangling as she shifted on the bed to face Ariana better. "Every year during Welcome Week, the entire campus is split up into three teams, and there's this whole weeklong competition."

  "Right. I read about that," Ariana said. "There are three events: academic, athletic, and philanthropic."

  "Exactly," Soomie said.

  "But what you probably didn't read is that whichever team wins the competition gets to live in Privilege House for the year," Brigit added.

  "That's what Allison meant by 'not for long,'" Maria put in. "She figures she'll get into Privilege House and leave good old Cornwall behind. Once you get in, you can choose to live with whomever you want."

  All the little hairs on the back of Ariana's neck stood on end, her skin prickling with a mixture of excitement and what could only be called fear. In all her reading she had never heard of Privilege House. Was this some sort of secret thing only known to the students of APH? The secrecy intrigued her almost as much as the name "Privilege House." How could it not? It was clearly something sought after, and right away she wanted in. Needed in. And feared that somehow she would be left out.

  "So what's Privilege House, exactly?" Ariana asked, placing her bottles of moisturizer atop her dresser.

  "Its true name is Wolcott Hall," Soomie explained, finally lowering the BlackBerry. "It's that large dorm up on the hill overlooking the river. The one with the two towers."

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  Ariana nodded. "Right. The only coed dorm on campus."

  "That's the one," Maria said with a grin. She fished a pot of lip gloss from her bag and touched up her lips in the mirror. "Plus it's completely cush. New furniture, satellite TV, private bathrooms . . ."

  "Wow. So what's in here?" Ariana asked, picking up the envelope again. Suddenly she felt as if she had to open it. Would die if she didn't get to see its contents soon.

  Patience, Ariana. Just breathe.

  "That would be your team assignment," Soomie said. She glanced at her BlackBerry and stood, smoothing her plaid skirt. "Speaking of which, we should go. The rally's going to start soon."

  "Yay!" Brigit said, as they all quickly started to gather their things. She grabbed Ariana's free hand and squeezed. "You are so going to love this! I hope we're all on the same team!"

  "Brigit," Soomie scolded, rolling her eyes. Brigit blushed and dropped Ariana's hand. Obviously her friends sometimes grew weary of her overly enthusiastic attitude.

  As Soomie slipped out, followed by Maria, who averted her eyes, Ariana's face burned. She wished at least one of them had echoed Brigit's sentiment, even if it was just to be polite. She felt a niggling uncertainty again and wondered if she shouldn't be hanging out with Tahira and her crowd right then. Would they make her feel more accepted, more w
anted? Brigit seemed to be all over her, but Maria and Soomie were so hot-and-cold it was making her feel a bit nauseated.

  "It's too bad Lexa's not here," Brigit said, gripping the strap on her

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  messenger bag as Ariana closed the door behind them. "Do you guys think they'll let her compete even though she's coming late?"

  "Of course they will. She's Lexa Greene," Maria said matter-of-factly.

  "Who's Lexa Greene?" Ariana asked.

  "Oh, Lexa is the best, "Brigit said. "You're going to love her!"

  Suddenly the three girls were all walking ahead, gabbing about this Lexa girl. They wondered if she was going to bring back presents from her tour of Europe, debated over whether she'd kept her hair short this summer or grown it out and whether she'd hooked up with any hot Italians behind her boyfriend's back. Another conversation in which Ariana could not participate. These girls clearly didn't need her. They even had a fourth whom she hadn't known about. A person who, from the sound of it, was the leader of their little group. Feeling stung by rejection, Ariana sighed quietly, looking over her shoulder at Tahira's closed door, listening to the muted laughter coming from inside. For a moment, she hesitated. Should she just walk away? Knock on Tahira's door and try that group on for size? But Allison had been so rude. And there was something about Tahira that had rubbed her the wrong way. She was too imperious, too loud. And the immodest way in which she wore her uniform was too . . . What was the word Soomie had used? Tacky. And then Brigit called up the steps to her.

  "Ana! Are you coming?"

  Ariana took a deep breath. She didn't want to be rude. "Yeah! I'm right here!" she replied, hurrying down the stairs.

  All she could do was hope that she was choosing wisely.

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  FREE FALL

  The quad at the center of campus was a sea of blue and gray, all the students clad in their Atherton-Pryce Hall uniforms. Plaid skirts with gold accents or plain gray pleats for the girls. Blue or gray pants for the boys. Some of the guys sported well-worn, old-school cabbie hats with the APH crest on them, undoubtedly hand-me-downs from generations of their fathers and grandfathers who had attended the school before them. Everyone was shouting hellos, throwing their hands up, grabbing each other into hugs. Ariana felt like the new, unknown in-law in the middle of a family reunion. The very inappropriately dressed in-law. The only other people who were not in uniform were freshmen--easily identifiable by their bad skin and thinly veiled terror--and other transfers, all of whom looked so lame and lonely Ariana had to avert her eyes.I don't look that sorry, she told herself. I already have friends here.

  "You must go to the school store after this," Soomie said, her eyes

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  flicking over Ariana's dress in a disapproving way. "You need school colors."

  Ariana's face burned. "My thoughts exactly."

  Suddenly, a murmur of excitement tore through the crowd and the noise dulled to a hum. Everyone seemed to be looking toward the chapel at the north end of the quad, which had a set of tall, stone steps leading up to its huge, whitewashed doors. Ariana hid a smirk as she took in the redbrick building and its bright white trim. It was such a happier-looking chapel than the damp, cold, gothic one at Easton. A happier chapel for a happy new her.

  A tall African-American woman in a perfectly cut black suit strode out to the center of the stage, wielding a microphone. She smiled out at the crowd and tapped the mic a few times. The crowd grew silent.

  "Welcome, students, to a new school year at Atherton-Pryce Hall," she began.

  The crowd cheered and applauded. Some of the guys threw their hats into the air and a ripple of laughter raced through the crowd. Brigit smiled at Ariana. Everyone was excited to be back on campus. Fresh-faced and relaxed and ready for first term. Giddy anticipation rushed through Ariana. She was back. She was back where she was supposed to be. With people who wanted to learn. People who valued tradition. People who weren't psycho, drooling bed wetters with substandard vocabularies and violent tendencies.

  "For those of you who do not know me, I am Headmaster Jansen," the woman continued. There were more cheers, which she politely allowed to die down. Ariana looked around at her peers. They seemed

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  to genuinely like their headmaster. "And I am here to welcome you all to this year's Welcome Week competition!"

  This got the loudest response yet. Ariana laughed and clapped her hands along with the rest of the students. She saw a few people pulling their envelopes from their pockets and drew hers from her bag. Her fingers trembled and she grasped it tightly to keep from dropping it. Her heart pounded with excitement. Easton had a lot of traditions-- the opening rite at the beginning of each term; the Firsts competition every semester; the Billings initiation, the thought of which brought a particularly nostalgic pang to Ariana's heart--but nothing this exciting and uplifting. Nothing this light.

  "The Welcome Week competition dates back to the very earliest days of our academy," Headmaster Jansen continued. "There are three events. First a debate--this year's topic will be nuclear weapons and whether or not the United States should disarm."

  A murmur went through the crowd as everyone reacted to the topic. Clearly the students had been mulling over the possible topics for the debate and were intrigued by the announcement. Ariana smiled to herself. Somehow she couldn't imagine Gage Coolidge and his posse of party-minded brethren spending their summer discussing what

  hot-button issues the headmaster might throw at them during the first week of school.

  "Next, philanthropy--the funds raised by this year's events will go to the Red Cross for hurricane and wildfire relief."

  There was a smattering of applause at this news.

  "And third, athletic ... a crew race on the Potomac."

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  At this, a small but very loud group of guys toward the front of the crowd let out a cheer, their voices low and rumbling. Ariana's heart caught. Something about boys being boys always made her tingle.

  "Oh my God. Palmer and Landon are so happy right now," Maria said with a fond eye roll.

  "What do you mean? Do you see them?" Soomie asked, standing on her toes.

  "Down, girl," Brigit said, patting Soomie on the back.

  Ariana filed away the boys' names. Clearly Palmer and Landon were of some consequence. She would have inquired about them, but she wanted to refrain from asking too many questions. It would only serve to remind the girls that she was new and ignorant of their lives.

  "But you don't all want to stand out here and listen to me talk. You'll get enough of that during the semester," the headmaster continued with a wry smile. "So now I'll leave the rest of the explanations to one of your own. Please welcome your student body president, Palmer Liriano."

  Ariana nearly jumped out of her skin at the explosion of applause. She stood on her toes as everyone clapped their hands together above their heads to welcome their president. She got the faintest glimpse of a blue blazer bounding onto the stage, but it took a few minutes before the mania died down and she was able to get her first good look at the school president. His latte-colored skin, his jet-black hair, the broad shoulders that perfectly filled his blue blazer. And the smile. The smile that told everyone there that he knew they were looking at him. Admiring him.

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  Ariana stopped breathing. She experienced a moment of pure weightlessness, like the exhilarating split second at the top of a free-fall ride, knowing what's about to come and being blissfully unable to stop it. And then she was falling. Falling right toward Palmer Liriano. He was so beautiful, so powerfully perfect, he was like human gravity.

  Ariana had always believed in love at first sight. She'd just never experienced it until now.

  Calm yourself, Ariana, she thought, taking a deep breath. You don't know anything about this guy. But still her heart pitter-pattered away like a bunny rabbit on speed."I trust you all had a productive summer," Palmer said with a teasing lilt to his voice, a m
ischievous glint in his dark eyes. "And by productive I mean full of parties, exotic destinations, and . . . other things."

  As the crowd cheered, he cast a glance at Headmaster Jansen, who had stepped aside. She gave him a warning look and a smile that was a "Watch it, pal," and "You know you can do whatever you want" all rolled into one. The vibe between the headmaster and the students was vastly different from any Ariana had ever experienced at Easton. Always one for order and respect--where it was warranted, of course--she wasn't yet sure if she liked it.

  "But now we're back and it's time to get down to business." He whipped a white envelope from the back of the waistband of his gray pants and held it up. Hundreds of envelopes were thrust in the air in response. "These envelopes hold your team color. Each student has been selected by one of three teams. I am the captain of the gold team."

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  Here he paused for more cheers.

  "Elizabeth Darrow is the captain of the gray team."

  Here he stepped aside and held out his arm to welcome a beautiful, preppy blond girl to the stage, her hair pulled back in a French braid and her argyle socks stuffed into a pair of traditional penny loafers.

  "And Martin Tsang is the captain of the blue team."

  A tall, handsome Asian boy with shaggy dark hair joined them at the top of the stairs.

  "Now, whichever team wins the Welcome Week competition will win the right to exert the five privileges," Palmer continued, pacing slowly back and forth in front of Martin and Elizabeth. "Privilege one.

  "One!" the crowd shouted in unison as Palmer raised one finger in the air.

  "Extended curfew," he said, his gaze sliding across the crowd. "That means lights out an hour later than the rest of campus, people."

  "Privilege two."

  "Two!" the crowd called out.

  "The freedom to leave campus without a pass!"

  Cheers greeted this announcement. Ariana's heart fluttered with excitement and joy.

  "Privilege three."

  "Three!"

  "The right to take one class pass/fail. Privilege four."

  "Four!"