Privilege 4 - Sweet Deceit (12 page)

ou going on with you two!"

Ariana's heart sank as she shrugged off her coat. "What'd you do? Follow me?"

"Only to the door. I saw him pick you up and you both looked very giddy," Kaitlynn said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Was that his car, by the way? Because . . . suh-weet!" she sang.

Ariana rolled her eyes. Y the Audi convertible Palmer kept in the garage on campus was rather lush, but it was pretty much the last thing on

es, her mind at the moment.

"Fine. Forget the car. Why didn't you tell me?" Kaitlynn deman ded.

"I'm trying to keep it a secret," Ariana replied, turning to hang her coat in her closet. "I don't want anyone to know yet."

"Y mean you don't want Lexa to know," Kaitlynn said, lifting one eyebrow. "Because if your BFF found out you were dating her ex-bf she might

ou try to keep you out of Stone and Grave. Which she could definitely do considering she's the president."

Got it in one.

"Is this where you threaten to tell her?" Ariana asked, sinking down onto her bed, suddenly exhausted. "Because I'm kind of exhausted, so if we could save that part for the morning . . ."

"No," Kaitlynn said. "Why would I do that? I thought we were supposed to be friends."

Ariana perked up slightly. No threats? Really? "True," she said.

"So, friend," Kaitlynn said, bouncing down onto the bed next to Ariana and slinging her arm over her shoulders. "Tell me all about your date! Where did he take you? What did you do? Did you two hook up or what?"

Ariana took a deep breath, knowing that she was going to have to spill. But suddenly she felt melancholy and nostalgic. Nostalgic for Noelle Lange, her former roommate and best friend at Easton Academy. If Noelle were here, Ariana would tell her all about the awkward way in which the date had ended. Would ask for her advice about what to do next. How to make it all go away. And Noelle would know what to do. She always knew.

"Well, he took me to his favorite place in DC," Ariana began, folding her legs under her story-style and turning to face Kaitlynn on the bed. "The steps of the Lincoln Memorial."

Kaitlynn's face fell. "Really? Connected millionaire boy took you to a free tourist attraction?"

Ariana tried not to grimace. Leave it to Kaitlynn to disparage the best part of the night. "No! It was romantic, really."

Then she sat back in her hands and gushed all about the picnic and the sunset and the conversation, feeling dirty all the while. These were the kind of details that should have been saved for a real best friend, not wasted on Kaitlynn Nottingham.

But it was all for the greater good. Every moment with Kaitlynn had its purpose. And sooner or later, even this would prove to be worth it. I NEVER

"The whole point of the I Never task is for you to get to know each other better," Conrad said, placing a full bottle of vodka on the floor in front of each of the taps. "So be creative."

Ariana looked around the circle at the other four taps on Wednesday night. They were once again wearing their itchy burlap robes, and they were seated on the cold concrete floor of the Tombs, their thighs bare against the hard, frigid surface. Ariana eyed the bottle of vodka with apprehension and revulsion. Losing control had never been her favorite thing, so she'd never been a big drinker. Back at Easton, when her friends had gotten together the occasional game of I Never, she had almost always cheated and lied, claiming not to have done things she had, in fact, done. Like the time Taylor Bell had said she'd never broken into a faculty member's room, and Ariana hadn't taken a drink, even though she had done that before --with Thomas Pearson. But she couldn't share that story with her friends. They had never even known that she and Thomas were friendly, let alone breaking -and-entering-together friendly.

But lying to Stone and Grave was a whole other level of complicated, because she was supposed to be Briana Leigh, and she had no idea what Briana Leigh had never done. What if they knew the things Briana Leigh had and hadn't done--Lexa had gone to camp with Briana Leigh--and she got it wrong?

Suddenly, Ariana's underarms started to prickle. A sensation she detested almost as much as the foggy, light-headed feeling she got from drinking too much.

"The rules, just so we're clear, are simple," Conrad explained. "When it's your turn, you are to tell us something you've never done. Anyone in the circle who has done this thing is to take a drink. If you haven't, you can leave your bottle on the floor in front of you. That's it. So. Who will volunteer to start?" Conrad asked, stepping back and crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"I'll go, Brother Lear," Jasper said, lifting a finger as if he was summoning a waiter.

"Thank you, tap," Conrad said. He stepped back toward the group of brothers and sisters, standing between Lexa and April, both of whom grinned giddily. "Go ahead."

Ariana felt a shift in the crowd around her, a shimmer of excited anticipation, and she felt a sour burning in her chest. This wasn't about them getting to know each other better. They were playing this game for the entertainment of the membership. Hazing at its finest.

"I never kissed a guy," Jasper said with a smirk.

Tahira rolled her eyes, opened her bottle, and took a swig. Kaitlynn did the same. Ariana touched the bottle to her lips and tried not to wince as the alcohol burned its way down her throat. Then Landon grabbed his bottle and took a drink. A few people in the crowd laughed and whispered.

"What?" he said, drawing the back of his arm across his glistening lips. "I'm a rock star."

"Try pop star," Rob corrected, standing on his toes to be seen. His comment earned another round of derisive laughter. Landon blushed but smiled. The guys often ribbed him about his pretty-boy pop persona, but he never seemed to mind. Probably because that pretty-boy pop persona had already netted him millions and taken him around the world, where he'd played sold-out concerts and met hordes of screaming, worshipping fans.

"Next?" Conrad intoned, looking down his nose at Ariana.

Ariana took a deep breath. It was her turn. Which meant, at least, she wouldn't have to drink this time. "Okay. I've never kissed a girl," she said.

Everyone except Kaitlynn drank. All eyes went to Tahira.

"What?" she said in the exact same tone as Landon. "I'm a slut."

Everyone laughed and Ariana's shoulders started to relax. At least no one was taking this all that seriously. Games of I Never with Noelle Lange and Gage Coolidge were seriously stressful, since they both seemed to know everyone's secrets and took pride in outing them. Not that Ariana hadn't come up with a few fabulous I Nevers in her day, perfectly crafted to humiliate or expose her friends. But the stakes in this game were much higher, and laying low seemed the better tack.

Tahira was up next. She leaned back on her hands and looked right at Ariana. Ariana's eyes narrowed and all the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. What was the girl up to?

"I've never stolen anything . . . ," she said in a leading way.

Ariana stopped breathing. She wasn't. She couldn't. Was she really going to try to call out Ariana for those thefts she'd committed at the beginning of the year? Her eyes darted around at the membership, finding Christian in the crowd, thinking of his Rolex, which she'd lifted from the boathouse that day during welcome week. Oh God. They were definitely going to ask for an explanation and then she'd have to come up with some kind of cover story on the fly. But what? How could she, millionaire orphan Briana Leigh Covington, explain stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and iPods and random paraphernalia from her classmates? Ariana's stomach twisted dangerously and her vision started to prickle over with gray spots. This was all Kaitlynn's fault. If Kaitlynn hadn't blackmailed her, she wouldn't have had to steal those things.

". . . from the school bookstore," Tahira finished finally.

Ariana released her breath. She looked at Tahira, her face burning. Tahira grinned back. She'd done her damage and she knew it. It was all Ariana could do to keep from slapping the little twit across the face. Meanwhile, both Landon and Jasper reached for their bottles.

Breathe, Ariana. Just breathe.

In, one . . . two . . . three . . .

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

In, one . . . two . . . three . . .

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

"Theft, huh?" Conrad said, eyeing Landon and Jasper from above. "Care to explain?"

"I forgot my wallet and I was out of gel," Landon said matter-of-factly.

The guys jeered and hooted and hollered. Landon simply shrugged. "Dude's gotta do what a dude's gotta do."

Conrad looked at Jasper. "And you?"

"It was a freshman dare," Jasper replied. "My friends said I couldn't walk out of there with a pencil. I took a laptop."

Silence reigned. For a moment Ariana was concerned for Jasper's future with Stone and Grave, but Conrad actually looked impressed.

"All right then," he said. Then he turned to Kaitlynn, his soft black robe swishing. Ariana could have reached out and touched that cozy-looking velvet. She yearned to tear the burlap sack from her sweaty, raw skin and slip one of those luxurious robes on instead.

One day, she told herself. One day soon. "Next?" Conrad said.

Kaitlynn smirked as her gaze flicked to Ariana. A hot flush raced over Ariana's already warm body. She tried to breathe normally, but she was starting to hyperventilate. Now what?

"I've never killed anyone," Kaitlynn said, her voice loud and clear.

The membership laughed and scoffed and whispered as Ariana's insides plummeted to her toes. First of all, Kaitlynn was lying. She had murdered Briana Leigh's father in cold blood. Second, did she really think Ariana was going to take a drink? No. No way. She just wanted to get a rise out of her. This was payback for what she'd said during the interrogation the night Allison had gotten kicked out. Then Ariana saw something move to her right. Jasper was reaching for his bottle. Suddenly, everyone froze. The Tombs were silent. Jasper took a long drink from the bottle. Then, ever so innocently, he looked around at the membership.

"Lucy. She was my dog," he said. "I had her put to sleep when the cancer spread to her lungs."

Relieved laughter filled the room. Ariana rolled her eyes and smiled. For a second there she really thought there was another murderer in their midst. Jasper placed his bottle down on the concrete with a ping and everyone looked at Landon expectantly. What exactly could superstar Landon Jacobs claim to have never done?

"I've never not completed my task for Stone and Grave," he said with a Cheshire smile.

Never not, Ariana thought. That means he's already done it. And I should drink because I haven't. She reached for her bottle, but paused when she realized no one else had made a move. Suddenly, all eyes were on her and her hovering hand. Ariana's heart pounded wildly. Was she really the only tap who hadn't completed her task? But they'd just been given their envelopes on Saturday, and they still had a week and a half to get them done. This was not good. The last thing she wanted was for the membership to know she was the only one whose task wasn't completed. They were going to think she wasn't dedicated to earning her membership.

But it was already too late. They'd all seen her reaching for her bottle. The only thing to do now was bite the bullet.

Ariana grabbed her bottle and took a drink. She saw several of the members exchange interested and impatient glances, and she dared not look at Lexa. She braced herself for the inevitable question from Conrad.

"I've never been on a roller coaster," Jasper said suddenly, cutting the tension.

"What? Seriously? That's sick!" Landon said, grabbing his bottle.

"God did not intend us to hang upside down at ninety miles an hour. If he had, he would have given all of us wings," Jasper said.

The membership started to tease and needle Jasper while Tahira, Ariana, and Kaitlynn all drank. Just like that, the tense moment with Ariana in the spotlight had passed. As Ariana lowered her bottle she glanced at Jasper in thanks. He smiled back. He'd distracted the members on purpose, just to save her. She wouldn't have been surprised if his admission were a lie. A lie told just to help her out.

But still, an awful, heavy feeling of failure and dread settled in over her shoulders. All the other taps had completed their tasks, and she hadn't even come up with a plan to execute hers. She'd been hoping for a miracle--for some kind of reprieve. But now it was clear that reprieve wasn't going to come. And if she wanted to measure up to her fellow taps, she was not only going to have to complete her task, but she was going to have to do it soon.

Ariana's eyes found Palmer in the crowd, and he gave her a private smile of encouragement for her turn. Her heart thumped painfully as she wondered if, after she finished her task, he would ever smile at her like that again. THE POWER

Ariana lay back on her bed, her heart pounding bile through her veins. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, counting slowly to ten. Then she pushed herself up and slipped her phone out from behind the seasonal mum atop her dresser. She had bought the potted flower that afternoon at the APH bookshop, which was chock-full of autumnal decorations these days, but she hadn't felt very festive doing so. Her fingers trembling, she stopped the recording and quickly played it back.

There she was, staring at the camera, the picture so clear she could see her ice-blue eyes. She should have felt gratified. This was going to work. But she hated that it was going to work.

Taking another deep breath, Ariana erased the ten-second video to make more room on the digital card. She carefully replaced the phone in its hiding spot, then sat down on her bed to wait, kneading her fingers in her lap.

You have to do this. There's no other way. If you want to be in Stone and Grave, you must complete this task.

An image of Lexa's smirking face flashed through her mind and Ariana's fingers curled so quickly, her nails cut into her palms. The very idea that she was going to do this to Palmer just because of some sadistic vendetta Lexa had against her made her blood boil. Palmer and Lexa had broken up weeks ago. And Lexa had a new amazing boyfriend. Why couldn't she just let Palmer go? Was she trying to make sure he never dated again?