Privilege (Privilege 1)

130

quickly washed up and changed into a fresh T-shirt before joining his friends. Not every guy would have made such an effort. Ariana stared into his gorgeous eyes and laughed. She was drunk. Drunker than she had been in a very, very long time.

They started to dance again, and Ariana moved boldly against Hudson, letting her body mesh with his, closer with every beat. Hudson smiled, but didn't seem to know what to do with his hands. He touched her waist briefly, then placed his hands on her shoulders, then gave up and just danced with them at his sides.

Ariana smiled. She had landed herself a gentleman.

"So, do you go to UT?" she shouted.

"No! I was just there for a music theory course," Hudson replied, bending toward her ear. "I'm gonna be a senior up at Harvard Prep."

Ariana nodded, impressed. A pre-Harvard boy.

"What about you?" he asked.

"I go to Easton," Ariana replied automatically.

"Easton Academy? Nice," Hudson said. "That's a good school."

All the blood in Ariana's body rushed to her face as she realized what she had just said. How could she have made such a stupid mistake? Was it just her knee-jerk need to prove to a Harvard guy that she was worthy?

Stupid, Ariana. Stupid, stupid, stupid.She felt herself starting to recede into self-hatred, but then another dancer slammed into her from behind and she remembered where she was. What she was doing. This was just a random party on a random night. To Hudson she was just a random girl. He wouldn't

131

even remember her fake name tomorrow, let alone where her fake self supposedly went to school.

Not every little thing had to have consequences, right?

"This may be totally out of line, but I have to say it. You, Emma Walsh, are insanely beautiful."

Ariana pushed away from him with a demure smile. So maybe she didn't need to be blond and blue-eyed to catch attention. "Thank you."

"Not out of line?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

Ariana shook her head. "Not at all."

Hudson tugged on her hand and lowered his lips to hers. She was about to pull away, but then her entire body sank into him. She wrapped her arms around his lean waist and pressed her lips against his. It was a perfect kiss. Warm and searching and soft and gentle. But even more so because of what it meant. It meant she was living. Really and truly living. Part of her had thought this would never happen for her again, that she had experienced her last first kiss all those months ago at Easton. But here she was, her heart palpitating, her skin on fire, her lips buzzing. Ariana smiled behind the kiss. She wished Dr. Meloni and his nevers could see her now.

"Stay away from me! No! Get off of me!"

Briana Leigh's voice cut through all the bliss and Hudson pulled away suddenly as a commotion erupted around them. Ariana looked up to find Briana Leigh bearing down on her, shrugging off Teo's pleas as she shoved people out of her path. The girl grabbed Ariana's upper arm in her viselike grip.

132

"We're going."

"Okay," Ariana said, shooting Hudson a startled look. "Let me just

"No. We're going now. "

Briana Leigh pulled on Ariana's arm, but Hudson reached out and snagged Ariana's purse from her hand.

"Can't leave yet! I have Emma's purse."

"Give it back to her, waiter boy. I'm not kidding," Briana Leigh snapped.

Teo arrived at her side. The cocky posturing was gone and he was in full begging mode, palms upturned, posture slack. "Baby, just listen. I have to go. But maybe you could--"