Ariana watched all of this, and her heart broke. It was clear that Briana Leigh had loved her parents. Really and truly loved them. Ariana suddenly knew this with an absolute certainty that was so simple it actually calmed her. Briana Leigh hadn't lied when she'd said
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she loved and missed her father. The pain, the anguish, the desperation she showed right now were perfectly real.
At that moment Ariana let go any lingering hope that Kaitlynn Nottingham was innocent, that perhaps Briana Leigh had somehow forged that awful letter. Kaitlynn was a liar. A murderer. And Ariana had to truly accept that.
Right there in that Dallas cemetery, while Briana Leigh said goodbye to the family Kaitlynn had taken from her, Ariana put her friendship with Kaitlynn where it belonged--in the ground.
Kaitlynn was the liar. And Ariana hated liars.
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SLUTS
Ariana leaned back against Hudson's chest as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. This had never been part of the plan--meeting a guy, growing comfortable enough with him to publicly cuddle like this--but as unexpected twists went, it wasn't a bad one. They stood on the balcony level of the Curtain Club in Deep Ellum, looking down at the main floor, where hundreds of music lovers nodded their heads to the driving beat of the band onstage. Ariana committed the band's name to memory. They were a local Dallas group, and knowing a few things about them would help her look like the genuine Briana Leigh. It was all in the details."The new hair is very sexy," Hudson said in her ear, brushing some of her thick mane aside.
Ariana smiled sadly, wishing he could see her real hair. "Thanks."
She gazed down at Teo and Briana Leigh, who were slow dancing together toward the back of the crowd, even though the band was
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playing a frantic rock song. Kaitlynn was wearing a buttery tan leather jacket--a piece of clothing that Ariana actually would have worn herself--and with her new short blond hair, she actually looked sophisticated for once. It was Briana Leigh and Teo's last night together before Teo left for Ibiza, and clearly, they were making each moment count. In a few days Briana Leigh would be joining him there. Grandma C. would be escorting her granddaughter, along with Emma Walsh, to the airport, where they would board the Covingtons' private jet to Washington, D.C. Atherton-Pryce's school year didn't begin for another few weeks, so Briana Leigh had asked her grandmother if she could leave early to go stay with Emma's family, who were vacationing in Virginia, until term started. Grandma C. liked Emma Walsh so much that she hadn't even blinked before saying yes.
It was amazing how someone so shrewd could be so gullible. But, as Ariana had learned, it was all about what a person wanted to believe.
"What do you think of Briana Leigh's new look?" Ariana asked Hudson.
Hudson stood on his toes to see over the low wall to the floor below. "Eh. I've never been much for blondes."
A thump of dread shook Ariana's chest, until she realized she was no longer a blonde. She couldn't feel offended.
"Good," she said with a smile. She turned around in his grasp and wrapped one arm around his neck. With her free hand, she combed through the blond hair at his temple. "But I happen to like them."
Hudson grinned. "Good."
Ariana's eyes fluttered closed and their lips met. She had never
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enjoyed grungy clubs or loud, ear-splitting music, but this particular place was rapidly growing on her. Hudson took her hand and led her over to the creaky wooden bench along the wall, choosing a nice, dark corner. As he sat down, he pulled her right onto his lap and Ariana felt a thrill of excitement through her entire body. Before she could overthink anything, she was deep in a kiss that would have made her cluck her tongue and turn away if she had been on the outside looking in. But on the inside, all she could think about was Hudson. The minty taste of his mouth, the rough calluses on his fingers as they ran up her back under her shirt, the strength of his arms as he pulled her into him. So close she could feel the frenetic pounding of his heart.
Before long the band was playing their last, raucous note and shouting their good-byes to the cheering crowd. Before long, the patrons had filled the benches around them with drinks and loud chatter. Ariana felt a hand on her shoulder and turned, bleary-eyed, to find Briana Leigh laughing down at her.
"Time to go, sluts," she said.
Ariana's face burned. Her legs were wrapped around Hudson's waist and all their clothes were askew. The punk types next to her cackled and raised their plastic cups of beer in admiration. She glanced at Hudson and, feeling suddenly shy and embarrassed, slipped off his lap and straightened her skirt.
"Guess we should go then," he said, looking like he'd just woken up from a seriously long but satisfying nap.
All the way back to the ranch, Hudson held Ariana's hand in the backseat of Teo's Hummer. He ran his thumb back and forth over
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hers, sending pleasant tingles up her arm. But that was where they died. Because there was nothing pleasant about the feeling in her heart. She knew he was looking at her, but all she could do was stare out the window and grow more and more depressed.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked her quietly.