Ariana's vision began to prickle over with gray spots. Her throat closed and her skin burned. There was no air. She was outdoors on a beautiful, late--summer night, the breeze rustling the leaves on the ash and maple and cherry trees dotting the campus, but there was no air.
Breathe, Ariana. Just breathe.
In, one. . . two . . . three. . .
Out, one. . . two . . . three. . .
In, one. . . two. . . three. . .
Out, one. . . two . . . three. . .
6
"Oh my God. You're not actually going to faint, are you?" Kaitlynn asked in an amused tone, grabbing another blueberry.
Ariana blinked. The gray spots dissipated.
"No. I'm not going to faint." Bitch, she added silently.
"Good. Because we have some business to discuss," Kaitlynn said, nudging Ariana farther away from the table as a group of sophomores descended in search of a sugar rush. "I'm sure Gran
dma Covington is sending you some sort of weekly allowance. I think it's only fair we split it."
Ariana's jaw clenched so hard she was sure she heard a tooth crack. "Fair? How, exactly?"
"Well, because you never would have met Briana Leigh or Grandma C. if it weren't for me," Kaitlynn said matter--of--factly, choosing a strawberry from her plate and biting into it. "You wouldn't be here right now, masquerading as a millionaire, if it weren't for me. In fact, you should be glad I'm letting you keep any of it."
"Then why, exactly, are you?" Ariana asked, genuinely curious. Back when Ariana and Kaitlynn had been cellmates at the Brenda T. Trumbull Correctional Facility for Women, Ariana had thought she knew how Kaitlynn's mind worked--had thought she was sweet, innocent, guileless--but it had all turned out to be a ruse. At this point, the girl was a complete enigma.
Kaitlynn clucked her tongue and tilted her head again, giving Ariana the tiniest pout. Her lips were stained from the berry. "Because I want you here. And you can't exactly keep up the charade without cash now, can you?"
"You want me here," Ariana said dubiously.
7
Kaitlynn's eyes widened innocently. She looked almost hurt. "Of course I do, Ana. You're the only friend I've got." She hooked her arm around Ariana's in an affable way and looked out across the crowded party with her. Handsome boys in their well--worn APH T--shirts or broken--in oxfords chatted with fresh--faced girls in designer outfits, their laughter and babble mingling on the breeze. Overhead, white and gold paper lanterns bounced and swayed, hanging from poles set up in a circle around the party area. In the background, music played at a low volume from hidden speakers. Kaitlynn let out a contented sigh. "Can you believe how far we've come? A few months ago, would you ever have imagined this was possible?"
Ariana thought about the sterile cell they used to share at the Brenda T., about the better life she'd imagined for herself and Kaitlynn. Of course, back then she hadn't known Kaitlynn was a seriously evil girl who was going to use her to get that life.
"We've really done it, A. You and me. I'm not saying it was all champagne and roses, but we've done it."
Ariana didn't buy Kaitlynn's act for a second. They were never going to be friends. If Kaitlynn actually wanted Ariana here, it was for some reason other than friendship. Some dark, sadistic reason.
"You're sick, you know that, don't you?" Ariana said.
Kaitlynn glanced at Ariana out of the corner of her eye. "You're going to have to stop saying such ugly things to me, Ana, now that we're going to be besties again."
"Munchable? Besties? Who talks like that?" Ariana asked with a sneer.
8
"Lillian Oswald does," Kaitlynn said with a smile. "She has an endearingly innocent side. I've played that well before, no?"
Ariana stared her down, fuming at the reference to their past.
"You're going to give me that money," Kaitlynn said, giving Ariana's arm a squeeze. "You're going to play along. And as long as you do, we should both get exactly what we want out of this place."
"And if I don't?" Ariana asked.