"Interesting," Ariana said, throwing their own word back at them. She saw the three girls exchange an amused look and wondered what they were thinking. Were they impressed by her gumption? Annoyed? Surprised? She wished she knew why these girls seemed to be studying her so very intently. She detested the way it made her feel--uncertain, threatened, and suddenly exhausted. Over the past few weeks she had imagined this moment hundreds of times, the moment she would arrive at her new school and begin her new life, but she had never imagined it would be quite this difficult, this confusing, this intimidating.
The three girls took extralong steps, avoiding the Atherton-Pryce Hall crest, which was etched into the stone at the crossing of three walkways. Ariana made sure to go around it with her luggage, having read in the school's history that treading on the crest brought bad luck. She had left all her bad luck behind, along with her old identity, her old friends, her old school.
"Impressive," Maria said, pausing and reaching back to adjust her loose ponytail. Her sleeves rode up a bit, exposing a few faded bruises around the girl's wrists. "How did you know about the crest?"
10
"I like to be informed," Ariana replied.
"Interesting," Soomie said again.
Ariana's shoulder muscles coiled. She was starting to grow weary of that word.
"So, Ana, what do you think of APH so far?" Brigit asked, glancing over her shoulder as they came around the class building and into the open space in front of the ring of dorms. The grassy area was dotted with shade trees, perfect for studying under in the fall and spring.
"It's a beautiful campus," Ariana said as a warm breeze rustled the leaves overhead. She felt a sudden surge of anticipation. As if anything could happen. So what if these girls were still evaluating her? She was certain they would accept her in time. And if not, maybe they weren't worthy of her attention.
This is your new chance at life, she told herself. Don't let anyone else make the rules.
"I think I'm going to be very happy here."
Happier than she'd been where she had come from. Which wasn't hard, of course. But that unpleasantness was in the past. This was her future.
11
NOT-IN-THE-KNOW
"He toured North America and Europe this summer, and every one of his concerts sold out in under ten minutes," Soomie was saying as Ariana led the small group into her dorm room. "He had to cancel his dates in Asia because people were getting violent waiting on line." "That's so insane," Brigit said. "I can't even imagine." "Try imagining how inflated his ego must be," Maria said with a scoff. "He's going to be intolerable."Ariana was only half tuned in to the conversation. She was too busy checking out her new home. The dorm room was bright and airy, with freshly painted eggshell walls and gleaming maple floors. Two huge windows faced the quad, one over each of the twin beds, filling the room with sunlight. She paused in the center of the room and looked around, noting the large walk-in closets and the antique but well-kept oak furniture. The scent of wood polish filled the air. Not even the faintest hint of sweat sock.
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Ariana's roommate had apparently already come and gone. Next to one of the dressers was a pile of colorful luggage, and several garment bags hung in one of the closets. There was a small, cream-colored envelope in the center of the girl's mattress. Ariana turned and saw that she had one as well. The name "Briana Leigh Covington" was handwritten across the front in ornate script.
"What's this?" Ariana asked, picking up the envelope.
"Don't ope
n that!" Maria, Brigit, and Soomie all shouted at the same time. Ariana's heart flew into her throat and her hand went to her chest.
"Why not?" she breathed.
At that moment an impossibly tall, gorgeous, athletic girl with short blond curls walked into the room, looking like a younger Heidi Klum with short hair. She strode over to one of the desks and grabbed the laptop sitting there. Her jeans were extremely tight and she wore a short-sleeved white top with eyelet details around the edges of the sleeves. When she turned around, she looked at Ariana with complete disdain.
"Because, Transfer Girl, you're not supposed to open it until the rally," she said with a thick German accent.
Ariana blinked. This rude giantess was her roommate?
"Hi, Allison," all three girls recited, sounding totally bored. Allison shot them the same look she'd given Ariana and heaved a sigh.
"I'm Ana Covington," Ariana said, offering her hand. "It seems we're going to be roommates."
"Not for long," Allison replied, tucking her laptop under her arm.
A peal of laughter caught Ariana's attention, and she turned to
13
find a newcomer standing in her doorway. It was the queen bee girl from the chapel steps, and up close she was even more beautiful, her eyes a stunning jade green. She had a tiny rhinestone stud in her nose and wore her white blouse with one too many buttons open. Her tie was completely undone, hanging around her neck and dangling suggestively over her chest.