Beautiful Disaster (Privilege 2)

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"Really?" Lexa said, pleased.

"Really."

"Thanks, Ana. That's so nice of you to say," Lexa told her.

"Just telling the truth," Ariana said, leaning back on the bed again and lifting her laptop onto her legs. "So, if Brigit is such the party planner, why did Palmer put Tahira in charge of the fund-raiser instead of her?"

She felt a twinge just saying Palmer's name to Lexa, but she was going to have to get used to it.

Lexa sighed, sitting back as well. "He had his reasons."

Ariana's skin prickled with interest. "What reasons?" ,

A blush lit Lexa's cheeks, as if she'd just been snagged saying something she hadn't meant to say. "It's hard to explain," she said quickly, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"What?" Ariana asked, trying not to sound as desperate for info as she felt.

"Nothing. It's just. . ." Lexa looked around the room, stalling for time. "They both ... they both pitched him ideas, and I think he just liked the Landon thing better," she said finally, her words tumbling together so that Ariana knew she was lying. But why? What other reasons could Palmer possibly have for choosing Tahira over Brigit, especially when Brigit was so clearly one of his girlfriend's best friends? "And honestly, it is pretty brilliant when you think about it. We're going to take in so much cash, we're going to need to hire a staff to cart it all back here."

Ariana's breath caught in her throat. Her fingers froze over her key-

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board. Suddenly, any thoughts of Palmer/Tahira/Brigit intrigue flew right out of her mind. "What do you mean?"

"Normally with these things we get all these credit card transactions and you have to pay a fee for each one, which eats into your bottom line," Lexa explained, leaning toward her screen as she continued to work. "But with this Landon thing we're going to get hundreds of girls with fists full of allowance money just salivating to throw it at their idol. We're talking bucket-loads of cash. And actual cash means no fees, which means more money for our tally. I mean, except for whoever wins the date with Landon. I figure that's going to be too expensive for any normal person to pay for out of pocket."

"Right," Ariana said. She stared at the door of the closet where Maria had taped up one of Degas's ballerina prints, but she didn't see it. All she saw was cash. Stacks and stacks of cash. All there for the taking.

"We are so going to win this challenge," Lexa said giddily, tapping away at her keyboard. "Two for two, baby! Blue and gray can kiss our butts!"

Ariana smiled, but she was barely listening. It looked like she was going to have to become a more integral member of the fund-raising committee. She had to figure out a way to steal some of the money without being caught. And the only way to do that was to be in on the plans.

Apparently she and Tahira were going to be spending more time together, a thought that made her cringe. But if it meant getting rid of Kaitlynn, it would all be worth it.

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SURPRISE VISIT

Using a paint-spattered hammer she had borrowed from Cornwall's housemother, Ariana drove the final nail into the bottom corner on one of the two Jackson Pollock prints she had just bought at the school store. She stepped back to admire her work, then glanced over her shoulder at Soomie, who was supposed to be defragmenting Ariana's computer. Not that it needed it, being brand-new, but Soomie had offered and Ariana had seen it as an opportunity to bond. Instead, however, she caught Soomie remaking her bed."My hospital corners not tight enough for you?" Ariana asked, half annoyed, half amused.

"It's just something I do well," Soomie replied unapologetically, whipping her hands across the top blanket to smooth any wrinkles. She turned around and tilted her head as she regarded the painting. "That works."

"Thanks. I think so too," Ariana said.

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Soomie pulled out Ariana's desk chair and opened her laptop. "So, are you totally sure about this whole tennis thing?" she asked. "Because the equestrian team is really--"

"Oh my gosh. Why is everyone so obsessed with me being on the equestrian team?" Ariana asked with a laugh, lifting another poster and holding it against the wall. She drove a nail into the top right corner and reached for another one. "Just because I beat Lexa a million years ago in one little dressage competition doesn't mean--"

"I thought it was jumper," Soomie said, whipping her head around.

The nail slipped from Ariana's fingers and bounced along the wooden floor with a faint tinkling sound. Her heart all but stopped. Was it jumper? She had gone over Briana Leigh's Triple Star mementos a thousand times and she had been sure it was dressage. Was Soomie just trying to make her slip up, or was she right? She glanced over her shoulder at the girl. Her eyes were sharp and discerning. Just one look at her and Ariana knew that Soomie was correct. Which meant that she, Ariana, had just screwed up.