This time, he pointed the camera directly at Ariana and snapped away. Ariana blushed at being singled out.
Daniel stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the marble floor. "Dude, did you just take a picture of my
girlfriend?"
The table went silent and Ariana could feel Noelle's eyes on her. She stopped breathing.
Not again... not again... not again...
Ariana watched Sergei's face go ashen. He backed away slightly, his shoulders curled forward.
"I've taken everyone's picture tonight." Sergei was like a cowering puppy in the face of an irate owner.
Ariana couldn't take it. Besides, the last thing she wanted was a scene like the one that had played out in the
woods last summer. Not here. Not now.
"Daniel, it's fine. Don't worry about it," she said in a soothing voice.
But Daniel wasn't having it. "No, it's not fine." He fixed his eyes on Sergei and crossed his arms over his
chest. "Do you think my girlfriend's pretty?"
Sergei blinked uncertainly. "Well...I...yes?" It came off like a question.
Daniel's cheek twitched. Several waiters brought out tartlets and creme brulee on silver trays, filling the room
with the scent of smoked apples and nutmeg.
"So what do you like best about my girlfriend? Her smile? Her hair?" Daniel's
eyes gleamed. "Her cleavage?"
Thomas and Dash hid smirks behind their hands. Noelle and Paige stood up, rolling their
eyes at the display
of testosterone, and headed toward the bathroom. Isobel whipped out her Sidekick and started texting,
probably alerting the other students in the room to the main event unfolding at table one.
"Daniel, stop," Ariana said quietly as Sergei stared at the floor.
"And do you take pictures of all the pretty girls?" Daniel asked, a condescending smile playing on his full
lips. "Or is it just my girlfriend?"
"I think I'll go now," Sergei said, backing away from the table. Ariana flinched as Daniel grabbed Sergei's
arm. "Just a second, buddy."
With one quick motion, he lifted Sergei's camera over his head and started scrolling through the stored
images. Sergei made a swipe for the camera, but Daniel held it out of reach.
"Oh, here's a picture of Ariana, and another and another. Isobel- you're in here too. And that's a nice one of
Natasha. Hmm. No guys in any of these. Interesting. You know, you're lucky I don't call the cops on you,