Last Christmas (Private 0.60)

In an instant it was all over, and once again Ariana was at peace.

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I-L-L-E-G-A-L

***"I heard about what happened," Isobel whispered to Ariana in the middle of Mr. Holmes's class the next

day. Her sleek dark locks tumbled over her face. "About what you did over break?" Her green eyes were

wide, disbelieving.

A sudden chill ran through Ariana's body. Isobel couldn't know. It was impossible. There wasn't a single

living soul who knew what had happened; Ariana had made sure of that. But Ariana knew Isobel's dirty little

secret; was it possible that Isobel knew hers? She kept her gazed fixed straight ahead. Mr. Holmes was

gesturing toward the chalkboard, but she didn't hear a word he was saying.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she whispered back, sneaking a glance down the semicircle of

chairs to see if Paige could hear anything from her perch a few seats away. Paige was too busy texting on her

BlackBerry to notice.

Connie Tolson leaned forward in her seat and flashed Ariana a death stare.

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"Please," Isobel said, narrowing her eyes knowingly in Ariana's direction. "Don't play innocent with me,

Ariana. Noelle told me everything."

Noelle? Ariana was starting to feel faint. True, Noelle was always the first to know everything

that happened

on campus. True, she always seemed to know exactly what Ariana was thinking, feeling. But she had been so

careful. Tied up every last loose end. She wrapped her arms around her body, curling into herself."Noelle

knows?"

Isobel nodded. "I met her for drinks at Platinum at the end of break. Only took one-point-five dirty martinis to

get her to spill." She leaned closer. "Those things are brutal," she giggled. Her thick Anna Sui perfume

invaded the space around them, and Ariana was overcome with a wave of nausea. "So," Isobel continued,

flashing a devilish grin. "How'd you do it?"

Ariana's head snapped toward her in disbelief. How could she be so blase? She noticed Mr. Holmes looking

in her direction, and she opened her alligator clutch, pretending to search for a pen.

"I think my first time was missionary," Isobel said with a thoughtful hair toss. "With Jordan Krauss? He

graduated last year. A little boring. But I pretty much just had to lie there and let him do all the work."