"True," Lexa said blithely. "But still. You both owe me."
Ariana filed this exchange away to dissect later. Why would Tahira order everyone around except Lexa?
"Fair enough," Palmer replied. He gave Lexa a kiss, then turned to look at Ariana. "So, you'll meet up with the team at the boathouse tomorrow at five. Don't be late."
Ariana groaned under her breath. Five o'clock. Fab. Not only did she have to be up at the crack of dawn, but she had a French exam at eight. She knew she should decline, more firmly this time, but one look into Palmer's eyes and she couldn't do it.
Palmer gave Lexa a last squeeze, then walked away, his arm grazing Ariana's as he passed by her, and she felt a rush of giddy triumph.
This time, at least, he had chosen her.
134
A CHALLENGE
Ariana couldn't have been happier when she saw the red slip in her mailbox that afternoon, indicating she had a package to be picked up at the window. Her toes tapped with impatience as the elderly gentleman behind the counter took his dear sweet time finding it, but she smiled when she was presented with a large FedEx box with some serious heft. Briana Leigh's maid had come through. There would definitely be something in here she could use to help her "reminisce" with Lexa about Camp Triple Star. As she emerged from the APH post office, a content smile played on her lips. Tonight she would study Briana Leigh's horsey past. Right after she ran a small errand.She had an old friend to kill.
"What are you so smiley about?"
Ariana froze. Tahira strolled up behind her wearing a set of body-hugging tennis whites, a hot pink Adidas tennis bag over her shoulder.
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"As if you care," Ariana said lightly, tilting her head.
Tahira laughed. "You're so right. I truly don't." She started to walk on by, but paused and looked Ariana up and down. "I heard you joined the tennis team. I was just about to go hit some balls off the machine, but I always prefer a living, breathing victim. Fancy a game or two?"
For a moment, Ariana hesitated, wondering if she could fit it all in--a tennis match, studying for her French exam, getting off campus again and up to Dupont Circle, doing away with Kaitlynn, and getting back in time to go through her box of B.L. memorabilia. But then she realized that the longer she hesitated, the more likely it was that Tahira would think she was intimidated. Which she definitely wasn't.
Besides, a little exercise might help clear her mind, get her focused for the task ahead of her at the Palomar Hotel.
"Why not?" she said finally.
"Good. Go get your racket and meet me over at the courts," Tahira instructed.
Ariana hesitated. When she'd gone shopping for her new life, she hadn't purchased a stitch of athletic equipment, something she was really going to have to remedy now that she had claimed to Lexa that she was a runner and had joined the tennis team. She glanced at Tahira, knowing the kind of reception her announcement was going to get, and dreading it.
"Actually, I . . . I'm still waiting for my grandmother to ship me a few things," she lied.
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Tahira's jaw dropped. "You didn't bring your racket?"
Ariana's face burned. "I--"
"Whatever. You can borrow one of the school's." Tahira scoffed, utterly amused, and started down the sunlit pathway toward the gym and playing fields. "This should be a piece of cake."
"My point!" Ariana called over the net, turning to stride back to the baseline. She was wearing mesh APH shorts and a white T-shirt she'd bought spur-of-the-moment at the school store, along with a pair of cross-training sneakers she had borrowed from Maria. The shoes, unfortunately, were a size too big, which had caused her to trip and miss a point more than once.
"Oh, please! That was out!" Tahira shouted back.
Ariana turned on her heel and stared at Tahira, her jaw hanging open. The girl had to be joking. "That shot was on the line!"
"It so was not!" Tahira yelled, pointing her racket toward the sideline where Ariana's shot had hit. "It was like two inches out!" She turned to look at Rob, who, along with a few other classmates, including Maria, Brigit, Soomie, and Lexa, had shown up early in the second set to watch the proceedings. "Baby, wasn't that ball totally out?"
Rob, looking like a tool in his pink polo shirt with one side of the collar flipped up, swallowed hard and glanced at Ariana. His hesitation spoke volumes. Ariana laughed. "See? My point."
Tahira let out a frustrated screech.