And you look like a skank, Ariana thought, checking out Kaitlynn's ridiculous cleavage in her red, sweetheart--neckline dress.
"Lillian," Ariana replied, looking down her nose at her roommate. "Mind if I talk to Palmer for a sec? Alone?"
Kaitlynn glanced at Palmer, as if expecting him to tell Ariana off. Instead he took a breath and blew it out noisily. "Actually, I do need to speak to Ana, Lillian. If you don't mind."
Ariana's heart did a victory dance as Kaitlynn's face fell ever so slightly. "No problem," she said to Palmer. "I'll catch up with you later."
Then she floated off to join Tahira and Rob in the crowd. Palmer stared out across the driveway toward the valley below, purposely avoiding Ariana's gaze. Her nerves sizzled as she wondered what was wrong. Had Kaitlynn said something bad about her?
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"So ... are you my date for this thing or what?" Ariana said lightly."I don't know. You tell me," Palmer said, turning to her. He didn't appear angry, just hurt. Ariana felt a surge of confusion. She was capable of hurting Palmer Liriano?
"What do you mean?" Ariana asked.
"I mean, the last time I talked to you about it, you still didn't want to tell anyone, even though Lexa's been parading all over campus with her tongue down Conrad Royce's throat," Palmer said, color starting to rise from his neck to his face. Ariana felt the sting of this comment. He was hurt, but not entirely by her. He was hurt by Lexa's ability to move on so quickly. And probably by the fact that Ariana had not allowed him to do the same, by keeping him at arm's length. "So you tell me. Am I your date or not?"
Ariana was opening her mouth to respond, when a slim arm looped around hers.
"Is this guy bothering you?" Lexa joked.
She looked drop--dead gorgeous in an emerald green gown that brought out the color of her eyes. It was cut low in the front, even lower in back, and had a multilayered skirt that accentuated the curve of her hips before cascading to the ground. Conrad was right on her heels, looking square and strong in his tuxedo.
Palmer looked into Ariana's eyes. Ariana searched for the perfect thing to say. A way to make it seem as if the fact that Palmer was her date was no big deal--to telegraph to Lexa that it meant nothing-- while solidifying to Palmer that it meant everything.
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"Come on, Ana," Lexa said, tugging her away. "Christian's dateless too, so I promised him you would be his arm candy. You don't mind if I steal her away, do you, Palmer?"
Palmer's eyes never left Arianas. He was waiting for her to speak. Waiting for her to tell the truth. But the words were caught in Ariana's throat. Clearly Lexa wanted to get her away from Palmer. Clearly she still didn't want anyone near him. And as long as Ariana was certain Lexa could blackball her from Stone and Grave, she had to keep the girl happy. Palmer could blackball her too, of course, but she believed he was more of a gentleman than that. She believed he would understand that her motives here were pure. And she hoped that he believed, as she did, that all this waiting was just temporary.
"No," Palmer said finally, as if he could follow the train of Ariana's thoughts in her eyes. "I don't mind at all."
Even though it had been A
riana's decision, she felt as if he'd just driven a knife through her heart. But she allowed Lexa to pull her away from Palmer and toward Christian. As she went, she glanced back at Palmer, hoping to convey an apology with her eyes, and saw Kaitlynn already swooping in on him again.
A white--hot bolt of rage shot through Ariana so fiercely, she thought for a moment that she wouldn't be able to contain it. Screw Lexa for snatching her away from Palmer. Lexa already had a new beau. She didn't need the old one. And screw Kaitlynn for homing in on the one guy Ariana wanted. There were plenty of hot, wealthy guys at this school. Couldn't she let Ariana have anything for herself?
As she tore her gaze away from Palmer and his leech, Ariana saw
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that she and Lexa were passing right by Tahira, Allison, and Rob. Her heart skipped a panicked beat at having nearly missed such a perfect opportunity. She reached into her bag, extracted the key from her safety--deposit box--she wouldn't be needing it anymore. She fingered the heavy metal keychain she'd attached to it, then slid it into the outside pocket on Tahiras gold, jewel--encrusted clutch, which was lying on a bench with Allison's bag and their wraps. Instantly, Ariana's body heat cooled.
No one had seen. Step one of her plan was complete.
"Christian, your arm candy as promised," Lexa said, practically flinging Ariana at Christian.
"Nice," Christian said, looking Ariana up and down. "I'll try not to devour you all in one bite."
Landon, Maria, Conrad, Lexa, and Soomie all laughed, while Brigit and Adam had the innocence to blush. Ariana, for her part, simply glanced at her watch and checked the drive for the still elusive limos.
Suddenly she couldn't wait for this night to be over.
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