Sweet Deceit (Privilege 4)

“Exactly!” Jasper laid his book aside and rested his hands, palm up, on his knees. “I had all these visions of being up all night, toiling away at menial tasks, getting whipped by angry, faceless society members.”

Ariana laughed and dusted some salt off her fingers. “Whipped?”

Jasper raised his eyebrows. “I have a vivid imagination.”

“Me too,” Ariana replied. “But mine never went to whipping.”

Jasper laughed and pulled his legs in closer, then reached for another chip. “So then, what did you think it was going to be like?”

With a sigh, Ariana leaned back against Jasper’s roommate’s bed. Kendrick Musgrove was out at a meeting of one of his “plethora of clubs,” as Jasper put it, leaving the two of them some privacy to study. Ariana liked Jasper and Kendrick’s room. It was neat and sparsely decorated. Both beds were covered in plain wool blankets. A few posters of Civil War battles and old-school navy ships lined the walls, hung at perfect right angles. She found the order comforting.

“I don’t know. I suppose I thought it would be more like boot camp—you know, being woken up in the middle of the night and having to run around in our underwear or something.”

Jasper laughed wholeheartedly, his white-blond bangs falling over his light blue eyes.

“Shut up,” Ariana said, picking a few crumbs off her jeans to avoid his gaze. “My dad had to do that during fraternity pledging.”

“Your dad was in a frat? Which one?”

Ariana froze as her vision entirely blurred over. Her dad was in a frat. Her dad. Not Briana Leigh’s. She, in fact, had no idea whether or not David Covington had ever been in a fraternity. She didn’t even know if the guy had gone to college. Her heart started to force hot panic through her veins and she could feel her throat begin to close. How could she be so careless? So stupid?

Breathe, Ariana. Just breathe.

In, one . . . two . . . three . . .

Out, one . . . two . . . three . . .

In, one . . . two . . . three . . .

Out, one . . . two . . . three . . .

It didn’t matter. It wasn’t as if Jasper was going to Google David Covington the second she left his room to try to find out what fraternity he was in. She looked up at him, her heart rate finally returning to normal. His expression was quizzical and slightly concerned.

“Sorry, I just . . . this is embarrassing, but I don’t even know,” she said with a laugh. “All that Sigma Delta Gamma stuff sounds the same to me.”

“Believe me, I understand,” Jasper replied. “Half the time when my dad starts talking my eyes just glaze over.”

Ariana let out a silent sight of relief. “Anyhow, maybe they’re taking it easy on us because of Brigit.”

“Perhaps,” Jasper mused, rubbing his hands together. He looked up at her, his blue eyes sparkling. “Or maybe it’s all part of their insidious plan. Lull us into a sense of security so we’ll be all the more surprised when they attack.”

“Maybe.”

“So,” he said with a sly smile, reaching for his book again. He opened to a page at random and looked down his long nose at the small print. “Tell me everything there is to know about Adam Lazerri.”

“Why bother? We both know it,” Ariana said, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. “Poor Adam.”

“Ah, yes. The sacrifice made for the greater good,” Jasper said, toying with his book.

“Do you really think that’s all it was?” Ariana asked. “That they were just trying to scare us into submission?”

Jasper shrugged and frowned. “Either that or they really are going to pick us off one by one.”

“Well, I’m getting in, and so are you,” Ariana said confidently. “So tell me all about yourself—things that aren’t even in the handbook.” She crossed her arms over her chest and settled in for the story.

Jasper smiled and let out a groaning sigh. He leaned back against his own bed, crooking both arms behind his head in a cocky way, and shoved his legs out, crossed at the ankles. “Well, where does one begin? There’s so very much to tell.”

“Start with the basics,” Ariana said, rolling her eyes. “Then warm up to the good stuff.”