Last Christmas (Private 0.60)

to be a student at Easton, but Ariana wasn't raising her hand and announcing it to the class. She kept her eyes

on Connie, taking in the holier-than-thou smirk she was broadcasting in hi-def around the semicircle.

"Interesting idea, Miss Tolson." Mr. Holmes raised an eyebrow. "But I'll play the devil's advocate here.

Don't we all deserve to be happy? Or at least to search for what we think might make us happy? Isn't that a

basic human right?"

"Not if being happy means you're hurting someone else," Connie replied matter-of-factly. "I agree," Paige

announced. Shock passed over Connie's pinched features, and Isobel nearly choked on her coffee. "People

who don't think about how their actions affect the people they love are selfish." She leaned forward in her

chair, looking past Isobel and directly at Ariana. "Don't you think, Ariana?" she asked sweetly. Her green

eyes blazed.

Ariana's pulse raced. Paige had heard Thomas's nickname for her. There was no other explanation. "Miss

Osgood? Care to weigh in on this one?" Mr. Holmes smiled. "Actually, I do," she said quietly, taking a deep

breath. If they had been inside Billings, Ariana would probably have submitted to being bullied by Paige, but

not here. Not where it might affect her grade. "I don't think it's fair to place all of the responsibility for

Charles Bovary's happiness on Emma. He's responsible for his own happiness, just like she's responsible for

hers." Mr. Holmes nodded, and Ariana felt her voice strengthening. "And even though she never found it, at

least she had the guts to try." Connie crossed her arms over her navy sweater vest and flashed a judgmental

glare. "So you're saying it's okay to have ..." She paused, tossing her skinny French braid over her shoulder.

"...intercourse with as many people as you want to, just to make yourself happy?"

"Sounds like Emma isn't the one who needs to be having intercourse," Isobel said, just loudly enough. Ariana

could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile pass over Mr. Holmes's face. She'd known she liked him. "That's

not what I'm saying." Ariana shook her head emphatically, avoiding Paige's glare. "She made mistakes, and

she paid for them. We all make mistakes, and I think that's what makes us feel so close to Emma. She's

human. She's flawed. But she's doing her best, and we have to give her some credit for that." She sank back

into her chai

r, surprised at the tirade that had slipped, almost involuntarily, from her lips. She hadn't known

she felt so strongly about the issue until she was face-to-face with Connie and Paige and their intolerant

views. But she was smart enough to know why she had reacted the way she had. Thomas. "Ariana's

absolutely right," Mr. Holmes said, slipping his book into a leather messenger bag on top of his desk. "Emma

Bovary's flaws are what make her so accessible to us. And she does pay for her mistakes. Although, Miss