Last Christmas (Private 0.60)

A pleasant warmth engulfed Ariana's heart. He loved her. She knew he loved her.

"You better not."

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Sitting up, she tried to flash him a menacing stare, but the amused glint in his eyes just made her burst out

laughing all over again.

"Oh, yeah?" he challenged her, slipping his hands around her waist. "What are you gonna do?"

'You don't want to find out," she warned him playfully. "Believe me."

"Ooh," he laughed. "I'm so scared of big, bad Ariana."

He wrapped his arms tighter around her and pulled her into him. Ariana smiled and drifted off to sleep.

Perfectly, blissfully calm. Seconds later, the loud shriek of a siren yanked her right out of a shapeless dream.

"What the fuck?" Thomas shouted.

Ariana's heart was in her throat. "It's the fire alarm!"

Thomas tripped out of bed, fished a sweatshirt out of his laundry hamper, and pulled it on. Somehow, Ariana

found her jeans underneath the bed. The damp denim clung to her skin, and her heart raced as she struggled to

zip them up. She shoved her feet into her boots, yanked her coat from Thomas's desk chair, and quickly blew

out all the candles.

"We have to get out of here." Thomas reached for her hand and pulled her

toward the door. "Come on!"

"No!" She pulled back. "We can't go out that way. They'll be coming to check the dorm any second. By the

time we get through the snowdrifts outside they'll see us!" Her head was starting to throb. She couldn't think

with the sound of that alarm blaring in her head.

&nbs

p; "We don't have a choice!" Thomas yelled. "If we stay here, they'll

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catch us anyway. I can't get expelled, Ariana, I can't!" His eyes were wild, his voice hoarse over the

screeching alarm.

"I know!" she screamed. He was right. They couldn't leave, and they couldn't stay.

They were trapped.

Where you find it!***

@bcplBALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY