by Kate Brian
“God, Conrad. I’m so sorry. That must have been awful,” Ariana said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. He had no idea how much worse it could have been. No idea the level of crap she had endured for the past two years—the sort of awful, humiliating episodes she’d had to live through thanks to Reed and Thomas and Kaitlynn.
Her fingers clenched under the table as the photo of Reed from the paper, happy, athletic Reed—the only one of the three who was still alive—flashed through her mind. She shoved it away. It was not about Reed right now.
“Yeah! It was!” he replied indignantly.
“Now how about you think for two seconds about how Lexa felt?” Ariana shot back.
Conrad stared at her. He picked at his linen napkin on the table absently. “What do you mean?”
“Obviously she’s going through something, Conrad. Otherwise she never would have acted that way,” Ariana said, leaning back and crossing her slim arms over her chest. “You know Lexa. She’s the most polite, well-spoken, self-aware person we know. Obviously something has to be seriously wrong for her to do something like that. But instead of trying to understand, instead of trying to talk to her and take care of her like a boyfriend should, you left her locked in your car in the parking lot.”
Ariana’s hands curled together in her lap again. Her fingernails cut into her fleshy palms.
“Wait, she was locked in?” Conrad said, a smidgen of concern crossing his face for the first time. “I didn’t know. I must’ve hit the button by mistake.”
“Either way. Do you really think that was the right thing to do? To just leave her there like that?” Ariana asked him.
Conrad blinked. He looked down at his cooling coffee. “No. I guess not. But still. You didn’t see her. I—”
“I did see her,” Ariana interrupted. “I’m the one who got her out of the car. I’m the one who helped her inside and up to bed and made sure she was all right—all things you should have been doing if you had a single chivalrous bone in your body.”
“Wow. Tell me how you really feel,” Conrad said, trying for a light tone, but looking stricken.
“I think I have,” Ariana replied, rising from her chair. “I suggest you stick by your girlfriend. Give her a second chance. Otherwise I’m not sure your conscience will ever forgive you.”
Then she turned her back on Conrad’s dumbfounded face. Shaking her head as she walked away, it was all she could do not to hurl a string of curses back at him. She’d always thought that Conrad was such a good guy, but apparently she was wrong. Still, he’d have to do for now. He was all Lexa had. Once she got back on an even keel she could break up with him and find a real man. A good man. Someone who would stand by her, no matter what. In the meantime, Ariana would take that role. She’d be there for Lexa. Someone had to be.
Ariana whipped out her cell phone in the lobby. She hit a speed dial button, lifted the phone to her ear, and shoved open the door, stepping into the frigid November morning.
“Beaura Day Spa,” a woman answered in a clipped tone.
“Yes. I’d like to make a reservation for this Saturday for a full spa day for five people.”
There was a condescending laugh on the other end of the line. “Miss, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but we’re always booked months in advance, and Saturday is obviously our busiest day.”
“Oh, I’m aware,” Ariana replied, tossing her hair off her cheek. “Now let me make you aware of exactly how much money I’m prepared to spend.”
Ariana leaned back in the heavenly leather pedicure chair at the day spa, a cooling cucumber mask slathered over her face, while her hands were massaged by her manicurist, a diminutive woman named Shelly, while her feet soaked in bubbly rose water, prepping her for her pedicure. Surrounding her in four identical chairs, enjoying four identical treatments, were Lexa, Maria, Soomie, and Tahira. They were all wrapped snugly into deep red terry-cloth robes, and Ariana felt gooey and relaxed after the most intense full-body massage she’d ever experienced. It turned out that once the Beaura Day Spa heard exactly what Ariana had in mind for today, they’d had a miraculous number of appointments open up.
It was good to be Briana Leigh Covington.
“So, Soomie, whatever happened with Jasper?” Lexa asked, resting her head back against her neck cushion.
Instantly, Ariana tensed up. Her manicurist paused, noticing it. Ariana cleared her throat and forced herself to relax, embarrassed over the idea that this stranger might be able to read her body language. She shot Shelly a relaxed smile and told herself that the important development here was that Lexa was engaging with her friends. That she was interested, alert, and aware.
Very not crazylike.
“I don’t know,” Soomie said. She turned her hand over casually, checking her white gauze bandage. “Ana, whatever happened with Jasper?”
Ariana’s throat closed over. What did Soomie know? What had she seen? But then, as the other girls looked at her expectantly, she realized that Soomie meant something else entirely. Ariana was supposed to talk to Jasper for her. Which she’d done. Almost a week ago.
“I’m so sorry, Soomie,” she said. “I . . . I’ve been so busy. I just never got the chance to talk to him.”
“If he’s not interested you can just tell me,” Soomie said moodily. “I’m a big girl.”
Ariana bit her lip, snagged. Her cheeks were aflame. “It’s not that—”
“Whatever. I should have just gotten up the guts to ask him myself,” Soomie said, leaning her head back against the small leather pillow.
Suddenly Ariana felt the touch of Jasper’s lips on hers. Tasted his tongue. Felt his hands on her stomach. It was like every cell in her body was pulling her toward Jasper. Pulling her toward his confidence, his sexiness, his mystery, his sense of adventure, his willingness to break the rules. He may not have been the wise choice, but her heart, her soul, her body . . . all of her wanted him. She tensed up again, and her manicurist raised one eyebrow. Ariana blushed and looked away.
“Well, there’s still time,” Maria said, lifting her fingernails to check her black nail polish. “The ball’s tomorrow night. I say call him right now and ask him.”
Ariana bit down on her bottom lip to keep from protesting. Because how was she supposed to support her protest without sounding jealous? She racked her brain for a reason that Jasper might be unsuitable for Soomie but could think of nothing. Probably because Jasper was so very, very perfect.
“Easy for you to say,” Soomie said. She glanced at Tahira in the next chair. “People in long-term relationships always forget how hard it is to put yourself out there.”
“So true,” Tahira replied, then blew on her fingernails.
Ariana’s heart stopped. She glanced at Maria, whose eyes were wide and startled.
“What do you mean? What long-term relationship?” she asked. “I haven’t even hooked up with anyone since the summer.”
“God, Maria, everyone knows you and Landon are together,” Tahira said, rolling her eyes. “Who do you think you’re kidding?”
“What?” Maria blurted, sitting up. She almost knocked over a tray full of lemon water one of the waitresses was toting around from chair to chair. “We’re not—”
Lexa laughed, shaking her head. “Maria, just stop,” she said. “We’re your best friends. Of course we know.”
“Really? Are we still best friends?” Soomie interjected.
Ariana’s body heat skyrocketed as Lexa balked. “What do you mean?” Lexa asked.
“It’s just that you haven’t been around much lately, Lex,” Maria said, shifting in her seat. “And clearly you’ve been upset about something, but clearly it’s not something you’re willing to share with us,” she added, giving Ariana a pointed look.
Lexa cleared her throat, looking down at her hand for a moment, as her manicurist shaped her nails. “I’m sorry, you guys. I know I’ve been a little . . . out of it lately. It’s not really something I’m . . . ready to talk
about,” she said, glancing quickly at Ariana. “But I’m feeling better. I swear. And if it was something I thought you should know, I promise I would tell you.”
There was a long moment of silence. Ariana breathed in and out, relishing Lexa’s perfectly reasonable and coherent answer. Maybe she really was getting better.
“As long as you know we’re here for you, Lex. No matter what,” Soomie said.
“I know,” Lexa replied quietly. “Thanks, guys.”
This time, the silence was far less tense, far more companionable. Then, out of nowhere, Maria blurted, “So you guys all know?”
Everyone laughed. “Maria! Why do you think I gave him Pip?” Lexa said. “He was supposed to be Dr. Jekyll, originally. You know, because he has the whole split-personality thing going. Of course, with Landon it’s the private and public personas rather than the sane and the batcrap crazy, but it still would’ve worked.”
Everyone froze. Lexa had just mentioned a Stone and Grave secret in public. There were a dozen spa workers in the room, every one of them within hearing distance. Ariana glanced around surreptitiously, but none of the manicurists, facialists, or waitresses seemed remotely interested in what was being said. She let out a sigh of relief, then almost laughed. Of course, they wouldn’t be interested. How would any of them have any idea what it meant to give someone Pip? They probably thought it was some new drug they’d never heard of.
“I can’t believe this,” Maria said, dropping back again and closing her eyes in resignation. “How long have you known?”
“He and some of the other guys were down at the boathouse before Soomie’s Halloween party and he blabbed then,” Lexa replied, waving a dismissive hand. “We’ve known for days.”
“I wish you’d told me you knew,” Maria complained with a pout. “Do you know how hard it is to keep a secret around here?”
“Apparently too hard,” Ariana joked.
Everyone laughed, and Ariana was just relaxing, happy that the subject had turned away from Soomie and Jasper, and that Lexa had just offhandedly mentioned Halloween night without freaking out and running screaming from the room, when her cell phone beeped. She fished it out of the pocket of her robe with her free hand—the one that wasn’t currently being polished. There was a text message from Jasper himself. Ariana’s pulse began to pound, and her palms started to sweat. She glanced quickly at Soomie, as if the girl could read her phone from across the room. Soomie was still teasing Maria, so Ariana opened the text.
WHERE R U? THOUGHT U WERE COMIN 2 MY GAME
Ariana’s heart stopped, and she dropped the phone. It slid off her knee and dropped toward the footbath. Ariana lunged for it, but Shelly’s hand shot out and caught it at the last second.
“Thank you,” Ariana breathed.
“Uh huh,” the manicurist said knowingly, handing the device back to her.
Ariana blushed. “Can I have my hand for a second?”
“Of course,” Shelly said, releasing her.
Ariana pursed her lips and texted back.
I AM SOOOOO SORRY! CONNIE BROKE UP W/ LEXA + SHE NEEDED ME. U UNDERSTAND RIGHT?
She hit send and sat back to wait. The manicurist looked up at Ariana from her little stool, watching her with discerning eyes. Ariana ignored her and tried to tune in to her friends’ conversations while she waited. And waited. And waited. The more time went by, the more Ariana’s underarms began to prickle with nervous sweat.
Was Jasper ignoring her text? Was he that mad at her for forgetting?
Then, mercifully, her phone beeped.
OK. 2 BAD THO. U SHOULDA BEEN HERE. WAS V ILLUMINATING.
Ariana’s brow knit. Illuminating? How could a soccer game be illuminating? She was about to text him back and ask him that question, when her phone beeped yet again. Another text from Jasper.
SO WHEN R U BREAKING UP W/ CAPTAIN BORING?
Ariana rolled her eyes, smiled, and hit ignore.
Shelly had a tight-lipped smile on as Ariana offered her hand again. “Texting the boyfriend?” she said slyly.
“Oh, that’s so nauseating!” Tahira teased. “Palmer can’t even be away from you for a few hours.”
Ariana blushed and lowered her lashes. “What can I say? He needs me,” she lied.
Shelly shook her head and sighed as she started applying a topcoat to Ariana’s nails.
“Ah, young love. I remember what that was like. I think.”
Ariana, Soomie, and Lexa laughed, while Tahira and Maria made skeptical faces.
“How do you know it’s love?” Tahira asked Shelly. “Maybe she’s just in lust.”
“Oh, no. It’s love. I can tell by the look on her face,” Shelly joked back.
Ariana grinned. She really was falling for Jasper. Even the help could tell. The question now was, what was she going to do about it?
She lifted her phone and quickly texted back.
JUST GIVE ME SOME TIME TO FIGURE IT ALL OUT.
The answer came almost instantly.
HOW MUCH TIME?
Ariana smirked, flattered by his impatience. She texted back.
I’LL GIVE YOU AN ANSWER AT THE BALL.
“Ana, you look drop-dead in that gown,” Tahira said as the girls walked down the hall to the elevator on Saturday evening. “I hope you know a good dry cleaner because Palmer is going to drool all over it.”
“Thanks, T,” she said, grinning.
But I’m no longer in the market for Palmer’s drool, she thought, imagining how Jasper was going to react when he saw her stepping out of the elevator. She had decided that tonight was the night. She was going to break up with Palmer at the ball, where he wouldn’t make a scene, where he would have plenty of alcohol in which to drown his sorrows, and plenty of friends around to drown them with.
And where she could disappear in the crowd with Jasper afterward. Because she knew that as soon as the deed was done, she wouldn’t be able to wait another second to be with him.
Ariana stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the lounge area, checking her hazy reflection in the glass, turning this way and that to see the full skirt of her gunmetal gray, strapless taffeta gown swish around her. The skirt was wide and stiff and accentuated her tiny waist. She’d adorned her neck with a real diamond necklace she’d purchased at Cartier the day before. Noelle had one just like it—except hers was peppered with sapphires—which she always used to wear to the Ryans’ Casino Night party down on St. Barth’s over Christmas break. Ariana smirked slightly, wishing her old friend could see her, could know who her friends were, how much she was worth. It was next to impossible to make Noelle Lange jealous, but Ariana had a feeling that she’d actually turn green if she knew. And green was so not her color.
“You’re looking pretty drool-worthy yourself,” Ariana added.
Tahira had gone with a low-cut, black velvet dress that hugged every curve. Ariana wasn’t a big fan of the leave-nothing-to-the-imagination look, but it was very Tahira, and Ariana was slowly starting to get used to her new friend’s style.
Tahira executed a twirl, holding her silver clutch purse out at her sides. “I know,” she replied, lifting one bare shoulder.
“Everyone ready?” Lexa asked, sweeping out in her black gown.
Ariana smiled with satisfaction at the sight of her friend, who looked well-rested and happy. Her skin glowed, and she was eye-circle-free for the first time in days. Maybe the massage and facial had really relaxed her enough for her to get a good night’s sleep. Maria trailed behind her in a silver halter-neck dress, her arm crowded with at least ten diamond tennis bracelets. Then Soomie emerged in a tight, black-and-gray-striped strapless with an ankle-length pencil skirt and a slit up the back. Her dark hair was pulled back into a coil at the nape of her neck.
“Damn, we clean up well,” Maria said, looping her arm around Soomie’s.
“We do, don’t we?” Lexa added, taking Maria’s other arm.
“Well, we’re already fifteen minutes late,” Arian
a said, checking her phone. “The boys should be sufficiently agitated.”
The girls giggled as Ariana led them to the elevator. Her heart beat a nervous rhythm as she hoped that Jasper would be waiting downstairs with the others. She knew Palmer would be there, as planned. As would Landon, Rob, Conrad, and Adam, who had agreed to be Soomie’s date. But maybe Jasper would want to see her first thing too. She hoped so.
“The guys just have no idea what it’s like for us,” Maria said as the elevator whisked them toward the lobby. “All the things we put ourselves through to look this hot. All they have to do is shave, put on a tux, and done.”
“And some don’t even bother to shave,” Tahira groused, giving the bodice of her dress a tug.
The girls giggled as the doors slid open. Ariana stepped out and immediately scanned the couple dozen tuxedoed boys for a shock of blond hair, but Jasper was nowhere to be found. Her heart was just sinking with disappointment as Palmer stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with unabashed admiration.
“You look gorgeous,” he told her, giving her a quick kiss. He hugged her, and as Ariana rested her chin on his shoulder, she gave the room another cursory glance. No Jasper. Where was he? Why wasn’t he here? Was this some kind of payback for not showing up at his game the day before? He was still coming to the ball, wasn’t he?
“Thanks,” Ariana replied as Palmer released her. She tried to smile. “You do too.”
“Thanks,” Palmer said, tilting his head. “Everything okay?”
Ariana flicked her bangs away from her forehead. “Yeah. Fine. I’m just—”
The words died in her throat. Out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed a flash of red. Her heart withered inside her chest as she saw Conrad Royce striding across the lobby toward Lexa, a huge bouquet of red roses clasped in one hand. There had to be three dozen of them—big, fat blooms, so crimson they could have been dyed with blood. He was taking Ariana’s advice. Trying to make it up to his girlfriend. But he couldn’t have picked a more inopportune method for an apology.