Yet another precious experience stolen away from her by that bitch Briana Leigh Covington.
"A midnight swim," Kaitlynn said, looking wistful. "That must be heavenly. I would give anything to go for a swim in that lake. Just once."
She lay down on her bed, curling her knees up, and stared across the room. But this time, she wasn't looking at Ariana. She was gazing off into the distance. Into a future in which she might actually get to feel the cool water against her skin. Ariana knew this was one of her friend's favorite daydreams.
"We should make a pact," she said, sitting forward.
"A pact?" Kaitlynn snapped back into focus. The childlike idea of a pact was right up her alley.
"Yes. A pact," Ariana said, her eyes sparking, playing to her audience. "If we ever get out of here, we meet up at the lake, over on the east side where it's nice and shady, and go for a swim. You and me. Together."
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Kaitlynn's eyes died a bit when she heard the plan, and Ariana felt a twinge of exasperation. Kaitlynn didn't believe it would ever happen. But it would.
"Yeah. Okay," Kaitlynn said sadly. "It's a pact."
They shook on it, and then they each leaned back on their own beds. Ariana was so giddy about what was to come she could hardly keep a straight face, but she knew that a girl in her position, someone who had just gotten off suicide watch and was now facing a grueling session with Meloni, would be anything but happy. She tried to put herself into an appropriate mood. What would she be doing right now? What would she actually say?
"I can't believe I have to spend all day tomorrow with Meloni," she groused. "He's probably going to give me some kind of electroshock therapy or something."
"Try not to think about it," Kaitlynn said, her voice bolstering. "Maybe it won't be as bad as you're imagining."
"I can't. I can't not think about it," Ariana said, playing up the desperation. "I hate him so much."
"Want me to tell you a story?" Kaitlynn suggested, propping herself up on her elbow.
Ariana smiled and laid her book aside. There was the Brightside Girl she knew and loved. "Definitely. One of your stories will definitely help."
"Which one? Ariana and Kaitlynn Take Manhattan? Ariana and Kaitlynn Do Paris? Ariana and Kaitlynn in the Maldives... ?" Kaitlynn was getting excited. There was nothing she loved better than the stories
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she made up about what the two of them would do if they were ever together on the outside.
"Paris," Ariana said, closing her eyes. "Definitely Paris."
"Okay. Paris it is," Kaitlynn said. Ariana heard her bed creak as she got comfortable. "We open the story on the banks of the Seine, where the local artists all clamor to paint our portraits. 'You are zee most beau-ti-ful girls we have ever seen,'" Kaitlynn said in a badly executed French accent. " 'S'ii vous plait! Sit for us! It would be such an honor to paint you.... We will not even charge for the service!'"
Ariana laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.
"You turn away, blushing, and nearly trip over a man crouched next to his unopened easel. He looks up at you, and your eyes lock. He has the most gorgeous brown eyes you've ever seen in your life. It's love at first sight."
"Sounds perfect," Ariana said, opening her eyes. "But what about you?"
"Oh, he has a brother," Kaitlynn added quickly. "A much hotter brother."
Ariana laughed. "Of course he does."
"Of course," Kaitlynn added, laughing as well.
As Kaitlynn continued her story, Ariana's heart was a tangle of melancholy and excitement. She hated that she was going to have to leave Kaitlynn later today, but she was also happy because soon, they would both be free. Soon she was going to be able to make all these stories Kaitlynn had been telling her come true.
Her plan was going to work. It had to. Not just for her own sake, but for Kaitlynn's as well.
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SO UNLADYLIKE