Ariana was surprised at how giddy she felt and realized for the first time how close she had come to losing everything. How very near she had come to the brink. Never again. Never again could she take all this for granted. She promised herself right then and there that she would turn over a new leaf. She had earned her second chance. Had worked and sacrificed and suffered for it.
Her fingernails dug into the skin of her bare forearm and she winced. Hadn't even realized she had been doing it. Slowly, deliberately, Ariana breathed in the crisp, cool air and felt her pulse start to
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relax. Her fingers uncurled. She was finally where she belonged. It was time to focus.
As she made her way around the fountain, she saw them. They stood with their shoulders back, noses up, looking the plainer girls up and down derisively as they scurried around like excited hamsters. Even though everyone wore the same pleated uniform skirts and fitted blazers, they looked more sophisticated than the others. There were a dozen in all, clustered into little groups. But of the twelve, the trio at the center was different. Special. They stood in a shaft of sunlight that seemed to shine just for them, and every so often the girls in the other klatches would look over at them with interest and envy. These were the girls Ariana was looking for.
The tall one at the center--raven hair, exotic olive skin, regal nose--was clearly in charge. The others spoke, whispered, or laughed toward her, but she never moved for anyone. She stood perfectly straight and poised, like a ballerina. Her dark hair was back in an unkempt ponytail and the tie of her uniform hung loose around her neck. She wore expensive yet broken-in Prada boots that had no place in her preppy uniform but somehow still worked. Long, delicate gold earrings grazed her collarbone. The whole look said she didn't care, but was perfect nonetheless. The girl to her left--pale skin, short blond hair cut above the ears, big bright eyes--was the most gorgeous girl Ariana had ever laid eyes on, even if she could stand to lose a few pounds. Everything about her was big. Big enamel hoop earrings. Oversize leather D&G bag. Tons of bracelets clinking around on both arms. A watch with a face so huge Ariana could almost read it from
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yards away. Her shoes were open-toed wedges. Definitely European. Definitely a designer Ariana didn't know, which was intriguing. The third girl was Asian. Tiny. Impeccably put together. Black hair back in a velvet headband hanging straight down her back like a knife. Not a wrinkle or crease on her shirt. Everything brand-new. She wore sensible yet stylish Roger Vivier flats, black with a big buckle over the front. Very nice.
Ariana took one look at them and knew she was home.
But suddenly, somehow, a skitter of nerves assaulted her heart. These people didn't know her. They didn't have to instantly accept her. What if she messed it all up? What if something went wrong? This was her life. Her new life. After everything she had been through, she couldn't screw it up now. Everything was riding on this moment.
Just be yourself, honey, she heard her mother say in her ear, just as she had on that first day at Easton so many years ago. Just be yourself, and I know they'll love you.
She had, after all, been an outsider then, too. The only girl from Georgia in her freshman class at the tony New England prep school. And look how easily she had been accepted there. Look how well that had all turned out.
Relatively.
Now, standing in her street clothes among all these uniformed strangers, Ariana felt her heart squeeze with longing for the sound of her mother's voice, but she quickly shook it off. Her mother would have been proud if she knew where Ariana was right now, how she was taking charge of her life. That was going to have to be enough. Taking
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a deep, calming breath, Ariana lifted her long auburn hair over her shoulder, put on a big smile, and strode confidently forward.
Easton was in the past. Noelle and Billings and Thomas were in the past. Her mother, even, was in the past.
It was time to start the first day of the rest of her life.
She stepped up to the dark-haired girl in the Prada boots and smiled. "Hi. I'm Briana Leigh Covington," she said. "But you can call me Ana."