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through, it was difficult to remember that there were still some genuinely good and kind people in the world.
"Thanks," Ariana said, her shoulders relaxing. "But I can handle her."
Lexa smiled, and she stood up to shove the window open a bit wider, letting in the warm summer breeze. "Okay. I just wanted to make sure you knew there were options." She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her skinny-legged jeans and hovered there in the center of the room, looking down at Ariana. "Actually, to be perfectly honest, I was kind of relieved when you didn't want to join the equestrian team."
"Really?" Ariana placed her laptop aside, grateful for an excuse to take a break from all the lists. "You seemed so upset."
"It was an act," Lexa said matter-of-factly. She picked up one of many gold trophies from the shelf above her desk, which was also decorated with dozens of blue and red ribbons, and fingered the head of the rider atop the little gold horse. "I was actually terrified you'd be better than me. It's th
e only thing around here I'm best at."
Ariana was intrigued. She turned to face Lexa, sitting on the edge of Maria's bed now. "What do you mean?"
Lexa rolled her eyes and ducked her chin for a moment, shaking her head. "I've never told anyone this before. Not even Maria."
An excited skip of her heart left Ariana momentarily breathless. Not even Maria? She had assumed that Maria and Lexa were BFFs. If Lexa was about to share something top secret with her, then she was definitely in. And might even have a chance to usurp Maria on the
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friendship ladder. Her whole body tingled with possibility. She had to play this conversation exactly right.
"It's okay," Ariana said. "You can tell me. We go way back, remember?"
Lexa looked into Ariana's eyes. Ariana could tell she was dying to talk. As if she really didn't have anyone to talk to about anything deep. Ariana gazed back steadily, letting Lexa see that she was trustworthy.
"It's just . . . everyone has a thing, you know?" Lexa said finally, gesturing with the trophy. "Maria's the best dancer, Soomie's the best student, Brigit's the best party
planner--"
"Really?" Ariana asked. "Better than Tahira?"
"Oh my God, with her money and connections?" Lexa said, widening her eyes. "You want Cirque du Soleil in the Riviera and Jude Law singing 'Happy Birthday,' she'll get it for you. But it's not just that--her events have this unique style. This, like, whimsy. She's totally going to be famous and successful for something creative. Forget the royalty thing."
"Interesting," Ariana said, filing this information away for later use.
"Anyway, horses are my thing. I'm good at riding. That's it," Lexa said, replacing the trophy on the shelf and adjusting it so that it was perfectly aligned with the others. Ariana smiled to herself. Lexa was a bit OCD, just like her.
"I don't think that's true," Ariana replied.
Lexa tilted her head, a quizzical wrinkle between her brows, and crossed her arms over her light blue T-shirt. "What do you mean?"
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"You're obviously also good at taking care of your friends," Ariana said. "You're making sure Maria eats, helping Brigit with her diet, helping Soomie with Landon, trying to save me from Tahira torture. From what I've seen, you're the best at being a friend."
Lexa blushed, clearly flattered, and dropped back down on her bed. "You're cracked," she said modestly, looking at her computer screen. "Anyone would do those things for their friends."
"No, not anyone. Believe me, I know," Ariana replied. Lexa's expression grew serious, and Ariana felt a sizzle of apprehension. She had just opened the door to questions. Questions she did not want to invite in.
"Why? Did something happen with your friends at your old school?" Lexa asked, her voice tinged with concern. "Is that why you transferred?"
Oh, did something ever happen, Ariana thought, remembering in vivid detail that night on the roof of Billings. Reed on the ground near the edge, then Noelle with that stupid lacrosse stick. Did something happen? Yeah. Total backstabbing betrayal. Not to mention the ongoing torture that was the result of having been Kaitlynn's friend.
Lexa's eyes flicked to Ariana's hands, and she realized that Maria's white cashmere blanket was balled up at her side. She released it, breathed, and smiled.
"No. I just wanted the best, and APH is the best," she said lightly. Then she added, by way of distraction. "You know, all three of those girls were practically suffocating without you here. They could not wait to see you."