??There’s no shame in it, Briana Leigh,” the headmaster said. “Everyone needs someone to talk to at some point in their lives.”
“I’m telling you I don’t know him,” Ariana said, her voice strained.
“All I know is that when he saw the name Briana Leigh Covington on the list of students, he said he thought he’d be uniquely suited to help you,” Headmaster Jansen said, raising a palm.
Suddenly, Ariana felt a cool whoosh of air down her back. Briana Leigh Covington. Of course. Dr. Meloni had treated Kaitlynn Nottingham inside the Brenda T., and Kaitlynn had been arrested for murdering Briana Leigh’s father in cold blood. Dr. Meloni knew something about Briana Leigh’s family history because of his association with Kaitlynn. He had no idea Ariana was masquerading as the girl whose name he’d recognized.
Taking in a deep, cleansing breath, Ariana pulled herself up straight and focused on the headmaster’s eyes.
“I’ve never heard of this person in my life, yet he claims some prior connection and interest in me? That didn’t raise any red flags for you?” Ariana said.
The headmaster blinked, clearly taken aback. “I didn’t think—”
“And if it’s so important to you that I see someone—if it’s so important to my mental health—shouldn’t you allow me to see someone with whom I feel comfortable, rather than some random man who might turn out to be a stalker?” Ariana asked through her teeth.
“I hardly think—”
“When I enrolled at this school, my grandmother made a very generous donation to the general education fund, a donation which I intended to duplicate upon my graduation,” Ariana continued, “but if I start to feel that my needs aren’t being met here, I might have to rethink the whole thing.”
Suddenly the headmaster’s jaw set. She wiped her palms on the skirt of her suit and cleared her throat. It was clear from the irritation in her eyes that she knew she was being played and didn’t like it.
“Of course, I would never want any of my students to feel as if their needs weren’t being met,” she said, her words clipped. “If you feel you’d rather see someone off campus, we’ll see what we can do.”
Slowly, Ariana smiled. I really do have all the power, she thought giddily. “Thank you,” Ariana said curtly. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”
“Of course.”
Ariana stepped around the headmaster, a triumphant grin nearly splitting her face. Suddenly the Meloni situation didn’t feel quite so urgent. She wasn’t going to have to meet with him, which meant she had just scored herself more time to make sure she came up with the perfect plan for his execution. All she had to do was make sure she avoided him on campus and she would be fine. Could this day get any better?
She spotted Maria and Tahira at a prime table near one of the bay windows and waved, but hesitated. There was someone missing from this picture, and suddenly she felt more empowered than ever to do something about it. She held up a finger to her friends, telling them she’d be there in a second, then found an empty chair and took out her phone.
“Please just answer. Just this once,” she said under her breath. Then she speed-dialed Soomie’s cell phone.
This time, the connection did not go straight to voice mail. In fact, it rang three times and suddenly, Ariana heard the sound of fumbling, then breathing, then a voice.
“Ana. Hey.”
Soomie sounded tired and distant. Like she was talking to her from another galaxy.
“Hi! Oh my God, Soomie! It’s so good to hear your voice!” Ariana said breathlessly. She clutched the phone tightly to her ear, as if doing so could somehow prevent Soomie from disconnecting.
“Yeah, I’m … I got all your messages. I’m sorry I haven’t called back,” Soomie said.
“That’s okay. Where are you? Are you all right?” Ariana asked, curling her legs up beneath her on the chair cushion.
“I’m … fine. Better, I guess. I’m in Antigua with my mom. We’ve been staying at this spa where they don’t allow TV or phones or Internet,” Soomie replied. “I’m hiding in a closet right now, actually.”
Ariana got a mental picture of Soomie curled into a ball on the floor of a small, dark room, wooden hangers dangling above her.
“That’s intense,” she said. “How much longer are you guys going to be there?”
“I don’t know,” Soomie said. “It’s an open-ended stay. My mom’s on top of me all the time. She’s, like, afraid I’m gonna snap or something. I keep telling her the only thing that’s going to make me snap is having her fawn all over me, but it’s like talking to a wall.”
Ariana laughed, and she heard Soomie exhale a chuckle, too. That had to be a good sign.
“But it is kind of nice, to be honest,” Soomie said. “Not knowing what’s going on in the real world. There’s no stress, no worry. I’ve been sleeping. A lot.”
Because there’s probably some “spa doctor” feeding you muscle relaxers, Ariana thought, biting her lip.