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Brigit glanced at the others and they all exchanged a look. "Shall I?" Brigit asked.
"Just don't leave anything out." Soomie sat down at Allison's desk and continued to text.
"Okay, anal. I know you won't let me," Brigit said to Soomie. Then she turned to Ariana. "It has to do with that envelope," she explained,
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her plethora of jewelry clinking and jangling as she shifted on the bed to face Ariana better. "Every year during Welcome Week, the entire campus is split up into three teams, and there's this whole weeklong competition."
"Right. I read about that," Ariana said. "There are three events: academic, athletic, and philanthropic."
"Exactly," Soomie said.
"But what you probably didn't read is that whichever team wins the competition gets to live in Privilege House for the year," Brigit added.
"That's what Allison meant by 'not for long,'" Maria put in. "She figures she'll get into Privilege House and leave good old Cornwall behind. Once you get in, you can choose to live with whomever you want."
All the little hairs on the back of Ariana's neck stood on end, her skin prickling with a mixture of excitement and what could only be called fear. In all her reading she had never heard of Privilege House. Was this some sort of secret thing only known to the students of APH? The secrecy intrigued her almost as much as the name "Privilege House." How could it not? It was clearly something sought after, and right away she wanted in. Needed in. And feared that somehow she would be left out.
"So what's Privilege House, exactly?" Ariana asked, placing her bottles of moisturizer atop her dresser.
"Its true name is Wolcott Hall," Soomie explained, finally lowering the BlackBerry. "It's that large dorm up on the hill overlooking the river. The one with the two towers."
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Ariana nodded. "Right. The only coed dorm on campus."
"That's the one," Maria said with a grin. She fished a pot of lip gloss from her bag and touched up her lips in the mirror. "Plus it's completely cush. New furniture, satellite TV, private bathrooms . . ."
"Wow. So what's in here?" Ariana asked, picking up the envelope again. Suddenly she felt as if she had to open it. Would die if she didn't get to see its contents soon.
Patience, Ariana. Just breathe.
"That would be your team assignment," Soomie said. She glanced at her BlackBerry and stood, smoothing her plaid skirt. "Speaking of which, we should go. The rally's going to start soon."
"Yay!" Brigit said, as they all quickly started to gather their things. She grabbed Ariana's free hand and squeezed. "You are so going to love this! I hope we're all on the same team!"
"Brigit," Soomie scolded, rolling her eyes. Brigit blushed and dropped Ariana's hand. Obviously her friends sometimes grew weary of her overly enthusiastic attitude.
As Soomie slipped out, followed by Maria, who averted her eyes, Ariana's face burned. She wished at least one of them had echoed Brigit's sentiment, even if it was just to be polite. She felt a niggling uncertainty again and wondered if she shouldn't be hanging out with Tahira and her crowd right then. Would they make her feel more accepted, more w
anted? Brigit seemed to be all over her, but Maria and Soomie were so hot-and-cold it was making her feel a bit nauseated.
"It's too bad Lexa's not here," Brigit said, gripping the strap on her
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messenger bag as Ariana closed the door behind them. "Do you guys think they'll let her compete even though she's coming late?"
"Of course they will. She's Lexa Greene," Maria said matter-of-factly.
"Who's Lexa Greene?" Ariana asked.
"Oh, Lexa is the best, "Brigit said. "You're going to love her!"
Suddenly the three girls were all walking ahead, gabbing about this Lexa girl. They wondered if she was going to bring back presents from her tour of Europe, debated over whether she'd kept her hair short this summer or grown it out and whether she'd hooked up with any hot Italians behind her boyfriend's back. Another conversation in which Ariana could not participate. These girls clearly didn't need her. They even had a fourth whom she hadn't known about. A person who, from the sound of it, was the leader of their little group. Feeling stung by rejection, Ariana sighed quietly, looking over her shoulder at Tahira's closed door, listening to the muted laughter coming from inside. For a moment, she hesitated. Should she just walk away? Knock on Tahira's door and try that group on for size? But Allison had been so rude. And there was something about Tahira that had rubbed her the wrong way. She was too imperious, too loud. And the immodest way in which she wore her uniform was too . . . What was the word Soomie had used? Tacky. And then Brigit called up the steps to her.
"Ana! Are you coming?"
