Privilege 4 - Sweet Deceit Read Online Free
Author: Kate Brian
followed suit. Soomie picked at her food while Lexa and Maria watched the taps with interest. Snagged, Maria looked away, but Lexa simply lifted her fingers in a wave, not at all embarrassed about being caught.
"Of course they are," Tahira whispered. "This is Stone and Grave. Hundreds of years of tradition can't just be ignored because of one--"
She stopped there and blushed as she looked down at her untouched silverware. For a moment, no one spoke. Ariana wondered if the sickened feeling in her heart would ever go away.
"So, Tahira . . . did you ever complete your task?" Ariana asked. Each pledge had been assigned a task to complete by the NoBash.
"Why? Are you suddenly concerned I won't get in?" Tahira asked facetiously. Of course, both Tahira and Ariana knew why Ariana was really asking. Tahira's task was to humiliate a donor, and she'd threatened to humiliate Ariana. Briana Leigh's family had donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the school to get her in.
"Just curious," Ariana said, casually lifting her shoulders as their food arrived. Her plate of pancakes was steaming hot and smelled deliciously buttery. Ariana's stomach grumbled for the first time in more than a week. Mourning for Brigit had pretty much destroyed her appetite, but now that she had a plan in mind, she was more than ready to make up for lost time. "Did you find a donor to humiliate?"
Tahira daintily speared a grape with her fork. "Yes, I did."
"You told her what your task was?" Allison gasped, leaning forward. "You wouldn't even tell me!"
"Calm it, Al," Tahira said tersely. "I had my reasons."
Allison dropped back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest to mope.
"Well? What'd you do?" Kaitlynn asked, leaning an elbow on the table. She'd ordered a bagel and lox, which so far had gone untouched. "Who'd you humiliate?"
"Well, you know Malaya was at the NoBash?" Tahira said, placing her fork down. "She was talking to all of these dignitaries and gurus and whatnot, so I went over and started asking her really specific questions about Buddhism, since that's supposed to be her new big obsession and everything," she said, waving a hand around dismissively.
"I thought she was into kabbalah." Allison took a large bite of her English muffin.
"Y eah. That was during her last world tour," Tahira said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, of course she didn't actually know anything about Buddhism even though she's been quoted as saying it changed her life and all that crap," Tahira said. "She was so embarrassed, she faked a phone call from one of her kids and left the party."
Kaitlynn and Allison laughed.
"Well, good. I'm glad you got it done in time," Ariana said.
"Uh, thanks?" Tahira replied dubiously. "I just hope someone from Stone and Grave was paying attention," she whispered, reaching for her coffee cup. "It all happened right before . . ." "Right before they found Brigit?" Kaitlynn said.
Ariana took a deep breath and reached for the juice. She couldn't let Kaitlynn see how much just talking about Brigit affected her.
"I don't even know if our tasks are going to matter anymore," Kaitlynn said, slathering cream cheese on her bagel.
"What? Why wouldn't they?" Allison asked.
Kaitlynn shrugged as she chewed and wiped a bit of cheese from her fingers onto her linen napkin.
"Well, I mean, they said there were four open spots . . . ," she said, keeping her voice down. She said it as if it had just occurred to her recently-- as if she was thinking out loud--when, in fact, she had already killed someone based on her logic.
Tahira swallowed so hard that Ariana heard the gulp. "And now there are four of us."
Allison and Tahira looked at one another, then at Ariana, who found herself liking them for the first time since she'd met them more than a month ago. At least they had the decency to appear scandalized and depressed over what Kaitlynn had just said, while Kaitlynn sipped her orange juice and looked to be about three
"Of course they are," Tahira whispered. "This is Stone and Grave. Hundreds of years of tradition can't just be ignored because of one--"
She stopped there and blushed as she looked down at her untouched silverware. For a moment, no one spoke. Ariana wondered if the sickened feeling in her heart would ever go away.
"So, Tahira . . . did you ever complete your task?" Ariana asked. Each pledge had been assigned a task to complete by the NoBash.
"Why? Are you suddenly concerned I won't get in?" Tahira asked facetiously. Of course, both Tahira and Ariana knew why Ariana was really asking. Tahira's task was to humiliate a donor, and she'd threatened to humiliate Ariana. Briana Leigh's family had donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the school to get her in.
"Just curious," Ariana said, casually lifting her shoulders as their food arrived. Her plate of pancakes was steaming hot and smelled deliciously buttery. Ariana's stomach grumbled for the first time in more than a week. Mourning for Brigit had pretty much destroyed her appetite, but now that she had a plan in mind, she was more than ready to make up for lost time. "Did you find a donor to humiliate?"
Tahira daintily speared a grape with her fork. "Yes, I did."
"You told her what your task was?" Allison gasped, leaning forward. "You wouldn't even tell me!"
"Calm it, Al," Tahira said tersely. "I had my reasons."
Allison dropped back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest to mope.
"Well? What'd you do?" Kaitlynn asked, leaning an elbow on the table. She'd ordered a bagel and lox, which so far had gone untouched. "Who'd you humiliate?"
"Well, you know Malaya was at the NoBash?" Tahira said, placing her fork down. "She was talking to all of these dignitaries and gurus and whatnot, so I went over and started asking her really specific questions about Buddhism, since that's supposed to be her new big obsession and everything," she said, waving a hand around dismissively.
"I thought she was into kabbalah." Allison took a large bite of her English muffin.
"Y eah. That was during her last world tour," Tahira said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, of course she didn't actually know anything about Buddhism even though she's been quoted as saying it changed her life and all that crap," Tahira said. "She was so embarrassed, she faked a phone call from one of her kids and left the party."
Kaitlynn and Allison laughed.
"Well, good. I'm glad you got it done in time," Ariana said.
"Uh, thanks?" Tahira replied dubiously. "I just hope someone from Stone and Grave was paying attention," she whispered, reaching for her coffee cup. "It all happened right before . . ." "Right before they found Brigit?" Kaitlynn said.
Ariana took a deep breath and reached for the juice. She couldn't let Kaitlynn see how much just talking about Brigit affected her.
"I don't even know if our tasks are going to matter anymore," Kaitlynn said, slathering cream cheese on her bagel.
"What? Why wouldn't they?" Allison asked.
Kaitlynn shrugged as she chewed and wiped a bit of cheese from her fingers onto her linen napkin.
"Well, I mean, they said there were four open spots . . . ," she said, keeping her voice down. She said it as if it had just occurred to her recently-- as if she was thinking out loud--when, in fact, she had already killed someone based on her logic.
Tahira swallowed so hard that Ariana heard the gulp. "And now there are four of us."
Allison and Tahira looked at one another, then at Ariana, who found herself liking them for the first time since she'd met them more than a month ago. At least they had the decency to appear scandalized and depressed over what Kaitlynn had just said, while Kaitlynn sipped her orange juice and looked to be about three
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