Privilege 1 - Privilege by Kate Brian Read Free Book Online Page B

feigning interest. "What kind were they again? Shih tzus?"

    Maria pulled an irritated face, her tiny features screwing up like a cartoon mouse's. "Ew. No. They're Chihuahuas. And my sister just sent me new pictures of 'em. Check it out." She pulled several bent photos out of her waistband and held them out for Ariana and Kaitlynn to see.

    There they were. Five Chihuahuas all dressed up like ballerinas--tutus, crowns, and all. Ariana bristled. Animals dressed in human clothing was just so wrong. She felt humiliated on the dogs' behalf. Kaitlynn, however, loved it.

    "Awww! Look at the little poochies!" she cooed, her voice going up an octave.

    "Adorable!" Ariana forced herself to exclaim. She had seen Maria showing those pictures around to her table at breakfast that morning. As her tablemates cooed over them, Ariana had realized that God was on her side. She knew they would make for the perfect distraction tonight.

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    Kaitlynn reached for the photos, but Maria slapped her hands away. Kaitlynn drew her hands to her chest and pouted.

    "Look, but don't touch," Maria warned.

    For a breathless second Ariana thought Kaitlynn was going to walk away to sulk, but the dogs were too much for her to resist.

    "What're their names again?" she asked Maria.

    "This one's Betty... that one's Sam. The one with the lazy eye is Chita. Y should have heard the way she was barking the last time I talked to my

    ou sister. I swear she knew I was on the phone."

    "Oh, well, she knows her mommy! Of course she does!" Kaitlynn said, jutting out her lower lip in a precious way.

    Slowly, Ariana backed away from the pair of dog lovers and ducked behind a crowd of women from Ward Three. Within ten seconds she had become just another one of the hundreds of dancing shadows on the lawn, and she allowed herself a quick moment to breathe. One obstacle down. Only a thousand more to go. But there was no telling how long Maria would keep Kaitlynn occupied. How long it would be before Kaitlynn came looking for her. Ariana wanted to glance back, take one last look at her friend, but she couldn't risk catching Kaitlynn's attention

    Up above there was a loud crack, and suddenly the sky was illuminated by a thousand white sparks. Everyone in the yard reacted in some way. Oohing or ahhing or laughing.

    "Pretty!" Crazy Cathy yelled, jumping up and down and clapping. "Pretty stars!"

    Ariana's heart, already pounding, started to hammer in her chest.

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    Still, she managed to move slowly so as not to arouse the attention of any of the guards. Slowly, slowly, slowly, Ariana wound her way toward the table she and Kaitlynn shared every day at lunch. Her palms were slick with sweat. She wrinkled her nose and surreptitiously wiped them on her jeans. Sweat was so unladylike. But then, Ariana was about to get very, very unladylike.

    On the other side of the fence, Rambo was going insane--petrified of the fireworks. It seemed that Meloni had decided to work late, as he so often did. Ariana pursed her lips. This was going to make things more difficult. Luckily, however, she had planned for this possibility.

    Another explosion lit the sky. This one red, then orange, then yellow. Ariana watched the upturned faces of the inmates as they shifted from color to color. Her heart was pin-balling now, trying to slam its way out through her rib cage. Miriam stood not twenty yards away, chatting with another guard. Even as they gossiped, their eyes scanned the faces of the inmates. They were on their game tonight. Too on.

    This is never going to work.

    It has to work.

    This is never going to work.

    It has to work. There is no other way.

    Ariana's hands trembled. She saw Miriam's gaze start to slide in her direction, and looked up at the sky just as a resounding boom brought a shower of purple and white sparks. In that moment she held her breath, certain that Miriam had read something on her face. That Miriam and her partner were on their way over to her right then