One Word From You: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation (27 page)

“
No, I got that,” I said, “Is it okay if I cry?”

“
Shut up!”

“
Fine,” I admitted, “You guys know what my Mum's like. Because of her, it's just difficult to get close to people. Just in case they ditch you, for whatever reason. Like because I'm poor, for example. I'm sorry.”

“
We wouldn't ditch you for that,” Lisa said, “Maybe for not coordinating your accessories. But never because you were poor.”

“
Thanks, I think.”

Chrissy hugged my arm tightly, “You don't let loose enough, but that doesn't mean we hate you or anything.”

“
Excuse you,” I said, “I can let loose. I ran around Rome trying to save
someone's
scrawny backside, remember?”

“
That was just stupid,” she said, “I'm talking about having fun.”

“
Watching Amanda wipe out Gideon was pretty fun.”

Meg giggled, “His face when he fell in the water...”

“
He deserved it,” Lisa said, “All of it. As if I would seriously run away with someone so ugly.”

“
Oh, he's ugly, now?” I asked.

“
Older guys always are. They have hair in their ears,” she shrugged, “I don't know what people see in them.”

“
Me either,” I agreed, “Then again, most of my friends are older than me, so -”

“
Are they hot?” Lisa asked, “Your friends, I mean. Are they good looking? Are they single?”

“
I don't think you should be looking for a new boyfriend any time soon,” I told her.

“
But if they're your friends, then they've got to be better than Gideon.”

“
Only if you like greasy mechanics.”

“
Oh, they'd be so sweaty and
gorgeous,
” she almost swooned.

“
Okay. I think that's a sign that someone needs a little air.”

The others laughed, and the tension I so often felt in my heart was somewhat eased. They’d never really looked down on me. I’d just been looking down on myself. It had been my own prejudice against people of their social standing that had been in the way of us all really connecting as we should have. Because, even though we were all vastly different, we had enough in common as friends to bond. Although I didn’t speak it, I vowed then and there that I wouldn’t be so guarded again. I knew that if I was, I risked missing out on something special.

If only I had known that when I first met Will, we might have had a very different relationship.

Chapter Twenty-Six

If he wants our society, let him seek it.

Lisa had thought we were joking about going back early.

We weren't.

Even if her ultimate plan in life was to marry well, she wasn't going to be much of a catch if she couldn't at least prove she'd made it through her education with some brain cells in tact. We got her out of bed at a reasonable time every morning for the final few days, and marched her straight to the library. The teachers were stunned to see her there. Possibly because they figured she didn't know we even had one on the premises.

At first, she really dug in her heels. On the second day, she was much more open to the idea of spending some quiet time with us. While on the surface she was her usual self, when she thought no one was looking, there was a definite sadness to her features. She protested that she hated Gideon, and it was only to save face. Lisa wouldn't have agreed to run off with him, and potentially elope, if she'd had no feelings for him. All of our bruises and cuts would fade, but the damage he'd done to her heart would take longer to heal. No matter what his other crimes, I felt like that was the worst of them.

Out of respect for my friend, I wasn't going to bring it up. Reminding her of the event would just make things worse. I did drop hints that, should she need to talk to another person about it, I was open to hear what she had to say. On the final night of the holidays, I woke in the middle of the night to find that Lisa was crawling into my bed. She curled against my back, and cried quietly between my shoulders until she fell asleep.

If I ever saw Gideon again, I'd make him realise that jail had been a paradise compared to my wrath.

In the morning, I was woken by a crushing weight on my chest. I tried to pull the covers over my head, but they were stuck beneath whatever had just dumped itself on top of us. Lisa grumbled groggily, and I reluctantly looked up at Chrissy.

“
Morning,” she said brightly, “First day of school! Ready?”

“
You're heavy,” I complained.

“
You're going to be late,” she said, “Come on! I want to see the boys coming back!”

“
Eurgh. Go away,” I begged.

Jenny pulled the pillow out from beneath my head, “She's right. Get out of bed!”

“
God,” I groaned, “I hate you both.”

Lisa rolled off the mattress, and landed on the floor with a dull thud. I couldn't be happy about it being the first day of school. Not only because that meant we had to get back to work. I mean, that was a definite downside to the whole thing, but it wasn't the most depressing thing about it all. Even though there were boys returning to join us, they wouldn't be Will. Or Charlie, because I had come to like him again as a friend after going to Will's house. But Jenny was the one in love with him. And I was keen to talk to Will about what had happened, and to get him to explain the real situation to my Dad.

Honestly, I was so tired of him talking about how irresponsible he was, that I'd been glad to get out of Italy, so he could go home.

I took a long time getting ready, just so I could put off the inevitable for a little while. Eventually, I had to leave the room. There was no way I could hide all the way through to the end of term. Someone would notice. At least we were able to walk as a group. It was strange, but a lot of people were watching us in the halls when we passed them by. I'd anticipated that there'd be a few rumours about Lisa, and that we might have to take some time putting people right over what had happened, but they were actually looking at Jenny.

“
Did you do something I don't know about?” I asked her as we entered the main building.

“
No. I have no idea what they're -”

“
I do,” Chrissy said, and ran to the window. It looked out onto the broad driveway at the front of the school's main entrance. Some people were arriving a little late, and would miss their first classes in doing so. I didn't have a lot of interest in it. That is, until Chrissy said, “He's back! It's Charlie!”

“
You're joking!” I shoved her out of the way, and peered through the glass, “Oh my God, he is!”

“
I want to see!” Lisa declared.

“
Me too!” Meg joined us.

Four girls clamouring to get a look at one boy through a narrow window had to be a ridiculous spectacle. I noticed Jenny's absence, and turned to beckon her over. But she was nowhere to be found. Well, it had to be strange to have him back so suddenly. He hadn't called ahead to let us know about it. And he wasn't alone. Chantelle had seen fit to join her brother in returning to school. They had timed it really badly given we were about to have exams, but if they had enough money to convince the staff, then that was their problem. So much disruption was going to have a negative impact on their results, though.

“
What's she doing?” Chrissy asked.

I turned back to the window. That was when I realised where Jenny had run off to. Well, she was walking, actually. And quite calmly. She kept her head high, and took her time in approaching Charlie. He stopped trying to help get his bags out of the car, and nervously closed the distance. My heart was in my throat. She might have slapped him, or cried, or even have scolded him for not giving her any warning that he was due back.

I didn't think she'd kiss him.

And it wasn't just a peck, either.

I'd never painted Jenny as the bold type. It must have been my influence rubbing off on her. Well, it was about damn time. For all of it. She had been so distraught at losing him. Now, she was going to have a hard time getting rid of him if she changed her mind. Charlie hugged her close, and when the kiss dragged on, I started to feel a little awkward watching them. There was no chance of making the others leave for the sake of their privacy. Their noses were practically glued to the glass.

Charlie and Jenny must have felt our eyes on them. When they saw fit to disentangle themselves from one another, they looked in our direction. We could have reacted with decorum, and simply smiled. But that was never going to happen. We openly cheered for them, banged on the window, and even mimed crying in joy. Lisa was the first to break away, and ran out to tackle Jenny from behind. Chrissy soon followed, and even Meg. I was the last out, and strolled rather than ran. I held out a hand to shake Charlie's. He wasn't going to entertain such a lukewarm greeting, and hugged me instead. It was only brief, perhaps because he was afraid that Jenny might get the wrong idea. As if she would. I reached up to ruffle his hair. I was happy for them both, but still warned him, “If you ever hurt her, I'll have your nuts for earrings.”

“
Deal,” he said, “But I'm not going to.”

“
No, I don't think you are.”

Chantelle approached me. I tried hard not to be on the defensive. After all, she had helped to conceal our escape when we'd been in Italy. She folded her arms across her chest, “I didn't think I'd be coming back here.”

“
So, why did you?”

“
He's happier with her,” she admitted, “No matter what you think of me, Blake, I do care about my brother.”

“
I know,” I said, “I can see that. Just do me a favour, and don't make Jenny miserable.”

“
I can't even if I want to. Charlie already lectured me about it.”

“
Good.”

She rolled her eyes, “If you think that Will is going to get out of the car, then you're mistaken. There's nothing out here for you to see.”

“
I didn't really expect him to come back,” I said, “There's nothing for him here.”

“
As long as you know that,” she retorted sniffily.

Chantelle had no more time for me. She went about congratulating Jenny on her relationship with Charlie, and acted like she'd wanted it the whole time. Jenny smiled, and accepted the compliments, but it was done warily. Chantelle had shown us her true nature, and people didn't change quite so easily. If she wanted to repair her friendship with Jenny, then it was going to take a lot of time, and far more sincerity than I thought she was capable of.

Well, that was their business.

I tore myself away from the jovial group, and found solace in walking through the halls by myself. I was taking the longest possible route to class. The silence helped me to get my thoughts in order. Because, yes, I was pleased to see Charlie. I believed that with all my heart. But I was also disappointed that he hadn't brought Will. Even though I'd said that I hadn't expected it, and that was true, I'd wanted to be surprised by him.

“
And of course, you must renovate the auditorium. It is shocking that you hold performances with such poor acoustics,” a horridly familiar voice was telling a man in a crisp suit. He was on the board of directors, I thought. At least, that was the sort of person he appeared to be. I didn't pay as much attention as I should to such things. But it was the person with him that I knew all too well. She stopped in her tracks at the sight of me. A flash of utter abhorrence crossed her face, and then turned swiftly into a polite smile.

Madame Courtenay.

“
Uh – morning?” I greeted with uncertainty.

“
Young lady, why aren't you in class?” the man asked.

“
I was just on my way -”

“
May I have a moment with this girl?” Madame Courtenay asked him sweetly, “I would like very much to have her opinion on our plans.”

“
Of course. This classroom looks to be free,” he said, and motioned to a nearby door.

“
Ten minutes should do,” she told him.

As soon as I was inside the room, she shut him out, and motioned through the glass that he ought to find some other employment for his time. I had a funny feeling that she wasn't pleased to see me. I'd not exactly left her house on good terms at Christmas. I thought that if my Mum was there, then she could smooth things over. I had almost broken Will's nose, after all. And she was really interested in his life, and what he did, and with who.

“
It's nice to see you again,” I lied.

“
You must know why I'm here,” she said.

“
Acoustics?”

Madame Courtenay bristled, “No. That is just an excuse to come here with Mrs. Davies.”

“
Well, I haven't seen Wyatt, so -”

“
Do not speak to me of that boy,” she said, “I can do well without his simpering today. No, it is you that I came here to see.”

I blinked, “What?”

“
It is
pardon,
you ignorant child. Oh, when I think that I allowed a creature such as you into my house – anyway – that is not the reason I have come here. I need you to confirm or deny some terrible news that has reached me.”

“
And you couldn't have called me?”

“
I shall be blunt,” she said, her eye twitching at the effort it took to maintain a mildly civil tone, “I heard a rumour that, while in Italy, you came to some kind of an understanding with my dear William.”

“
Eh?”

“
That you are dating him, you foolish girl! I couldn't believe that he would throw himself away on an impoverished girl like you, and had to come immediately to this place to make sure it was a lie.”

“
If you couldn't believe it, then it makes me wonder what the point was in you coming here,” I said, “It just looks like you wasted a trip.”