Willow shook her head. “No. She’s staying with Bobby for a while longer, but she didn’t sign up for any classes. I guess she’s planning on heading back to Columbus soon. Well—I mean, we grew up just outside the city.”
“Oh,” was all Elisa could think of to say. She supposed she should’ve been relieved, but…
Arguing with Darcy or stubbornly ignoring her had become routine over the course of the past few months. Not a pleasant routine, but a routine. It was weird to imagine her days without it.
If Willow noticed how deflated she was, she didn’t comment on it. She just said, “Yeah. I think she misses Gianna. They’ve never been apart for this long before.”
“Darcy still living with your parents?”
“Nah. After she turned eighteen, she inherited her parents’ old place—before that, it belonged to another relative, technically. She moved back in there—until she came up here to stay with Bobby, anyway. She said it was to get out of Mom and Dad’s hair, but I think she just missed where she grew up. Gi thought about going with her, but she’s super close to my parents, so she decided to stay put. But, I mean, my parents’ place is only a ten-minute walk from Darcy’s parents’ old place, anyway.”
“Is Darcy’s place like Bobby’s?”
“Mine is like Bobby’s,” Willow said, fiddling with one of her many gel pens. “Darcy’s is much, much bigger. Our ancestor built it on land he owned—Darcy’s side of the family owns the entire surrounding area, which is about as big as all of Netherfield Park. I mean, there’s Bobby’s money, and then there’s her money.”
“Holy Hell,” Elisa said. “I knew your family was rich, but…”
She gave a nonchalant shrug. “Darcy’s dad’s company wasn’t on the Fortune 500 for nothing.”
Before she could reply, the professor, an elderly man who had clearly had this job for way too long, entered, and launched straight into his first lecture. They quickly shut up, though not before Elisa had the chance to whisper, “Let’s grab a drink from the commons after this.”
Willow smiled and nodded.
…
The student commons coffee tasted more like boiled water that had had a brown crayon dipped in it than anything actually digestible by humans, but it was caffeinated and hot—good enough. The commons themselves were packed, with no seats available, leading Willow and Elisa outside. They walked aimlessly around the campus, trying to keep moving enough that they wouldn’t get too cold.
“Do you have any other classes this semester?” Elisa asked. A gust of wind passed between them, making them both shiver.
“Just one. Introduction to ASL,” Willow said, sipping her coffee. She grimaced at the taste. “It’s a Tuesday/Thursday course, though.”
“I’m taking Art History—that starts in about an hour, actually,” she said. “I’m also in Chem I. I figure if I get all the math and science out of the way early, I can use my last couple of semesters on classes I don’t hate.”
“I’m just gonna take a bit of everything,” she admitted. “I’m trying to find something I could actually do for the rest of my life. Or at least the rest of my education.”
Elisa was about to say she wished she had the option of just trying things out, instead of needing to get a degree and out of college as quickly as possible, when she spotted something across the green.
George Sedgwick, holding hands with another girl. They were laughing, heading toward Wick’s car. The girl looked just as charmed as Elisa had been when she first met him. She stopped walking, just staring after them.
Willow turned around when she realized Elisa was no longer at her side and tilted her head curiously at her. “What’s that look on your face?” she asked.
Wordlessly, she pointed.
As soon as she saw Wick, Willow’s lip curled in disgust. “Ugh,” she said. “You know Wick?”
“We went out,” she said, moving to stand next to her again. Wick and the girl had gotten into his car and were now driving away.
She frowned slightly. “Was it serious?” she asked, voice more weighted than Elisa had ever heard it.
Elisa sighed, shaking her head. “No. I—I really have no right to be upset. We went on one date. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. After that, we texted, but then…we just sort of lost contact. It was mutual. I really shouldn’t be mad. I mean, I’m not mad, I’m just…”
“I get it,” Willow said. “But trust me—I’ve known Wick for years, and you can do better.”
They reached a bench and sat down. “You sound like Darcy,” Elisa said. “She told me to stay away from Wick, but she wouldn’t tell me why.”
She looked away, focusing on her coffee for a moment, before saying, “It’s not my place to say why. I can tell you Darcy’s right, though. I know you don’t always get along with her, but trust me on this. She was trying to help you.”
Elisa frowned. It was perfectly in character for Darcy to clam up and be annoyingly cryptic—but if even Willow was radio silent on the matter? That was weird.
Sensing her confusion, Willow said, “It’s…it’s a really personal family thing. I’d tell you, but it’s not my story to tell.”
“I understand,” she said, though she wasn’t quite sure she did.
Before, she’d been certain Willow hadn’t known anything about Darcy getting Wick expelled. Now, she wasn’t so sure.
…
Elisa got home after her art history class, inwardly reciting what she was going to say to her sister. Her class would be making a trip to Columbus over spring break, spending the entire week there touring the Alexandra Pemberley Museum of Classical Art. Pemberley was extremely old, and one of the highest-regarded art museums in the country. The place was massive, with dozens of exhibits. Even the week-long trip wouldn’t be enough time to see it all. Elisa had always wanted to visit. However, due to travel and hotel expenses, the students’ portion of the cost was a hundred dollars each.
It wouldn’t be the end of the world if she couldn’t go on the trip. After all, it wasn’t mandatory. But she still really, really wanted to. Unfortunately, she was broke, and asking her mother for the money was out of the question. It wasn’t that her mother wouldn’t want her to go—it was that Elisa wasn’t sure she’d be able to pay for it.
Julieta, however…
Part of her felt bad for even thinking of asking. But the other part of her knew that visiting Pemberley every day for a week would be so expensive, not even counting travel expenses, that the class trip would be the only way she’d be likely to go.
She knocked on the inside of the bedroom door.
“Am I interrupting?”
Julieta glanced up from her laptop. “Oh no, not at all,” she said, smiling. “I was just taking a break, actually. How was the first day?”
“It was pretty good, mostly. I have a class with Willow.” She set her backpack on the floor and sat on her unmade bed.
“Darcy’s cousin?”
“Yep.”
“She seemed nice.”
“She is. I also saw Wick.”
“Oh yeah?” Julieta asked. “What’d he say?”
“I said I saw him,” she said. “I never said he saw me. He has a new girlfriend.”
Julieta winced. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said.
She shrugged. “Don’t be. I mean, I was never super into him.” She moved on, not wanting to dwell on the matter of George Sedgwick for longer than she had to. “My art history class is taking a field trip to Pemberley during spring break.”
“Oh, that’s great. That’s in Columbus, right?”
Elisa nodded. “Yeah. The only issue is, um…it’s a hundred bucks a head.”
She bit her lip, immediately seeing the problem. “When is the money due?”
“In two weeks.”
“Damn. I’m sure Mom would be able to put away twenty dollars every week until there was enough, but a hundred all at once is kind of a huge hit.”
“I know,” she sai
d. “I know she’d want me to go, but I wouldn’t feel right asking. Especially since I think I overheard her arguing with the bank again last night.” She tugged guiltily at her hair. “I was kind of hoping you could lend me the money.”
Julieta looked apprehensive. “You know I would in a heartbeat, but…”
“I’d take it as a loan, not a gift,” she hastily added. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
Probably by borrowing money from Papa. Her financial situation was an endless cycle of borrowing from other people.
“E, I know you can’t afford that.”
She sighed. “Yeah. If you can’t afford it, I get it. It’s not a required trip.”
“But you obviously really want it.”
“I do,” she admitted.
It wasn’t even just about wanting to see Pemberley—though that was a big part of it. A lot of it was just not wanting to be the only student that didn’t go. Growing up, Elisa and her sisters had missed out on field trips or been the only ones not able to get a souvenir or lunch out when they could go, and it had always sucked.
Even when no one was judging, even when no one noticed, it was impossible to not be embarrassed. Logically, she knew that she could always claim she had work or a family obligation during spring break, and no one would be likely to question it. But that didn’t take away from the embarrassment of not being able to afford things her classmates could.
Julieta thought it over. “Tell you what. I haven’t bought your birthday present yet. What if this is your present? I mean, a couple months early, but…”
“I’ll take it,” Elisa said. “But—but only if you’re sure. I know you’re kind of strapped for cash right now.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “It’s not like I have rent to pay. Besides, I’ve gotten a couple more clients recently. A few months ago, I probably wouldn’t have been able to help you.”
Elisa got up from her bed, walking over to hug her older sister.
“Thank you so much,” she said, grinning.
“Happy birthday. Very early,” Julieta replied. She gave Elisa a tight squeeze before pulling away. “Hopefully, this trip will be worth it.”
Chapter Sixteen
In Which Bobby Goes MIA
Elisa would be the first to admit her experience with romantic love was limited at best. She didn’t have any firsthand knowledge on what it was like to dating someone, or how a relationship could change your life and perspective. All she really had to go off of was what she’d observed of her friends and family. One thing she’d noticed was that when they were dating the guy or gal of their dreams, people tended to be a bit more…oblivious than normal. Not dumb, maybe, but definitely more blind to what was going on outside their happy little bubble. That was, at least, until life came along and bitch-slapped them back into reality.
It was a surprisingly warm January afternoon when Julieta got sent back to reality.
She and Elisa had been driving down to the mall near Netherfield Park. They intended to just walk around, more interested in getting out of the apartment than actually buying anything. They were almost to the highway when Julieta said, “Wait—actually, drive by Bobby’s house. Maybe he’ll want to come with us.”
“You haven’t seen him in a while, have you?” Elisa asked.
She sighed, shaking her head. “No, not since the party where you met Willow. We’ve been texting like usual, but between my job and his, plus all the holiday craziness… I haven’t even gotten a chance to give him his gift yet.”
As she spoke, she touched the gorgeous sterling silver bracelet she was wearing. It had shown up in the mail a couple days before Christmas, along with a note that had made her blush. Elisa attempted to sneak a peek at it but was immediately caught. Personally, she thought Bobby should’ve come by and delivered the gift in person, but Julieta had been too happy with it for her to complain much.
“I’m sure he understands,” Elisa said. “Let’s go see him.”
So, she pulled into the driveway of Bobby’s mansion, following Julieta to the front door.
A maid answered the door. “Can I help you?”
“Hi, Emily,” Julieta said, smiling warmly. “Is Bobby in?”
The maid frowned. “Mr. Charles hasn’t been here for a week,” she said, confused. “I’m sorry, Julieta, I assumed someone told you.”
Her face fell, but she forced herself to smile again a moment later. The corners of her mouth were shaking, though. Elisa frowned, glancing worriedly from her sister to the maid and back again.
It’s probably nothing.
“Did he say where he was?” Julieta asked.
“At his vacation home in Massachusetts.”
“Massachusetts?” Elisa said, before she could stop herself.
“Yes, he has a lovely home on the beach in Cape Cod.”
“It’s winter.”
Julieta was determined to keep up her sunny attitude, but she could tell she was faltering. “Did Bobby say when he’ll be coming home?”
“Mr. Charles said he’d be in Cape Cod indefinitely,” the maid said with an apologetic shrug.
Wow. Okay. So. Not “nothing.”
“Where’s Darcy?” she asked, before she even had a chance to consider why she wanted to know.
“Back home in Columbus, I’d assume. She didn’t mention where she was going.”
What did you expect? It’s not like she’s just lurking in the shadows, waiting for me to show up.
“Th-thank you,” Julieta said. “Um…thanks. Have a great day. Thanks.”
The two made their way back to the car, Elisa climbing into the driver’s seat. Julieta stumbled into the passenger’s side, looking like a deer in the headlights.
“Jules?” she asked quietly, looking over to her older sister.
“L-let’s…let’s just go on over.”
“Julieta…”
“Come on, we’re already out.” She forced a smile. “It’ll be fun.”
Elisa bit her lip. “Okay,” she finally said. “But I understand if you just want to go home.”
“I need to…need to… I just want to have a little fun before I think about this, okay?”
…
They had been wandering around the mall, trying on clothes they couldn’t really afford, for about an hour when Julieta finally hit her “happy face” limit. One moment, they had been squeezed into a tiny dressing room, Elisa helping her zip up an evening gown. The next, she was leaning against the wall and crying her eyes out.
“Oh, honey,” Elisa said, reaching to pull her sister into a hug. “Oh, Julieta, I’m so sorry.”
“How could he just leave without telling me?” she asked through her tears. “I thought he… I thought we…”
“Maybe it was an emergency?” Even as she suggested it, she didn’t believe it.
“How do you forget to text your girlfriend for a full week? If…if I ever was his girlfriend…”
“Yes, you were,” Elisa said. “You are. This isn’t a breakup, it’s…”
“Don’t be naive.” Julieta sniffled. “It’s a breakup without the title. He went seven hundred miles away and didn’t even say goodbye to me… I think that sends a message, loud and clear.” She gave a mirthless laugh, wiping her tears. “I wasn’t even worth the time it would’ve taken to say ‘it’s been fun, but it’s over.’ Forget a face-to-face breakup. He didn’t even send me a goddamn text message.”
“Bobby’s an asshole,” she said. She ran a hand over Julieta’s hair; the only comfort she could provide. “You deserve better.”
“How could he do this?” she asked again.
“I don’t know. I really don’t…”
Julieta was slowly regaining her composure, breathing steadying again, but her eyes were still red and watery. “I’m… Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to freak out like that, I just…”
“Don’t apologize,” she said gently. “You have every right to freak out. I mean, this just doesn’t seem l
ike Bobby. He never struck me as the flakey type.”
“He also didn’t strike me as my next ex-boyfriend. I thought…” Julieta trailed off. She swallowed a lump in her throat, rubbing her eyes, before finding her voice again. “I thought maybe he and I had something real. I thought we had a future. But here we are.”
“Here we are…”
Julieta took a deep breath, trying to find some semblance of dignity. “I’m going to change back into my own clothes,” she said. “Then, you and I are getting pretzels from the food court. Then, we’re going home, and I’m going to have a good, old-fashioned breakup bonfire.”
Elisa managed a small smile. “Ask for Lulu’s help. She’s the family expert at burning stuff.” She reached for the dressing room door. “I’ll see you out there.”
“Okay.”
She slipped out of the dressing room and was met with the concerned, questioning eyes of two employees, who had clearly heard everything.
“Is your sister okay?” one of them finally asked, apparently deciding it wasn’t worth denying that they’d been listening.
“She will be.” She sighed. “I hope.”
…
While Elisa waited at a table in the food court for Julieta to return with their pretzels, she decided that, yes, she was desperate enough to do this. The food court was mobbed, which would hopefully buy her enough time to make the call before she got back. Three text messages to Willow later, she had the phone number she needed.
She took a deep breath, before swallowing her pride and dialing the number.
“Hello, Darcy Fitzgerald speaking.”
Elisa’s next words were out before she even had a chance to consider them.
“What the hell is wrong with Bobby?”
There was a confused pause on the other end, before, “Should I start with his appearance or his personality, or…?” Then, suddenly, realization set in. “Elisa?”
“Listen, my sister and I just popped over to Bobby’s house to pay him a visit, and he’s up and vanished with no explanation. So you’re gonna explain for him. Why the hell has Bobby just run off to Cape Cod? In January.”
“Cape Cod is actually quite lovely in the winter.”
“Darcy, I swear to God.”
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