And a house in Italy.
Chapter Six
A failing, indeed.
I leaned back against the trunk of the tree, and strummed gently on the strings of the acoustic guitar. I was a realist, and I had no idea of being some amazing musician when I was older. As much as I liked music, I didn’t practice enough to ever be that good at it.
It was just fun.
Softly, I sighed, and stopped the strings with my palm. It was so boring without Jenny around. I’d felt the same when she was spending so much time with Chantelle. Of course, I still got to see her in the dorm afterwards.
“God, I’m bored,” I complained quietly.
Not that I wanted anyone else’s company.
Regrettably, the other girls were all a little bit too silly to take her place. Chrissy and Lisa always got overexcited about whatever we were discussing, Meg drifted off into her own head and lost track, and Georgia had too many additional classes to make a lot of time for me. I mean, she was an amazing friend, but it was really difficult to find a place to chat in her schedule.
Still, being alone was better than being with Chantelle.
Which was why I didn't approve when she found me.
“All alone again, Blake?” she sneered at me, “Don't you have your other little friends around? I thought the girls in your dorm room all stuck together like a pack.”
“Weirdly, I am capable of enjoying my own company. I guess that's not something you're used to having to do.”
“True, I always have people -”
“I mean because there's nothing about your company to enjoy, actually,” I said, “What do you want? If you're here to annoy me, can you put it off until later? I do need a break from your kind of arrogance now and again.”
She bristled at first, then took a deep, calming breath. I didn't think I'd ever seen Chantelle try to retain her composure around me when it was just the two of us. It was kind of amusing to watch. Well, I'd assumed it was just us. That was when William and Charlie strode over. William didn't wave, but Charlie threw his whole arm into the gesture.
Was five minutes to myself really so much to ask?
“Hi, Beth,” Charlie dropped his jacket, and sat cross-legged on it. After the deluge the night Jenny had been outside, it had been relatively dry. But he probably wanted to avoid grass stains on his uniform. He nodded at the guitar, “Are you a musician?”
“I'm a dabbler, and a time waster. But I'm pretty proud of that. Are you here to ask about Jenny? I don't know anything more...”
“No,” he smiled, “I've been visiting more frequently. Her mother said it was okay for me to do that. Actually I thought it would be good if we spent more time together. I mean, we're all Jenny's friends, so we should get along.”
I almost snorted with laughter.
Look, I did like Charlie, and I would have been happy to get along with him. He was like a puppy, and I couldn't imagine anyone would hate him. It was just completely impossible for me to ever think of William or Chantelle kindly. When Jenny wasn't there, I had no reason to be nice to either of them.
“You can't really object to our company, can you?” Chantelle asked, knowing very well that I would if there was a way, “You hardly even know William.”
“I know enough.”
Oh, I hadn't meant to say that aloud.
“Do you know he has a sister? She's musical, too,” Charlie said.
“ Except she's not a dabbler, as you called yourself,” William commented, “She takes it seriously.”
“I can well imagine. I mean,” I smirked, “If she's related to you, she probably takes everything seriously.”
“You say that like it's a bad thing,” Chantelle said, “What's wrong with being serious? Nothing. In fact, William has absolutely zero faults.”
“Really?” I asked. I then turned to William, “Wow, congratulations on being totally perfect. You should give lectures on how to achieve that.”
“I'm not perfect. I just try not to act in a way that leaves me open to being made fun of, or picked on. That's just common sense.”
“Or pride,” I said, “Or vanity. Or arrogance, really.”
“Pride isn't bad if you have something to be proud of. And I'm proud of -”
“Being better than other people?” I asked.
He opened his mouth, then closed it again. It looked like he was carefully trying to think of a way to agree without coming off as conceited. He wasn't going to find any such way of saying it. I knew exactly how he felt about people like me. I was just a normal girl, who he wouldn't look at twice if I wasn't in the same school as him. Actually, I didn't think he'd look at most of the people he was now stuck sharing classes with, regardless of their fortunes and families.
“The only thing I think I'm not better at -”
“You mean there's something?” I asked in mock horror, “Seriously?!”
“Is,” he narrowed his eyes and continued, “That I hold grudges. Well, that sounds a little worse than it is. I just don't have patience for people if I have a bad impression of them. And once I've lost faith in them, then I won't ever have time for them again.”
“You shouldn't think of that as a bad thing,” I said, “Because those people are probably pretty happy you don't have time for them.”
“Maybe we should talk about something else,” Chantelle suggested.
“By all means,” I muttered, “And elsewhere, if you want.”
“I don't think Jenny would be happy if she knew you were spending time all by yourself,” Charlie told me.
“I really don't think she'd mind.”
“You know,” Chantelle said, “I was just thinking that we should go to the library. You haven't really had time to appreciate it yet, have you?”
“They're books,” Charlie said, “I appreciate all books the same. Which isn't very much at all. I mean, I like books,” he laughed as he tried to explain to me, “But I have so many other things I want to do, that it's hard to find the time to read them.”
“It's fine,” I said, “It's not for everyone. Why don't you let your sister take you away? She's just looking for a good excuse, and that's the best she can come up with.”
“I – I wasn't,” she blushed, and glanced at William. It was so stupid that she was trying to be nice in front of him. He hated me just as much as she did, so they should have both been honest about it. They could bond over how stupid I was, for all I cared. Just so long as they weren't in my face about it. Chantelle cleared her throat gently, “You're welcome to join us, Blake.”
“I politely decline,” I said, “I think William made it pretty clear just now that he doesn't have time for people like me. Bad impressions, right?”
“I wasn't talking about you,” he said.
Yeah, he really was.
Rather than spending my time coming up with more inventive reasons not to be in their company, I got to my feet, and was fully prepared to forgo the sunlight to lock myself in my dorm room. I didn't offer any parting words, because I didn't care whether or not I offended at least two thirds of the group before I left.
I heard the crunch of tyres on gravel as I walked back to the building, and took a detour to the entrance. It could have just been a visitor to the site, or one of the teachers, but I knew the sound of that engine. Jenny's parents had a taste for classic cars, and none of the sleek new models really rumbled like them. The vehicle came to a halt, and the driver hopped out to open the rear passenger door.
“Jen'!” I called as I jogged over.
She smiled when our eyes met, and held her arms out to catch me in a hug. I had never been so happy to see anyone in my life. With her back, William and Chantelle wouldn't feel obliged to seek out my company in her absence.
Oh, and I was glad she was feeling better.
“Miss. Jennifer,” the driver said as he took her bag from the boot of the car, “I will deliver this to your dorm.”
“I can carry it, Bentley,” she assured him.
“Thank you, Miss. Blake,” he said, and bowed his head a little. I didn't get the idea of servants. People were perfectly capable of doing things for themselves, so what was the point in having someone else do it? By the time it took to give the order, it could have been done already.
“No problem, Ben. Hey, tell Jenny's Mum that I'll take good care of her, okay?”
“Absolutely. Is there anything else you need, Miss. Jennifer?”
“No, I'm fine. Thank you, Bentley.”
He tipped his hat, and we walked away from the car so he had space to turn around in the enormous driveway. My guitar rocked against my back as we walked to the dorms together, and I held one of Jenny's hands in mine, the other occupied with keeping her bag from dragging on the ground. Okay, so it was heavier than it looked. She let out a long, relieved breath when we walked in, and collapsed onto her bed.
“Was the hospital really that bad?” I asked, “It was really posh.”
“And dull. I missed it here.”
“You mean that you missed Charlie?”
“No! I mean – I mean, I did, but I missed sleeping in my own bed. And everyone else. Where are they, anyway?”
“Oh, Lisa and Chrissy are probably out stalking the boys. Meg is anyone's guess. I'd imagine the library, but if she's distracted she could have walked to the edge of the grounds by now.”
“Did anything exciting happen while I was away?”
“Besides the alien invasion? Nothing much,” I sat on my own bed, and disentangled myself from my guitar, “Chantelle tried to talk to me today. And William. I think I annoyed him enough that he won't do that again. They're determined to be your friend, though.”
“Once you get to know them, they're not that bad. You're still my best friend, though. You know that, right?” she asked.
“I know! I'm not worried that they'll steal you from me, or anything. I just think that you should be careful with Chantelle. She's not exactly trustworthy.”
“I think you just have a bad impression of her.”
I snorted softly with laughter, “Yeah, in the same way that the world has a bad impression of Nazi Germany.”
“That's a bit of an extreme example.”
“Well, Chantelle is an extreme bitch, so I figure it works. Anyway, don't go running off in the rain with her again. You almost gave me a heart attack. Even if you like Charlie, that's no reason to put up with her acting like an idiot.”
“I promise, I'll be more careful,” she said, “And you should be more open to giving people chances. I mean, it's not like it's William's fault that he's here. His parents probably made him. When you first arrived, you hated it as well.”
I shrugged, “Maybe. But it doesn't matter. We're never going to get along. But if it'll make your life easier, I'll try to be civil to him. And I mean actually try. I won't just be sarcastic. Well... I'll be less sarcastic than usual. Look, I'll just not push him down the stairs.”
“That's a good place to start!” Jenny laughed.
I really didn't want to be the one to screw things up between Jenny and Charlie. She was so quiet, I didn't know what she was going to do when she got out of school. It wasn't as if she could avoid men for the rest of her life. Even if nothing happened between them romantically, they were good together as friends. I supposed that meant I couldn't scare his friends away. Boys always seemed to put their mates ahead of their potential girlfriends. If I really did something to terrify or hurt William, neither boy would ever talk to us again.
“ Well, I'm happy you're here,” I said, “At least I don't have to deal with them on my own. Just remember to share some of your time with me, okay? And the gossip. I need to know everything.”
“You can't mean absolutely ever-”
“Yes. I do.”
Chapter Seven
Do not talk of that odious man.
I kept my word for the most part.
The urge to trip William in the hall when he sauntered past with Chantelle was overwhelming, but I pushed it deep down into my stomach, and forced smiles in their company. I didn't think Chantelle was happy either, but so long as she got to hang off William's arm, she suffered through it. I didn't have much hope for her as a person, but it appeared as if she genuinely liked the idea of Jenny being with her brother. Money was likely the deciding factor, but I wasn't about to voice that opinion. Charlie didn't seem the kind of boy to care about that. In fact, if Jenny was the poorest person in the world, he'd probably still smile at her like she was an angel.
As was typical, the peace only lasted a few weeks.
“Beth, your phone's flashing,” Chrissy informed me one evening.
I pushed my headphones off, the music so loud that it blared out a heavy beat when they hit the pillow. Carefully, I took my phone from the floor where I'd left it, like I might accidentally answer it if I just snatched it up. It was a blocked number, and usually I ignored them, but whoever this was had been calling me increasingly frequently.
Against my better judgment, I answered, “Hello?”
“Elisabeth?”
“Mum?” I sat up a little straighter. The noise in the room died down. Everyone knew that my mother and I weren't on the best terms, and that any communication from her usually meant there was some kind of an emergency. Like she was getting divorced again, or she wanted me to convince my Dad to do something for her.
“Darling, you shouldn't ignore your phone!”
“Yeah, well I'm on it now. What do you want?”
“How's school? Do you need money for anything?”
“Fine, and no. What do you want?” I asked again.
“Can't I just call to see how you are?”
“No.”
She sighed on the other end, “Your brother is going to be joining you at school.”
“Are you drunk?” I asked, “I'm an only child, Mum.”
“Wyatt! You remember Wyatt, don't you?”
Unfortunately, yes.
“Isn't he a little old to be coming here?”
“It's a student teaching position. He's bringing a friend of his along, or something.”
“Wait,” I said, “Why would he tell you that?”
“I'm his mother!”
“You were his step-mother. That's a different thing. I don't even talk to Wyatt.”
“Well, he needed some money, and -”
“Right. I get it. Anyway, it's none of my business if he comes here.”
“Of course it is! He's looking forward to seeing you, and I want you to help him settle.”
“So, I'm babysitting him? I would rather die.”
“Elisabeth, I'm not asking you. I'm telling you to be attentive to your brother.”
“You have no right to tell me anything. Oh, and one more thing,” I said, then made a point of hanging up. Just in case she tried to call back, I turned my phone off.
I could always count on Lisa to pick up on things when it concerned boys. In an adorable voice, she asked slyly, “Who's Wyatt?”
“No one.”
“ He's someone,” she pressed, “Is he an ex-boyfriend?”
“ Ex-brother. Well, not even that. Mum married his father before she had me with my Dad. We're not even blood relatives, but he used to come to our house all the time when I was little. We don't talk at all. I didn't even know he and Mum did, to be honest.”
“Is he cute?” Chrissy asked.
“I have no idea. I haven't seen him in – God – I don't even know. I don't care if he's coming to school. It's nothing to do with me.”
At least, that's what I thought.
I mean, the guy was a total stranger. It just so happened that both our fathers had been deluded in marrying my mother. It was the only thing we had in common, and it wasn't something to boast about. I might have actually had more
brothers and sisters that I'd never met, because my mother didn't have a tendency to keep decent track of her partners or offspring.
I fully intended to ignore Wyatt during his time at the school.
From what little I remembered of him, he was pretty full of himself. Not in the way that William or Chantelle were, because they were completely aware of how they felt above anyone else in their company. With Wyatt, it was more like he imagined he was able to blend in with the people around himself, while maintaining some kind of distinguished presence.
One Word From You: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation Page 5