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One Word From You: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation

Page 11

by Natalie Penna


  “Have you spoken to Wyatt?”

  “ I'd be lying if I said he wasn't – er – vocal about what happened between you. From what I understand, I should be wearing some kind of cup in your presence.”

  I snorted with laughter, and clasped a hand over my mouth to stop myself. I couldn't help it. I knew that it could really be damaging to a guy to be struck in such a sensitive place, but he really had deserved it. Any man who forced himself on a girl was asking for a serious injury, in my opinion. There was no excuse for it at all.

  “Sorry,” I said, my voice still trembling with laughter, “I shouldn't -”

  “No, by all means. Anyway, I'm happy he's not interested any more.”

  “Why?”

  “I just am.”

  I blushed, “I – uh – I have to go home during the holidays. What about you?”

  “I'll be staying with some friends. But I'm looking forward to spending more time with you when I get back. I'm impressed with your guitar playing.”

  “Really? I'm not. I suck at it.”

  “You're better than some people, but with practice, you could be brilliant. Maybe some private lessons are in order.”

  I already felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest when we simply spoke in private. Having him directing my fingers over an instrument, and humming soft music to me in that beautiful voice of his was going to kill me. Still, I didn't object to the idea. In fact, it really gave me something to look forward to. I just wouldn't be able to tell Jenny about it. The thing was, I knew that if I did, then she would be genuinely happy for me. And I didn't want her to feel like she had to be when she was grieving a lost relationship. She deserved time to be miserable, and not have to put on a smile for other people.

  “Look, if you're in Cornwall in the next couple of weeks, drop in and see me,” I said, “If not, I'll see you when I get back. And I will definitely take you up on those lessons.”

  Gideon grinned, “It's a date.”

  The taxi couldn't have arrived at a better time, because I really needed to sit down. That man was dangerous. He had a talent for taking the breath right out of me with just a flash of his dashing smile. It should have been illegal for anyone to be so attractive.

  Dad had no objection to Jenny coming to stay. I mean, why would he? He loved her like she was his own daughter. Our house was pretty small, with only three bedrooms, and a large garage beneath it. And I didn't mean like a little private place for us to store our cars. I meant a professional garage, with petrol pumps outside, and sweaty mechanics working with precision machinery.

  I couldn't complain.

  It was a small seaside town. Most of our trade came in the summer, when the tourists brought cars that weren't really designed to cope with tight, winding cobbled roads. There were a lot of collisions, breakdowns, and nasty arguments with insurance companies to be had during those months. Dad was always on hand to come to the rescue, and he did pretty well out of it.

  It wasn't what he'd wanted to do for a living, nor the career he'd started out in. But he still enjoyed it well enough, and it paid for us to live without having to rely on my Mum too much for money. Sure, she paid for my education, but that was all.

  “Hey, welcome back!” Eric greeted as I stepped out of my cab at the end of my journey.

  I was tired, but he didn't care. He wrapped me up so tightly in a hug, that my feet left the floor, and all the wind was crushed out of me. Eric was about Wyatt's age, but he hadn't bothered with university. He said that all he wanted in life was to earn enough to survive, and to be free to surf in his spare time. Well, there was no shortage of surf on the beach. The owners of the seaside café, Lana and Zeke, also had a store where visitors could rent boards.

  I wriggled free of Eric, and was immediately scooped up by Max. His mohawk was as bright as usual, with flecks of green in the black. Thankfully, his girlfriend Poppy was coming by to meet him. She called, “Put her down! You're scaring her, idiot!”

  “Nah, I'm not,” he did let me go, and then ruffled my hair with one of his oily hands, “Welcome home, missus. How's school?”

  “Boring. Hi, Poppy! I missed you!” I said, and hugged her around the middle.

  “ Oh, I see,” her brother Lewis said, “You missed her, but not the rest of us?”

  “Yeah, got a problem with that?”

  “Of course you missed me. I'm the only sane person around here. Well, besides Lana. She said she's sorry she couldn't come by, but you know how newly-weds are.”

  “Yeah, and I can't believe I missed the wedding! So unfair!”

  Poppy patted my shoulder, “Don't worry. Joe took a million photographs, and I'm sure you'll be subjected to them before you go home.”

  “I can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing.”

  “Well, while you're thinking about it, why don't you go in and greet your Dad? He hasn't shut up about you coming home.”

  It was only natural that he'd missed me. I wouldn't ever let on that I felt the same, but given he was the best parent I'd ever known, it was strange to be away from him for most of the year. I promised to catch up with the others at a later time, and dragged my case inside. Dad was in his office. He hated paperwork, because it kept him away from the vehicles. All his life, he'd been around cars. And now I was doing the same, though I wasn't sure I would follow the same career path as him. The garage was mine if I wanted it when I was older, but I had more of a creative mind. No, I wasn't that brilliant with music, but like Gideon had said, I didn't put in much effort.

  Perhaps it was because I was a realist, and I thought that dreaming about becoming some kind of superstar was for children. Or maybe I just used my guitar to mask how utterly without direction I felt in my life. Either way, it wasn't going to be the thing I relied on when I finished with school.

  I rapped my knuckles on the door to get his attention. Dad was soon out of his seat, and lifted me off the floor. He span me around a couple of times before he set me back down. At least he wasn't covered in grease and oil like Eric and Max.

  “Elly-bear! Look at you! You've grown since I dropped you off, I know it.”

  “Dad, it's been two months,” I flicked his cheek playfully.

  “Two months too long. Did Jenny come with you?”

  “No, she'll be by tomorrow I think. Ben's going to drive her.”

  “Really? Which car is he bringing?”

  I smirked, “Typical. I'm going to dump my stuff and take a walk. I need to stretch my legs.”

  “I'd have thought you'd want to call your Mum or something.”

  I paused on my way back to the door. He never suggested that I got in contact with her. There had to be a reason, and I tapped my foot a couple of times while I tried to think of it myself. If I just asked, he would try to lie. It would be terrible, because he had no idea of how to conceal the truth from anyone.

  “Did she call you?”

  “She might have...”

  “Was it about Wyatt, by any chance?”

  “ Uh – his name might have come up.”

  “I'm not calling her,” I said, “She's been enough of a pain already.”

  “Did something happen?”

  I closed the door gently so as not to arouse the attention of the others. When I was sure no one else could hear, I admitted, “Wyatt asked me out. He said that Mum had already approved it. So I kneed him in the nuts.”

  “Saves me doing it.”

  “You wouldn't have.”

  “No, but I might have punched him. What was he thinking?”

  “I don't want to know. I just know that I can't brush my teeth enough times to get the taste of his tongue out of my mouth,” I shuddered at the mere memory.

  Dad bristled at that, “He – he – he kissed you?!”

  “Yeah, Dad. It's not the first time. I kissed Lewis when I was ten, you know?”

  Obviously Lewis and I weren't that far apart in age. He was Poppy's younger brother. He'd gone to the same school as me b
efore I'd transferred. A lot of girls liked him, but I thought of him as just a friend. Well, most of the time. We'd experimented a little. I mean, I had to practice kissing on someone.

  “I didn't know! Where is he?!”

  “Seriously?” I asked.

  “Just because it's late, it doesn't mean it's not deserved.”

  I rolled my eyes, and left him to his own devices. If Lewis was lucky, then he'd have gone home already. Otherwise he'd end up with either a black eye, or a broken nose. Then again, he had a pretty quick wit. He could probably talk my Dad out of hitting him.

  Things would be better when Jenny arrived.

  Between her and Poppy, I might have some fun.

  And I might be able to forget about William, Charlie, and Wyatt.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The pain of separation.

  Two weeks of bracing sea air, freezing salt water, and girly conversation soon cheered Jenny up. It helped to put the troubles of school behind her, and for a short time we were able to forget about what was waiting for us. I hoped that Charlie would be there upon our return, but my predictions had been seriously off.

  Waiting in our room when we got back was Meg. She pointed out a note which had been delivered that morning. It was addressed to Jenny, and I felt a weight sink in my stomach when I recognised Chantelle's handwriting.

  Inside of the envelope was a postcard. It depicted snowy mountains, and clear blue skies. Apparently wherever they were was a haven, and they had no desire to leave it to return to school any time soon.

  Dear Jenny,

  Switzerland is paradise. We’re all so happy here, that we’re going to stay until we get bored! We have private tutors, so won’t be back this term. Try not to miss us too much!

  ~ Chantelle

  I read the card over and over. Jenny had put it down after just one attempt, and gone back to quietly unpacking her things. I didn't know how she could be so calm in the face of what was going on. I would have been calling Chantelle and shrieking at her in anger. Well, I wanted to do that most of the time anyway, but it was really justified in this case.

  “This is a joke,” I said, brandishing the card at Jenny, “This can't be true.”

  “Clearly it is.”

  “ No, I'm not accepting this. Charlie had a massive crush on you! Things like that don't just disappear overnight!”

  “Beth, please,” she begged, “Don't talk about it any more. I can't do anything to make them come back. I just have to accept that Charlie doesn't -”

  “Don't even say it,” I told her, “Not when you haven't tried. Jen', you can't just let things like this slide. If you find someone you really like, you should at least fight for them!”

  “Who am I meant to be fighting?” she said.

  “Your own ideas of good behaviour, and social conventions would be a bloody good start! Look, Switzerland, right?”

  “Yes. I read it.”

  “Doesn't your Mum have a house out there?”

  Jenny nodded, “Yeah. We only go out for the ski season, though.”

  “ Why not spend the winter break there this year? And if you accidentally bump into them, then that's not your fault, is it?”

  Jenny pouted, “Switzerland is a big place.”

  “Then it'll be fate if you do see each other.”

  “What are we talking about?” Lisa asked as she flew into the room, as full of energy as always.

  “Nothing,” I said before Jenny confessed it.

  I trusted Meg not to breathe a word, because she hardly spoke two of them together at the best of times. But Lisa, and Chrissy by extension, wouldn't be tactful in voicing their opinions of the situation. It really did seem hopeless when Chantelle kept putting herself in the way, but there was a good chance Jenny might be able to get Charlie alone over Christmas. If she did, then she'd have to find the courage to speak up for herself. I certainly wasn't going to go with her to hold her hand. I would have if it was in my power to, but it wasn't.

  I couldn't afford the flight.

  That, and it wasn’t right for me to get involved any more than I was already. I could nudge, and encourage, but I couldn’t force them together. If I wasn’t so totally convinced of Charlie’s feelings, then I wouldn’t have bothered to contrive such a stupid plan. But what else could I suggest? If he never came back, then I would have to watch Jenny suffer more and more. It didn’t make sense to me to have it all over before she’d even tried.

  I squeezed Jenny's shoulder in a reassuring way. It might take some time for her to come around to the idea of going to Switzerland, especially if she was being so guarded. I really did understand that she wanted to emotionally protect herself. In her situation, I would have felt the same. But I also knew that people didn't get things without working for them, or without taking risks. I mean, I'd worked hard for as long as I could remember to stay on the right track. And Jenny couldn't just expect Charlie to fall all over her. She was so shy and quiet, and that was part of her charm, but it did mean that she was likely to be ignored or overlooked. I thought Charlie had seen past that, but clearly I'd been wrong.

  I had six weeks to convince Jenny that my plan was a good one. I had faith in my abilities to do that. After all, who didn't listen to the advice of their best friend in the whole world? And, in the meantime, I had my Music lessons with Gideon to look forward to.

  “Okay, I think we should stop there for today,” Gideon said at the end of our final lesson of the week the following Friday.

  I wasn't quite through, but I pressed my palm to the strings to stop the sound of the guitar. I knew I wasn't the best student in the world, and that had to be frustrating for him. I was going to apologise for my lack of talent, but found he was smiling at me in that charming way of his.

  “What?” I asked.

  “That was good.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Well, I don't think you're going to sell out in Wembley or anything, but when you concentrate you're better than you think you are.”

  I knew that if I applied myself, I could make a living out of music. But that was just it, there was no chance I'd be able to survive on the money I made. A lot of people wanted to be in the spotlight, and make it big with their fifteen minutes of fame. I was a realist. I knew how competitive that was. Music could be my hobby, as disappointing as that might be, and I would do whatever put food on the table during the day.

  Gently, I plucked at the strings again, finding some soothing solace in the sound. I stopped, and let out a soft breath through my nose. Gideon appeared to sense there was something I wasn’t saying. He reached out to pat the top of my head.

  I smiled, “Is it that obvious that something’s bothering me?”

  “It couldn’t be more obvious if you started singing about your feelings in an impromptu musical number.”

  “Thankfully, that doesn’t happen outside of the movies.”

  “Yes, that is a blessing,” he said, “What is it?”

  “We’re friends, aren’t we?” I asked.

  “Of course. Although, if another teacher asks, then no.”

  “Fair enough. Look, do you really think it’s worth me pursuing this?”

  “Do you enjoy it?”

  “I guess so...”

  “Then what’s the harm? If it’s something you like, then you should do it. It doesn’t mean you have to be the best person in the world at it. But it makes you happy, and that’s what matters most.”

  It was probably the first time a teacher had given me any decent advice. Sure, I learnt a lot about the regular things at school, like I was supposed to. That was just an education, it wasn’t a life lesson. People my age definitely needed more of those. I nodded, “True. Thanks, Gideon. I should get going.”

  “Don’t be a stranger.”

  Okay, so I’d thought that I liked him as more than just a teacher. I still thought he was attractive, because I wasn’t blind, but I didn’t think it was a good idea to be anything more than that. Fli
rting was fun, and I enjoyed his company, but it wasn’t exactly making my heart race. I was starting to think I should be looking for someone my own age.

  Now that was a terrifying realisation.

  I smiled when I saw a familiar face in the hall. Georgia and I hadn’t spoken much since the half term break. We were in different classes most of the times, and it was hard to meet one another. Plus, with everything going on with Jenny, I’d felt like my best friend needed my company more. That didn’t stop me from sneaking up on Georgia, and scaring the crap out of her when I grabbed her waist from behind.

 

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