Lizzy & Darcy (gxg)

Chapter 6- Kiss me?

The first week of school went by in an almost dream-like blur. Classes were great, Jane was always there to help me, and I was slowly adapting to Hertford. I spent a lot of time with Imani and the others, and I was already starting to feel like a part of the group. Imani felt like an old friend, and so our friendship developed very quickly. Meeting someone you just click with immediately is a rare thing, and I was grateful to the universe for having met Imani. I don't think I would have survived a week of Hertford Academy and its strange social system without her.

Darcy, who I recently learned was the girl everyone admired and loathed at the same time, was hardly within my orbit, and I didn't know if I was happy or disappointed about that. People were eager to discuss her though, and I quickly learned that her family owned the Pemberley Hotels, that she was best friends with a senior named Charles Bingley and his little brother Daniel (they grew up together), and that she once modelled for Ralph Lauren. That she was a model was easy to believe. Darcy looked runway ready all the time.

After she drove me home on Monday, we didn't really speak much. I quashed the confusion she inspired and tried to ignore the way my heartbeat reacted to her presence. We smiled and nodded at each other in the hallway, and that was pretty much it. Although, Imani was amazed by those meagre interactions. Apparently, Queen Darcy didn't bother acknowledging the presence of the general population, and kept her smile hidden like it was a secret. So, giving it out freely to me was something of a shock for everyone. My new friends were concerned, and I brushed it off by explaining the brief car journey with Darcy, but that only served to add to their shock.

Wickham, on the other hand, constantly received hateful, fiery glares from Darcy. Every time she noticed him, her eyes hardened, turning almost black, and she clenched her jaw. Wickham's face would pale, and he always rushed away from wherever Darcy was. I was curious to find out about their situation, but I didn't ask Wickham. I didn't want anyone to know that I had even noticed that.

Other than those odd moments, Wickham was a perfect gentleman. He carried my books in between classes, despite my protests, and had taken to sitting at our table. After his promise of making it up to me, Wickham followed through. He had turned up at my cafeteria table the day after our ice-cream outing with a bubblegum milkshake and a bag of gummy bears, an apology and dinner offer in hand. Imani thought it was sweet and urged me to accept, but I would have done so anyway, without her influence. I was actually starting to like Wickham.

Finally, the school week came to an end, and Wickham caught up to me just as I was leaving the building with Imani.

"Finally, I have caught the elusive Lizzy Bennet," he joked, putting an arm around my shoulders.

"Maybe I was just hiding from you," I smiled up at him, and his dimples deepened. He pulled me in for a one-armed hug. The scent of his cologne was crisp and overpowering, and I almost choked.

Imani fell into step with us and immediately scrunched up her nose.

"How much cologne did you use, Wickham?" she asked, dramatically fanning Wickham with her folder, "I could light up the air around you."

"Sorry, Mani. I had practice during my free period and I didn't have time to shower. At least you're not getting my manly scent," Wickham joked.

Mani scrunched up her nose and rolled her eyes, slipping on her earphones, effectively blocking us out. She started humming along to a song and walked a little ahead of Wickham and me.

As soon as we stepped onto the gravel of the parking lot, Wickham stopped me and turned to face me.

He scratched the back of his neck and started to speak, but something over his shoulder caught my attention, drowning out his voice. Darcy Williams stood next to her car, pulling her hair into a ponytail. She was frowning, talking to the copper haired boy I had seen her with before. Charles Bingley's little brother, according to Imani. I wondered if she liked him, or if he liked her. Well, obviously he would like her. Who wouldn't? If teen romance novels were anything to go by, they were probably on their way to becoming a couple, and they would make quite the pair. Darcy was gorgeous, and so was Daniel Bingley, according to others. Personally, I couldn't see his appeal. He seemed a bit too snobby for my taste.