"What?" Beth asked shortly after a minute.
William hadn't realized he'd been staring. Again. He cleared his throat, reminding himself to be a gentleman.
"I was just wondering why you're such a pop-off."
"Poor William. You like your girls to hang limp from the hook after they're caught, don't you?"
William scowled. When had they started talking about fish? Instead of getting angry, he tried to keep up. He grinned down at Beth and said, "It doesn't matter how much the fish flops around gasping for air. It's still a fish on a hook."
He was rewarded by the indignant flush that crept down from Beth's hairline. He didn't think her eyes could burn any brighter, but they were on fire. The emotion that filled him at the sight was almost enough to compensate for the shame he felt.
Hurriedly he added, "You don't need to do the man-hater thing to get attention, you know."
Beth's mouth popped open, and William knew he had finally shattered her façade - and cooked his own goose in the process.
"I don't hate men. It's you I can't stand!" She stopped swaying and stepped out of his arms.
"Hey now, darlin.'"
Beth actually hissed. "Don't call me that!"
"Oh, sorry, that's Texas Twister's pet name for you, isn't it? How about 'sweetheart?'"
Beth folded her arms stubbornly, looking like a pouting doll. "That only works if you're Han Solo."
"Who does that make you?" William coaxed, enjoying himself. "Princess Leia?"
Beth made a frustrated noise and actually stomped her foot. "I'm not Leia, and you're not Han. You're…..you're……Chewie!"
William's grin widened into a full-blown smile. "Tall and furry?"
"Don't forget smelly."
William raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. They stood staring at each other for a moment, and then Beth broke eye contact and announced, "Think I'll call it a night." Without giving him a chance to respond, she brushed past him and scaled the stairs.
William wanted to turn and watch her go. But he knew there was a distinct possibility that he would either pull her back or follow her. Neither would be a wise course of action. Instead, he made for the refreshment table, pleased that he had accomplished the task of getting under her skin.
That was something, at least. And something was better than nothing.
~:~
Beth fumed all the way up to her room. She could still see William standing in front of her, smirking with his hands in his pockets, his eyes digging into hers. All at once, Beth had felt like they weren't standing in a room full of swaying bodies anymore. It had felt like they were alone - and it had been too intimate for her. It didn't matter that he was pleasantly taller than she remembered, that he had an infuriatingly gorgeous smile, or that his eyes were the color of dark chocolate. She had a whole bag of chocolate chips in her stash upstairs - and besides, she'd always preferred milk chocolate.
OUTINGS
"Adieu to disappointment and spleen. What are men to rocks and mountains?"
~Elizabeth Bennet, Pride & Prejudice
Beth had never been so anxious for Friday in all her twenty years. It had been a grueling week of classes, which had overflowed into nasty homework. And then there was guitar. Dallan had given her three new songs to work on, in addition to her scales, chords, and the song she had chosen on her own. She was exhausted and drained, but brightened somewhat at the prospect of the coming weekend. What was more, she would have Jenna to herself for once, as William had apparently prevailed on Les to take a guys-only camping trip this weekend. Beth had gathered that it was no small victory for William, as Les had thought camping was a great idea, as long as Jenna could come along.
Though Beth detested the idea of agreeing with William on anything, she missed her friend just as much as he missed his, and for that she was grateful to him.
It wasn't in Jenna's disposition to be depressed. But Beth perceived that she was a little more subdued today than she had seen her since Les had come sweeping into the picture. Undiluted girl time would be the cure.
Beth had suggested a picnic up the canyon, and Jenna, anxious to be doing something other than missing Les, happily consented. The girls set to work packing all the essentials: chocolate bars, water bottles, Pringles (reduced fat – less guilt), blankets, more chocolate, a flashlight, Phase Ten cards, two bottles of Dr. Pepper, and a favorite novel each. They each packed a bag and threw them behind the seat of Beth's little red truck, effectively concealing the gym clothes Beth had tossed back earlier. She felt momentarily ashamed for her slothfulness, but eagerness to be on the road won out. After making sure nothing had been forgotten, they set off, stopping at Hartford Hoagies on their way out of town.
~:~
William was livid. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so angry. He knew it wasn't directly Les's fault, but his naivety sometimes unnerved William. It would seem perfectly rational to Les's guileless soul that his sister Kara and her roommate, Lucy, would, out of the goodness of their hearts, offer to come along on the guys-only camping trip to do all the cooking and make sure the bachelors were properly looked after.
The fact that neither Kara nor Lucy had an inkling of how to start a fire, or even boil water (let alone how to cook) had never occurred to Les.
William would much rather have had Jenna along than Kara and her constant flirting, coupled with snide comments about Beth (since the Longbourn stomp she had teased him incessantly), or Lucy and her useless babbling. Say what you would about self-fulfilling prophecy; he had a pretty good idea of how the weekend would go.
The moment they got to their campsite and started setting up the tent, the girls started dropping not-so-subtle hints that they really would like a place to sit, and that they really were getting thirsty. And so, out came the folding camp chairs. Kara and Lucy sat side by side, giggling and whispering about some scandalous tidbit of gossip, watching William and Les hard at work. Occasionally one of the girls would obligingly call out an offer to help, without moving a muscle.
By the time the tents were set up and the supplies were unpacked, the sun had already peaked in the sky and was on its way back down. William wiped the sweat from his forehead and retrieved a water bottle from one of the coolers. He threw one to Les, and they gulped noisily. Lucy finally peeled herself out of her camp chair and inquired where the ladies room was. Les pointed her in the general direction of the outhouse.
"You're not serious, Les?"
William turned away to hide his smile.
"You're joking! No, really?"
William couldn't help putting in his penny's worth. "If you're so inclined, there are a lot of branches you could hang over. Just mind the bark - it chafes."
"Oy, I'm starving," Kara joined in. "What's for dinner?" William's smile faded as quickly as it had come, and he felt that he must leave before a brawny green monster erupted out of his clothes and squeezed Kara until her eyes popped out.
"Les, I'm going to go and find a good fishing spot for tomorrow," he managed through clenched teeth. "I'll be back."
"I'll get the fire started, then."
"Oh, good. Then we can make s'mores!" was Kara's giddy reply. "Did anyone bring marshmallows? And look, I made cookies!"
This was going to be an insufferably long weekend.
~:~
"Dang it, I hate this one," Beth complained. "Is there even five of the same number in this deck?"
"Of course there is, or the Phase wouldn't be 'set of five, set of two.' And I know what you're up to. You're trying to make me think you don't have a good hand, but I know you have at least three twelves, because I saw you pick them up, which means you probably already had at least one in your hand, and that's why you started picking them up." Jenna popped a Pringle in her mouth and smiled triumphantly, then took a long swig of her soda.
"Okay, okay. But you're on the last phase, and you already laid it down. So you already won. Pass the chocolate?"
"No way! You're trying to ste
al my victory." Jenna tossed the bag of peanut butter cups at Beth. "I am having too much fun watching you squirm. We finish this hand."
Beth threw her head back, rolled her eyes, and smiled in defeat, reminding herself that she had wanted girl time. After Jenna drew a card she could play on her own piles, the game ended.
"Okay, a deal's a deal. Truth or dare?"
"Jenna, we've known each other since potty-training. I have no secrets from you. You're the one with the exciting life, remember?"
Beth thought she saw a hint of misery morphing across Jenna's face, so she quickly distracted her. "Okay, okay. Dare."
Jenna looked thoughtful, and then posed, "I dare you to kiss William Darcy next time you see him."
"Ick! Jenna - something that won't make me retch, please. How could you even suggest such a thing? You know how much I despise him! Even if he is easy on the eyes." Admitting this much made Beth feel nauseous. "Now, if you dare me to tell him what I think of him, you're on."
"You've already done that." Jenna started cleaning up the wrappers and empty bottles that littered the blanket. "If we're going to hike, we'd better start soon. What time is it, anyway?"
Beth went to check her watch, and then remembered that the battery died and she hadn't replaced it yet. She started rummaging in her backpack for her cell phone and flipped it open. It's three-thirty. Darn - no signal up here. What about yours?"
Jenna shook out the blanket and began folding it up. "I didn't bring mine - left it back home to charge."
Beth felt oddly unsettled by this, though she didn't know why. After all, it was a bright, blue-skied afternoon, and so far the day had been dangerously perfect.
~:~
William walked along the bank of the stream, listening to nothing and enjoying it immensely. He had a horrible feeling that he was currently experiencing the only peace he would get this weekend. Next time he would simply have to kidnap Les without revealing their destination. The clear water bubbled and rushed over rocks wearing smooth, forest-colored moss. The moss was vivid emerald in some places, almost black in others.
Beth's eyes forced their way into his mind.
He remembered the way her eyes seemed to catch fire as he had taunted her. The image of Beth took hold of him again - her dark hair cascading around her face and over her shoulders, her eyes arresting and condemning him, and the deepening flush in her cheeks.
The picture made him short of breath for an instant, though he told himself that she couldn't possibly be as perfect as her memory. Staring absently at the cheerful, gurgling stream and the two-toned moss, he only saw Beth. He looked up at the sky instead, seeing that it had turned steely blue as dusk came on. It wasn't dark enough yet to bring out any stars, but William had high hopes of spectacular stargazing later.
He had always been interested in astronomy, from the time he was a small boy and his father had bought him a telescope. He still remembered the feelings of awe when he first saw the craters of the moon and its silvery, dust-dappled shadows. Under the glare of streetlights you couldn't see even a tenth of the stars that dotted the night sky. One good thing about being stuck in the middle of nowhere, he thought derisively.
~:~
The sky had darkened rapidly with the gathering of menacing grey clouds.
"Didn't happen to bring a poncho, did you?" Jenna asked Beth hopefully.
"No, but we have the blankets with us. We could always throw them over our heads and run back to the car." She tried to sound unconcerned, but she knew she didn't quite pull it off. It started sprinkling.
"Okay, Jenna. I can hear water rushing, so the river is just up there. But honestly, it's getting really cold. Why don't we just turn back now?"
"No arguments here," Jenna agreed. "The only problem will be that ravine we just came through. It'll be slippery now, with the rain." She began to sound less confident herself.
"Let's just hurry," Beth said decidedly, and began walking back the way they had come. "But, you know, not too much. Like you said, it'll be slippery. Just be careful." And the rain began falling heavier and faster as they descended the muddy ravine walls.
~:~
Even though William was under the cover of thick trees flanking the river, he could feel the rain drops on his face. The light patter increased to distinctly heavy drops. He would much rather stay and get soaked through than return to camp and face the prospect of Kara and Lucy's cooking (or lack thereof), but he didn't feel right leaving Les to that fate alone. Not that he didn't deserve it - this whole situation was entirely his fault.
William had just turned back toward camp when a branch snapped not far from where he stood. He swiveled back slowly, hoping that it was only Les. In a morbid twist of fate it could be Kara following him, but she would probably have gotten lost before making it this far. Peering through the trees and into the darkening sky, he felt the blood accelerate in his veins.
Beth stumbled toward him, soaking wet and clearly distressed.
"Beth?" he asked incredulously, his heart rate picking up. "What are you doing here?"
An expression fleeted across her face - something to the tune of 'seriously?' - and after a moment where she seemed to be deliberating, she spoke in a resigned tone. "It's Jenna - she's just down there, in the ravine." She was flustered and inarticulate as she explained their predicament. They had been hiking when it started raining, and when they decided to turn back Jenna slipped and (Beth thought) sprained her ankle, or worse. She had tried to get up and walk on it several times, but each time cried out in pain and sunk back down to the muddy ground.
William didn't wait for Beth to finish before starting off toward Jenna. He slid into the ravine with hardly any trouble, picked up a very sodden Jenna, and scaled the slippery wall again with only a little more difficulty. The opposite wall of the ravine (which the girls had climbed down) appeared to be washed into nothing more than a mud slide. There would be no getting back to their vehicle today.
"Our camp is this way," William informed Beth, starting toward it. William had anticipated Beth's protest, but it didn't come. She simply nodded, fixed her eyes on the mushy ground, and fell into stride beside him.
~:~
Beth stared into the campfire, watching the blazing orange tongues of flame against the black night. She sat on a log, shivering in her wet, muddy clothes. The blanket in her backpack did her no good, as it was also soaked through. It had been slung over a nearby branch to dry. At least the rain had stopped.
After ascertaining that her ankle wasn't broken, Les had lain Jenna in the tent meant for William and himself. The unanimous decision was that nothing could be done about it until morning, at the earliest. Now there was nothing to do but put her in some dry clothes, wrap her in Les's thick down sleeping bag (which he eagerly offered, insisting that he never used it when he camped), and try to get her to sleep.
Half an hour later, Beth sat at the fire, mentally rolling her eyes while watching the two girls in camp chairs on the other side of the flames. Beth had been nonplussed when William's redhead appendage from the quad poked her head out of a large tent and squeaked at the sight of Jenna. She had rushed out of the tent, flanked by a blonde girl who looked equally, if insincerely, distressed by the proceedings. After Jenna had been seen to, Beth had been introduced to Red (aka Les's sister, Kara) and her roommate Lucy, who was quite possibly the inspiration for every blonde joke ever told. The pair were apparently attending Hartford on the graces of a company called Bottle Bronze that manufactured self-tanner. Beth had barely managed to pass her laughter off as choking when Kara informed her that she and Lucy had been runners-up for the title of Bottle Bronze Babe the previous year. The prizes were full-ride scholarships to Hartford, and a year's supply of Bottle Bronze. Somehow, it all fit now.
Now the duo sat gossiping, bearing a striking resemblance to Statler and Waldorf from The Muppet Show. That is, Statler and Waldorf in tiny t-shirts and Daisy Duke shorts. Beth smiled faintly as she anticipated how long it would take
for them to freeze in those clothes. Had they never been camping? Wyoming had some of the coldest mountains in the country.
Beth was pulled from her musings by a heavy flannel blanket settling on her shoulders. It smelled faintly of pine needles and a vaguely familiar scent that she couldn't place. When she lifted her eyes, expecting to thank Les, she met with William's stony gaze instead.
Turning back to the fire, she said "Thank you," as civilly as she could manage. Obviously, he thought she was stupid for getting into this situation in the first place, and she could hardly blame him for feeling that way. But she was angry enough with herself.
Wordlessly, William took a seat next to Beth on the log. He opened his mouth to speak several times, but then snapped it shut in frustration. "What were you thinking?" he finally managed.
When Beth didn't answer right away, he turned his black eyes on her. She felt herself shrink back a little. Turning her face away from him, she trained her eyes back on the blaze. How did he make her feel so small? It wasn't like she'd meant for Jenna to get hurt. A sense of déjà vu stole over her, and suddenly she was standing on the stage at the benefit again, the unclaimed girl in the spotlight. And now William Darcy had stepped in again. Her temper flared.
"I know how much you love a damsel in distress, William. I just thought I'd stroke your ego a bit." She had worked to maintain her cool, but her voice shook with the effort.
His head lolled forward and then he turned wary eyes on her. "Really? We're back there again?"
"We never left," Beth exhaled in a gust of mirthless laugher. William needed to know that his opinion was at the bottom of her priority list. In fact, it hadn't even made the list.
He looked at her for an immeasurable moment, his dark eyes drilling into hers. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, sweetheart."
Beth couldn't help slitting her eyes at him in anger. Not for the first time, she wished she could turn arrogant men to stone with a look, like Medusa. Her composure slipped and she shook her head, turning away so he wouldn't see the tears gathering in her eyes. Unfortunately, turning away from William had brought Kara and Lucy into view. No doubt they had witnessed the exchange and were beyond entertained. Beth rose abruptly to check on Jenna. Halfway to the tent, she remembered that she had William's blanket. Taking any kindness from him was unbearable, because it wasn't really kindness. It came with a price - one that was too high for her wounded pride. After disposing of condemning tears with a swipe of her hand, she backtracked to William and dropped the blanket in his lap. As she stepped away, he caught her arm and drew her back, standing slowly to face her. He was quite a bit closer than Beth liked, and she took an involuntary step back.
Pride's Prejudice Page 4
