"There are psychos everywhere, Lindy. And they take advantage of girls like you." She stopped abruptly, shocked that she sounded just like William. She drew a calming breath. "I think you should go home."
"But mom and dad aren't home!" Lindy was beginning to look worried now.
"I'll call the Lucases and see if you can stay with them."
"The Lucases?" Lindy whined. "Beth, they're ancient!"
"They'll be just the thing."
Lindy worked up an impressive storm of tears in just a few seconds. "Please, Bethy! You know how much I want to go to that dance. It's not fair!" She hiccoughed pathetically.
Beth was unscathed by Lindy's tantrum. She had seen them countless times at home, her father walking out of the room in a refusal to deal with the behavior, and her mother caving to the guilt-trip. Beth walked to the front door and clicked the lock. On her way back to her own room she paused and addressed the trembling, sobbing form of her sister.
"It's simple, Lindy. Nothing remotely close to this will happen again. And if you aren't here when I wake up, you can be sure you'll be home in your own bed by tomorrow night. If you are here, then consider yourself on probation."
Jenna and Beth exchanged a look, and Beth mouthed an apology for waking her. Jenna shook her head, then smiled at Beth in sympathy.
Beth let herself into her room, welcoming the darkness that swallowed her on the other side of the door. She wanted to forget Lindy's foolishness, the mystery surrounding William and Jaxon, and mostly, the fact that Lindy had just proven William's point.
HOMECOMING
"There is nothing people are so often deceived in, as the state of their own affections."
~Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey
Beth peeked out of the corner of her eye at Jaxon as they walked along, passing shops that had already closed for the night. The windows lining the sidewalk were dark, except for one at the very end. Jaxon had called and asked Beth if she wanted to catch a movie, and she'd agreed right away. Unfortunately, William's visit had largely dominated her thoughts throughout the date. His admonitions echoed in Beth's head, making it difficult for her to enjoy Jaxon's company.
"So, did you like the movie? You didn't cry at the end, so I can't be too sure." Jaxon's teasing cut across Beth's reverie.
"Sure," Beth said with forced brightness. "It was a great movie - a good mix of funny and mushy. And it had a great ending. I can't live without closure in a movie."
"Well, I figured you would prefer the romantic comedy to the action flick. The theatre only has room for two movies at a time, but there you go."
Jaxon chuckled to himself and Beth smiled. They walked in silence for a minute before Jaxon spoke again.
"Are you sure you're not hungry? Look -" he pointed to the lighted window, which they now stood in front of. " -ice cream! You can't say no to ice cream, right?"
"I don't know, Jaxon. I'm still pretty full from all that popcorn."
"Oh, come on, Beth. Everyone knows that ice cream just fills in the cracks! Besides, I'm buying." Jaxon planted himself in front of Beth to keep her from walking. Then he looked down into her eyes with a mischievous pleading expression.
"One scoop," she relented.
The Frozen Udder was empty as it was a weeknight, and close to closing time. Beth didn't need to look beyond the glass prison to the ice cream bins; she always got the same thing - Butter Pecan. After browsing all the flavors, Jaxon settled on Cherry Chocolate Chip. He paid for the ice cream and he and Beth sat at a small square table situated in the corner of the shop.
Beth wondered why the girl behind the counter kept shooting them disgruntled looks. It all came together a moment later when she complained loudly to an unseen coworker that she couldn't mop out front until the customers left.
"You must come here a lot."
"What makes you say that?" Beth hadn't realized that Jaxon had been quietly watching her while she pondered the mystery of the ice cream parlor employee gone postal.
"You didn't even look at the choices; you just walked up and ordered."
Beth smiled. "I only like ice cream with nuts or chocolate in it," she explained, casting a nasty look at his Cherry Chocolate Chip. "Fruity ice cream is just wrong."
Jaxon laughed nonchalantly, as if he had been expecting her quirky reasoning. "Well, this isn't even real fruit. It's those maraschino cherries."
As if desecrating ice cream with faux fruit was any better?
"All the worse. I can't stand maraschino cherries." Jaxon started laughing again, but Beth plowed on. "No, really. I had a bad experience with them as a kid." She wasn't sure she wanted to dwell on her childhood issues at the moment, but it might already be too late.
"Okay, this I have to hear." Jaxon scraped the last cherry from his ice cream cup and sat back in his chair, folding his arms as if settling in for a good, long story. The girl behind the counter stood by, gripping her mop and glaring at them.
Beth stood up and threw her cup away. "If you want the story you'll have to take it to go," she announced.
Jaxon snapped to his feet. As they walked out the door, the bell dinged and the girl called, "Come again!" She was at their heels, and Beth heard the lock click as soon as their hands were clear of the door.
"So, let's hear your issues, Beth. This has to be good." And he grinned like a rogue.
Beth heaved a sigh, wondering how to make herself sound normal. "Well, do you remember those grow-a-fish things they used to have when we were kids? You know, it looks like a Swedish Fish and then you put it into an aquarium and it comes to life?"
Jaxon stopped walking, turned to face Beth, and drew her close by her shoulders. Then he placed a hand to her head as if checking for a fever.
"I'm serious," she insisted, walking on. "We had one in my second grade class - it was our class pet. Anyway, it came to life in the tank just like it was supposed to. Then Tommy Higgins got it out of the tank one day and crushed it in his hand. I can still see it in my mind - the cherry-red gooey fish, pulsating in Tommy's palm. Every time I see a bottle of maraschino cherries at the store, I gag."
Jaxon's roar of laughter rang through the empty, darkened streets. He put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her while he laughed. "Beth, you are truly one of a kind."
He released his hold around her shoulders but caught her hand swiftly in his own as they walked. A tingling sensation started in her fingers and crawled up her arm. She looked at Jaxon, hoping that she wasn't blushing. The intensity of his eyes unnerved her, and she looked away.
"So, do all your friends have dates for Saturday?" Beth felt a tiny thrill at the word 'Saturday.' This was the first time he had alluded to the ball since he'd almost, sort-of asked her on Monday. She had begun to wonder if she'd imagined the whole thing.
"For the ball?" she hinted casually.
"Ball? What ball? No, I meant the stripper we have coming to headquarters. Didn't you get an invite?"
Beth punched his arm and he feigned pain. Then he grabbed her fist in midair and tucked her hand into his again. Jaxon slowed, pulled Beth to a halt and faced her, their entwined hands resting on his chest. His eyes swept Beth's face as he tucked a stray tendril of hair behind her ear.
"So, are you ready for the ball, my lady?" he murmured.
Beth swallowed. "Um, yes, I think so. I have my dress."
"What color is it?"
"Dark green."
"That will look beautiful with your brown eyes. I can't wait to see you in it."
My eyes are hazel, Beth corrected in her head.
Jaxon smiled lazily and leaned in to kiss her.
Beth had lain awake for a week imagining what it would be like to kiss Jaxon. Time seemed to slow, drawing out the anticipation. She could almost feel his lips on hers, gentle yet adamant, soft yet determined.
It was not what she had expected.
He closed the remaining distance between them quickly, almost knocking Beth backward with the force of his movement. There was
nothing soft or gentle, and all that was left over was adamant and determined. He moved his stony mouth rapidly against hers, and she was overcome with a flashback of William kissing her in the tent. For an instant the memory of his soft mouth eclipsed Jaxon's hard kiss, and Beth pulled away quickly, feeling like a traitor.
"Sorry," she mumbled, chagrined. "You just surprised me."
Jaxon was unruffled. "That was the point." He smiled impishly. "I should have guessed that the girl who only ever orders one flavor of ice cream wouldn't like surprises."
Beth loved surprises, but she let it pass. Jaxon took her hand up again as they rounded the corner and caught sight of Longbourn.
"So, I thought we'd double with Denny and Lindy on Saturday, if that's okay," he said.
"As long as we talk a lot to drown out the slurping noises."
Jaxon laughed. "You won't even know we're with them. We'll have to meet you at the dance though. We have drills that night until seven-thirty." He paused, suddenly looking embarrassed. "I'll have to take you to dinner another time."
"Oh, that's okay. I don't plan on eating at all the next two days," Beth offered with a casual flick of her hand. "I have to fit into my corset and all that."
Beth and Jaxon stood in front of Longbourn now, and Beth desperately wanted to end the night on a better note. She'd never initiated a kiss before, but she felt like it was the only way to make up for her abrupt severance earlier. Turning to face Jaxon, she stepped closer to him.
"I had fun tonight. Thanks for asking me."
"Anytime." Jaxon wrapped his arms around Beth's waist, bringing her to him. Then he just looked into her face, waiting.
Why couldn't she move? Kiss him, she scolded herself. Don't be stupid! He already made the first move. He seemed to know she was deliberating with herself, and moved in, his lips soft on hers this time.
For the second time William's earnest face and dark eyes ripped through Beth, flattening the moment with resounding finality. She preserved her tact this time, slowly breaking the kiss.
"Good night, your Ladyship." Jaxon kissed Beth's hand in farewell. "Until Saturday." He burned her with his ice blue gaze one more time before turning and striding off into the dark, leaving Beth with a scowl on her face and a weight in her stomach.
Chewing her lip, Beth ascended the outside stairs to Longbourn and made her way to room 204. To her surprise, Jenna, Les, and Kara were sitting at the kitchen table playing cards. She kissed Jenna on the cheek and hugged Les.
"Kara," she began, trying infuse her smile with sincerity, "it's been a while."
Kara smiled, but didn't waste any effort keeping up pretenses. "Has it?" she answered in a sugary voice.
"Wanna play, Beth? We can deal you into the next hand." Les was clueless, smiling and munching popcorn as he invited his sister's foe to join the game.
Beth deliberated. Classes did start earlier on Fridays, but she just couldn't pass up such a pristine opportunity to bug Kara. "Sure, it's Friday Eve, right?" she relented. "But I need to shower first."
Beth stepped into her room for some clothes, then made her way to the bathroom. The light of the kitchen faded as she pushed further into darkened hall. Her previous thoughts took hold of her again without preamble. Why wasn't she floating? She had wanted to kiss Jaxon ever since……well, ever since she'd met him. Now it had happened, and left a bad taste in her mouth, so to speak. It reminded her of Holiday Barbie the year she turned eight. She had saved her allowance money for months and done extra jobs around the house to earn the money for it. After buying it, her mother would not let her play with it since it had cost so much, and the doll stood poised in her cardboard cell on the highest shelf in Beth's room, looking out of the plastic window with a perfect smile plastered on her lonely face.
Obviously, Beth had never quite gotten over it.
It wasn't the kissing. It was the anticipation and the consequent absence of emotion that perplexed her; and the fact that a very different face popped into her mind at a crucial moment, ruining the chance of said moment meeting her expectations.
Beth started when she realized she had stopped meandering and now leaned against the wall, staring at the hall carpet. She looked around for a moment, jumping slightly when her eyes lighted on William. He leaned against the opposite wall, his arms folded, watching her quietly. How long had he been standing there?
"Dollar for your thoughts?" he offered quietly.
She tried not to look at his mouth, and failed. "Isn't it supposed to be a penny?"
"Inflation and all that."
Beth forced a smile, trying to seem less preoccupied.
"What's wrong, Beth?" William asked, bending until their eyes were level.
I was just thinking about kissing you. "Nothing." She dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand.
He cocked his head to the side and raked her face with his eyes. "Liar," he accused, leaning back into his former posture, drawing his arms back into an X over his chest.
"Alrighty, Dr. Phil," Beth answered, rolling her eyes. "What's wrong with me then?"
"No idea. But your eyes are different."
Beth was brought up short. "Different?" she repeated, her tone a great deal more humble than she cared for.
"They change color with your moods sometimes," William said simply.
Beth stood silently, unwilling to speak until he explained. He seemed to understand and continued.
"When you get mad they go kind of dark brown, just like when you are popping off. Right now they're lighter - almost green."
It was with great effort that Beth's jaw didn't drop. "So if my eyes are green it means I'm lying?" Never mind that you know the exact color of my eyes and my corresponding mood.
"No…..I can tell you're lying because your eyes are telling me you're upset about something. Do you want to talk about it?"
For one wild moment Beth looked squarely at William and thought of telling him the truth. I kissed Jaxon, and it wasn't how I thought it would be. I thought of you instead.
Beth shook her head with tiny motions, unable to meet his eyes. She mumbled "Shower," and shuffled into the bathroom, leaving him in the dark hall.
Once safely inside the tile walls of the shower, Beth tried to visualize her troubles washing away and draining from the shower floor - like poison being leeched from a snakebite. After wiping the beads of moisture from her skin, she pulled on the sweats and t-shirt she had taken from her room and toweled off her dark tresses. Hopefully by now, the game was over and everyone had gone home so she could go to her room and brood in the dark. The hallway encounter with William had left her with no desire to be social or fake a good mood.
No such luck.
There was an empty chair next to Jenna, across from William, and a freshly dealt hand of cards waited for her on the table. Les popped out of his seat and steered Beth over to the unsuspecting chair, massaging her shoulders as he pushed her into it. Kara "hymph"ed.
"You look stressed Beth. Take a load off. Want a Dr. Pepper?"
Beth couldn't help but smile. He was, after all, offering her one of her own drinks. "Thanks, Les, I'd love one." Her eyes flicked up to William, who watched her with a mildly curious, slightly concerned expression. She had expected him to be angry or annoyed at the very least, after their exchange. His face softened somewhat as she looked at him.
"Do you want ice?" Les called on his way to the freezer.
"Yes, please."
"A little, or a lot?"
"Tons."
Les set the glass and a maroon can of salvation in front of Beth.
"Where were you?" Jenna questioned.
Beth's eyes acted of their own accord and flashed guilty to William. "Library," she fabricated. When had she become concerned about his opinion?
She may as well have said 'making out with Jaxon.' If William's scrutiny waned before in the slightest, it was unflinching now.
Kara snorted. "I think going at it in the stacks counts more as a date than a stud
y group."
Kara couldn't know that she was actually igniting William's temper, but Beth glared at her anyway. Kara plowed on.
"Is Mr. Stacks at least taking you to the ball?"
For a moment, Beth forgot about William. "As a matter of fact, he is. Who are you going with?"
Beth glanced pointedly at William to drive the point to Kara, but stopped when she noticed a muscle in his jaw going. She cast her eyes back to the table, the phrase 'oh crap' scrolling through her brain. How could she let Kara bait her like that? And she had bit down hard on the hook. "We're doubling with my sister and her date," she added, backpedaling for William's benefit.
Kara laughed. "The one who's always sucking face with that ranger guy? I'm sure they'll be great company."
Beth noticed that she didn't answer the question about her own plans for the dance.
William stood abruptly, ripping the door open and storming out into the hall. Beth sighed in resignation as she dropped her cards on the table and rose to follow him. He must know who she'd been with tonight - who she'd be with Saturday. He wouldn't have left otherwise. She wanted to set his mind at ease about her dating Jaxon, futile as the effort might be.
William stood at the top of the hall stairs with his back against the wall, glaring at the ceiling. His hands were in his pockets. As Beth approached him and opened her mouth to speak, raucous laughter preceded a group of three people up the stairs. Two boys Beth had never seen before stumbled up the stairs, clearly drunk, Lindy swinging unconscious between them. Beth stopped them at the top of the stairs.
"What's wrong with her?!"
"I think she had a few too many," one boy snickered to the other.
Beth turned her attention to the designated spokeslush. "She's seventeen, moron. She shouldn't be having any!" She clenched her teeth, biting her anger back. "Who are you?"
"You must be the sister." The drunk leered at her, though Beth didn't think he could see very well through his blood-shot eyes. "I'm Dane, that's Travis."
Pride's Prejudice Page 12
