“Lily, you okay?” Anne asked, taking my arm in hers.
“Yeah, just thinking of Kate again.”
“I’m sorry. She’ll be found and she’ll be okay.”
“Yeah, I hope so. Oh, I want to kill Anders.”
Anne scratched her cheek. “You know, you and Austin have made a funny impression on each other.”
“What? Why do you say that?”
“Well, you seem to have made him nice and he, well, he seems to have brought out your more violent side.”
I laughed. “I assure you, I’ve always had a tendency to threaten violence, I’ve just never been so calm about the actually being violent.”
“Like I said.” She smiled.
“Oh, God, is that awful?”
Anne squeezed my arm. “No, I don’t think so, not in this circumstance, anyway.”
“Damn.”
“What?”
Hunter was ahead of us in the corridor.
I’d avoided Austin, Jax, Hunter, Cass…anyone who wasn’t Anne really, quite successfully since school had gone back. It was easy to do when you were walking around in an angry fog. People could probably practically see the neon sign above my head telling them to piss off. The teachers hadn’t even spoken to me more than absolutely necessary.
“Lily!” Hunter called and I knew I’d have trouble avoiding him today.
“Go on, I’ll catch you up,” I said, nudging Anne.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’ve hit him once, I can do it again if need be,” I replied, scowling at him as he walked towards us.
I couldn’t say why things were still so tense between us. But, the guy had seriously pissed me off and I really didn’t think I could deal with him. Still, I stood in the corridor, arms crossed, and waited to hear what he had to say.
He smiled sheepishly when he stopped in front of me, rubbing the back of his head. “Uh, hi, Lily.”
“Hi, Williams.”
“Uh, look, can we walk? Outside maybe?”
“I’m really not dressed for outside.”
“Right, no, of course.”
I waited for him to continue for what felt like hours. “Williams, what is it? You know I’m having a crisis and I really can’t deal with you and…whatever this is, right now.”
“Oh…”
I tried to soften my tone at the look on his face. “No, I mean, just… Can you be quick? I need to check in with my stepmum.”
He nodded, looking less crestfallen. “Right, look, I wanted to apologise.”
“What for?”
“For…the way I treated you, what I said…”
“That’s very kind, Williams, you’re forgiven.”
“Oh…thanks, but, um…I mean it. I…” he rubbed the back of his head again and looked at his school shoes. “I really like you Lily. I’ve never really liked anyone before-”
“Besides yourself.”
He grinned. “Besides myself. Anyway, I didn’t handle it well and I’m sorry for that.”
I sighed. “Its fine, Hunter. I understand. I mean, I don’t entirely understand, but I’m going to go on the assumption you didn’t mean to insinuate I was an untalented whore.”
“Please do. I just… I didn’t see Oz again that night, then you looked like you hadn’t been in your bed… I jumped to conclusions and let how I felt about you cloud my judgement. Honestly, I’m sorry. I assume you’re still not inclined to show me how adventurous you are in bed?”
I couldn’t help giggling at his tone and his mock-hopeful expression. “I’m afraid not.”
“Oz.”
“What?”
“Because you like Oz,” he said as though it was scientific fact.
“I…don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He smiled, but his eyes seemed sad. “Don’t you now? Well, maybe I’ll get a chance with you one day after all.”
He didn’t sound very convinced and he was gone before I could open my mouth.
When he was out of sight, I yelled in frustration, stomped my foot and flailed my arms around.
It never rains, but it pours.
Honestly, I’d had more interest in the space of a few months than I’d had in my entire existence. And, my opinion of it, far from being flattered, was that it was more trouble than it was worth.
Between all the misunderstandings, the awkward feelings going around, and my dad’s utter uselessness in the face of Kate’s disappearance, I was beginning to feel more and more like love was not worth my time.
I couldn’t stop Austin’s smile popping into my head at that point, as a wonderfully timed contradiction to my thoughts, no doubt. It was enough to make a girl rethink her ban on love.
Still, the fact remained that someone like me didn’t belong with someone like Austin. And, as though I needed further reminding, the whole debacle with Kate just solidified the belief. How the hell could I expect Austin to be with me when my own sister had run off with Liam? It had been bad enough I’d entertained a flirtation with him, but how could he look at me and not see a bunch of idiots? Ugh, I wished I’d never told him Kate had run off with Liam.
Ha! Yeah, because that would totally make him love you unconditionally! It would make everything better…
My phone ringing pulled me from my annoyed thoughts.
“Hello?”
“Lily?” It was Claire.
“I was just about to check in. Is there news?” I asked, my hopes soaring ridiculously at the thought Kate might be safe.
“Yes,” Claire replied, “she’s on a plane right now on her way home. She’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Do you know what happened?”
“No, no real details as yet, she just emailed us her flight number and said she’d see us soon,” Claire responded. “But, as far as we can tell, she’s fine.”
“She won’t be fine when I see her, I’ll rip her a new one,” I growled.
“Not if I get to her first, you won’t,” Claire replied with some vehemence, then sighed. “I’m sorry, Lily, for it all.”
“Why are you apologising to me?” I asked.
“Because, I know you think your Dad and I could have done better with the girls-”
“Claire, I have no idea what it’s like to raise children, I am the last person qualified to judge.”
“No, that would be your father,” she said sardonically. “Regardless, I promise you that we’ll do better from now on. Gemma will have no reason to find herself in any similar situation. We’re pulling them from Netherfield, they can finish up the year, then they’re coming to a school within walking distance of the house. Although, they won’t be given the freedom to walk, I’ll drop them off and pick them up every morning. You don’t have-”
“Claire, it’s okay,” I stopped her. “The girls could do with some supervision, but you don’t have to pull them from school.”
She sighed again. “Well, we’ll talk about it when you’re all home again.”
“Speaking of, what time’s Kate getting in? Shall we meet her at the airport with you?”
“No!” Claire cried. “I mean, no, thanks, Lil. I want it to be the least welcome homecoming a girl could experience, hopefully that will show her she was an absolute idiot. We’ll pick her up, bring her straight to school, and she can go straight on to lessons.”
I knew all about the joy that was coming to school after a flight from Australia and I didn’t envy Kate one bit having to go to lessons after it. However, I also knew better than to argue with Claire when she had her proper Mum voice on. And, it was about bloody time she did have her proper Mum voice on.
“All right then, as long as you don’t need anything?” I asked.
“No, we’ll be fine, sweets, thanks.”
“No worries, just save me a piece of her.”
“I make no promises, daughter,” Claire said, mock-savagely.
I laughed, my head and heart feeling lighter. “Bye, Mum.”
I hurried off to the dini
ng room for lunch, in higher spirits than I’d felt in a while. I looked over to Austin and Jax’s table. Hunter and Cass sat with Jax, but Austin was nowhere in sight.
I’d noticed he’d missed our last English class, maybe he wasn’t well?
Not that it mattered to me, I didn’t have an unhealthy interest in Austin Cooper. But, we were friends, so I could care, right?
Chapter Fifty
I pushed my way into our bedroom, grumbling to myself.
“Hey! The Tinman returneth!”
“What?” I asked, looking at my twin.
“Well, it’s like ‘the iceman cometh’, right? Only not.” He grinned.
“Right…” I said, rolling my eyes.
There was no way anyone would have a hard time telling us apart then. Jax’s face was the epitome of Jax happiness, while I could tell mine was set in my best Austin scowl.
“Dude, how was it?”
“It was hot and annoying.”
“Understandable. Anders didn’t give you any trouble?”
“Depends what you count as trouble,” I said, dropping my bag on the bed and stretching my back. “Do you count him deflowering her and giving her drugs trouble?”
“Ew… Erm, yes, I would, but I was referring to the other kind. The fisticuff kind.” He held his hands up in front of him like he was getting ready to box me.
“No, there were no…fisticuffs,” I answered, pulling off my top.
“Are they new clothes?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, so the great genius left with nothing, did he?”
“The great genius was in a bit of a hurry to pack anything. This stuff was what was waiting for me when I arrived.”
“Oh, I like that, can I have it?”
I held up the jacket I was pulling out of the bag. “Knock yourself out.”
“Sweet, thanks.”
“No, I mean literally knock yourself out. I am way too tired to deal with your infernal optimism.”
“I think it’s pronounced ‘eternal optimism’.”
“Trust me, it’s not,” I replied, flopping on the bed.
Jax sighed. “She’s safe, though. I saw her at lunch. Looked like absolute shit, but it’s nothing a shower and a decent sleep won’t fix.”
“Decent sleep? She was in first class!”
Jax snorted. “You forked out a pretty penny for this one.”
“It’s nothing to have Lily’s sister safe.”
“Oh, why I do declare, brother!”
I propped myself up on my elbows and rolled my eyes at the idiot; along with his southern belle accent, he’d struck a pose. “Mate, if I have to take you shopping for your debutante gown, I think I’ll have to punch you.”
“Mister Cooper, you wouldn’t dare hit a lady!” he said in his falsetto southern belle drawl.
I couldn’t help my laugh and he grinned, back to himself again. I dropped back onto the bed, a smile still on my face. Maybe everything was going to work out after all. I could be the Austin I wanted to be, Jax could be Jax, Aunt Celia could suck it, I could have Lily and Jax could have Anne. Maybe…
“I don’t know that Lily noticed you were gone.”
“Good.”
“What?”
“Good.” I recounted what I’d told Kate.
Like her, Jax thought I was an idiot. “You’ve just saved her little sister from certain death and you don’t want her to know?”
I scoffed. “As much as I wouldn’t put it past him, I don’t think Anders’ intention was to kill Kate, Jax.”
“You know what I mean. Why don’t you want her knowing?”
“Do you think she’d be pleased I dropped a whole lot of cash on getting her sister back? Without anyone’s counsel, I might add. Two first class tickets, one business – did you know how hard it was to book flights last minute? Can you imagine Lily abiding any of that?”
Jax sat in thought for a moment. “No, I suppose not.”
“No. So you, Kate and I will be the only ones to know where I was and what I was doing. Lily will be blissfully left in the dark and she won’t have any reason to be angry with me.”
Jax laughed. “All right, if that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
“All right. You want to go to the café before dinner? Get some coffee or something?”
I sighed as I thought. “Yeah, all right. Let me shower and change first. I am itching to get back into my own clothes.”
“I for one, would be very glad to see you with a top on,” Jax replied.
I grinned, throwing a pillow at him. He laughed and dodged it. We scrapped for a little while and it felt like old times, before the pressures of Aunt Celia had weighed on me, before we’d lost Mum and Dad, before Amanda had been hurt.
It felt a lot like everything was coming up Austin.
****
Jax and I rugged up and headed to the campus café, jostling each other and laughing as we went. When we finally barrelled into the café, laughing, we saw Lily and Anne already there.
I could tell Lily was surprised to see me and I imagine the shock of seeing me laughing nigh uncontrollably was heavy. I smiled and waved at her while Jax nudged me at the sight of Anne, as though I hadn’t seen her.
Anne blushed and looked away.
“Now, that, brother, is the look of a girl who fancies you,” I whispered to him as we went to the counter.
“Is that so? Is that your professional opinion?”
“It is,” I laughed. “Do you have a better one?”
He nodded. “Only that Lily seems very confused to see you.”
“Hm…yeah, that girl will be less easily wooed…re-wooed…can you re-woo someone?”
“Woo!” Jax cried, throwing his arms in the air and laughing.
I hit him and laughed. “You’re a right plonker, Mister Cooper.”
“As are you, Mister Copper.” He bowed with a grin.
The girl at the register smiled as she gave us our coffee and we turned to see Lily smiling less hesitantly at us. I nudged Jax and we walked over.
“Why don’t you join us, boys?” Lily asked, throwing a look between Jax and Anne. I knew what that meant and was more than happy to assist.
“Thanks, don’t mind if we do.” I sat next to Lily, leaving the only free chair next to Anne.
Jax blushed bright red and sat down hurriedly, surreptitiously looking at Anne every now and then. A behaviour she was, undoubtedly unintentionally, copying.
“So, Austin, you feeling better?” Lily asked, holding her steaming cup between her dainty little hands.
No, face, focus on her face.
Not that that helped; her eyes shone, her hair was swept off her face and she smiled at me with interest.
“Better?” I said stupidly.
“I assumed you’d been sick?”
“Sick, yes. Quite sick. Stayed at Pemberley with Amanda for a few days to recover and just got back today.”
She nodded and seemed to believe my story. “I imagine Mandy’s a doting older sister when you’re sick.”
Jax and I shared a laugh.
“Quite the opposite. She stomps around the place in a huff, begrudging everything she does for us,” Jax said.
“It’s true, but she still looks after us diligently. Soup and ‘the paracetemols’, as she calls them, every four hours. She force-feeds us litres of water if she can. I’m surprised she hasn’t learnt how to administer IVs.”
“Good point; a much more sufficient delivery method and we’d complain less.”
“True, she could add the soup and the paracetemols in with it all.”
We laughed and high-fived.
When I turned back to the girls, I saw they were both looking at us in wonder. Although, Anne’s look seemed combined with the uncertainty about which of us was which.
“So, Austin, you heard Kate got back?”
“I didn’t, no…” I felt my phone buzz and I saw a message from Amanda.
Amanda
: Oz, heard about what you did and am very proud of you. I’m glad you managed to save another idiot from his grasp. Now, go get your girl! I want to hear the two of you are spending a romantic Valentine’s together Love you, little brother, -M xxoo
I felt inclined to strangle her for that comment, but refrained from making a bigger thing of her ordeal than necessary.
Me: Thanks, sis. I’ll do my best, but I feel Jax will be more successful than me. Love you, too.
“Everything okay? You’re face has…that look,” Lily said.
I smiled. “Which one? The one where I’m burnt from showing too much humanity? Or just one of the jerk ones?”
She grinned. “You think you’re terribly clever, don’t you?”
Not clever enough to make you mine, apparently. “Yes, yes, I do.”
“Actually, you looked worried,” she laughed.
Amanda: Well, you’re not going to get her with that attitude. AND you owe Jax. He’d already have his girl if you weren’t such a pratt. Actually, you both would. So, stop moping and just do it! -M xxoo
Me: Aye aye sister! With her now, piss off and let me work my magic ;P
“Just Manda checking I got here safe,” I replied.
Amanda: Go and woo your fair maiden then, Merlin!
I snorted and put my phone away.
“How is she?”
“She’s good, says to say hi to you and that she expects to catch up soon.”
“I’d like that,” she said.
We finished our drinks and chatted until dinner. Jax and Anne were a little awkward with each other, and Lily would get weirdly thoughtful whenever she seemed to be having a good time. I ignored it though; I had no idea if she’d seen Kate yet or how worried she still was about her.
Chapter Fifty-One
Jax and Austin walked us to dinner. Anne and I walked between them, our arms joined. Austin walked next to me, his hands in his pockets and an easy smile. And, Jax, bless him, kept fidgeting with his jacket and his tie as he walked beside Anne.
When we walked into the dining hall, I saw Kate sitting with Gemma. Claire had texted when she’d dropped Kate off, so I’d known she was here. But, I hadn’t yet had a chance to see her. She looked exhausted, but I was no less ready to tear her a new one.
Netherfield Prep: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Austen's 'Pride & Prejudice' Page 33
