Pride's Prejudice (5 page)

"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 steal 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.