Chapter
Six
Homeroom
Darcy spent his first boring moments of home
room seated in the back row scratching the initials of all his exes into his
desk. There were a lot of them. He had no idea why his relationships didn’t
work out. Perhaps young females had better value systems because the minute he
told them about the stuff with his grandfather and asked them to sign a
confidentiality agreement – they generally dumped him. This time he wouldn’t be
so stupid. This time he’d pretend to be really in love with the lucky girl he
chose to take to Australia for the summer vacay.
While they waited for Mrs Tartt, Darcy’s
worst nightmare showed up with a late pass.
Rys Wickam. What a jerk.
Rys’s father had been Darcy’s business
partner – controller of their Los Angeles business empire for quite a while
until it all went wrong.
There was an empty seat next to Paige and
Rys headed straight for it.
Typical, Darcy thought.
Paige smiled at Rys who whispered, “I
didn’t know I’d meet such a babe in this place… He pulled out his cell, “…wanna
friend?”
Paige saw Darcy looking up anxiously and
immediately smiled at Rys who was tall, blonde and handsome and nodded to Rys. Rys
could easily pull off this hottie pose he had going on. At least some boys have a sense of humor, Paige thought, as she
glanced defiantly back at Darcy Donovan. Darcy could learn a thing or two from
Rys’ easygoing friendly manner.
Paige considered the moment. It was only
boys who didn’t know her who dared try to chat her up. Rys would surely learn
soon enough that she had the rep for being “an ice queen” (wasn’t that how Dan
Devitt – previous town tool and high school sexpert - had described her after
she’d agree to date him – once?) That was at her previous school in New Mexico.
He’d lied about that date afterwards telling anyone who was interested that
Paige was easy. It had taken Paige an entire semester to win back her
reputation as a studious, serious girl. Paige hoped things would be different
in a new town and she wasn’t about to just hand her trust to another teenage
boy who’d trash talk her behind her back.
Besides, the second Bennet sister was all
about her studies.
Paige wanted to go to Harvard. Her mother
was very disapproving. Mrs Bennet thought girls had the greatest potential to
find happiness in home and family life. Paige’s domestic situation was like a
Jane Austen novel. Nevertheless, Paige was into extra-curricular activities.
Becoming captain of debate team would look great on all her applications and
there was not another junior who would dare to challenge her.
Rys Wickam, busy texting under the desk, was
clearly more interested in social networking than study. He was unlikely to be
interested in academic credentials and Darcy was busy scratching initials,
playing the ‘bad boy’, as if he didn’t already have ‘conformist’ practically
tattooed on his forehead.
