Chapter
Forty-one
The
trouble with Darcy
That morning, in home room, Darcy arrived
early. Dressed in his coolest clothes, he had all of the debate notes sorted
for their team and had even highlighted Paige’s suggestions.
“Hi,” he said to Paige, trying to act cool.
“Hi,” Paige said, wishing she wasn’t
required to acknowledge him.
Darcy never understood why she blew so hot
and cold. He was trying to warm her up today because he had something he wanted
to ask her. Even though he knew it was wrong, so wrong.
Paige was different to him in every way.
They were polar opposite. Darcy struggled against his feelings for her. He told
no one, not even Ryan, but he couldn’t help himself. He liked Paige Bennet more
than any girl he’d ever met. She was so different, so remarkable, so amazing.
As he flicked on his iPOD he quickly
switched off his home page. The younger Bennet girls were splashed all over the
social pages with a website directing him to even more compromising
photographs. They were famous now, for all the wrong reasons. He hoped Paige
wouldn’t see this.
They’d supposedly participated in a girls
gone wild type film made by Rys Wickam’s production company. The outakes of his
music video shoot were on his smart phone and about to go viral, according to
Mackenzie who swiftly texted Darcy. Darcy had heard all about it in the locker
room prior to class but he’d tried to ignore the gossip. Paige seemed
oblivious. She never ever switched on her phone before home room (when she
studied) or debate class. Darcy wondered what to do, but first he had to get
something else off his chest.
Today, Paige seemed extra scary, walking around
in her hot girl that didn’t know it
way, with her awesome intelligence and turn of phrase. That scared Darcy a lot.
Now she was hunched over her notes chewing the end of her pencil, lost in
intellectual thought.
“Hey,” Rys said, he was seated on the other
side of Paige, making Darcy increasingly jealous.
“Hi,” Paige replied, “Hey, I heard some
stupid rumor…”
“Don’t believe any of it,” Rys replied, “I’m
deleting all the photos,” he added, checking his text messages.
What
photos? Paige thought.
