Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg Page B
Authors: Elizabeth Eulberg
Tags: Jane Austen Fan Lit
Ads: Link
him free drinks.
And he
had
told me that we had to take advantage of our situation.
But this seemed so ... extreme.
How well did I know Wick? And how well did I know Darcy?
I reread Darcy's last couple paragraphs and a knot formed in my stomach.
Darcy had a wall around him, just like me. But unlike me, Darcy's feelings had changed after he got to know me. He'd builtsome doors into the wall, while I'd held on to my prejudices the entire time.
Yes, he'd been cold to me when we first met, but ever since, he'd been making an attempt to get to know me, when I couldn't see past my own narrow-mindedness. He walked me home from work, he even tried to buy me a book, and all I did was be cold to him. He wasn't perfect. He would say the wrong things sometimes. But if he was a guy from Hoboken, I would have looked past it ... or at least forgiven him. But since Darcy was rich, I couldn't.
I'd taken Wick at his word because he was a scholarship kid like me. But never once had I thought it was odd that he'd gotten kicked out of school without a proper explanation. Because I sympathized. Because I feared the same thing would happen to me. I'd assumed we were in the same boat, when really he was the shark swimming beneath it.
All this time I'd berated Darcy for his pride, but
I
was the one who'd been blinded by my own stubbornness.
What kind of person did that make me?
20.
I SPENT THE FOLLOWING WEEK IN A CONFUSED DAZE. IT WAS as if I was viewing my life through foggy lenses. I practically memorized Darcy's e-mail. I printed it out and kept it with my books, so I could pull it out and consult it if there was a word I'd forgotten, or a phrase that I wasn't completely sure of.
A swirl of conflicting emotions surfaced. One moment, I'd be furious at his prom invitation -- his arrogance, his poor choice of words. Then I'd think about what his family had gone through because of Wick. But then I'd remember that he'd idly sat by anddone nothing while Caroline had sabotaged Jane's relationship with Charles.
The worst was being at work. Anytime I heard the door open, I swung around, expecting to see him. But he never showed up.
I didn't know what I would've said to him if I'd seen him. I'd started to reply to his e-mail several times, but I didn't know what to say.
I thought it might be easier if he was actually in front of me. But I wouldn't blame him if he never wanted to speak to me again.
Friday night at the Java Junction was incredibly busy. Students were flocking in to get their caffeine fix to study for the following week's midterms.
I found myself almost desperate to see Darcy. I convinced myself that I would know what to do when I saw him. But as the hours ticked away, he was nowhere to be found.
To make matters worse, I had two surprising visitors.
Lydia ... with Wick.
Lydia practically skipped to the counter, Wick only a few paces away. "Hey, Lizzie," she said, "get me the usual and whatever he wants."
I hadn't seen Wick since receiving Darcy's e-mail. I concentrated on making their drinks and replayed in my head everythingDarcy had written. Then I revisited my conversations with Wick. There was a part of me that knew something wasn't adding up right.
"Here you go," I said, handing them their order and ringing it up.
Lydia was clawing through the chocolate snacks near the register. "I don't even want to deal with my exams, ya know? I mean, like, how can anybody concentrate when the weather is getting better? And I'm, like, so ready for break. Even though we're going to be stuck in the city. Hey!" She grabbed Wick's arm. "You should totally come visit me in New York. I'm so going to need you to save me."
Wick raised his eyebrow at me, and for a brief moment I smiled. Despite my better judgment.
"What are you doing for the break?" he asked me.
"I'm going to be home with my parents."
Lydia, bored by the conversation, went over to add even more sugar to her chocolate drink.
"I'll be sure to let you know if I'm in the
And he
had
told me that we had to take advantage of our situation.
But this seemed so ... extreme.
How well did I know Wick? And how well did I know Darcy?
I reread Darcy's last couple paragraphs and a knot formed in my stomach.
Darcy had a wall around him, just like me. But unlike me, Darcy's feelings had changed after he got to know me. He'd builtsome doors into the wall, while I'd held on to my prejudices the entire time.
Yes, he'd been cold to me when we first met, but ever since, he'd been making an attempt to get to know me, when I couldn't see past my own narrow-mindedness. He walked me home from work, he even tried to buy me a book, and all I did was be cold to him. He wasn't perfect. He would say the wrong things sometimes. But if he was a guy from Hoboken, I would have looked past it ... or at least forgiven him. But since Darcy was rich, I couldn't.
I'd taken Wick at his word because he was a scholarship kid like me. But never once had I thought it was odd that he'd gotten kicked out of school without a proper explanation. Because I sympathized. Because I feared the same thing would happen to me. I'd assumed we were in the same boat, when really he was the shark swimming beneath it.
All this time I'd berated Darcy for his pride, but
I
was the one who'd been blinded by my own stubbornness.
What kind of person did that make me?
20.
I SPENT THE FOLLOWING WEEK IN A CONFUSED DAZE. IT WAS as if I was viewing my life through foggy lenses. I practically memorized Darcy's e-mail. I printed it out and kept it with my books, so I could pull it out and consult it if there was a word I'd forgotten, or a phrase that I wasn't completely sure of.
A swirl of conflicting emotions surfaced. One moment, I'd be furious at his prom invitation -- his arrogance, his poor choice of words. Then I'd think about what his family had gone through because of Wick. But then I'd remember that he'd idly sat by anddone nothing while Caroline had sabotaged Jane's relationship with Charles.
The worst was being at work. Anytime I heard the door open, I swung around, expecting to see him. But he never showed up.
I didn't know what I would've said to him if I'd seen him. I'd started to reply to his e-mail several times, but I didn't know what to say.
I thought it might be easier if he was actually in front of me. But I wouldn't blame him if he never wanted to speak to me again.
Friday night at the Java Junction was incredibly busy. Students were flocking in to get their caffeine fix to study for the following week's midterms.
I found myself almost desperate to see Darcy. I convinced myself that I would know what to do when I saw him. But as the hours ticked away, he was nowhere to be found.
To make matters worse, I had two surprising visitors.
Lydia ... with Wick.
Lydia practically skipped to the counter, Wick only a few paces away. "Hey, Lizzie," she said, "get me the usual and whatever he wants."
I hadn't seen Wick since receiving Darcy's e-mail. I concentrated on making their drinks and replayed in my head everythingDarcy had written. Then I revisited my conversations with Wick. There was a part of me that knew something wasn't adding up right.
"Here you go," I said, handing them their order and ringing it up.
Lydia was clawing through the chocolate snacks near the register. "I don't even want to deal with my exams, ya know? I mean, like, how can anybody concentrate when the weather is getting better? And I'm, like, so ready for break. Even though we're going to be stuck in the city. Hey!" She grabbed Wick's arm. "You should totally come visit me in New York. I'm so going to need you to save me."
Wick raised his eyebrow at me, and for a brief moment I smiled. Despite my better judgment.
"What are you doing for the break?" he asked me.
"I'm going to be home with my parents."
Lydia, bored by the conversation, went over to add even more sugar to her chocolate drink.
"I'll be sure to let you know if I'm in the
Similar Books
