Saturday, August 10, 2013

THE HOTNESS: A Modern Teen Pride and Prejudice (chapter forty-one: The trouble with Darcy)


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.