Worst Impressions

Chapter Twenty Five

I was right to be concerned about the aftermath.

I'd expected Chantelle giving us all the cold shoulder, even Jenny, not that she'd done anything to deserve it. William had never been our biggest fan. Losing his company didn't affect me, or anyone else for that matter. Still, I'd thought Charlie might have a little more integrity than the others. Whatever he felt towards the rest of us for our behaviour, he shouldn't have taken issue with Jenny. And yet, when we saw him in class, he completely blanked us. Instead, he went to sit with his sister and friend, and didn't even glance at us throughout the lesson.

Rather than face the problem head on, as would have been wise, I avoided it. Naturally, I made sure the other girls did as well. Chrissy and Lisa weren't at all bothered by the change in attitude. They'd been polite to Charlie, but he was more a friend of mine and Jenny's than the others. Still, Meg joined the pair of us in hiding in the music room during our lunch break that day. I strummed listlessly on the strings of my guitar while Jenny prodded the keys of the grand piano. My studies had been slipping as of late. I'd hoped the lack of distractions in the form of boys and the change in setting might inspire me. Instead, Jenny's misery had proven contagious, and I had no energy for the instrument.

'Ladies,' Wyatt greeted as he entered the room unannounced and uninvited, 'do you think I could talk to Elisa privately for a moment?'

'No, they don't,' I said without giving him the courtesy of looking up from my task.

Meg got to her feet quickly. 'I need to go for a walk,' she mumbled before she practically bolted out of the room.

Coward.

'Don't you dare,' I warned Jenny.

'Sorry,' she said, 'but I think it would be good for me to talk to Chantelle. I'll catch up with you in the next class, okay?'

No, it wasn't okay, but she was gone before I could stop her. I jumped up from my perch intending to follow them, but was hampered in my escape by Wyatt. He stood resolutely in front of the door. I didn't like being alone with him at the best of times. And after the party, I was sure he was going to lecture me about leaving him there. I mean, we should have taken him with us, but William hadn't been the only boy I'd wanted to get away from.

I folded my arms across my chest and narrowed my eyes. I didn't think Wyatt was particularly athletic or strong. I might have been able to overpower him to get out of the door if I really felt the need. But that took a lot of effort and determination. Besides, it wasn't the largest school on the planet. If he was so determined to speak to me then he would find a way.

'I'm getting the feeling you're going to say something I won't like.'

'Elisa, I'd never do that,' he simpered. 'But, I'll admit, I knew you'd be a little apprehensive. I'd be worried if you weren't. Just so you know, your Mum already gave her blessing for this.'

'For what?'

'See, it's that innocence that I love about you. Most women would have noticed my feelings already, but you haven't, because you're so unaware of the ways of men.'

I wasn't, but it didn't seem like the right time to point that out.

'For a long time, although I've called myself your brother, I haven't really felt that way. I know I've been absent in your upbringing, and I think if I hadn't, it would have been difficult for these feelings to develop. When I knew I had a place at this school, and we met again, I realised that I couldn't hide it any longer.'

Please, try.

I opened my mouth to interject and was swiftly interrupted.

'I know you're going to say it's sudden. I know it is for you, but for me this has been a long time coming. I wouldn't have acted at all, but when I was last in France, I met with Madame Courtenay. She was good enough to advise me on my future. She felt that I could be a Professor in some grand institution in a few years, but I needed to set myself up with a wife and family to prove I was reputable and respectable. That being the case, she urged me to find a woman to share my home.'