One Word From You: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation by Natalie Penna Page A
Authors: Natalie Penna
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trip William in the hall when he sauntered past with Chantelle was overwhelming, but I pushed it deep down into my stomach, and forced smiles in their company. I didn't think Chantelle was happy either, but so long as she got to hang off William's arm, she suffered through it. I didn't have much hope for her as a person, but it appeared as if she genuinely liked the idea of Jenny being with her brother. Money was likely the deciding factor, but I wasn't about to voice that opinion. Charlie didn't seem the kind of boy to care about that. In fact, if Jenny was the poorest person in the world, he'd probably still smile at her like she was an angel.
As was typical, the peace only lasted a few weeks.
“ Beth, your phone's flashing,” Chrissy informed me one evening.
I pushed my headphones off, the music so loud that it blared out a heavy beat when they hit the pillow. Carefully, I took my phone from the floor where I'd left it, like I might accidentally answer it if I just snatched it up. It was a blocked number, and usually I ignored them, but whoever this was had been calling me increasingly frequently.
Against my better judgment, I answered, “Hello?”
“ Elisabeth?”
“ Mum?” I sat up a little straighter. The noise in the room died down. Everyone knew that my mother and I weren't on the best terms, and that any communication from her usually meant there was some kind of an emergency. Like she was getting divorced again, or she wanted me to convince my Dad to do something for her.
“ Darling, you shouldn't ignore your phone!”
“ Yeah, well I'm on it now. What do you want?”
“ How's school? Do you need money for anything?”
“ Fine, and no. What do you want?” I asked again.
“ Can't I just call to see how you are?”
“ No.”
She sighed on the other end, “Your brother is going to be joining you at school.”
“ Are you drunk?” I asked, “I'm an only child, Mum.”
“ Wyatt! You remember Wyatt, don't you?”
Unfortunately, yes.
“ Isn't he a little old to be coming here?”
“ It's a student teaching position. He's bringing a friend of his along, or something.”
“ Wait,” I said, “Why would he tell you that?”
“ I'm his mother!”
“ You were his step-mother. That's a different thing. I don't even talk to Wyatt.”
“ Well, he needed some money, and -”
“ Right. I get it. Anyway, it's none of my business if he comes here.”
“ Of course it is! He's looking forward to seeing you, and I want you to help him settle.”
“ So, I'm babysitting him? I would rather die.”
“ Elisabeth, I'm not asking you. I'm telling you to be attentive to your brother.”
“ You have no right to tell me anything. Oh, and one more thing,” I said, then made a point of hanging up. Just in case she tried to call back, I turned my phone off.
I could always count on Lisa to pick up on things when it concerned boys. In an adorable voice, she asked slyly, “Who's Wyatt?”
“ No one.”
“ He's someone ,” she pressed, “Is he an ex-boyfriend?”
“ Ex- brother. Well, not even that. Mum married his father before she had me with my Dad. We're not even blood relatives, but he used to come to our house all the time when I was little. We don't talk at all. I didn't even know he and Mum did, to be honest.”
“ Is he cute?” Chrissy asked.
“ I have no idea. I haven't seen him in – God – I don't even know. I don't care if he's coming to school. It's nothing to do with me.”
At least, that's what I thought.
I mean, the guy was a total stranger. It just so happened that both our fathers had been deluded in marrying my mother. It was the only thing we had in common, and it wasn't something to boast about. I might have actually had more brothers and sisters that I'd never met, because my mother didn't have a tendency to keep decent
As was typical, the peace only lasted a few weeks.
“ Beth, your phone's flashing,” Chrissy informed me one evening.
I pushed my headphones off, the music so loud that it blared out a heavy beat when they hit the pillow. Carefully, I took my phone from the floor where I'd left it, like I might accidentally answer it if I just snatched it up. It was a blocked number, and usually I ignored them, but whoever this was had been calling me increasingly frequently.
Against my better judgment, I answered, “Hello?”
“ Elisabeth?”
“ Mum?” I sat up a little straighter. The noise in the room died down. Everyone knew that my mother and I weren't on the best terms, and that any communication from her usually meant there was some kind of an emergency. Like she was getting divorced again, or she wanted me to convince my Dad to do something for her.
“ Darling, you shouldn't ignore your phone!”
“ Yeah, well I'm on it now. What do you want?”
“ How's school? Do you need money for anything?”
“ Fine, and no. What do you want?” I asked again.
“ Can't I just call to see how you are?”
“ No.”
She sighed on the other end, “Your brother is going to be joining you at school.”
“ Are you drunk?” I asked, “I'm an only child, Mum.”
“ Wyatt! You remember Wyatt, don't you?”
Unfortunately, yes.
“ Isn't he a little old to be coming here?”
“ It's a student teaching position. He's bringing a friend of his along, or something.”
“ Wait,” I said, “Why would he tell you that?”
“ I'm his mother!”
“ You were his step-mother. That's a different thing. I don't even talk to Wyatt.”
“ Well, he needed some money, and -”
“ Right. I get it. Anyway, it's none of my business if he comes here.”
“ Of course it is! He's looking forward to seeing you, and I want you to help him settle.”
“ So, I'm babysitting him? I would rather die.”
“ Elisabeth, I'm not asking you. I'm telling you to be attentive to your brother.”
“ You have no right to tell me anything. Oh, and one more thing,” I said, then made a point of hanging up. Just in case she tried to call back, I turned my phone off.
I could always count on Lisa to pick up on things when it concerned boys. In an adorable voice, she asked slyly, “Who's Wyatt?”
“ No one.”
“ He's someone ,” she pressed, “Is he an ex-boyfriend?”
“ Ex- brother. Well, not even that. Mum married his father before she had me with my Dad. We're not even blood relatives, but he used to come to our house all the time when I was little. We don't talk at all. I didn't even know he and Mum did, to be honest.”
“ Is he cute?” Chrissy asked.
“ I have no idea. I haven't seen him in – God – I don't even know. I don't care if he's coming to school. It's nothing to do with me.”
At least, that's what I thought.
I mean, the guy was a total stranger. It just so happened that both our fathers had been deluded in marrying my mother. It was the only thing we had in common, and it wasn't something to boast about. I might have actually had more brothers and sisters that I'd never met, because my mother didn't have a tendency to keep decent
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