"You can't just assume that because they stopped dating he wants another girlfriend immediately afterwards," Courtney said to Heather the next morning at breakfast as Heather scanned the room for Cody. Heather looked at her and frowned.
"Everyone knows that the popular guy always has to have a girlfriend!" Heather told her. "Besides, you don't have to start dating straight away. You just have to be the first girl he sees..." Courtney rolled her eyes, tired of her friend's ridiculous schemes to get her a boyfriend.
"I don't know why he's popular. He's short, skinny and far too confident for his own good," Courtney replied. "And honestly I don't really..."
"I see him!" Heather exclaimed, cutting Courtney off. Courtney sighed and went back to her breakfast. "Cody come sit with us!" she called to him. He gave her a slightly confused look, as he'd barely spoken to their group before. Since Sierra was already sitting with his friends and he didn't want to join her, he headed towards Heather and sat next to her.
"Hi Heather, Al, Noah, ladies." He winked at the girls and Alejandro shuddered as Cody said his name, but didn't say anything. He knew Heather would only go off at her later for ruining her friend's chances with Cody.
"Cody, you're looking well," Heather told him, giving Courtney a look that said 'talk to him or else'. Courtney glared at her so Bridgette stepped up instead.
"I'm sorry to hear about you and Sierra," she said sincerely.
"It's okay," he replied. "I knew the relationship wouldn't last much longer."
"Probably because it was reliant on her infatuation with you," Courtney said under her breath. Heather heard her and kicked her under the table. "Ow!"
"So Cody do you thin you'll jump right back in the game?" Heather asked, attempting to be casual. He was a bit taken aback by the question but he still answered.
"I dunno," he replied thoughtfully. "I guess it depends on if the right girl comes along I might get straight into it. I wouldn't want to hurt Sierra by going in too soon, though." Heather nodded in understanding.
"Courtney was just saying how she'd like to get back out there!" Heather told him. Courtney glared at her.
"No I was- ow!" she cried as she earned herself another kick from Heather. Courtney scoffed and stood up. "I don't have to put up with this!" And with that she stormed off. Heather sat there with her mouth open, furious that Courtney had refused to stay and talk. Bridgette saved the day again by beginning a conversation with Cody.
When Heather arrived to English class Cody had already taken a seat away from Sierra, and Heather decided to join him instead of sitting with Bridgette and Gwen like she usually would. Courtney walked in not long after and, upon seeing Heather, stuck her nose in the air and sat next to Gwen. Heather frowned, clearly annoyed that Courtney wasn't going along with the plan to get her with Cody.
"Hey Cody, how's it going?" she said, getting out her books. He was surprised at the amount of attention he was getting from her.
"Things are going good, Heather, thanks," he replied. She smiled at him.
"So have you thought much about what we were saying this morning? About getting back out there?"
"Well, I..." he began.
"I know you don't want to hurt Sierra," Heather said understandingly. "But it'll help you get over her if you find someone else." Sierra turned around in her seat to glare at Cody. He sighed.
"I did have fun at breakfast this morning," he admitted. "Bridgette's very..."
"Bridgette's practically already in a relationship!" Heather interrupted. "Courtney on the other hand, while not as easy going as Bridgette, is still just as, if not more, attractive and very much available."
"Oh," was the only response Cody could give her. He turned around to see Courtney and Gwen chatting away. He smiled, though not at Courtney as Heather suspected. This seemed to please Heather and she turned back to her work.
"Now don't forget that on Thursday we're taking a class trip around town so you won't be needing your books!" Miss O'Halloran reminded the class at the end of the lesson. Everyone packed their books up and headed out the door for lunch.
"Will you be sitting with us again?" Heather asked Cody as they left the room.
"Sure, if that's okay with you and your friends?" Heather nodded and they headed towards the dining hall.
"Does anyone know when the next party will be?" Geoff asked the group as they picked at their plates of unknown meat. Chef Hatchet's meals were always revolting and no one was quite sure if this was a boarding school trait or if it was the problem of Chef Hatchet.
"Parties only happen when students approach Headmaster Chris about it," Sadie explained. Katie looked at Geoff excitedly.
"You should talk to him about it!" she told him. Sadies face brightened.
"Oh yes do it Geoff, please!" Geoff smiled at the girls and Duncan rolled his eyes. Courtney smiled and shook her head at how easily excited her little sister could get.
"Sure, why not?" Geoff agreed. Katie and Sadie squealed with excitement. "As long as everyone here shows up. That includes you, Cody, man. And Noah." Cody smiled and nodded at him. Noah just rolled his eyes. "That's settled then. I'll see you all later." With that Geoff left for his next class.
On Thursday during their class trip to town, the girls and Cody sat in the Meryton Cafe. They were supposed to be doing research for a class project but none of them really wanted to and Miss O'Halloran didn't mind, since they'd made their reservation as soon as they'd been told about the trip.
"After this we should go shopping for what we're going to wear to Geoff's party next weekend," Heather decided.
"I already have something for the party," Courtney told her. At that moment, Katie and Sadie came up to their table and sat down. "Katie are you skipping class again?" Courtney looked at her disapprovingly.
"No, Courtney, I'm not skipping class again," Katie said. "Our teacher let us out early because we'd finished all our work." Her and Sadie smiled and Courtney rolled her eyes.
"We reserved this table for us, so if you don't mind..." Courtney began.
"Let it go, Court," Gwen told her. "It's fine." Courtney frowned and folded her arms. As she did this, Gwen noticed Trent walk in with a very attractive friend. They walked up to the counter and ordered their beverages.
"Trent!" Gwen called to him. He looked up at her and smiled. He and his friend walked over to them as they picked up their drinks.
"Hello ladies! Cody, Noah," Trent said. "This is my friend Justin," he introduced. "Justin these are some of my friends, Gwen, Heather, Courtney Bridgette, Noah and Cody."
"Enchanted," he said with a smile, kissing Courtney's hand. She blushed.
"I'm Katie and this is my friend Sadie," Katie added, a little annoyed that Trent hadn't bothered with their introductions.
"So great to meet you all!" Justin said, and everybody swooned.
"Justin goes to Longbourne, you know, the public school in the area," Trent explained. "We met at Hockey Camp." The girls all sighed in admiration and Noah went back to reading his book.
"Justin will you coming to the party next weekend?" Katie asked excitedly.
"I don't know, isn't it a Netherfield Park thing?" Justin asked.
"Girls, stop pestering him!" Trent scolded playfully.
"No, it's okay," Justin said coolly. "I'd love to come." He winked at Courtney and she giggled.
"We should be heading back to school," Courtney announced. "Justin, would you care to walk with us?"
"Of course!" he said. As they were walking out of the cafe they ran into Geoff and Duncan.
"Is everyone skipping school today?" Courtney wondered aloud, annoyed at having to see Duncan again.
"Oh hey Geoff!" Bridgette greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"We're picking up coffees for the headmaster," Geoff told them. "That dude is so cool, just letting us out of class for practically no reason." Duncan and Justin stared icily at each other as everyone stood there in awkward silence. Katie was the one to break it.
"Is it okay if Justin comes to the party next weekend?" she asked Geoff. He was a little taken aback by the request.
"Uh, sure Katie, why not? The more the merrier right?" he replied. Duncan sneered at Justin.
"Well, we better get going!" Heather said quickly before Duncan could start a fight. "See you at lunch." They continued out the door. Courtney and Justin walked behind everyone else at a steady pace.
"Does Duncan hate you for some reason?" Courtney asked in relation to the moment in the cafe. Justin sighed. "If you don't mind me asking."
"I don't mind," Justin said. "When I was taken away from my parents as a child, his family became my foster family. His father loved him like a second son, almost more than he loved Duncan. This made Duncan incredibly jealous of me, and who wouldn't be?" He gestured to his body and Courtney couldn't think of anyone who wouldn't be jealous. "Because he was so jealous of me, he told his father - our father - that when I went out on Saturday nights I was dealing drugs, when really I was working at a soup kitchen for the homeless. His father kicked me out so I was forced into another home that was much worse." Courtney was shocked at this dramatic and horrible story.
"I hate that guy!" she said in frustration. "Everything he does just makes me want to hit him where it hurts! I guess this means you won't want to come to the party next weekend."
"Of course not!" Justin assured her. "I'm completely over the whole thing. If he doesn't want to see me that's his business, and he can be the one not to go. Let's not waste another breath on him." Courtney agreed and they walked the rest of the way without bringing him up again.
