A/N: Decided to change things a little once again. Here is Johnathan's POV. Lexie meets his family. Throughout the chapter I mix POVs to keep the story going. Hope it is not too confusing. Enjoy:)

Disclaimer: I do not own Pride and Prejudice; all rights belong to Jane Austen.

Ch. 21

He hated that they made it in time for last period, but at the same time he was glad he had time to process everything she told him. He smiled at the thought that she told him something no one else knew. He felt special, she must trust him. But at the same time it was a lot to process. He knew her family was horrible, he just thought it was because they had no class. His own family was crazy but they knew how to act in public. But to know that they did not love her, want her, and were embarrassed by her made him angry; with the Bennet's as much as himself.

He had always thought they were a loving family; they always came to her events and school functions. Both her parents always did brag about her. He thought they were just proud of her. He thought she was quiet around them was because she was embarrassed and serious, that the way Hurst spoke of her was the way she was normally. He always thought she was better than him. She had a loving mother and father, and he had just lost his. She was smarter and younger.

His whole view of her was shattered yesterday when she broke down in front of him, and now this. He always wondered why Hurst never spoke of her family, never told him anything about her when he would ask. Something good is going to happen. He smiled to himself, something had told him to go to the party on Saturday. He had not wanted to go, but Hurst insisted he needed a 'distraction', something told him to accept. He spoke to her and was able to witness what Hurst saw. She was comfortable around him. He hoped she would like his family. His grandfather was away on business and his grandmother was a sweet lady; she would bond with Lexie; she already loved to watch her play. He hoped that his sister would not embarrass him and that the $20 dollars he promised his niece to let him play with her later would help.

The bell rang and he made his way outside. She was speaking with Anne and Mary. Anne looked at him; he could see the worry in her eyes. Does she think I would hurt her too? He looked over at Hurst who was saying hi to him as he approached. Hurst handed him Lexie's violin and he said hello to the girls. They said their goodbyes and were soon heading towards his house. They didn't speak; she was listening to the CD. He glanced at her; she sat with perfect posture and was looking out the window. He wanted her to look at him.

"So have you thought of any songs that you would like to play?" He asked.

"I like the ones you suggested. I had not really thought about it. We have until October, I am sure we will find the right one, or the right one will find us." She smiled and looked back out the window.

"Find us?" He asked smirking. She giggled and turned to face him.

"I thought you believed things happen for a reason?" She kept giggling. "I do not listen to the radio; I do not like about 90% of the 'popular' music they play. When I hear it, I give it a chance, then immediately tune it out and play my own music in my head. Sometimes though a song will catch my attention if I want it to or not. It seeps into my brain. It finds me. Unfortunately sometimes, the song is good musically but has horrible lyrics or I find the tune and composition of the song are catchy. Those are the songs that I hate at first, and then later I will be humming it, and then it will be stuck in my head. But I will never place it in my mp3 player." She looked out the window again.

"That is how they get you; it's like a commercial jingle….like Oscar Mayer bologna. You know that song taught me how to spell bologna! Ha! It is a funny word. I can't say bologna without sing spelling it in my head." She paused and it looked as if she was doing that very thing. Her facial expressions were priceless. He wished he could lean over and kiss her. "Or theme songs, like who does not know the Love Boat song, or at least the tune?" She hummed it and giggled. "Brainwashing! It's amazing how the human mind works. What do you think?'' She looked at him; he could not help but smile widely. Her head was a bit tilted and she looked at him with a small smile.

He looked at her lips. "That you truly are an enigma." He chuckled and smiled smugly when she blushed. "Like you said we have until October, we can look up videos and sheet music for anything. I also have a recording studio; I was hoping we could record ourselves."

"Yes that sounds fine. If we are lucky we might be able to get a song or two done every two, three days? So if we cannot find a song we can always go back and listen to the ones we've already played and find one that suits us."

He just nodded; all the girls he told about his studio were always impressed. She didn't even flinch at the mention of it. They were pulling up to the gate and he punched in a code at the gate, he drove up the long driveway and looked over to watch her reaction. He was disappointed when she didn't seem to like it. But he caught a look in her eyes and a different smile on her lips.

His home was grand, but out of place. Though they could not be seen, his neighbors had more modern houses. His mother however had always loved nature so their house was stone and had larger floor to ceiling windows throughout the house. There were trees surrounding the house. His parents had moved here after they married; he had a lot of good memories here. His grandparents moved here to raise him and his sister because they did not want to leave. A couple months ago his older sister had moved back in with them, along with his niece and nephews.

He helped her up the stairs and they entered his house, he was happy that the butler seemed to be busy and hoped he could get her to the music room without running into anyone. Fate had other plans; his niece came running up to him with her arms wide open like always yelling his name. But then she noticed Lexie and halted, she looked at him and a big 'o' formed on her lips. She paused to think, then looked up at Lexie and came walking up to them.

"Hello, how are you? I'm Nicole Parker. Nice to meet you." She said rehearsed and smiled with a curtsy; she was an adorable 6 year old. She looked like his sister, light brown short hair with brown eyes.

"Hello Miss Nicole Parker I am Alexa Bennet. It is nice to meet you." She smiled brightly and tried to curtsy.

"Ooooooooh! You're Lexa! You're right Uncle John; she is really, really pretty. Why are you holding those weird things?"

He blushed and looked at her but she was still smiling warmly. "These are called crutches. I hurt my foot and these help me walk."

"OOOOOOH ok. You look funny, but still pretty. Do you think my Uncle John is pretty?"

He looked at Lexie trying to stay composed. He wanted to know what her answer would be, but didn't want her to feel like she had to answer. "Ni-

"Thank you, you are very pretty I like your skirt. So how old are you Miss Parker?"

"I'm not Miss Parker silly my mommy is. I am seven." She smiled and held out 6 fingers.

"Nicky, you are six and going to be seven." She just smiled and nodded.

"Can you keep a secret Nicole?" She nodded and got excited. Lexie motioned for her to come next to her and kneeled. She whispered something in Nicole's ear and he could see her little head nodding with excitement. Then she whispered into Lexie's ear and she replied. "Ok so pinky promise?"

"Yea!" They pinky promised and Nicole looked like she was the happiest girl in the world. Lexie stood. "Would you like to play tea with me Lexa? Uncle John likes to play with me but he said we had to play later. Please?" She made huge puppy dog eyes.

He was about to answer when his sister came in. She was breast feeding his nephew, and half of her shirt was down and she was in pajama shorts. She looked like she hadn't slept in days and she probably hadn't. The divorce was taking a toll on her and she had a baby to look after. Everyone helped out with her two other children, but the baby would not let her rest, he was always crying. She looked up when Nicky yelled hi to her and composed herself as best she could.

"Johnny! What are you doing home so early?" She came over, "Mama told you to stop bringing your girlfriends over during school!" She meant to say it low enough for only him to hear, but it was evident by how red Lexie was getting she heard, he could she her tense and jaw tighten. "Where are my manners?! Hello I'm Jennifer Pa-Drake." She faltered.

"Hello, it is nice to meet you. I'm Alexa Bennet." She smiled shyly and held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you too. So what are you doing home from school?" She asked turning to him.

"Jenny, it is 4 in the afternoon, school is already out. Alexa and I are going to practice a duet for the concert. Remember I told you this morning?" He said a little annoyed.

"Yes, of cou-" She said picking a hand up to her face in embarrassment.

"Nathaniel Parker! You get back here!'' His grandmother could be heard yelling, and on cue his 4 year old nephew went running past them into another room; throwing his clothes off. His grandmother entered and looked at all of them; Nathaniel forgotten. She saw Alexa and then back down at what she was wearing. She was covered in dirt, she must have been gardening. She held her head up and came up to them. "Alexandra Bennet? Hello, I'm Mrs. Helen Drake; it is nice to finally meet you. You are a very talented violinist. I was happy when John told us you would be performing together." She said sweetly.

"Hello Mrs. Drake, it is nice to meet you to. Please call me Alexa." She said reaching to shake her hand.

"Very well, would you like something to drink? How about some cookies? I baked them myself." She said happily.

"COOKIES!" Nathaniel came running into the hall way in his underwear. The baby started to cry and his sister excused herself.

"No cookies for you young man." His eyes got watery. "Now go put some clothes on and maybe I'll give you one cookie." She said sternly. He pouted but went to go look for his clothes.

"Can I have a cookie granny? I'm being a good girl!"

"Yes you may."

"Can I have five then? I need them for my tea party. You're coming right Lexa?"

"You can have five if you behave and let John practice with his friend." She pouted but agreed. "So would you like some cookies Alexa?"

"Not at the moment thank you, but could I have some water?"

"Are you sure you would not like tea or lemonade. Our cook Gail is an angel sent from heaven. I can assure you, once you've tasted either you will be hooked."

"Lemonade sounds great thank you." She said.

They made their way to his studio, he was glad he had set everything up. "Sorry about that, my family is a little crazy."

"There is no need to apologize, I liked them. Your niece and nephews are adorable; children are great are they not?" He handed her case to her once she sat.

"Yes they are. I love them very much even though they are a handful. Do you have younger cousins?"

"No. Mary is a year younger than me and my cousin Josh is a year older. I just like kids in general. They are the best students, eager to learn and they are so innocent, unaware of the evils of the world." She said distantly.

"Students?"

"Yes. Our freshman year, after the concert, Mrs. Hill introduced me to parents who wanted their child to learn how to play the violin. One thing led to another and I became a tutor. I only tutor 2 kids, the ones who really want to learn and are not forced, until Christmas and then during the summer."

"Why only 2, why not year round?" He was happy to be getting to know her better.

She fidgeted uncomfortably; he worried and hoped she would answer. "If I only teach for a short amount of time, I could only truly devote my time to two kids." She fidgeted, "Their parents pay me…. Well, so they should get to have my full attention. I use a fraction of my money on Christmas shopping and birthdays. A majority is saved and I have enough money to pay for the things that I want."

"So what did you make Nicole promise to keep a secret?" He asked changing the subject.

She leaned into his ear and whispered that it was a secret. He felt a tingle down his spine when her breath hit his ear. She pulled away giggling. "May I know at least what it was about?" She shook her head no.

There was a knock on the door and he told whoever it was to enter. It was his grandma, holding a tray with two glasses and some cookies. She waited until Lexie tried both and was happy that Lexie loved them. She invited Lexie for dinner; Lexie politely declined and his grandmother mentioned something about using the nice dishes and the dining room but Lexie explained about her transportation dilemma.

"Do not be silly I am sure John would love to take you home. Right John?" She said in a teasing manor.

"No thank you, I could not impose. I do not want to be an inconvenience."

As if on cue Nicole came into the room. "Pretty pretty please stay?" She gave her these huge puppy dog eyes; who could resist? She agreed.

Once they left the room, she texted Mary and her father and they began to practice. The only time they spoke was to talk about the music, hours passed and it was time for dinner. He was happy that everyone was on their best behavior, even Nate.

"Alexa, what are your plans after you graduate?" His grandmother asked.

"Right now I am in the process of deciding which college I would like to attend. Once I choose, I will most likely stay until the summer ends."

"I assume you will be earning your degree in music?"

"No mam, although I will continue to play, I am going to get my degree in accounting and business."

"I am glad to hear that you will continue to play you truly are a great player."

Lexie thanked her and conversation continued with Nicole talking about her day at school and about what they were going to do tomorrow. After dinner they invited Lexie to stay longer but she insisted that she must get home but thanked them for the invitation, dinner, and their hospitality.

On the car ride John asked why she wasn't going for a career in music.

"Getting to play the violin was only to help me get to college; it was not supposed to be my life." She explained that her father allowed her to play the violin all these years to help her get into a good school, but he expressed that it was a silly career and she could not make a life on it. She was allowed to stay a year longer in Silver if she agreed to earn her degree in an acceptable career to which she agreed.

He could hear a hint of sadness in her voice and asked her to elaborate. He could see her tense and she asked about his plans were. He told her that he too would be getting a degree in accounting and business. He did not have a choice, he was going to inherit his family's company and it was expected of him. The sadness in his voice was noticeable and she placed her had on his arm; she understood. She asked what he would rather go to school for. He told her he did not know, he had never thought about it before and no one had ever asked him. He had always known what was expected of him but at the same time he wants to do it because it is what his father would have wanted. She told him that she would like nothing more than to play for a living, but she saw her father's logic and at least he did not choose her career for her. She loved math, it was easy.

They arrived at her house and she told him to stop at the entrance of the driveway. He was confused but complied. She thanked him and said that she would see him tomorrow. He insisted on walking her to the door but she refused.

When he got home he asked Nicole what the secret was, she refused to tell him and he promised her 10 more dollars if she did. She went up to his ear and whispered. She just made a bunch of little noises. His face fell; she was smart, now he wouldn't know if she thought he was cute. He knew he was handsome, everyone always told him. But Lexie was not just anyone.

"Uncle John, don't be sad. Lexa said that you are pretty when you smile." He looked at her and asked when. "After she told me the secret; she said. 'Yes he is very pretty when he smiles." He could not stop smiling and asked her if she liked Alexa. She said yes and asked when she was coming over again.

Wednesday:

Will came up with the perfect plan on his own, Anne told him that she could not help him; Lexie was not a materialistic person so there was nothing he could buy her. Luckily Charlie decided to take Jane out on a date, but didn't want to use the word date. He wanted to go in a group, being too shy to go alone. He asked Will for his advice as to what they could do, Charlie did not want to do the usual movie and dinner and he wanted it to be special.

Will looked online for activities or events going on or around the city. He was happy when he found that an orchestra would be playing in a city two hours away. He knew that Lexie was passionate about music. It did not take much to convince Charlie, he usually did as Will suggested. At lunch Charlie asked Jane if she, Lizzie and Alexa would like to go with him, Darcy and Caroline out on Saturday.

"Why would you want to invite Lexie? You do not even know her." Lizzie asked a little harshly. No one but Jane noticed. She just did not want them to see how Lexie was.

"I know how much she loves music. You were right Jane; she is a very talented player."

"You've seen her play?" Lizzie asked confused.

"Oh yes. Lizzie I forgot to mention that Lexie was at Will's party this weekend. She stayed the weekend at Anne's remember?" Jane said.

Lizzie nodded; she understood why Jane didn't tell her. She told her she didn't want to know, hear, or talk about Darcy. Lexie hadn't said anything either but that was no surprise, she never did.

"Oh yea, happy belated birthday." She mumbled. The corner of his lip twitched slightly and he thanked her.

She however declined to go, it was not really her cup of tea to sit and listen to people play their instruments. She found it boring but did not say so. At the same time she didn't want to be in the same place as Darcy and Caroline. She coaxed Charlotte into saying they already had plans. Charlotte later berated her for declining, but at least now they were going to have a sleep over. Will was upset that she would not be going, he wanted be around her. He thought about backing out too but then remembered the reason why he suggested it in the first place.

"Lizzie, I hope you will change your mind. I am really nervous even though it is not a date, he said to dress formally." Jane told her later at night.

"Jane don't worry you'll be fine. Even with Lexie there, I just hope she doesn't embarrass you and say something wrong."

"All the more reason that you have to come."

"Relax, Charlie will be too busy with you and knowing Caroline, she will be too busy trying to get Darcy's attention. As for Darcy he will be his normal stuck up self and not speak to anyone." She said giggling. "Lexie will be left by herself as always."

"Lizzie! Honestly your mouth is going to get you into trouble one of these days. Do you think Charlie would spend the night speaking with me?"

"Yes, he likes you as much as you like him. Always texting and talking on the phone. If he does not like you then I am convinced he is a great actor."

They heard the front door close and by looking at the time, they knew it was Lexie. Jane called out to her when she was at the top of the steps and she came and stood at the doorway. She never entered without being invited.

"Yes Jane?"

"Come in." Lexie felt extremely happy. Jane and Lizzie never invited her to their night talks. Maybe they wanted to hang out with her. She came in and sat on the desk chair. She sat down and turned to face them.

"I have a huge favor to ask, Charlie invited us to go out this Saturday but Lizzie doesn't want to go. Will you please go with me? I'm really nervous and it isn't even Saturday." She asked happily.

Lexie was hurt, but didn' show it. Of course they did want to talk to her, why would they? "Yes, where will we be going?"

"He told me it was a surprise, but to dress formally."

"Ok, let me know what time we will leave." She stood up and went straight to her room.

She lied down on her bed and listened to her mp3 player. She had been feeling things deeper than she normally would have. She should have known that they did not want to be around her. She did know. Hope, she hated that word; that feeling. It only led to disappointment.

Jane was going to say something when Lexie stood to leave but Lizzie stopped her.

"Jane it is no use." She said once Lexie left and she heard the door to their room close. "Just be happy that she agreed to go."

"I think that we should invite her to join us. We will all be going away soon and it would be a good bonding experience. That way we can keep in touch."

"Jane I know you would like to get to know her, but this is for the best. Believe me I know, you cannot see the bad in anything but I do not want her to put you down Jane. You are too kind and good."

"Lizzie, I know that she told you something that made you sad, but that was a long time ago. Maybe she has changed. She wouldn't have friends if she was sad all the time."

"Jane, Lexie will always be how she is. It's how she has always been. No matter how hard we try. And she only has 3 friends and one of them is family. You know how Mrs. De Bough is, imagine Anne? Probably like her and Lexie only follows her every command being as quiet as she is."

"Maybe you're right. I just remember when she would come to me when she felt bad. And you use to defend her." Jane said downfallen.

"Yes and I would always be the one who got into trouble."

Friday:

John had started eating lunch with them, Mary was still practicing, and Anne and Hurst would arrive later; always blushing. She and John sat down and she could tell he was nervous about something, but didn't ask him about it.

"Lexie I was wondering if you had any plans tomorrow night?" He said rushed.

"Yes. Jane asked me to accompany her on a date because Lizzie did not want to go. Why?"

"Oh my grandfather sent us tickets to an orchestra and I have a spare, I thought you would have liked to go."

She rewarded him with her big smile but then it fell. "I would have loved to go with you. I've always wanted to go; but I already promised Jane."

"You've never been to one?" He asked surprised.

"No my family always chooses to go to the movies, or fairs, carnivals. The only time I've seen others play is when we go to competitions and on YouTube."

He just nodded, he was upset. Maybe if he had asked her earlier; he wanted to on Monday but it would have been awkward. They were not friends yet; he was happy that they clicked so well in these past five days.

Lexie was upset, she liked spending time with John, though still wasn't as comfortable with him, she enjoyed the time they spent together. They would talk about movies, shows, little thing, music and play music. She got to know his family a little better and she would always stay for dinner. She even played with Nicole and Nate; she liked them. She felt like she was part of a family.

It was weird; it had only been a week. She needed to speak with Dr. Stone. She emailed her throughout the week, but she needed to speak with her; emails were a little impersonal right now. She felt she could not tell her as much or express as much; tell her how much had changed.

Lexie was in the kitchen eating fruit as she waited for John to return. They were taking a break and Nate asked him for his help. Jenny walked in with Noah, and she began to look for something to eat. Noah started to cry and Jenny tried to calm him down, but she had to use the restroom. Jenny asked her to hold him until John came back.

She was handed a screaming, crying, wiggling being and when she cradled him as she had seen Jenny do, he stopped crying. She smiled brightly at him and he returned her smile with a small one.

John walked back into the kitchen and saw Lexie holding Noah and speaking to him as if he were an adult; he wanted to laugh but didn't want her to know he was there. He was mesmerized by her smile and the glimmer in her eyes. He pulled out his phone and took several pictures. He quickly put his phone away and cleared his throat. He stopped breathing when she looked up at him, still with that smile, he felt his heart swell up.

"I think he likes me! That is so cool. I always wondered what it felt like to hold a baby. He's so tiny but chunky." Her face scrunched up. "I think Noah here just used the restroom."

He laughed and came to get him. Noah immediately started to cry and was handed back to Lexie and stopped. Lexie laughed and followed John to change his diaper. She wanted to know how to change one and he taught her. He liked that she wanted to know everything, she was always asking him questions; about the cello or how the equipment in his studio worked.

Before he took her home he went to his room while she spoke with Nicole. He was nervous the whole way. Luckily she was just listening to the music and he was able to keep composed. Before she exited the car he grabbed her arm and handed her a note. She looked at him with a questioning glance; he shrugged and told her not to read it until the morning. She just smiled and accepted it. She thanked him and told him she would see him on Monday.

The next morning she woke up and reached for the note. She was going to read it last night but she decided honor his wishes and wait. Opening it she saw that it was two pages and he had very beautiful handwriting. The first read:

Lexie, I know that we have only known each other for a week, but I am glad to call you my friend. You are a good person. I hope that these words will help you see that. Your friend, Jonathan Drake.

She looked at the other page and read it:

*Darling, open your eyes. You are not made of those words that hurt you. Or that number on the scale, or the expectations that you feel you will never meet. You are made up of nothing more than you. Simply, beautifully, wonderfully, uniquely you. You are a lovely complex soul. An individually fascinating combination of thoughts, ideas, feelings, emotions. No one is as beautiful as you. Look past the mirror. Look at your soul. Only then will you see yourself as you truly are. Beautiful. So smile! And don't forget to love yourself.

She smiled and must have read the page 20 times. She got up and ready still with a smile on her face. She didn't know how to feel, she just felt happy. She wondered if he wrote it or looked it up. It did not matter to her she still loved that he took the time to write it. Just for me. She wanted to place it in her book and give credit to the person who wrote it.

When she saw that Lizzie was up, she contained her happiness and asked Lizzie if she would like to walk Aries with her, but she declined. She grabbed several apples to give him.

As they walked into the fields, she could tell he wanted to do trot or sprint but her head was still healing and would often hurt. Once she got off of him she fed him an apple as she started to unbuckle the saddle and took everything off including the reigns. She made a clicking noise and he took off in a trot and soon he began to run. She watched him for a while and then took her phone out so she could text Hurst and ask him for John's number. She realized that she never got his and he didn't know her number either. She wanted to thank him for the kind words; just thinking about it made her smile.

She looked up and saw that Aries was now running beside another horse. It looked like a race almost and then she saw the rider on the other horse was Will. Her smile dropped, she had to get out of here. She didn't expect to see him until tonight, around other people. They slowed down and started to walk. She whistled loudly and Aries started to trot towards her. She hoped that Will was not going to come over to her but no such luck. Disappointment, you'd think I'd be used to it. Aries approached her and she handed him an apple and started to put everything back on.

Will got off his horse and said hello to her. She told him hello, flatly. He looked at her as she moved quickly to put the saddle on Aries. "Would you like some help?" He asked. He wanted to speak with her and couldn't believe his luck.

She could not be mean to him. She could not be cold. "Although I do not require your help, it would be appreciated and welcomed. Do not think however that I cannot do this on my own." She said without looking at him.

He nodded and placed the saddle on Aries for her and she just kept working. She thanked him once she was finished and her phone went off indicating she had a message. To her surprise it was John. Will was forgotten.

John asked Hurst for her number, he wanted to see if she read his note and what she thought about it. She smiled widely and told him thank you and that she loved it. She finished with Aries and gave him another apple. Will's horse neighed and came up to her nudging her. She giggled and reached into her pouch. She looked to Will for approval and fed his horse.

"What is his name?" She giggled when he wanted another.

"Perses"

"Hello Perses, it is nice to meet you. This is Aries, Aries say hello." Aries nodded and neighed. She giggled and gave him a hug. "Good boy!"

She heard footsteps and turned around to see Lizzie jogging towards them.

Lizzie almost tripped when she saw them. Today she felt like jogging and ended up this far by chance. She worried about what they could be talking about and decided to go up to them.

"Lexie, please tell me you didn't ride Aries, what about your injury?" She said the first thing that popped into her head.

"No need to actually worry Lizzie, we walked here and then I let him run by himself. We were actually about to leave."

"Oh, I thought that you and Darcy here were riding together."

"Hello Elizabeth. No, I just came upon them and stopped to say hello." He said he couldn't help but stare at her.

She still looked beautiful with her hair the frizziest he had seen it and sweat dripping down her face. Lexie noticed the way he looked at Lizzie, but Lizzie thought that he was critiquing her. She had to warn Lexie away from him.

"I see." She said wiping the sweat from her forehead. "It is good to hear that you are only acquaintances. If you do become friends however I must warn you Lexie that Darcy here has a bad temper and once you get him mad, he will not forgive you." She said in a teasing tone.

Lexie however felt a hint of anger but pushed it down. Will got angry because it was the worst thing to say right now. He hadn't spoken to Alexa yet about last week and now Lizzie was telling her that once you made him mad, that was it he would resent you. Surly Alexa knew though that it was a misunderstanding.

"I thought we had decided that you could not find it within you to make fun of my flaws." He said.

"Oh we did but I am not making fun of them I'm just warning my sister not to make you angry. You do not know each other. I would not want either of you to say the wrong thing. Lexie does not think like we do. And knowing you have something against people who offend you in some way…." She said shrugging.

"I believe that everyone has a characteristic that is a natural defect. That not even the best educated can overcome." Darcy said staring at Lizzie.

"Yes and yours is to hate everyone, if I remember our conversation correctly." She tried to say it harshly but Lizzie had a way about her that it did not sound harsh at all. She always sounded sweet and mischievous.

"And yours is to willfully misunderstand them." He said with a smile.

Perses neighed and Will and Lizzie broke eye contact to look at him. He was standing alone and Lexie could be seen in the sort distance walking next to Aries. Both of them felt bad, neither had noticed that she left. Lizzie was more embarrassed that Lexie would just leave without saying anything, she found it rude. Plus she was now stuck with Darcy. They said their goodbyes awkwardly and each headed home.