Chapter Twenty-One
Charlie, Aiden and I are hiding from Jack and Charlotte in our attic. How, did these events come to pass you ask? Well, you remember how Aiden suggested to Charlotte that she throw a party at her massive house and she decided too despite the fact that it pretty much meant hell on earth for me. In the same room as Darcy and Carl for hours on end, watching Jack and Charlotte be all lovey dovey in a corner and then having to walk various drunken brothers and best friend's home, despite the fact I'll be a little worse for wear myself. But the party is an inevitability, my brother's girlfriend's hosting it, another brother came up with the idea and our whole family has been invited, though Mum and Dad surprisingly turned down their invite citing 'health' reasons. I know it's inevitable that I'll have to attend this party - and, Jack's currently looking for me to talk about it - so naturally I have decided to do what Elijah Bennet does best by hiding from my problems and hoping that they go away.
Literally this time. So, I grabbed Charlie and took him up here. Aiden was already here, I'm not entirely sure why or what he was doing but I'm assuming it's either illegal or at the very least highly immoral so we haven't questioned him.
"Jack will find us eventually you know" Charlie tells me as he begins to look through old cardboard boxes that are filled with childhood junk
"You don't know that" I retort "I mean, I don't often have to hide from Jack, but when I do I never come up here. This is where I hide from Mum, mainly because Aiden convinced her there's racoons living up here"
"You're welcome" Aiden sneers from the sidelines, clearly very annoyed that Charlie and I have interrupted whatever immoral shenanigans he was getting up to. "Oh, and by the way, I never said it wasn't true"
"Racoons couldn't survive in this environment dumbass" I tell him "What are you even doing up here anyway?"
"Private stuff" Aiden replies
Ewww.
"Oh Aiden, that's disgusting, up here? Just lock your bedroom door" I shout at the disgusting little boy "Just count yourself lucky you never had to make a rota like Jack and me-"
"Oh my god I wasn't talking about that you moron" Aiden exclaims, actually looking slightly embarrassed for once in his life. Huh. Aiden embarrassed. I didn't think that was possible "It's just that sometimes, on occasion, me and my friends come up here to...you know"
"Have an orgy?"
"NO" Aiden shouts "Good god, Elijah, you really need to see somebody because you are obsessed with sex"
"I am not!"
"You are" Charlie and Aiden reply in unison
"Right, whatever" I say with a scoff "The point remains Aiden, what exactly do you and your friends do up here? Because you better not be messing with Ouija boards, because I will not tolerate ghosts in this house. You know how scared Kieran gets sometimes"
"Oh please, like I'd do anything that lame" Aiden snarls back "No, sometimes me and my friends come up here to do...you know, a little...stuff"
"Stuff?"
"He's talking about marijuana Elijah"
"He can't be, he's 9"
"I'm actually 16 in like three weeks"
"Shut up" I tell him "Now, Aiden, I don't know how you know what that is but let me tell you that what you're smoking, isn't it"
"It is!" he exclaims "We do it in here all the time. We did it earlier this morning"
"Well that explains the smell" said Charlie, way too casually for someone who'd just overheard their little brother occasionally partakes in drug abuse (well, Aiden's not technically Charlie's brother) "Hey, erm, my brother doesn't do it with you does he?"
"He's too much of a wuss" Aiden says smugly "...No offense"
"Aiden, I'm shocked and appalled" I tell him. Yes, I have very little moral high ground in anything but I'll be damned if Aiden's going to dabble in drugs. It'll only make going to prison worse for him. "I can't believe you do this honestly, it's not cool and those kids aren't your friends...oh god, please tell me you haven't corrupted Kieran"
"Oh, I haven't corrupted your precious Kieran" Aiden snarls nastily "Although Elijah, maybe you should analyse whether the reason Kieran acts like a child is because you still treat him like he's one"
"This isn't about him mister, this is about you, why are you doing this?" I demand "Do you think it makes you look cool? Because it doesn't. Nothing will make you look cool with that haircut...and this isn't going to help"
"Why are you so bloody bothered?" Aiden demands "It's not like you've never done bad shit yourself and besides, we're doing it out of sight. And we're not hurting anybody"
"You're hurting yourselves" I say dramatically. "It's like Amsterdam up here! I mean, you're a baby"
"I'm 15!"
"OK, a fetus" I tell him "Honestly Aid, I know you think that I don't give a shit about you but c'mon man? Drugs? Really? You wanna be that guy"
Aiden shrugs. "You gonna tell Mum and Dad" he asks
Nope. Like, yes, I know that I probably should alert Mum and Dad to the fact they're raising a white Lil Wayne, but us Bennet boys have long come to an agreement that we don't tell Mum or Dad anything that could get us forcefully enlisted in the army. Dad keeps the forms in his desk just in case to this day, around five years ago I went through a stage of burning them at every opportunity but like cockroaches and Cher, they kept coming back.
"Of course not" I tell him "But, you better believe that you are grounded...or, at the very least, your Elijah'ed"
'Elijah'ed' is a punishment I've been subjecting my little brothers too for a number of years now. Basically, due to the not telling parents anything rule, my brothers only get punished for doing bad deeds if they're caught red handed. This has meant some punishment for Marcus and Kieran a few times, but none for Aiden who is disturbingly sleuth and manipulative. So, in order for them to experience being in trouble, I essentially attach myself to them for a few weeks and embarrass them infront of all of their friends.
I like doing it to Aiden because he frequently peed himself until he was 11.
"Fine" Aiden huffs
"And, obviously, no more getting stoned in the house" I tell him "If you have to do it...do it at someone else's house or the park because here it could very well blow back in my face if you're caught, and I'm not having that. It was bad enough I got the blame because I turned a blind eye to Kieran's bat family a few years back-"
"Fine" Aiden says through gritted teeth. Knowing that it means probably running into Jack, I march Aiden to his bedroom and make him hand over his stuff. He calls me a 'prick' and then goes out for a while - I was tempted to follow him but I'll let him have some normal time before the punishment begins. Unfortunately, this means I now have to face the reality of the party as Jack and Charlotte found both Charlie and I attempting to lock ourselves in the big bathroom
"I really don't see why you guys need my help to plan a party" I tell them as we sit down at the living room table "I mean, I assumed that my job here would be to just turn up to the party looking flawless and pull"
Yes, I know I technically have a thing with Georgia, but she's gonna be out of town again and she said we were nothing exclusive so...I'm taking that as a yes, I can act like a total slut. I've decided to embrace the fact I'm a slut. Before, I've been too focused on lying to myself about not being one and it was just exhausting and really not fun. Like at all. I figure, I'm not doing anyone any harm, I'm always safe and respectful and I have fun, and the girls seem to as well. The only people who have problems with 'sluts' are those boring people who put too much emphasis on the importance of sex, when really it's just a physical act between two people. That's not say I wouldn't be open to the idea of a committed, serious relationship (in fact, I'd like it very much) but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.
That said, I have begun to find myself liking Georgia more and more recently, and I haven't found myself feeling like that about anyone since Jennifer. So...no...no, I'm not gonna pull an 'Eli', I'm going to remain faithful to her. Maybe we have something worth being boring and celibate for?
"Well, Eli, you're a very popular guy around these parts and truth be told, we don't really know many other people yet" Charlotte tells me. She is lovely bless her. Just one of those shiny people you can't help but like, Jack's done well "So, I was just wondering if you could invite quite a few people, I mean there's nothing worse than a dull and empty party"
"So, you expect me to go around my University class and ask students if they want to attend a massive party in a mansion that isn't there's" I ask "Look, I know you guys probably went to St. Trinian's or some shit so you don't really have a massive grasp on what a proper Uni rave is like, but that is not a good idea"
"So you're not gonna do it then?" Charlotte groans
"Were you not listening?" I reply "I said it was a bad idea, of course I'm going to do it, Charlotte this is going to be the party of the decade - nay, the millennium"
Jack's never been that devious, but I have to give him a pat on the back for this one, as well as simultaneously kicking myself for happily walking into the trap that was laid down right infront of me and I didn't realize. See, what I stupidly failed to register was that by agreeing to invite a majority of the guests to the party I essentially became a part of Charlotte's weird 'party planning committee'. I do not see how a party needs a planning committee, any party I have ever been too or thrown has been put together fairly last minute on a hope and a dream that nobody would call the police or worse my mother. But these people seem out to impress, and as such, myself, Charlie and Jack have found ourselves round at Netherfield pretty much every day this week helping the clueless rich folk how to plan a good and relatable party for their new plebeian neighbours.
Darcy's back, and just as confusing, before she went to see her brother a few weeks ago we seemed to be getting on track to becoming...well, friends. But now she's back, and I don't know if it's that southern air, she's returned to treating me like dog doo that she's stepped in and has so far rubbished any suggestions I've made whilst at the same time clearly not listening whenever I spoke. Look, I'm not the kind of guy who's going to make a grand claim that all women are confusing or anything - because they're not - but Darcy as an individual? Hella confusing! Jack and pretty much everyone else under the sun have been trying to convince me that she likes me for weeks, yet I see absolutely no evidence of it.
"So, guys, what music do you think we should do?" Charlotte asks Jack, Charlie, Victoria, Carl, Darcy and myself who are all gathered around the dining room in Netherfield mansion. Equipped to the brim with notebooks, calculators and diaries we've been in this meeting for two hours now and I want to die. Charlie has been blatantly playing Candy Crush on his phone for about forty-five minutes, and I have begun trying to recall the names of every girl I've ever snogged in my head. I'm not doing so well.
"Well, personally, I don't like all that rave dubstep crap" Victoria pipes up "I'd much rather have Rihanna or something"
Carl scoffs. He declared half an hour ago that anything that had charted within the Top 100 on the charts in the past decade was most likely shit. Jack keeps insisting me to me that Carl is actually very nice, and likes me a lot for some reason, but like with Darcy I just do not see it. Mainly, because he wants to be in Darcy's pants and probably blames me for the fact that that is not happening
"Yeah, just generic upbeat party music should do it" I say "The last thing you want is no atmosphere"
"Well, I personally would go for soft jazz" Darcy inputs "I mean, we do want this to be a classy affair don't we Char?"
"Of course" says Charlotte sounding relatively flustered
"Jazz? Really?" Charlie pipes up, speaking for the first time in half an hour "Look, I'm not one to hate on the greats, but Jazz is hardly appropriate for a big party is it?"
"Well, it depends on who is attending the party doesn't it?" Darcy argues back "I mean, I know you two won't have exactly have invited the elite of society but-"
"Oh Darcy, can it" Charlotte says with a laugh "I'll get Eli or Vicky to make a playlist for the party, we're not having Jazz, it's not a quaint dinner party"
Darcy rolls her eyes, pulls out her phone and leaves the room without acknowledging anybody as she does so. Carl, of course, gets up and immediately follows her as Charlotte coughs awkwardly
"She's had a stressful few weeks" Charlotte tells us "She doesn't mean to be rude, she's just tired"
The rest of us murmur an agreement and get on with discussing what kind of food Charlotte should serve. After successfully persuading her that she need not cook a full roast dinner - what world do these people live in? - the meeting is finally over, and Charlie and I dart from the dining room as fast as we can
"Hurrying somewhere Bennet" Darcy asks drolly from the living room as Charlie and I pass it
"Yeah, I have to go to work" I tell her "That's what us plebeians do to make some money so we can afford rice and bread for our starving families"
Darcy rolls her eyes and returns to scrolling down her phone. Charlie and I hide a smirk as we exit the overly massive house, both descending into fits of laughter once we're safely away from view and ear-range of Netherfield.
"What fucking planet do these people come from?" Charlie asks me through his tears and laughter "It is a bloody good thing they asked you to help them, can you imagine a whole party of soft jazz and roast beef?"
"I know, and what was with Darcy?" I ask "She and I were fine before she went back to London, and now she's back it's back to how it was when we first met. Not that I care, but I have to wonder what happened down there?"
"Maybe she had a knock on the head and realized that you're undesirable" Charlie recommends
"Please, Chaz, we all know that's very unlikely" I tell him "Darcy never liked me in the first place, so she can't have had a bump that made her realize she didn't. Maybe she just forgot civility whilst she was down there, no doubt she has several butlers who do whatever she asks"
"Or, maybe she's short with you because she's heard on the grapevine that you're seeing someone" Charlie theorizes "And now she's jealous and being mean to you again to try and pretend to herself that she's not deeply heartbroken!"
"Is me and Georgia seriously still news?" I ask, choosing to drop and avoid the whole Darcy 'liking me' topic all together. There was a time, maybe, when I could have believed it, but now I'm pretty convinced she never did. She was probably just trying to grasp human civility and coming off too keen.
"Mate, it's news whenever you get a girlfriend" Charlie smirks "It's like when the monarch dies, everything comes to a stop"
"Haha very funny" I tell him "Besides, Georgia's not even my girlfriend, we're just having a bit of fun"
"Well, you get very doe-eyed around her for someone who doesn't like her" Charlie says with a smile "Seriously mate, you should think about getting more serious with her. She's very pretty and I think she likes you too."
"Alright Cilla, I'll consider it" I say as I put my arm around his shoulders as we turn into the sports club
"A party?"
"Yeah. It's not a big deal if you can't...or don't want to."
"Oh no, I want to, it's just I can't. You know I have to report back to my seniors back home tomorrow, so I'm getting the train back this afternoon. I'll be back soon though. I'm sorry Eli...but you did know this"
Georgia looks genuinely sorry that she cannot come along, which is at least making me feel better, because I severely dislike feeling rejected. She kisses me on the cheek before picking going to pick up her handbag.
"I'll see you in two weeks" she says with a smile "Oh, and if you fancy sending me any nudes whilst I'm gone, I promise not to leak them"
"Yeah, wouldn't want naked images of myself plastered on the Internet" I tell her as she takes my hand. My shift is over and I've volunteered to drive her to train station, mainly so we can snog on the train station and it'll feel romantic because autumn has just hit and I'm a bit of a secret sucker for romantic shit like that
"Oh please babe, I've seen your Facebook profile" she says "You have a whole album dedicated to shirtless selfies"
"That was from when I was 16, I only keep it because I had a better six pack then than I do now" I tell her "Motivational reasons you understand"
"Err, vanity reasons more likely" she says taking my hand as I lock up the bar and head to my car "I have really had a lot of fun this summer Eli, and I want to stick around this part of the world, they've offered me a permanent job at the pool. Do you think I should take it?"
"Oh yeah, definitely" I tell her "I mean...it pays really well, and the town's so nice, and you'll get to see fit swimmers and-"
My embarrassing babbling is cut off her by her smacking a snog right onto my lips, good thing we're at a red light
"And you're here" she finishes for me "And a girl could get very comfortable around you Elijah Bennet, if nothing else, you're worth sticking around for"
"Cool" I manage to say, the lights change and I carry on driving. The station is not actually that far away from my work, but we're driving their in rush hour traffic, which is unfortunately adding quite some time to our car journey. Georgia isn't bothered as she's on a return ticket so can get on any Kings Cross train; and I'm not complaining because I like spending time with her.
"OK, so 5 Seconds of Summer or The Vamps" she asks
"My manhood" I reply "OK, Spice Girls or Girls Aloud?"
"Oh Spice Girls" she replies "Girls Aloud have better songs, but the Spice Girls were a whole cultural movement you know, and defined my childhood. So yes, Spice Girls for me, now I'm going to ask you...'N Sync or Backstreet Boys?"
"Oh god, erm, 'N Sync!" I tell her "My king Justin Timberlake was in that group, even if he did have noodle hair"
"Agreed, though I was gaga for both" she says with a smile on her face as we finally pull into the car park "...Oh, you don't have to come to the platform with me"
"I want to" I say as I get her bag from the boot and begin carrying it in "I mean, I'd never forgive myself if..."
"What, if I fell onto the tracks" she says with a laugh "I'm not a child Elijah, but thanks for this all the same, you're very sweet"
"I do try...sometimes"
"And very generous...if you know what I mean" she says nudging my side with her elbow and laughing
"Dude, not in public" I tell her as we arrive at her platform where he train is already stationed with ten minutes until departure time. Unfortunately it's begun to rain, and as my shirt is white and will therefore become see through, our snogging session on the train platform ends up being a quick peck on the lips and a hug before Georgia gets on her train and heads off.
Feeling oddly melancholic for some reason, I head back to my car in the rain, however half way there I notice a young woman struggling with some luggage. It's quite amusing, so I watch, until she goes arse over tit over her bags and heads up on the floor in the rain at which point I rush over to help
"Are you alright" I ask
"Not really" the familiar voice rings out. I know it. As the woman turns around, I see that the person I'd been looking at struggling in the rain was my ex-girlfriend and heartbreaker par excellence Jennifer "Oh hi Eli" she says brightly when I come into her sight
I give Jennifer my hand and help her up off of the floor
"I've been visiting some Uni friends in Edinburgh" she tells me - I didn't ask - as I help gather up her things "I've had the worst journey ever, and now I've got to hail down a taxi in this weather and I'm soaked through"
Damn my conscience
Damn it!
"Oh, erm, I suppose I could give you a lift home" I offer. Oh Charlie is not going to be happy about this. "I mean, you know, platonically"
"Yes, Eli, I accept your offer of a platonic ride home" she says with a laugh as she begins making her way over to my car, as I'm left to carry all of her bags for her. Typical Jennifer, never changes. I suppose it's consistent at least.
"Nice car, better than that thing Jack used to have to drive us around in" Jennifer says as I climb into the driver's seat. "So...how have you been...since, you know, this summer"
"Err, yeah, I'm OK" I tell her "Look, maybe I shouldn't have said the things I did to you, but it's helped me. It was like I was getting rid of some beast on my back."
"Fair enough I suppose" she says "And hey, look, I didn't act the best I could have done either. It wasn't fair of me to assume you'd just be alright with my presence, though I maintain that I'm not going to hide myself away because of it"
"Seems fair" I say with a smirk "Maybe it's got easier because I'm seeing somebody else now"
"Oh you are", she sound surprised but happy "Would I know her? Oh my god, it's not Brianna Fairclough is it"
"Err, no, she's from out of town" I tell her "Called Georgia. Swimming coach, really fit, likes me a lot"
"Everybody likes you a lot" Jennifer says with a laugh "I'm happy for you Eli, and I'm very pleased I went face down into the rain today, because this would never have happened...it's nice being able to talk to you normally again. You have no idea how much I've missed you. We were best friends before-"
"Yeah, probably not a great advert for the whole date you friends thing" I say with a laugh. It's not funny Eli, why are you laughing? "Yeah, I'd really like it if we get to a place where we can just be friends. No offence, but I think I might be over you"
"No offence taken babe" she says "I'm almost over you, but you've always made my heart flutter a little, so maybe we are back to normal"
"Let's not assume anything though" I say as we turn into her street "Oh, by the way there's this party tomorrow night at Netherfield mansion, and I've been put in charge of the guest list, I guess you could come"
"Oh cool, yeah, deffo" she says before laughing a little
"What's funny?" I ask
"I can see your nipples through your white shirt" she says
"Oh sorry!"
"No, it's cool, I've missed them" Jennifer says "Fuck, it's been nearly four years since I've seen you without clothes on... what? we may be friends now, but I can at least still find you very physically appealing. This would be much easier for me if you weren't hot, trust me"
"YOU INVITED JENNIFER" Charlie shrieks at me as he, Brianna and I set off from my house to the Netherfield party the next night
"...Yes"
"Have you taken complete leave of your senses"
"Good god man, what is wrong with you?"
"What's all the shouting about?"
"Oh hello Kieran, your stupid older brother has invited the girl who stomped his heart into tiny little pieces to the party"
"YOU DID WHAT?"
"Get over it guys" I say rolling my eyes to a still unimpressed looking Charlie, Brianna and Kieran all of whom are looking at me with crossed arms and annoyed expressions etched on their faces. Kieran's now girlfriend Ariana skips into the room and looks suitably confused
"What's going on?" she asks
"Elijah's asked his slut of an ex-girlfriend to Charlotte's party" Charlie tells her "I mean, can you believe that Ariana?"
"Ermm...yeah, Elijah seems like a very sweet, nice, forgiving person" Ariana answers back. I knew there was a reason I liked this girl.
"Kier?" I ask
"Yeah, I guess, if you're OK with it" my little brother replies "But I don't think it's fair of you to expect us just to be automatically OK with it. I mean, she broke your heart and broke you, we can't just forget that"
"Awwww, you're so caring" Ariana says before taking Kieran by the hand and leading him outside because it would probably be weird if they just started kissing infront of Kieran's elder brother (me).
"OK, you may have got the docile duo fooled, but I'm not letting you get away with this that easily" Charlie tells me "So, come on, what are your reasons for inviting Mary Magdalene to this party?"
"And it better be good" Brianna pipes up
"OK, I decided that I'm a mature adult, since I've been with Georgia I've not thought about Jennifer once, and I want to be the bigger person" I tell them "I'd rather have Jen in my life than not, as I don't feel anything romantically for her now, I think that's only fair enough"
"I guess" Charlie murmurs reluctantly
"I think you're making a mistake" says Brianna honestly "But, if you're fine with it, then I guess we'll have to be. But know, we're only being like this because we both care deeply about you and fancy you a little bit"
"I fancy him a little bit, you probably sleep under his bed" Charlie says with a laugh, which Brianna returns, and the two walk to wait outside for the taxi. Neither Marcus or Aiden are ready yet, not that I wanted to take either of them with us.
"Come on you two" I say as they both descend the stairs "OK, I get Aiden taking a while to get himself ready but Marcus, you never put this much effort into your appearance, what gives?"
"I have a girlfriend now Eli" Marcus says rolling his eyes "And I wish you'd stop forgetting that"
I smirk as Marcus passes me and turn towards tonight's problem area; Aiden.
"I can't believe your making me come to this lame thing" he says
"It's not gonna be lame"
"You're not even gonna let me drink are you?"
"Drugs and alcohol are a toxic mixture Aid. Damn, you are so lucky that you have me watching your back"
"You're a tool Eli"
"Love you too little bro"
OK, guys, so we're taking a little break from Eli now...no, I'm not putting Some People on hold...but the next two chapters will be from Darcy's point of view. Chapter 22 will be this chapter but from Darcy's point of view, whilst Chapter 23 will focus on the party at Netherfield. I'm nervous about writing for her to be honest but a lot of people have expressed interest in seeing more of her, so I'm doing it. No idea when it'll be up however, I'm back in classes from next week.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Review replies:
LoveInTheBattlefield: Unfortunately I'm not in control of when I can publish this and how often, work comes first. But yes, hoping there won't be months and months with no updates in 2015. Thanks for reading.
Julianbar: Your welcome, and I hope you're enjoying the story
wenywho: Georgia is very obnoxious, it's true, but so is Eli so I actually think they're quite a good match (at the moment, not later). Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
IrishJessy: I've pretty much cracked what I'm gonna do with Wickham/Lydia in this story now, and it will be with Georgia and Kieran. Keep an eye on Ariana too, she seems very minor right now, but she'll have a place in this too. I think what I've got coming up is quite a fresh take on the events too. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed
Alex M: Haha! We must have a connection. You'll see Darcy's reaction in Chapter 22/23, haven't decided which one yet, but it'll be there. Yeah, as much as this is P&P fanfiction, I had a lot of my own ideas and some of the events just do not fit. Elijah will not be taking a 'turn about the room' at any point.
C5: Elijah is very much a slut, but he's lovely and does nobody any harm. I don't think there's much wrong with that.
DizzyLizzy.60: Eli/Darcy coming up soon-ish, not a love confession or anything, but there story takes a massive step in Chapter 23. Glad you're enjoying the story!