The car ride back to their aunt's house was silent. It began to be uncomfortable even for Will. He looked over at his cousin who had his eyes glued to the road.
"If you have something to say then just say it already."
"It's not really my place."
"Like that has ever stopped you before."
Silence followed before Richard decided to just speak up, "Why are you keeping your involvement in this a secret from Lizzie?"
"Because I don't want her to feel like she owes me."
"Well I think that's you being a wuss."
"And that's you telling me that you would take advantage of Lizzie's situation to get what you want."
"What?"
Richard pulled the car over and put it in park. "Will, I've known you since we were little. We've been able to like the same things without it effecting our relationship before, but since Lizzie, we've been steadily growing apart. I know she doesn't like me, I'm okay with that. I won't force her to like me if she likes you."
To Richard, Will looked stupid at his last statement. "I won't fight a battle I surrendered to a long time ago."
When Will didn't say anything, Richard put the car back in gear and pulled back onto the road.
Will was dropped off at their aunt Catherine's house before Richard continued to home. Will walked up the stairs to the front door and knocked on the door. He stepped back and waited until it was opened by the butler. Before he could make his way to the stairs, he heard the booming voice of his aunt. With a sigh, Will walked into the front room where his aunt was seated with Anne. Will almost turned around and go back out the door.
"William, you're late."
"Sorry, Richard and I ran into some traffic on the way back."
"I was talking about, you coming back after Georgiana." Will remained silent, "We will talk about this later. I asked Anne to come and visit for dinner."
"I'm sure Anne has homework that needs to be done. Tomorrow is Monday and I know how much you care about academics."
"That's why I told her to bring her homework with her, I'm sure you can help her since you are so smart."
Will looked over at the girl who was busy texting on her phone. He doubted Anne was here on her own. Aunt Catherine probably had to bribe her to come over and he was probably the sacrifice. He heard before by some mutual acquaintance, that Anne was not very academic smart, but in being a scheming witch.
Will's aunt left them alone, and for a while, he thought they were going to continue in silence. It wouldn't be his fault if she wasn't interested in him. All he could do was to be as dul and boring as he could.
"So are we going to do this?" she finally asked.
"Do what exactly?"
"You helping me with my homework."
"Did you need help?"
"I didn't lug this backpack here because it was stylish." She said pointing towards the bedazzled backpack with pink straps.
Will rose an eyebrow, "Then why did you bring?"
"Your aunt said that you will help with my homework." She held up her backpack to Will, "I have an essay that is due tomorrow and have to do 1-60 word problems in trig. You can start with that."
"Excuse me."
"You're going to do them for me. That's what you're for right? That's what boyfriends do for their girlfriends."
"I wouldn't know because I'm not dating currently, but I'm pretty sure that they don't."
"Well your aunt— "
"My aunt can say things but I didn't agree to them."
Anne gave a huff before collecting herself again, "You do know that my father is thinking about partnering with your father's firm. This will help both our parents companies. My father can even lower the age you have to be before you can take your father's place."
Anne gave Will her backpack and he looked down at it in his hand before he looked back up at Anne with a smirk. He opened the main part of the backpack and pulled out a notebook.
"This looks important."
"Some notes I have for a test I have this Friday."
"Well that's a relief." Will let the notebook fall out of his hands and drop to the floor. He then continued to dump the rest of the contents on the ground.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"I was being symbolic, I'm dumping you just like I'm dumping your stuff."
Will turned around and walked back out the door. He heard footsteps coming so he quickly climbed the stairs and went into his room. There on his bed was Georgiana reading some of the comics from his old collection.
"What are you doing in my room?"
"Waiting for you to come back."
Will threw his bag at the foot of his bed and plopped down in his chair near his desk.
Georgiana sat up on his bed and sat cross-legged, "So?"
"So what?"
"Are you going to tell me what happened? It had something to do with Liz, right? She left in a hurry the morning of my birthday."
Will didn't saying anything.
"Is her family okay? Did something happen?"
"Her family will be okay. Something happened, but all should be well soon enough."
"Is that why you left early? To go and help."
Will again didn't say anything.
"If you had told me then I wouldn't have mind if you left my birthday party."
Will frowned, "I'm not going to leave you to celebrate your birthday by yourself and Mrs. Reynolds. What kind of brother do you think I am?"
"I know, but I don't want to be the reason you lose Lizzie."
"No, I lost Lizzie a long time ago, and that was my own fault."
It was Georgiana's turn to say nothing. The siblings looked at each other, both wishing to speak, but neither had the courage to say what was both on their mind; Lizzie.
"So what do you think of Anne?" asked Georgiana finally.
"Her? She is a pain, but nothing I can't handle."
"Just be careful. She's plotting something."
"I've noticed. Apparently, our aunt wants me to date her."
"But you won't, right?"
"Not if I can help it."
"When she arrived, she kept telling me what to do like fetching her water and throwing away her used tissues. Like hell I'm going to do that."
Will looked surprised at his sister who had went from a shy girl to love doctor and angry hornet.
"Aunt Catherine invited her to stay for dinner,"
"I heard."
"She better watch herself because she is trying to make this into a love triangle."
"A what?"
"Nothing. I think it's time for dinner, shall we go down together?"
"Sure thing."
They both stood up from their spots and walked down the stairs and into the dining room.
Will was seated next to Anne with his sister across from him. Their aunt sat at the head of the table next to Georgiana. No one made any attempt at conversation for the beginning portion of the meal. Aunt Catherine decided to begin a topic which she planned to direction to Will.
"So Anne, I heard you were on the cheer squad this year."
"Yes, my team went to state and got second. Personally I think we deserved first, but I am persuaded that the judges were paid."
"If you aren't good then you aren't good," remarked Will under his breath, "no reason to start blaming the refs."
"William, how many times must I say for you to speak up!"
"I always heard about the stereotype that cheerleaders date the jock. What do you say about that?"
"I wouldn't know." Anne took in a spoonful of soup.
"Oh, please. I'm sure you've dated before, out are you that unfortunate girl on the squad that never got asked out?"
"Of course I've dated before." Anne blurted out without thinking. When she noticed her error she composed herself, "I've dated people who weren't jocks."
"Oh really, do tell."
"There really isn't much to tell."
"What was his name?"
"I don't bother to remember old boyfriend's names."
"Boyfriends, so there have been more? Tell me Anne, 1 to 10, how smart were they?"
"They were pretty smart, so about a 9 or 10."
"Interesting, so nerds basically? So, you basically use them to get good grades and then dump them?"
"Georgiana, enough!" hissed her aunt.
But Georgiana was finished, she was satisfied that Anne was only going to use her brother as one of her harem of boys to boost her grades.
Aunt Catherine decided she needed to restore the conversation, "So Anne, what do you like to do?"
"I like to hang out with my friends at the mall."
"Then you should bring Georgiana, she never gets out of the house much."
"Oh please do," said Georgiana with a grin that made her words sound scheming, "I would love to meet your friends."
The next day Anne was standing with her friends near the east entrance.
"So why do we need to let this brat tag along with us?"
"Because she is the little sister of the guy I told you about."
"I would think you cared about your grades, but that would be a joke."
Anne flipped her hair to the other side, "Of course I wouldn't care, but my dad is forcing me to go to college and they want you to have at least a 2.8, and I'm not going to a community college."
"Ew, that would be social-suicide."
"Did you say something about suicide?" asked Georgiana from behind them. She had appeared so quietly that none of them heard her. She was smiling sweetly.
"What do you have in your bag, it's bulging."
Georgiana looked down at her oversize purse which she packed with things she planned to use against Anne and her friends.
"Oh nothing, just a few things to hold me over through our time here."
A/N: A new rival had set in. Is this going to be a love triangle or another Caroline Bingley? Sorry about the wait, I was writing but I lost the whole chapter when it didn't save so I had to start over and that was very depressing when I don't have much time to write in the first place. Please keep those comments coming. My plan is to finish this book by Christmas and start the second by New Year's Day.
