So the title is too long apparently for the site so I'll put it here.
Chapter 18 part 1: Lab Partners with no Chemistry
The following weeks Charles became a constant visitor. Lizzie's earlier idea that Will would come too now felt stupid. Of course he wouldn't show up. He probably felt like he was above them because of their financial situations.
This was a little disappointing to Lizzie, but she quickly dismissed those feelings and watched her sister and her admirer. For they had to call it that by now.
Charles would spend so much time during the weekends that she thought that he might actually accept their mother's invitations to stay the night so he won't have to make the long journey home in the dark.
Seriously, if he made the journey here I think he can survive long enough to get back home so they can spend the hour before going to bed talking to each other.
One time Lizzie woke up to Jane laughing from her room at two in the morning. She was happy for her big sister, yes. However losing sleep each night was starting to have an affect on her performance at school.
"Wow Lizzie, you look a little cranky." piped Charlotte at lunch.
"Yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night or the nights before."
"Studying?"
"No, Jane keeps me up with her laughing and sometimes she talks kind of loud." Lizzie stifled a yawn and leaned heavily on her hand to prop her body up.
The two were seated with their small band of friends from class.
"I wish I could've met Charles. I heard he's hot." Maria giggled.
"You're too young to be dating." Lizzie smiled while giving the younger girl a playful push.
"Only by two years." Maria crossed her arms, "Besides Lydia and Catherine go around flirting with boys all the time.
The last part was said in a mumble but Lizzie still heard it.
"Maria!" Charlotte hissed.
"It's ok. I know they flirt around with boys. If I could I would stop them, but that's fool's mission."
A silence fell over the group before Maria tried again.
"I heard that Will Darcy was even hotter."
"Can you not!"
Later back in class Lizzie was going over their conversation at lunch. The mention of Will instantly made her think about him and what he was doing right about now. She felt a little stupid because he was obviously in school right now and probably in class.
I wonder what he is thinking about right now.
No, that's going to lead you into emotions and feelings that you don't need right now. Jane was in her class with her for Physics. Lizzie looked to her table to see what she was doing.
Jane looked how she always did. She was smiling and engaged in the lesson on kinetic energy. As a person who knew the many moods of Jane however, Lizzie could detect that her sister was smiling a little more.
Lizzie inwardly groaned. She was probably thinking of Charles.
Wait. When did Jane liking Charles become a bad thing? He was nice and treated Jane well unlike the boys here.
Nothing happened that would've caused her to actually hate him. So why did she not like Charles?
Lizzie rationalized it as a guy she could never like. A guy who was always grinning and talking to please. It was all too mushy. He was too soft for Lizzie.
Completely lost in her thoughts, she didn't even know that the teacher had told them to get with their partner and work on the lab.
"So I wasn't really paying attention." Confessed the boy beside her with an apologetic grin.
"Perfect." muttered Lizzie under her breath.
"I was kind of distracting seeing how you looked a bit troubled."
"Wait what?" Lizzie now turned to look at her partner.
He was new to the school and was a senior. His brown curly hair was longer than Will's-which she quickly hated herself for comparing to-and he had bright blue eyes and sported a serious face.
"You look a bit upset. Something wrong?"
"Sorry if I don't open up to a complete stranger right away." Lizzie deadpanned.
"Sorry you're right. My name is George Wickham."
"Lizzie Bennet."
"So what's troubling you Lizzie Bennet?"
Lizzie frowned but then let her face relax into one of her fake smiles, "I confess that I was too busy thinking about a paper I forgot that was due today that I failed to pay attention to today's lesson. So it looks like we're unfortunately in the same boat."
George shook his head feigning disappointment before he started to laugh.
"Well, I'm sure if we work together then we can figure this out."
Lizzie nodded and they began the lab.
She wondered at her luck to be paired up a guy who looked a little like Will, but acted almost like a Charles.
They talked throughout the lab, but she kept the subjects always about school.
"So I hear that Jane is your sister."
Of course he would look at her sister.
"Really? I thought our last names were just the same."
"You guys look alike." Lizzie stared at her paper as she focused on writing down their results. "You're both really pretty."
"Thanks for the compliment, but I'm not interested and I think it's safe to speak for my sister and say she isn't either."
"Brutally honest. Ouch I excuse me while I pull out these daggers from my heart."
Lizzie rolled her eyes but couldn't help a smile as he pretended to pull out imaginary daggers.
"Are you done?"
"Yeah." George grinned, "But seriously I think you're really pretty."
"Thanks."
"Do you not believe me?"
"It's not exactly that I don't believe you are telling the truth. I just don't-"
"Feel pretty because you don't consider yourself pretty because you don't compare to your sister?"
"Ha, maybe a bit, but girls go through that a lot. They sometimes feel inferior to their friend because they don't look a certain way or their hair doesn't do what their friend's hair does."
"It must be hard being a girl."
"It is. Just throw boys into the mix and you have a big mess of teenage drama. No wonder TV still does high school Nick shows. There is always something going on and drama is a big cause of it most of the time."
"Is this how you talk about everything?"
"Most of the time yes."
"Is it alright if I talk to you again tomorrow?"
"Maybe."
The bell rang and Lizzie popped out of her seat and was out the door. She was eager to get away far enough so she could clear her head.
She had wanted him to pick up her statement and argue against her, but instead he just let her go off on a rant. Looking back she felt a little stupid. She even forgot what they were talking about in the beginning.
"I really need to get some sleep." Lizzie muttered under her breath as she walked outside and hopped on their bus. Jane came a few minutes later and took the seat next to her.
"You left fast. I was going to walk to the bus with you, but I didn't have enough time to even say your name."
"I wanted to get a good seat on the bus before it gets full and we would have to sit near Lydia and hear her talk about boys the whole way back to Mary King."
"Are you still bitter about Caleb?"
Caleb had been Lizzie's boyfriend who she had dated her freshman year of high school. They'd dated for three months and during that time he'd been dating another girl who was a sophomore. He had the nerve to say that it wasn't true, but after she'd caught him kissing the supposed girl at a football game.
That ruined football and guys for Lizzie.
"No, I'm not bitter. I'm just mature now and know that if I were to try dating again. He would have to go through a lot to win my affection."
"Boys should do that in any case." Jane stated sheepishly before pulling out their shared phone and begin texting.
"Am I ever going to use that again or should I just ask to share a phone with Mary?"
Thanksgiving break was approaching to the relief of all the students. Lizzie was at lunch with her friends when Jane dropped into the seat next to her.
"So Lizzie, Charles just asked me to spend Thanksgiving dinner with him and his family."
"Why, you aren't family. You aren't even dating yet are you?"
"No to both. He hasn't really asked me yet, but if he is asking me to meet his family maybe that means that he is going to ask."
"Gosh why do things have to be so difficult when you get older. Freshman are so easy. 'Hey I like you let's go out'. You don't have to be so formal and meet the parents do you?"
"But I'd like to meet them, and he said they really wanted to meet me."
"Yeah, but what about eating Thanksgiving with the family."
"I'm sure mom will thrown another Thanksgiving dinner when I get back. Round two."
"Geez I hope not. I don't need the college freshman fifteen two years early."
Jane only laughed.
"Are you sure you're going to go?"
"I think I am."
"Well if he doesn't make it clear that he wants to date then get rid of him."
Jane gave her sister a quick hug and headed back to her own table.
Physics with George as a partner were chill after their first day. Lizzie always kept it to school or movie related topics. Anything related to personal lives were off limits.
At first he would tease her and try to make her talk, but after she gave him a death glare and promised to take his man card away, he stopped asking.
Thanksgiving break arrived and Lizzie got the chance to make up for all those hours lost and slept in until it was almost the afternoon.
"Lizzie, you really need to find something to do with yourself. You can't be laying in bed all morning." said her mother from the kitchen, "Make yourself useful and help me with the food. Lord knows I can't do this by myself."
Lizzie washed her hands and set herself on mashing the potatoes.
"Hey mom, are you ok with Jane not spending Thanksgiving with us?"
"Of course not. She is spending it with that boy, Charles. I don't know why they don't come out and say they are dating already."
"You and me both." mumbled Lizzie under her breath.
"Whatever happened between you and that Will boy?"
"Mom, he was just Charles's friend acting as entertainment so I wouldn't be third wheel."
Lizzie had begun to get frustrated and her hand slipped and some of the mashed potatoes fell onto the counter.
"Lizzie! I can't have you wasting the food. Get out of the kitchen and I'll have Mary help me."
Grateful for the escape, Lizzie went to find her dad in the front room reading a book.
"Well Lizzie, I guess you won't be suited for the kitchen as a wife."
"Dad, we already know that if you don't want get food poisoning then you shouldn't ask me to cook."
"Yes, what was your mother thinking."
Lizzie plopped down next to her father and rested her head on his shoulder.
"She was probably trying to give Jane time to herself because of tomorrow."
"Oh yes, tomorrow Jane is eating with the Bingleys."
Lizzie let out a sigh and her dad wrapped his arm around her and gave her a light squeeze. "Jane will be alright, my dear."
A/N: Next stop: Bingley's house.
So we got a little of George in this scene and before she stays at Netherfield (according to the original story). This will make things a little more interesting later on as their relationship begins. I did put Lizzie in a previous relationship that ended badly, but how many freshman relationships stick. I'll try to the next chapter which will have Darcy in it because lets face it. That's where the real excitement is. Till next time! Love hearing from those who write and keep me going.
