Tuesday, July 16, 2013

THE HOTNESS: A Modern Teen Pride and Prejudice (chapter fourteen: After the game)


Chapter Fourteen
After the game
Sunrise won their first game in a semester (Ryan scored the winning goal) and students and family members crowded into the school gym, swiftly decorated for the occasion.
    The two youngest Bennet sisters were the first girls on the dance floor.  
    Mackenzie, seated with her brother and Darcy and a few of Darcy’s new friends from the basketball team were busily spiking the fruit punch. Some members of the  team started laughing when Rebel grabbed the Rys Wickam and tried to force him to dance with her.
    Mackenzie, who’d promised her new Princess friends she’d be over to join them in “Just a moment”, couldn’t resist a few snide words to Darcy who looked on, bored.
      “Have you ever seen a girl make such a stupid spectacle of herself, Darcy?”
      “Not really, but this is the first time I’ve been forced to attend one of these lame homecoming dances.”
     It was true. Darcy’s father had called and warned him that if he didn’t “fully integrate himself in school activities,” it would affect his decision to fund his college applications. Darcy knew he had no power until he turned twenty-one and could release part of his trust fund and take over the property in New South Wales.  Ryan and Mackenzie’s situations were similar, so they had to “put up” with the school socials and rules. They took a few selfies on their iPhones and texted them to their parents as proof of their attendance. I guess it’s, “Put up but not shut up”  Mackenzie whined.
     Mackenzie was busily picking some lint off Darcy’s shirt after she’d posted her fake smile on Twitter.  
     “Oh well,” Mackenzie said, “I suppose I should grace those irritating little fashionistas with my company. Perhaps I could teach them something about mixers.” Mackenzie had already started to live up to her reputation as the haughtiest mean girl that had ever graced a school notorious for mean girls. (note: Pride & Princesses - the prequel to this story!)
      But returning to my novel… Darcy thought Mackenzie was generally quite funny although he knew Ryan wouldn’t be pleased by his sister’s open snobbery.   
     When Mackenzie walked over to our table, Shiloh and Paige dutifully made room for her. Or really, Paige made a move. Already she couldn’t stand Mackenzie’s falseness, but she was always polite and the fact that one of Paige’s best friends, Coco Madison (who Paige had known since grade school) had just arrived was all the excuse Paige needed to excuse herself and go over to the table where ‘refreshments’ as the Princesses had labelled them, were available.
     “Oh Coco, I’m so happy to see you”
     “Me too, Paige. I missed the game. You know, I have my baby brother to sit and my parents are going through the whole separation thing and I had to stay until dad got in. It’s all right though, I think they’ve sorted out custody and things like that.”
   “What a nightmare, I’m so sorry Coco.”
    Coco was a dance major who did debate as her elective. She and Paige were now officially in charge of the scenery for Spring Awakening.
   “You know, it’s really fine. I’m just glad they’ve both found a way to stay in the same area so I can keep coming to Sunrise and keep being a founding member of the Princesses,” Coco laughed, “though it all seems to have gone a bit pear shaped since we let Mackenzie in.”
    “Wonder which one of the new guys Mr Sparks will choose to play Moritz,” Coco whispered to Paige, flicking her blonde bangs off her face. Mr Sparks had been teaching drama in New York but decided to return to Sunrise on secondment. He’d taught at the school over a decade ago and was way cray cray. But in a good way. He took a lot of medication for his anxiety but he was never short on enthusiasm for his own productions and I should know. I’d been in a few of them during elementary school when they needed some ‘real kids’ to make up cast numbers.  
    “I don’t think the newbies do creative studies,” Paige replied.
    “Oh, well, we always need guys. I’m sure they’ll be lured by the promise of extra credit. Hey, I heard all about the grumpy looking one,” Coco gestured to Darcy, who was glancing over at them and frowning.
    “What did you hear?”
     “Only that you bested him in debate club and he’s still getting over it.”
    “Oh, that. Well, the truth is he was going pretty well, I think he might even have won, then he just stopped. I have no idea why.”
    “Well, maybe we’ll find out. Quick, he’s coming this way.”
    At this point a lot of seniors and juniors and some dance electives had taken to the floor. Because Sunrise was a Performing Arts School many of the dancers were very impressive.
    Although Paige’s younger sisters may have started out looking like a joke they were now partnered with two of the schools best guy dancers and were leading the way and appearing to have a very good time as the DJ played some dated music from the turn of the century – classics from 1999-2009.
    So many people were on the dance floor and the atmosphere was so good, that Paige and Coco were slightly obscured from view by the time Darcy had been joined by Ryan – who’d managed to wander over to talk to Shiloh – under the guise of actually talking to Mackenzie.

    It was Ryan’s problem, really, Darcy thought. He was just way too backward in coming forward. Of course, Darcy wouldn’t hesitate to talk to a girl he really liked but there was an oversupply of pretty girls here. In his eyes, Paige was the prettiest tonight, but it was easier to remain aloof.