Pride's Prejudice by Misty Dawn Pulsipher Read Free Book Online

chocolate?"
    "No
way!  You're trying to steal my victory."  Jenna tossed the bag
of peanut butter cups at Beth.  "I am having too much fun watching
you squirm.  We finish this hand."
    Beth
threw her head back, rolled her eyes, and smiled in defeat, reminding herself
that she had wanted girl time.  After Jenna drew a card she could play on
her own piles, the game ended.
    "Okay,
a deal's a deal.  Truth or dare?"
    "Jenna,
we've known each other since potty-training.  I have no secrets from
you.  You're the one with the exciting life, remember?"
    Beth
thought she saw a hint of misery morphing across Jenna's face, so she quickly
distracted her.  "Okay, okay.  Dare."
    Jenna
looked thoughtful, and then posed, "I dare you to kiss William Darcy next
time you see him."
    "Ick! 
Jenna - something that won't make me retch, please.  How could you
even suggest such a thing?  You know how much I despise him!  Even if
he is easy on the eyes."  Admitting this much made Beth feel
nauseous.  "Now, if you dare me to tell him what I think of him,
you're on."
    "You've
already done that."  Jenna started cleaning up the wrappers and empty
bottles that littered the blanket.  "If we're going to hike, we'd
better start soon.  What time is it, anyway?"
    Beth
went to check her watch, and then remembered that the battery died and she
hadn't replaced it yet.  She started rummaging in her backpack for her
cell phone and flipped it open.  It's three-thirty.  Darn - no signal
up here.  What about yours?"
    Jenna
shook out the blanket and began folding it up.  "I didn't bring mine
- left it back home to charge."
    Beth
felt oddly unsettled by this, though she didn't know why.  After all, it
was a bright,  blue-skied afternoon, and so far the day had been
dangerously perfect.
    ~:~
    William
walked along the bank of the stream, listening to nothing and enjoying it
immensely.  He had a horrible feeling that he was currently experiencing
the only peace he would get this weekend.  Next time he would simply have
to kidnap Les without revealing their destination.  The clear water
bubbled and rushed over rocks wearing smooth, forest-colored moss.  The
moss was vivid emerald in some places, almost black in others.
    Beth's
eyes forced their way into his mind.
    He
remembered the way her eyes seemed to catch fire as he had taunted her. 
The image of Beth took hold of him again - her dark hair cascading around her
face and over her shoulders, her eyes arresting and condemning him, and the
deepening flush in her cheeks.
    The
picture made him short of breath for an instant, though he told himself that
she couldn't possibly be as perfect as her memory.  Staring absently at
the cheerful, gurgling stream and the two-toned moss, he only saw Beth. 
He looked up at the sky instead, seeing that it had turned steely blue as dusk
came on.  It wasn't dark enough yet to bring out any stars, but William
had high hopes of spectacular stargazing later.
    He had
always been interested in astronomy, from the time he was a small boy and his
father had bought him a telescope.  He still remembered the feelings of
awe when he first saw the craters of the moon and its silvery, dust-dappled
shadows.  Under the glare of streetlights you couldn't see even a tenth of
the stars that dotted the night sky.  One good thing about being stuck
in the middle of nowhere , he thought derisively.
    ~:~
    The
sky had darkened rapidly with the gathering of menacing grey clouds.
    "Didn't
happen to bring a poncho, did you?" Jenna asked Beth hopefully.
    "No,
but we have the blankets with us.  We could always throw them over our
heads and run back to the car."  She tried to sound unconcerned, but
she knew she didn't quite pull it off.  It started sprinkling.
    "Okay,
Jenna.  I can hear water rushing, so the river is just up there.  But
honestly, it's getting really cold.  Why don't we just turn back
now?"
    "No
arguments here," Jenna agreed.  "The only problem will be that
ravine we