Section I, Next Section
Part 1
When they were little, Lisa and Jen had watched the summer Olympics, and were amazed at the gymnasts. That had given their mother, Cissy Bennet, an idea: turn all her daughters into cheerleaders, and take them on tour. Put them up for hire to stir teams to greatness. It wasn't the best of ideas, but it wasn't the worst, either. For the next three months, they were going to be cheering for the Pemberley Public High School's baseball team.
Of all the kinds of teams they cheered for, Lisa liked high-school teams the best. They were usually loaded with guys just waiting for a beautiful cheerleader to hook up with. As unusual as it is for a baseball team to have cheerleaders, this one obviously wanted the squad badly enough to have paid nearly three times the normal amount, and Cissy was determined to put on their best for it.
Lisa got out of bed, threw on her sweats, and ran downstairs for some breakfast. The rest of the squad would be up any minute. The rule was: first one up makes breakfast. Lisa was the first one up. She decided to do something special for a change. Instead of whipping up some pancakes, she got out four boxes of cereal, set the table with bowls and spoons, and fixed herself some Marshmallow Alpha-Bits. Four girls all walked in at the same time; Charlotte Lucas, Lisa's sisters Katya and Lydia, and Harriet Smith. They stared at the boxes of cereal. Lydia groaned:
"Lisa, you could've at least made some waffles. Cereal makes me feel fat."
"Then make yourself some waffles. I got up first, this is what I wanted."
Lydia rolled her eyes and poured herself some Grape Nuts. She and Katya soon began talking about the boys they expected to meet. A few minutes later, the rest of the bunch, including the only Bennet boy, Mark, were assembled at the table, grumbling at the cereal-instead-of-delicacies. The squad was made up of nine girls, four of which were Bennets. They were meeting another girl later to audition her for the squad. They were short one person, ever since Charlotte's sister, Maria, decided she didn't like the schedule.
Jen sat down next to Lisa and said,
"Lisa, let's hurry up and eat so we can have time to practice."
Lisa nodded her assent, as her mouth was too full to answer.
Three hours later, the girls were at the ballpark, watching the team warm-up. Lisa, Jen, Katya, Lydia, Charlotte, Elinor, Marianne, Harriet, and Emma stood just outside the dugout, waiting for the team to come make introductions. Lisa saw one boy in particular she'd like to get to know. He was tall, about 6'1", he had dark hair, judging from what she could see under his cap, and he had the most captivating eyes any boy could wish to have. She looked at Jen, to whisper something, but saw that Jen was too absorbed in the catcher, a boy with curly, blond hair, and a big smile. Lydia, who had shoved her head forward, said,
"Pshaw! I don't care a fig for baseball players. They're all so scrawny. I like football players."
Katya readily agreed, but Emma said,
"I am sure that underneath all the padding, a football player is just as 'scrawny' as a baseball player."
Harriet agreed with her.
Marianne said,
"They're not so scrawny. Look at that cute center-fielder."
"I see a center-fielder, but I don't see a cute center-fielder," replied Elinor.
Cissy came up to them with a woman and said,
"Girls, this is Mrs. Bourgh; the coach's wife. She has something to say to you."
Lisa whispered to Jen,
"Why are we talking to the coach's wife? Why don't we just talk to the coach?"
"It looks to me as if she is the coach," replied Jen.
"Young ladies," began Mrs. Bourgh, "I cannot doubt that some of you have designs on some of our young men." Here, Lydia snorted. "However, I think I should warn you that some of them are being scouted by major league teams, and cannot afford a relationship."
Lisa rolled her eyes as Mrs. Bourgh finished her pointless speech.
"Gee, she really wants to control their lives, doesn't she?" she asked Jen as they walked to the part of the field right of the foul line and behind first base, where they were to meet the team members. In her annoying, condescending manner, Mrs. Bourgh had decided to let the girls meet the players.
As the girls each shook hands or nodded to each of the boys, Lisa noticed that the cute shortstop was standing on the pitcher's mound, talking to the coach. He was motioning to center-field and trying to tell the coach something, but Coach Bourgh just kept shaking his head, looking at his shoes, gesturing with his hands, and yelling. "Cutie" looked upset, as he made his way toward first base to meet the girls. Marianne was talking to someone who introduced himself as John Willoughby. Lydia butted in on the conversation, though, and asked who the shortstop was who wouldn't condescend to introduce himself. Well, maybe those weren't her exact words, but that was the gist of it. Willoughby replied,
"Oh, that's Derek Williams. He's an alright player, but he gets special treatment because he's the coach's nephew."
Lisa heard all this and decided she would like to meet Mr. Derek Williams.
Derek saw the beautiful girl walking towards him, and all of a sudden, his palms got sweaty. He bent down, picked up some dirt, and rubbed his hands together. Lisa walked up to him, stuck out her hand, and said,
"Hi. I'm Lisa Bennet."
He looked at her hand, and shook it.
"I'm Derek Williams."
"What was the argument all about?"
"Why do you care?"
He meant it as a flirtation, but she took it the wrong way:
"Well, if you don't wanna tell me, just say so. Jeez!"
"That's not what I meant," he began.
"Well, you don't have to condescend to tell me. I'll see you around." And she stalked off to share her feelings with Jen.
Derek looked up at the sky and wondered why he couldn't be as good with girls as Willoughby was.
Part 2
Jen, Lisa, and Marianne were warmingup in the basement. It had been Lisa's turn to pick out the warm-up music, and this time she had selected Les Miserables. They were just getting to the good part when, right in the middle of "Look down, look down, upon your fellow man," a blond-haired, sweet-faced, shy girl walked in. Jen jumped up and killed the radio.
"Hey!" shouted Lisa and Marianne together. Then they noticed the girl.
"Oh," said Lisa, "hi. You must be Gina."
"Yeah," said Gina.
"Well, said Marianne, "we were just warming up. We take turns picking the music. Today was Lisa's turn."
Gina nodded, not sure what they were talking about.
"I'm Lisa Bennet. This is my sister, Jen, and this is Marianne Dashwood."
The girls nodded their greetings, then Jen said,
"Why don't we pick up where we left off?"
The girls all brightened and Lisa made a mental note to thank Jen for breaking the awkward silence. Gina looked more comfortable already. They explained to her what they were warming up for. They all agreed that, because of her small size, Gina should be on top of the pyramid, to makeit easier on Katya and Lydia, who never practiced.
During the rest of the work-out, Lisa learned that Gina was Derek Williams's little sister and was just dying to get into cheerleading and other acrobatic activities. Lisa found this interesting, since Gina was sweet and obliging, while Derek was so self-absorbed and snooty.
After the work-out, the girls filed downstairs in anything but an orderly fashion. Cissy had baked them all some of her less-than-appetizing cookies. As disgusting as they might have been, they were all gobbled down in five minutes.
Just then, Lydia and Katya came running in, exclaiming over something.
"Calm down, for heaven's sake!" shouted Cissy.
"What's all the fuss about?" asked Elinor.
"Coach Bourgh is giving a party. And we're all invited!"
This news threw the whole house into an uproar. Lydia and Katya ran up to their room to find the shortest skirt they could possibly heft over their thighs. Cissy went with them to make sure they looked okay. Lisa and Jen bustled around in their room until they each found an outfit that looked neither too casual nor too formal. Gina went home. Marianne tried to convince Elinor to go. Charlotte wondered what would look best on her: a mini-skirt or baggy jeans. Emma convinced Harriet that she would be the best-dressed one at the party.
That night, the girls decided to all go seperately, instead of being crowded in the bus. Lisa and Jen decided to walk. While they were walking, Jen said,
"Lisa, what do you think of Charlie Bingley?"
"Who?"
"The catcher."
"Oh. Well, I wouldn't know. Why?"
"He asked me out on a date tomorrow night."
"Really? Are you going?"
"Of course! He's the most charming boy in the world, well-mannered, pleasing in every way, polite..."
"And handsome, too, which a boy must be if he possibly can."
"Yes. Exactly."
They laughed.
When they got to the party, Charlie was waiting at the door for them and Lisa found him to be everything Jen had said he was. She was glad to see Jen so happy.
Everyone on the team was there, even down to the bat boys. One boy came up to her and asked her to dance. He was the one who had introduced himself as Ricky Fitzwilliam. He was very pleasant to talk with, andit turned out that he was Derek Williams's cousin, though she never would've guessed it.
After a while, all the girls were dancing. Lisa with Ricky, Jen with Charlie, Katya with Scott Garcia, Lydia with Michael Cammelle, Emma with George Knightley, Charlotte with Chris Brandon, Marianne with John, Gina with Eric Cammelle, Elinor with Eddie Ferrars, and Harriet with Bobby Martin. Lisa was startled that she was noticing whom everybody was dancing with. After two dances, her feet were sore, and she pleaded sick feet to Ricky, who went off in search of another to dance with. She sat down next to the refreshments table. This time, she decided to note who was not dancing.
"Let's see," she said to herself, "there's Eric Cammelle, Lydia just sat down, with some disgust to her partner, Jeffrey Stone, and ... Derek Williams? Ha! Serves him right: nobody to dance with.
Just then, Charlie came over to him and said,
"Derek, who won't you dance?"
"There's nobody I fancy dancing with."
"Fancy? Really, Derek, can't you wake up to modern times?"
"Sure, I just don't feel like dancing. You have theprettiest girl in the room."
Here, Lisa sat up straighter with pride for her sister.
Charlie said,
"Yeah, that's true. But, there's her sister, who is almost as pretty as my Jennifer."
"My Jennifer?" Lisa thought. "Almost as pretty?"
Derek looked at her, and she quickly looked away.
"She's okay."
"Okay?! What are you, blind? She's beautiful."
"For a girl."
"Derek, you're impossible."
Derek grinned.
"I know."
Lisa rolled her eyes. What a snob!
Part 3
Lisa realized what a great hitting team they had when their number one pitcher, Chris Brandon, also hit a ball over the fence. A boy she had never seen before came up to her and asked,
"May I sit here?"
She shrugged, trying to act like she didn't care. She was struck with how handsome he appeared from the side. Finally, he introduced himself:
"I'm George Wickham."
"Lisa Bennet."
They shook hands, then turned to watch the practice. Derek was on deck. Lisa noticed that when he caught sight of George, a look of utmost hatred passed across his face. She was too busy noticing how cute he was, even in hatred, to notice George's face, though. George was dumbstruck for a couple seconds, then, coming to himself, said:
"Do you know him?"
"Hardly."
"We've been playing ball together since we were eight. We even went to the Little League World Series together."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it was pretty cool."
Lisa smiled and tried to focus more on the practice.
"I'll bet you're wondering why I'm not on the team," he said, trying to bring the subject back.
Lisa raised her eyebrows.
"Actually, I wasn't," she replied. "I was wondering why Derek hates you so much if you grew up together."
"Well, let me tell you why I'm not on the team first: Derek got me kicked off."
"But, why?"
"Because I caught him with drugs in the locker room."
"What?!"
"And when he saw that I knew he had drugs, he offered me some. But when I refused him, he told Coach Bourgh that I was slacking off on the field, so he kicked me off."
"But, why would he kick you off if he just had Derek's word for it? Couldn't he just watch the game to see if he was right?"
George smiled.
"Coach Bourgh never watches the games. He thinks it's bad luck. Honest! He has to have somebody tell him everything. If that somebody's his nephew, it just makes it even truer, I guess."
"Wow," was all she could say.
"But it's no big deal. I'm going to join the football team next week."
Lisa smiled as she remembered Lydia's remark yesterday. Just at that moment, Derek hit a foul ball right into the bleachers, nearly hitting George on the head.
Lisa asked George:
"Don't you have to try out? I mean, how are you so sure you'll be accepted?"
"I'm friends with the quarterback."
"Oh, well, I guess that makes a difference."
George and Lisa watched as Derek hit three more home runs on three straight pitches. Even though this was only a practice, Lisa could see why he got away with so much.
When Lisa and Jen arrived home, later that day, they learned from Katya and Lydia that there was going to be yet another party, this time held at the Netherfield Cafe. Unlike last time, however, Lisa didn't care that much. She wanted to go to the party, but she was not so excited about meeting the players this time.
Part 4
"Did you ask to hear Derek's side of the story?" she asked.
"Why should I? George told me everything I need to know."
"Lisa, every story has two sides to it."
"Well, not this story," Lisa replied stupidly.
"So, Derek's definitely taking drugs?"
"That's what George said, isn't it?"
"What's so great about George's word? You just met him."
Lisa smiled.
"I think I have a little crush on him."
"A boy who's spreading this rumor about the star player of a baseball team?"
"Yeah," Lisa replied with a huge grin.
"Well, you have dated a few jerks."
"Yeah, but they were ugly jerks."
"And George is ... not a jerk?"
"Oh! Not at all! He has these dimples that curl into his cheeks when he smiles, they're like the Grand Canyon or something. Wow."
Charlotte walked away, muttering,
"Ooookay."
Lisa turned around and started pouring herself some punch. She caught a glimpse of Charlie Bingley whispering things to Jen, who was giggling like crazy. She was about to get into a smiling fest when she felt a sweaty hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she found herself shoulders to face with her cousin, Billy Collins, who asked her,
"Lisa, will you dance with me?"
Lisa rolled her eyes, mostly because she knew that if she didn't, Billy would start crying, and then tell her mother, and then Cissy would ground her for a month for being mean to "that nice little Billy Collins." She sighed, and said,
"Fine. After I drink my punch."
Billy was delighted and promptly sat himself down on a chair next to the punch bowl. Lisa scrutinized him out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't exactly what she would call a nice looking boy. His black hair came down over his forehead in sweaty locks and hung just below his thick glasses. He was short for his age and walked with a sort of a hunch from sitting at the computer too long. He wasn't usually with the squad, but he was a reporter at the Pemberley school paper. He wasn't even good at that.
All too soon, Lisa was done with her punch. From the moment they stepped on the floor, Lisa knew that Billy Collins had to be just terrible at everything he set his mind to. He couldn't step off her feet, and he seemed determined to let her lead him, instead of vice versa. Lisa thought she would gag, especially when she noticed Derek watching her. She thought she noticed a smug smile on his face. Abominable drug user!
"Oh, no!" she thought. "He's coming over."
She tried to duck behind Billy, but he was way too short. He seemed to appreciate it, though. Derek came over, tapped on Billy's shoulder and said,
"May I cut in?"
Billy looked as if he wanted to say no, but then he looked up and saw a much-bigger-than-him jock and decided anything was better than being creamed outside and quickly handed her over. Lisa made a mental note to kill Billy later. She decided to make the most out of a bad situation and try to trick Derek into saying something incriminating.
"Um," she began. A weak beginning, but better than nothing. He seemed too wrapped up in something to notice she had made a sound, though. "Weird," she thought. "He's stoned. That's why he wanted to dance with me." She decided to step on his toes.
"Ouch!" he said, almost softly.
She apologized, but soon wished she hadn't, because it only made him hold her closer.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" she finally asked him. He just looked at her. "Maybe you could say something about the music, or something. Anything to, I don't know, break the ice?"
He smiled and said,
"No. This is fun just as it is."
"Fun?" she thought to herself. "Gag me with a joint."
"So," she tried again. "How's baseball?"
"Fine," he said. "The Pirates aren't doing very well this year."
"I meant your baseball."
"Oh, well, that's going great." Mentally, he scolded himself for jumping to the wrong conclusion. "Of course she meant my baseball! What's the matter with me?"
"What's your favorite team?" he asked her.
"I don't really have one."
"Hm."
"Why can't I think of anything interesting to say?" he thought desperately. Out loud, he said,
"Your sister looks happy."
"Yeah, she does. Charlie looks like a nice boy."
"You should hear him when he's catching. He tries to ras the batter, but it only comes out like a polite comment."
Lisa found herself laughing. Derek was in heaven. He had made her laugh. Was that good or bad? He made a mental note to ask Charlie later.
Since Derek didn't have a car, he and Charlie usually drove home together. Unfortunately for Derek, tonight Charlie's sister, Claire, tagged along. Claire was a skinny little redhead who played the cymbals in the school band. She also wasn't shy about the fact that she had a humongous crush on Derek. Every time she saw him, she'd bat her eyes and giggle incessantly. Whenever he got a girlfriend, which wasn't often considering he'd only had two brief relationships since he was in high-school, she'd make up something terribly unclever about them.
Tonight, Charlie and Derek were kidding each other about their time at the party.
"Well, you had a good time after all, didn't you, Derek?" asked Charlie.
"Tolerable."
"Who was that girl you were dancing with? Liza?"
"Lisa."
"Whatever."
"Well, she is Jen's sister. I'm surprised you didn't know that."
"Well, of course he knew it," interjected Claire. "Charlie knows everything about Jen Bennet."
Charlie picked himself up as high as he could go without hitting the ceiling and grinned.
"Her favorite color is green, she has three sisters (two of whom are extremely stupid), a brother, and she enjoys any kind of music on the radio. Her favorite foods are strawberry ice-cream and Three Musketeer candy bars, and she hopes to one day be in the Olympics."
Claire laughed, Derek thought, a little too hard at that. He just nodded and said,
"Not bad."
"Do you know that much about Lisa Bennet?" asked Claire.
"Hardly."
Claire sat back with a satisfied sigh. Derek rolled his eyes at Charlie, who grinned back.
"I am sure you did not see much of her eyes while you were dancing away to your favorite love song," teased Claire, pushing the limit as usual.
"Nope. Her head only comes to about my shoulders."
"You didn't look down?"
"Sure, but she didn't look up."
"She would certainly have to look way up."
Derek didn't think such a stupid comment deserved an answer, and that was the end of the conversation, much to Claire's dismay.
Part 5
Posted on Tuesday, 16 June 1998
The next day, Pemberley was to play Harrisburg in the opening game of the season. Coach Bourgh was nowhere to be seen, but Mrs. Bourgh was right at her usual spot outside the dugout.
The squad had gotten the pyramid exactly right in practice, and Gina was coming along nicely as the newest member. Lisa thought she would be perfectly agreeable if she weren't so blasted shy. She still found it hard to believe she was Derek's sister, but she was trying to leave that subject alone. While she was thinking of how big a jerk Derek was, she got on the track of thinking about George; a much pleasanter subject, she thought. As she warmed up with her friends, she saw him take a seat high in the bleachers.
During the game, Lisa noticed that George ducked out of sight whenever Derek did anything, such as bat, catch a ball, walk into the infield, etc. She wondered why.
Cissy had told the girls to save their energy for when their team was doing something spectacular. Despite this precautiontaken to prevent them rom getting too tired, they were cheering quite a lot.
Chris Brandon threw nine pitches in the first inning, striking out three in a row, then Ricky hit a home-run to lead off for the Pemberley Rockets. The score was now one to nothing. Eddie Ferrars got up and walked. Derek hit a line drive to center-field that went all the way to the fence. Two to nothing. Mickey Cammelle did a sacrifice bunt. Three to nothing, one out. Greg Knightley doubled, Bobby Martin singled. Four to nothing, one out (Greg could really run). Johnny Willoughby popped up. Infield fly rule. Two outs. Chris Brandon's up. One word: triple. Five to nothing, two outs.
By this time, the other team had given up five runs on five hits. The coach had a rare moment of wisdom and switched pitchers. Ricky's up again. Intentional walk. Eddie got up and fouled off about thirty pitches before finally flying out to right-field. The first inning took an hour.
The game ended four hours later: eight to nothing. Charlie and Derek each hit a home-run to put up with Ricky's in the first inning. John almost cost them a run, but Ricky caught the ball just in time. Charlie made an excellent play at the plate, and there were no errors. Mrs. Bourgh was very pleased and promised that if the boys finished first, she would arrange for them to meet some major-league players. The players begged her to tell them who, but she said it would be a surprise.
After the game ended and Coach Bourgh had given the team a good pep talk, Lisa was walking to the cheerleaders bus when Billy Collins ran up to her and asked her to give him an interview for his paper. She saw no way out of it, so she agreed to give him a short interview.
"Elisa," he started, "what do you think of the Rockets's win tonight?"
"I think it was interesting. And it was a good, solid win."
"And will you go with reporter Billy Collins to the party Mrs. Bourgh is giving at the end of the season?"
"What?" she asked, startled.
"Will you go to the party with me, Lisa?" he asked her almost sweetly, and she almost felt sorry for him. She tried to break the news to him lightly.
"Um, I can't."
"Why not?" He looked so heartbroken that she almost changed her mind, but she caught herself in time.
"I haven't decided if I want to go yet." It was a lousy excuse, but it was the best she could come up with.
"Oh, well, when you make up your mind to come, you know you can't go with anyone but me." he said, sticking his pencil behind his ear as if the issue was settled.
"That's not true, Billy. I can go with whomever I please."
From the bus Cissy yelled impatiently for her to get her fanny in the bus, giving her an excuse to get away from Billy.
"Um, I have to go now, Billy, so .... bye." She ran off as quickly as she could.
When she got in the bus she took a seat next to Jen so she could poor out her woes to her. Jen was very sympathetic and she tried her best to make Lisa feel better, but Lisa was too upset to be comforted. How she hoped George would ask her out before Billy got to her mother.
Part 5b
Posted on Tuesday, 16 June 1998
On the way home, Lydia and Katya talkednonstop about the football game they had snuck off to see. Lisa was angry with them for deserting the squad, but Cissy said that if they wanted to watch the football game, that was fine. Lisa just rolled her eyes.
"Mama, you should have seen them!" squealed Lydia. "All of them so handsome and ... buff! Especially the quarterback. What's his name again, Katya?"
"Denny something-or-other."
"Yeah, that's right. Coach Lewis is throwing a party and he's inviting some of the top-notch players to come. And Denny wants me to be his date!" She squealed at the top of her lungs.
"He is so cute!" added Katya, nearly falling backwards into Marianne.
"Katya! Get your slimy hair off my skirt!" yelled Marianne. "I have to wear this again tomorrow. When was the last time you washed your hair, anyway?"
"Yesterday. What's the matter with my hair?"
"It's disgusting. Feel the top of your head."
Katya did as she was told and grimaced.
"No wonder I didn't get asked out and Lydia did."
"That's right, Katya," admonished Cissy from the front seat. "You should shower more often."
To save her sister, Lydia started again with Denny.
"Marianne, you should have seen him. He has the most divine eyes, and those muscles! Wow!!!"
"Really, Lydia," said Marianne in a mothering tone. "I'm certain he's nowhere near as good-looking as John."
"John? John who?"
"John Willoughby, of course. The center-fielder."
"Yick! A baseball player!"
"Lydia," said Emma. "It is possible that Denny's muscles were just shoulder pads."
"Yeah," added Harriet.
"He took his shirt off in the locker room," said Lydia, shaking her head.
"You went in the locker room?!" exclaimed Lisa.
"Well, he invited me," said Lydia defensively.
"Lydia!" said Elinor. "You don't go into a man's locker room."
"Why not?" asked Lydia.
"Because you're a girl."
"So?"
"So ...." began Jen, "haven't you seen Jerry Maguire? They get naked in there."
"I know," said Lydia, raising her eyebrows and grinning.
Marianne made gagging motions. Lisa was too disgusted to joke. She would have to ask George not to let any girls in the locker room after he joined the team.
"Lisa," began Gina quietly, "Not to change the subject or anything, but my mom is giving a cocktail party next week. Would you like to come?"
Lisa raised her eyebrows.
"Is this an official invitation?"
"Yes."
"Well, I guess, that is ... I'd love to."
"Great!" said Gina, genuinely pleased.
Part 6
Posted on Wednesday, 24 June 1998
The next day, at the game, Lisa turned her ankle in the first cheer, making her sit on the bleachers instead of cheering for her team. She wasn't too disappointed, though, because this gave her a chance to watch the team more carefully and see how the squad would do without her. As she was watching Johnny Willoughby strike out, George came up to her with one of his friends from the football team. Judging from the eyes this guy had, Lisa thought he was probably Lydia's *crush* Denny.
"Lisa," said George. "Why aren't you cheering with your squad?"
"I turned my ankle, hence the ice pack."
"Oh. Well, Lisa, this is Denny Jackson. He's the quarterback for the Spartans."
Lisa and Denny shook hands.
"Lydia has told me so much about you," said Lisa. Denny blushed.
"Lydia. Yeah, she's wild, isn't she?"
"You have no idea."
"What are you talking about?" asked George.
"My sister, Lydia, the one on the bottom there, flipping Gina, barged into the locker room last night after the game and flirted with the players."
George laughed.
"I'm sorry I missed it," he said.
Lisa decided to ignore that remark. She said,
"Now that you're on the team, George, I was hoping you'd keep my sisters out of the locker room."
Seeing she was serious, George swallowed his grin and said,
"Oh, definitely."
Just then, somebody yelled:
"Heads up!" and a foul ball sailed over their heads, making them duck.
"I think Derek has it in for me," said George.
"What makes you say that?" asked Lisa and Denny together.
"That foul ball almost hit me," he answered.
"But Derek wasn't even batting," commented Lisa.
"That has nothing to do with it. I almost wasn't accepted on the football team."
"How do you know that was Derek's fault?"
"The coach said he was afraid I'd throw games. How disgusting is that?"
"Pretty disgusting. Do you have a game today?"
"No. I just thought I'd wear my uniform to impress you. How do I look? Pretty good?"
"Uh-huh. Nice."
"Well, anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to the party Coach is throwing for us next week. Tuesday."
"Oh, I'd love to, but I can't. I'm going to a cocktail party at Gina's house."
"Gina? Gina Williams?"
"Yeah."
"Oh."
Lisa felt sorry for him, so she said,
"Why don't you come to the cocktail party with me? You can be my date."
"George raised his eyebrows and grimaced.
"I don't think I should go to a party at the Williams's house."
"Why not?"
"It would be too awkward." Then, as an afterthought, "And I don't want to hurt Gina."
"That's sweet."
"Yes, I thought so, too."
Lisa smiled, then they turned around to watch the rest of the game.
Later that night, Lisa walked into her bedroom and found Jen looking out the window. She said,
"Okay, what's wrong?"
"What?" asked Jen innocently.
"You look worried. Is something the matter with you and `your Charlie'?"
"If you mean Charlie Bingley, I can't imagine what could be wrong. It's just that I'm expecting him to ask me to the party, and he hasn't," ans she sat down roughly on the bed.
"Yet."
"Of course." But somehow she didn't look all that happy about it.
"Well, is there somebody else you think he'd rather take?"
"No. I'm just afraid he won't want to get involved with a girl in the middle of a season. Or maybe he just doesn't like me."
Here, Lisa had to laugh.
"Doesn't like you? What, are you crazy?! No offense, of course, but have you noticed how he looks at you? Every time he looksin your direction, he stands up straighter and looksl ike he wants to pull his pants up by the belt loops, like Ephraim in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers."
Jen looked at her looking unconvinced and said,
"Lisa, must you always take my life and make it into a movie?"
"I'm sorry, but to me, life is a movie."
"To me, life is therapy: real expensive and no guarantee."
"Well, now you're making your life look like a song. So we're even."
By now, Jen was feeling much better. Lisa decided it was safe to change the subject.
"What do you think I should wear to the cocktail party?"
"Your bathing suit, what else?"
"My bathing suit?! Why on earth would I wear a bathing suit to a cocktail party?" Lisa asked, surprised.
"Oh!" Jen said, putting her hand over her mouth, "I thought you meant the party we're going to at the end of the season! Um, I think you should wear ... this," she concluded, taking out Lisa's black party dress.
"But that's so ... revealing."
"So? Won't there be cute boys there?"
"Yeah, but you don't want to start off with revealing. I want to look wholesome, but not `little miss perfect'. I also don't want to attract Derek. You know what I mean?"
"I think so. Um, how about this one?" holding out a little blue dress with short sleeves and shorter collar.
"Oh, yeah! I forgot I had that. Gosh, it'll have to be ironed, won't it." It was a statement, not a question.
"Of course. See you later."
"Bye, Jen."
Part 7
"You did what?!" asked Derek, shocked.
Gina stepped back, surprised.
"Well, why shouldn't I invite her? She's nice, she's pretty, she's classy ..."
"She's against the rules."
"Rules? What rules?"
Derek sighed and, striking a pose, burst forth with a perfect impersonation of Mrs. Bourgh.
"My dear young ... ah ... men, you are in an important part of your career and cannot be, uh, haggled with a girlfriend. Do I make myself clear? Do I? Speak up. Speak up now," he finished, pointing a make-believe clipboard at Gina, who was laughing hysterically.
"Well, it's too late now," she managed between bursts of laughter. "I already invited her."
Derek relinquished his Mrs. Bourgh posture, and stood up straight, his hands in his pockets.
"Fine. Just please tell me you didn't invite her whole family."
"Nope. Just her. And I told her she could bring one other person, so make sure Charlie's coming."
He raised his eyebrows. She turned her head and walked away.
That night, at the cocktail party, Lisa felt strangely over-dressed. She could see that everybody else was wearing essentially the same thing she was, but she still felt over-dressed. She saw a group of kids near the refreshments table, so she headed over there. On her way, she ran into Gina.
"Hi!" said Gina. "Are you enjoying yourself?"
"Actually, I just got here."
"Oh, well, I hope you have fun. I'm hostess tonight. Great dress, by the way."
Lisa blushed.
"Thank you."
As she got to the refreshment table she saw Charlie enter the room in a blue suit. Holding onto his arm was Jen. Lisa smiled. They certainly looked happy.
Derek spotted Lisa next to the refreshment table.
"Wow!" he thought to himself. "Who cares about the rules when she wears that dress?"
He shook his head fiercely.
"Thank goodness Aunt Catherine can't read my mind. Although sometimes I wonder."
He walked up to Lisa and stood for a minute, awkwardly shifting his weight. He finally said,
"Hi."
She smiled politely and said, "Hello."
"I was wanting to ask you something."
"Really? What?" she asked disinterestedly.
"Well, uh, I was wondering, that is, would you be interested, I mean ... Would you go to the end-of-season party with me?"
She started. Looking intently at him, she said, "I'm sorry, but no."
For a moment, he was quite embarrassed. Then he was confused.
"Why not?" he asked.
She sighed, then said, "If you must know, because I think you're a conceited jerk."
"Conceited?" he repeated, stunned.
"That's what I said. Not to mention arrogant, spiteful," she paused, searching for just the right word.
"May I ask you why?"
"Wait a second, there's something else ... oh, what's the word? Spoiled rotten, for one. Disgusting for another. George told me everything about why he's not on the team anymore." She turned away, calmly sipping her drink.
Derek ran his fingers through his hair, bewildered. After only a moment's hesitation, he ran after her. Stepping in front of her, he said, "And what did he tell you?"
"Really, Mr. Williams," she said, accenting the `Mr.', "Blocking my path only adds rudeness to your many charges."
"I'm sorry," he said, stepping out of her way. "But what did he say?"
"Why? So you can deny everything with a well-thought-of lie?"
"Just tell me."
"Fine." She set her glass on the table and stared him straight in the eye. "He told me that when he threatened to turn you in for using steroids, you told the coach that he was throwing games."
"Well, that's difficult to swallow, but I can believe he'd say something like that."
She turned to leave.
"Wait," he said, taking her by the arm. "Let me tell you what really happened." He led her to an out-of-the-way corner.
"Let me go," she said.
"Wait a minute. Just listen to me," he said. He paused for a minute, waiting for her to consent. When he was ready, he said, "Last season was terrible. We were losing games all over the place, and for some reason, George was getting richer. After a few more games, it became obvious that he was throwing games for money. I reported him to the coach, and he was thrown off the team."
She nodded and said, "That's what he said you did. But what about the drugs?"
He almost growled.
"There weren't any drugs. And you didn't let me finish. After he was thrown off the team, George tried to get revenge on me by targeting my sister."
"Gina?" asked Lisa, suddenly feeling a tightness in her stomach. Derek was becoming a little sarcastic.
"Do I have another sister?" he asked. "Yes. Gina. He persuaded her that they were in love. He told her that if she loved him she would ..." he swallowed. "Sleep with him."
Lisa gasped, feeling sick.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked.
He sighed. "I don't know. I just don't want you to think I'm a druggie, I guess," he said with a small smile.
She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, "Is that the end of the story?" she asked.
"No. She refused to sleep with him."
Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at her sharply.
"But a few nights later, when she was coming home from a party, he found her, and attacked her."
Lisa gasped.
"Poor Gina! I had no idea!"
"Oh, she got away before anything happened, but she was pretty shaken up."
Lisa couldn't believe her ears. It was too fantastic!
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"Judge for yourself," he said, getting angry again. "I'm sorry if I spoiled your evening." He left.
Lisa stared after him. What a puzzle. So George had lied to her. She could deal with that. Suddenly, all sorts of questions popped into her head. Why had George forced the subject on her? Why was he always bursting to say something bad about Derek? Why had she so willingly believed him? She decided to confront him the next time she saw him.
Part 8
Derek was depressed, to say the least. He was in the locker room, getting ready for the game with the rest of the team, and all the others were talking about the girls they were taking to the party. Eddie couldn't stop stuttering about Elinor, and Chris and Johnny were fighting over who had the rights to Marianne.
"Hey!" shouted Greg, who was rummaging through his locker.
"What's the matter?" asked Bobby.
"Who stole my necklace?" he demanded.
"Your necklace!" hooted Johnny.
"The necklace I bought for Emma, to give to her at the party," explained Greg.
Derek noticed Johnny coloured slightly, but other than that appeared calm.
"Haven't seen a necklace anywhere around here," said Johnny.
"I saw you holding a necklace last night," said Derek innocently. Johnny glared at him.
"That was an id bracelet. For Marianne."
Chris scoffed.
"I don't think Marianne will let you buy a date from her..."
"You bought her a watch, Chris," reminded Johnny.
"You didn't let me finish, John. I was going to say buy a date from her with an id bracelet.'
"And you call that excuse for jewelry a watch?" asked Chris defensively. "You wouldn't know a diamond from a cubic zirconia. All you do is hang around pawn shops and fortune tellers with George all day."
"A zirconia looks almost exactly like a diamond, Chris."
"I can tell the difference."
"Oh, hoity toity. Mr. Rich Boy knows the difference between diamonds and zirconias."
Chris slammed his locker shut and glared at Johnny menacingly. Derek stepped between them.
"Boys, boys, boys, you're arguing over diamonds!"
Chris and Johnny both looked embarrassed enough. They were fighting over diamonds! Of all things for boys to fight over! So, trying to right himself, Johnny said,
"And you are you going with, Mr. Williams?"
Derek shrugged.
"Haven't decided yet."
Charlie looked at him consolingly. Derek had told him he meant to ask Lisa.
Just then, the door bolted open and Ricky ran in, shutting the door hard behind him, his shirt gaping at the neck, his hair a mess, and his face smeared with lipstick.
"Ricky! What happened?" asked Mickey.
"Too many girls live in this neighborhood!" he gasped. He ran to the water fountain to moisten his mouth.
"So? What do girls have to do with you?"
Ricky hit Mickey over the head on his way to the locker.
"Seriously! They attacked me!"
Derek wished a certain girl would attack him like that.
During the game, Derek made two errors. One was when he threw the ball to Greg Knightley at first for an easy out, the ball went way over Greg's head. It ended up making the runner at second score. The other was when he threw to Bobby Martin at second to get the double play, it went into the right field.
Lisa watched that horrendous game in disbelief. Had she had that effect on him, or was Derek Williams actually capable of having an off-day?
Gina couldn't believe her eyes. What was the matter with her brother? She decided to ask him the first chance she got. She also couldn't stand sitting next to Lydia any longer. Every time Derek would throw the ball, she would yell out, 'miss it!' and then giggle uncontrollably.
Needless to say, Derek and most of the team were very upset. The only one who didn't seem to be in a bad mood was John Willoughby, for some strange reason. He just stood over in center field, smirking to himself.
After the game, the team dragged back into the locker room. Derek threw his equipment into his locker and sat down to unlace his spikes. Charlie's locker was right next to his. On the other side was John's. Charlie said,
"Must be a full moon tonight."
"What?" asked Bobby.
"Nothing," he muttered.
Mrs. Bourgh came in and Derek braced himself.
"Well," she began, glaring at all of them over her spectacles. "That was some game, boys."
They just continued slamming things in their lockers. Scott Garcia and Eric Cammelle were comparing batting averages and ERA's. Mrs. Bourgh went up to them and grabbed their papers, slapping them upside the head with them.
"I will not put up with this type of playing from anybody! Greg!" she barked, turning her attention to the first baseman. "Why didn't you catch that ball in the fifth inning?"
"Um, Aunt Catherine," interrupted Derek.
"Yes, hon?"
John snorted. Derek ignored it.
"That was my fault."
Mrs. Catherine Bourgh blinked.
"Well," she stammered, getting even more angry, "still, you ... all of you ... made regrettable plays today, and you may not care, but I happened to find out that there were scouts for the Cardinals out there." Her tirade was met by blank stares. "And if you're not going to try, then Mr. Bourgh is not going to be your coach."
"He's not the coach, anyway. You are," shot Ricky.
Mrs. Bourgh decided to ignore that, and went on.
"Now, I want each of you to tell me what's bugging you, or nobody is leaving this locker room."
Derek slammed his locker shut and walked out the door.
Part 10
After the game, Lisa cornered George (or rather, he cornered Lisa).
"Hi, Lisa."
"Hello, Mr. Wickham."
He thought she was flirting.
"How are you doing today, Miss Bennet?"
"I'd be just fine if you would let me by."
"Why are you mad at me?" he pouted. "You wouldn't even look at me during the game."
"You were heckling the boys, George. And loudly. I was embarrassed to look at you."
"Oh, well, I'm sorry. How was the party the other night?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Fine. There were lots of people I didn't know, so it was kind of awkward."
"I can imagine. Especially if they all think highly of a person you abhor."
She looked him straight in the eye.
"And who do you think I abhor?"
He smiled and blinked at her.
"Derek Williams, of course."
She laughed in his face.
"Oh, George! At the moment, I think he is a very nice boy. You are the one I abhor."
She walked away, leaving him to blink in amazement.
She waited around the locker room for a few minutes, hoping to apologize to Derek for misjudging him, but her mother called her before any of the boys came out.
After they got back to their house, Lisa went directly to her room. She had told Jen all about it, so Jen followed her.
"Oh, Jen! What am I going to do?"
"Well, you certainly got George off your back."
"Yes, but now Derek wants to get me off his back."
"So? There are other boys."
Lisa smiled to herself and decided to change the subject.
"How's Charlie?"
Jen beamed.
"He's great. I was so busy listening to your stories the other night, I didn't get to tell you mine:" she paused for effect. "He asked me to the party!"
They squealed in delight. They were in the middle of jumping up and down and hugging each other when Lydia and Katya burst into the room. They were both talking at once, and all Lisa could hear was "pool party".
"Hold it!" screamed Jen, her voice rising above its normal volume. They all stared at her. "Now. Lydia, you tell us what is going on."
"Ricky Fitzwilliam is throwing a pool party! I think it's to cheer everybody up about the game today, but it doesn't matter! We're going to a pool party at Ricky's house!"
Katya added,
"And all the boys will be there, too. I wonder if Denny will come."
"Denny's on the football team, Kat."
"I know it, but he could come, anyway. He's in the same class as Ricky at school."
"How do you know this?" asked Lisa.
"We were talking on the phone just now."
"Ah."
"Oh, dear!" shouted Lydia suddenly.
"What's the matter?" asked Lisa impatiently.
"I don't have a tan! I've been inside too much recently. Come along, Katya. We're going to the beach right now."
"But, Lydia..." protested Katya, as Lydia dragged her out the door. Jen closed the door behind them. The two girls rolled her eyes at each other.
Part 11 A
As the girls each filed into Ricky's house, Lisa admired the fancy woodwork on the living room walls. It appeared that Ricky's family was just as well-off as his cousin, although Lisa hadn't exactly been seeing the Darcy home with an admiring eye when she'd been there.
Ricky politely showed them to the deck outside, and led them to the snack table. Lisa looked around for Derek, but couldn't find him. Apparently, he'd skipped the party. Disappointed, she set her towel and goggles on a beach chair and sat down, gnawing on a carrot. The other girls jumped in the pool, each in their own way. The boys soon followed.
"Hey, Lisa!" called Ricky. "Give us commands, and we'll do them, like Follow the Leader, or something."
Lisa laughed.
"Okay. Let's see ... um, stand on your head and sing the Barney song."
Ricky did so, and the rest of the boys followed suit. As the sound of their water-filled voices carried up the tune to I love you, you love me, Derek came in, carrying a twelve-pack of Pepsi. Claire was following him, sporting a can of Coca-Cola and a shirt over her bikini. Derek was not dressed to swim. He was wearing blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt, along with some very expensive-looking sneakers.
"Hey, Derek!" shouted Greg from the center of the pool. "You finally got here!"
"Yeah, it took you long enough!" shouted Bobby, tackling Greg.
"I was a little tied up," said Derek, glancing at Clair, who was wringing her shirt out on the grass.
Jen and Charlie ran by, squirting water bottles at each other and giggling.
"Charlie! Stop! I'm wet enough, and there's not a drop on you!" exclaimed Jen, pretending to be angry.
Charlie promptly set his bottle on the grass and stood like he was in front of a firing squad.
"May I please have a blindfold?" he asked cheekily.
"No!" shouted Ricky. "You have to watch yourself be squirted."
"Then I would like a last wish."
"All right," said Jen, aiming carefully.
He plopped down on his knees, crawled over to Jen, and clung to her ankles, shouting,
"Please don't squirt me!"
Jen laughed and poured a stream of water down his shirt. He yelped at the contact and picked up his own bottle.
"That does it, Miss Jen Bennet! Now you're going to get it!"
He ran after her while they both squirted each other.
Ricky shouted after them,
"No water on the carpet! My mom will kill me!"
Lisa was laughing so hard, she dropped her carrot on the floor. Derek bent down and handed it to her.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Charlie and Jen came back. It appeared they had made a truce.
"Hey, Derek," greeted Charlie. "How's it going? I didn't think you would make it."
"Well, I would've been here earlier, but your sister had some things she wanted me to do."
"Oh," grimaced Charlie. "I can just imagine."
"Yeah."
"Hey, Derek!" shouted Ricky. "Hand me a Pepsi?"
"Sure."
Derek took the Pepsi to Ricky, who was in the pool. Ricky motioned for Derek to bend over, so he could whisper something in his ear. As he bent over, Charlie snuck over behind him, and shoved him in the pool. After tumultuous applause from Jen and Lisa, Derek came up sopping wet, his hair in his eyes, and his shoes weighing him down. Charlie stood there, doubled over in laughter. Then he pretended to sober up, and flexed his muscles for the ladies.
"Charlie! You're a ... I can't think of the right word, but when I do, I'll let you know," roared Derek, coughing.
"You should have seen your face!" laughed Ricky.
Derek dove back down to take his shoes off. Then he threw them at Charlie, who laughed even harder.
"You're paying for those!" Derek yelled at Charlie.
"Sure, buddy. Whatever you say."
Derek climbed out.
"Remind me to kill you later."
"I'll make a note of it."
"Good grief, you could've waited until I had some swimming clothes on, Chuck," said Derek, indicating his soaked shirt and jeans.
Charlie's eyes got big.
"You called me Chuck!" he said.
"Yes, Chuck, I did," said Derek, poking water out of his ears. Charlie lunged at him and they both fell in the pool. The water fight that ensued amused Lisa a great deal, especially since Derek took his shirt off and used it as a water-slinger.
Part 12
"Hey, people!" cautioned Ricky, after the fight was over and they were all heading into the house, "Be careful! My mom's really particular about the carpets."
"Lisa, you're making a huge water spot!" shouted Ricky.
"I am not. That's from Eddie. And I don't see why you had to push me in, too," protested Lisa.
"A pool party's just not a pool party unless all the involved parties are not in the pool," said Ricky, grinning.
"Huh?" came the unanimous reply.
Ricky looked as if he were going to repeat himself, but thought better of it, and said,
"If everybody's not in the pool, it's not a pool party."
"Ohhhh," they all chorused again.
Claire sneezed.
"Bless you," everybody said at once, causing them all to giggle. Then Ricky started ushering people into the bathroom to dry off.
Claire started jumping up and down in front of Derek, trying to get him to look at her.
"Derek," she whined, "I should be first in the bathroom. If I don't get my hair dry immediately, it's going to frizz."
"Get a brush."
Claire looked like she was going to hurl.
"A brush?! Do you know what a brush would do to my perm?"
"Clean it?"
Claire huffed and stomped away to pester Ricky.
"Sheesh," said Lisa, "I had no idea anybody could be that annoying. I wanted to throw up all over her designer bikini."
"So have I, on more than one occasion," said Derek, and he grinned at her. "You looked so cute in that pool, yelling at Ricky and Eddie because they pushed you in."
"Well, at least I was wearing my bathing suit," said Lisa. Then she realized what she said, and blushed. Derek laughed.
"Yeah, but it was still funny."
"Well, I didn't think it was so funny. I think I banged my elbow on the floor of the pool." She rubbed her elbow ruefully.
"Really? Are you okay?" he tried to examine her elbow, and grabbed her wrist. She automatically pulled back. "What's the matter?"
"Oh, nothing," she stammered. "I just wasn't expecting you to..."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry."
They looked at each other.
"Okay," they said in unison, then laughed.
"Hey, kiddies," interrupted Ricky, "you're dripping on the floor."
"Well, where are we supposed to drip?" asked Emma.
"Anywhere, except on the floor."
"Okay," said Marianne. She started to climb on top of the grand piano.
"No!" shouted Ricky. "The floor's fine." He pulled her down.
Katya came up to Lisa, and said,
"Have you seen Lydia? We were supposed to race across the pool, but she never showed up."
"No, she's probably still working on her tan."
Katya was not satisfied.
"I'll bet she went out with that boy she met at the beach yesterday."
"Did she meet a boy? Is he a football player?" Lisa asked, jokingly.
"Yes, actually. He was hanging around the beach, and he picked her up. She was supposed to put sun block on my back for me, but he distracted her. Now I have a sunburn where my shirt..." she looked at Derek. "Never mind."
"Katya," said Lisa, "what was this boy's name?"
"George something. Why?"
Lisa looked at Derek and raised her eyebrows. He shook his head at her.
"Oh, no reason. Just curious."
Katya looked at them strangely, then walked off. Lisa and Derek wondered if George was up to something, but finally concluded that if he was, he would not have time to do anything, as his team was leaving the next day for an away game. After Ricky told Lisa it was her turn in the bathroom, she and Derek agreed to meet tomorrow after the game.
Part 13
One day, two weeks later, after the girls finished practice one day, Gina came up to Lisa with a big smile, and said,
"I hear you and my brother are going out tonight?"
"Yeah, right after the game. I hope we win."
"Me, too. I hope you guys have a good time. I was disappointed nothing happened after the party..."
"What did you expect to happen?" Lisa asked suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing. I just always thought you two would make a cute couple." She blushed.
Lisa grinned.
"Thanks, Gina. I appreciate it."
"Appreciate what?" Gina was still trying to look innocent.
Lisa laughed.
"Never mind. Where are my shoes?"
When Lisa got home, Harriet met her at the door with,
"Do you know where Lydia is?"
"No, why should I know where she is?"
"She's missing. Cissy .. I mean, your mother .. is panicked, and she won't stop screaming." Harriet winced as Cissy let out another scream. "Emma says if she doesn't shut up soon, she'll overdose herself on sleeping pills."
"Emma would kill herself just to escape my mother's screams?"
Harriet nodded.
"That's what she said."
Lisa sighed.
"Well, I honestly have no idea where Lydia is. Maybe she went swimming."
"Mark already called the pool, twice. He says that maybe she wandered into a church, and repented for what she's been doing with her new boyfriend."
"What new boyfriend? What's she been doing with him?"
Harriet shrugged.
"I don't know. That's just what Mark said."
Lisa went to find Jen, but she was spending the day with Charlie, so she settled for Elinor, who was trying to figure out what happened to the fifty dollars she had saved from her allowance.
"Elinor, do you know about Lydia and her new boyfriend?"
Elinor sighed, sat back in her chair, dropped her pen, took a deep breath, and said,
"She met him at the beach. He is a football player named George, or Geoffrey, or something like that. They were seen making out last week in the back of his car."
"What?! She's only thirteen!"
"That's all I know, sorry."
"Who saw them?"
"A few people. Edward, Marianne, Bobby, Mark, and Emma, to name a few."
"Mark saw them? I can just imagine what he did."
Marianne walked in just then.
"What who did?" she asked, looking from one to the other.
"Mark, when he saw George and Lydia."
Marianne grinned.
"It was hilarious! He went up and knocked on the windshield. Scared George so much, he nearly jumped out of the car. I thought he would drop dead, or something. The funny thing was that we were all more embarrassed about it than they were. They even laughed at us."
Lisa said,
"I feel I'm gonna be sick."
"Edward was sick. Didn't you notice his new shoes, Elinor?"
Elinor colored.
"No, I didn't."
Marianne was irritated.
"Elinor, why don't you just admit that you like him?"
"It wouldn't do anybody any good to admit anything."
"Well, I guess that's about as good as I'm gonna get."
"Well, you could be a little less rude to Chris."
Marianne dropped herself on the bed.
"He shouldn't butt in when John and I are talking."
Lisa spoke up now.
"John? Speaking of John, no offense, Mari, but it looked an awful lot like he was trying to throw the game last week."
"Why would he do that?"
"I don't know," Lisa shrugged, "But Derek mentioned seeing him in a new convertible the other day, with a pretty red-head."
"That was probably his sister," Marianne dismissed her with a wave of her hand.
"He doesn't have a sister. Anyway, I'm gonna go check on Mom, make sure she hasn't caused Emma to overdose herself or anything."
She left the room, closing the door behind her. Marianne rolled over and went to sleep, while Elinor went back to studying her figures.
Part 14
"Mama, I'm sure nothing bad has happened to Lydia," Lisa tried to calm her mother down.
"And even if it had," added Emma, "it probably isn't serious. Nothing a little trip to the hospital couldn't fix."
Lisa threw an angry glare at Emma, then looked back to her mother.
"She probably went to see a movie. I hear she has a new boyfriend..."
Just then, the door opened, and Lydia walked in. She blew a bubble with her gum, which exploded loudly on her face.
"What's all the fuss about?" she asked.
"You!" Emma and Lisa said together. Lisa finished with, "You are two days late, you never called, you didn't leave a note... We had no idea where you were!"
"So?" Lydia shrugged. She was then enveloped in a bear-like hug by her mother. She was not able to escape for nearly an hour. Lisa thought she should at least be grounded, but Cissy Bennet spoiled Lydia rotten, and was too happy her baby girl was safely home to punish her.
The next few weeks, Jen and Lisa and all the other girls were forced to listen to Lydia rave about the greatness of George Wickham.
"Georgie is such a great surfer! He looks so great with wet hair! I bet he has the best ... tan ... in all of Pennsylvania! I'll bet he wins the whole season, just him! His team stinks, but he's a great quarterback. He's even better than Denny. Lord! He is so strong! He threw me up in the air once, and caught me as if I was a stuffed bear! I wish we could cheer for his team. I hate the Rockets!" She sat back and sighed, unable to think of anything else to say.
Lisa and Jen rolled their eyes. Despite the fact that Lydia seemed to have the flu, she could still talk circles around anybody - with or without a subject.
Near the end of the season, the atmosphere around the ball-field reached a fever-pitch. The Rockets needed to win just one more game to make the play-offs. Of course, if they lost every game for the rest of the season, they would lose their play-off berth, and would be forced to find some other recreational activity for the winter.
Lisa, despite her efforts to be (what should definitely be ruled an oxymoron) a rational cheer-leader, had become a rabid Rocket. In her efforts to support Derek, she had ended up giving a boost to the entire team. Although Derek, thankfully, was the only one to regard her as more than "just a girl there to cheer us on," Chris Brandon's ERA had dropped drastically, and was on his way to winning a pitcher's medal for the county. Ricky Fitzwilliam was slugging away with an astounding .555 batting average (due to change next game). Scouts from various ball clubs, including the Orioles and Dodgers, had already shown an interest in him.
Charlie Bingley was also having an outstanding season, but Lisa didn't even try to take the credit for that. That was entirely Jen's doing.
Gina was becoming a fine cheer-leader. She had had to take over Lydia's spot for a while, as Lydia could not seem to get over this bug she'd had for a while now. The whole household had begun to worry.
One day, as Lisa was picking up the telephone to call Derek, Cissy came into the living-room, dragging Lydia behind her.
"Mom?" asked Lisa, beginning to dial, "what's going on here?"
"She's taking me to the hospital," Lydia fumed. "I told her I just have the flu."
Lisa frowned at the telephone in annoyance. A busy signal, of all things.
"Then why isn't anybody else sick?" Cissy demanded, her voice raising to a shrill, piercing sound. "We're gonna find out what's wrong with you."
Lisa rolled her eyes as the station wagon pulled out of the driveway, carrying away an irritated Cissy and an indignant Lydia. Finally, she was able to get through to the Williams's residence, and she heard the phone pick up.
"Hello?" came a distinctly female voice.
"Hi, Gina? Can I talk to Derek, please? This is Lisa."
"Hi, Lisa," Gina said cheerfully, "Sure, I'll get him. Just a minute."
Lisa waited for a couple minutes, listening to Emma, Marianne, and Katya bantering about something downstairs. Finally, Derek picked up the phone.
"Hi, Lisa," he said. "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if there's a game this Saturday...?"
"Oh, well, I think so. Let me check. Be right back."
She listened for a few more minutes while Derek checked his calendar. When he came back on the phone,
"Yes, there is a game this Saturday. Why?"
"What are you doing afterwards?" Lisa asked, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.
Derek grinned.
"Well, there will probably be a talk from Aunt Catherine ... likely to be prolonged if we lose ..."
"You won't lose."
"Thanks. Maybe some news on the special guests for the party..."
"Oh, yeah! The party! What's going on with that?"
"I don't know. I don't think Aunt Catherine has been able to conjure up any major league players. Anyway, I have no idea what to do after the talk. What do you want to do?"
"I thought maybe we could ... I don't k now," said Lisa thoughtfully, "What could we do? Wanna catch a late movie? Or maybe we could do some early Christmas shopping. Very early Christmas shopping."
Derek grimaced into the phone, and Lisa knew it. She giggled.
"I didn't think so."
"Why don't we go to my house?" he suggested. "Don't worry, my parents will be home, as will Gina... We could, I don't know, hang out."
Lisa thought a minute. What could they do at Derek's house? She had no idea what he enjoyed doing, besides baseball.
"How's Lydia?" he asked, suddenly.
"I don't know," she sighed. "My mom dragged her out to the hospital today for a check-up. They should be back any minute."
"I've never known anyone so young as Lydia to have to flu that long. My great-grandmother had it for five weeks once, but she was ninety-six."
"Me, neither. I can't imagine what's gotten into her system. She never gets sick."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the station wagon pull up. Her mother stormed out of the car, and headed up the sidewalk to the front door. The door flew open, and Lisa watched her mother stomp into the kitchen. She heard her put a kettle of tea on the stove.
"Uh, Derek? My mom just got home. Something's terribly wrong ... she's actually mad at Lydia."
"Oh, dear, something must be wrong," said Derek.
"Yeah, can I put you on hold, just for a minute?"
"Sure."
"Mom?" said Lisa, taking the phone away from her ear, "What's wrong with Lyddie?"
Lydia trudged in, and, hearing this last bit, said, "I'm pregnant." She looked tired, and ready to cry.
Part 14 B
"You're what?"
Lydia was suddenly defensive.
"Hey, don't act like you've never heard the term before. You heard me. I'm going to have a baby."
"But," sputtered Lisa, "you're only thirteen!"
"Hello!" said Lydia, angrily, "I know how old I am!"
"And what's worse," said Cissy, coming in from the kitchen, "she won't tell me who the father is."
Lisa got a sinking feeling she knew who the father was.
"Uh, Derek?" she said into the phone, "I have to go now. Family crisis, so to speak."
"Sure," he said, worriedly. "You want me to come over there? I could take you out somewhere, you could eat at my place, meet my parents?"
"Uh, no, thanks," she started to say, but he cut her off, saying, "I'll be right there."
Lisa could have killed her sister. Why now? Was George the father?
"Lydia," she said softly, "who's the father?"
"None of your business!" screamed Lydia. She ran into the bathroom, locking herself in. Marianne, Emma, and Katya ran in, wondering what the commotion was all about. Lisa sat down on the couch in a daze. The other girls sat beside her.
"What's going on?" asked Katya.
"Is Lydia going to be all right?" asked Marianne.
"Did something go wrong with George?" asked Emma.
Lisa shrugged her shoulders in dismay. Elinor and Harriet came back. They had been at the mall.
"George?!" shrieked Cissy from the kitchen. "Who's George?"
"George is Lydia's latest boyfriend. Really cute," tittered Harriet. After receiving a reproving glance from Emma, she added, "But also really nice. He's a quarterback."
"A jock?!" screamed Cissy. "He'd better not be the father!"
Elinor and Harriet exchanged glances.
"Ohmigod!" said Harriet, panicking. "Lydia's pregnant?"
"I swear, Lydia," Lisa suddenly screamed through the bathroom door, "If I ever get my hands on you, you'll be sorry you ever met George Wickham."
All anybody heard was Lydia sobbing into the bathtub.
"My baby," murmured Cissy.
"Lydia's pregnant?" came a voice from the doorway. Mr. Bennet was home, and suddenly fuming. The girls all stared at him, while Cissy sobbed in the kitchen and Lydia in the bathroom. He looked at each of the girls. They were all fairly shocked, as was to be expected, but Lisa most of all. Her eyes were filled with such pain, he wondered if Lydia had done more damage than just to herself. He walked calmly to the bathroom door, leaving the front door open. He pounded on the bathroom door.
Lydia!" he called, "Come out here this instant! We need to talk."
There was some sniffling, and the door slowly opened. Thomas Bennet led his youngest daughter to the sofa, gently sat her down, and said, "Lydia, are you pregnant?"
She hiccuped and nodded, still sniffling. Thomas's jaw clenched, and he slowly counted to ten before saying anything else.
"Who is the father?"
Lydia started sobbing again and shook her head.
"I'm not telling... I don't want him to be embarrassed."
"Lydia," said Thomas, "We need to know who the father is. He should be embarrassed. You're only thirteen, for crying out loud! Is he older than you?"
She nodded.
"How much older?"
"He's eighteen."
"Do you love him?"
She nodded. Lisa closed her eyes in disgust. From outside, they could hear a car pull up somewhere on the street, and slowly come to a stop.
"Does he love you?"
"Then there should be no problem. Now, who is the father?"
She sniffled for a few more seconds, and Lisa thought she would never say anything. Finally, she said, "It's Georgie."
Lisa heard a gasp at the front door, and, looking up, saw Derek staring at them all in shock and disbelief.
Part 15
Derek stood awkwardly in the doorway, avoiding eye contact with anybody. Lisa caught his eye for one second, and he thought she would burst into tears. He wanted to hold her, but there was no way that could happen with all her family and friends sitting there, looking on. He shifted uneasily, and finally darted out the door. Lisa ran after him. As he was getting into his car, Lisa called out,
"Derek! Wait!"
He turned and looked at her. Her eyes were slightly red, from crying, and her hands were trembling.
"Why are you leaving?"
He laughed ruefully.
"It seems rather awkward, don't you think?"
She admitted that it did.
"I wouldn't want to bother you all during this... whatever you would call it."
"Crisis?" supplied Lisa. He nodded. "Are we still seeing each other this weekend?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course." After a slight pause, "Unless you don't want to."
"I do want to."
"Great. I was just wondering, you know, because of the recent ... happenings." He motioned towards the house.
"Especially because of the recent happenings," Lisa said dryly. "I can't believe she would do something like that. Poor Mom. At least now Gina will have a permanent spot in the squad."
He colored slightly, then stammered an agreement. She noticed his discomfort, and, in her troubled state, thought she noticed a look of dislike on his features. What did he think of her? Would he talk his aunt into firing the squad? Did he really want to take her out after the game Saturday? She looked at her shoes.
"We don't have to go out this weekend, if you don't want to," she said softly.
Startled, he answered,
"Why? Don't you want to?"
She looked him in the eye.
"I do not wish to cause you any inconvenience."
"Inconvenience," he repeated, incredulously.
"That's right," she squared her shoulders, determined not to cry. "If you don't want to see me anymore, after what has happened, I will completely understand."
He stared at her. How could she think he was angry with her? It was Lydia's problem. And George's. Did she think he was so small minded that he would think her somehow tainted by association?
"I'm sorry you think so little of me," he said. "I'll see you Saturday, Lisa." He climbed into his car. The look on his face did not escape Lisa. She had hurt him.
"Oh, Derek," she murmured as he drove off, "I don't think badly of you. It's me I don't like." She ran up to her room, and cried for the rest of the afternoon. Later, after everyone else had left for some sort of engagement or another, she ventured to go downstairs and have a snack. She had missed dinner, and was famished. She heard some noise in the living room, and guessed that Thomas and Cissy had decided not to include Lydia in whatever it was they were doing.
Lydia heard Lisa in the kitchen, and a surge of anger went through her. Lisa was more concerned with her own relationship with Derek than she was with her own sister's dilemma. It had hurt her feelings, the way Lisa had reacted. She could not bear for anybody to have a good time while she was so miserable. She had not wanted a baby. George was supposed to provide the protection. Either he had forgotten, or whatever he had used hadn't worked. Now she was pregnant, and they would have to get married. And she was only thirteen. She wondered if she could run away. But that would be too much responsibility on her shoulders, and whatever Lydia Bennet did, she always made sure somebody else was responsible for it.
A sly grin came to her lips as she thought of a way to make both Lisa and Derek miserable. Quietly, she picked up the phone, and asked the operator to call her back, she was afraid her telephone wasn't working. She has seen that prank on television once, and it had worked splendidly. Now she sat impatiently and waited. After a minute, the phone rang.
Lisa heard the phone ring, and was about to answer it, when she heard Lydia pick it up.
"Hello?" she heard Lydia say. "Oh, Derek, I'm so glad you called. I would have explained earlier, but you left so quickly, and then my sister followed you... Of course it's not George's. Why would I?... Yes, it's yours... I understand... Yes... Uh-huh. Oh. Well, because everybody thought I was dating him. It would make more sense... I'm sorry... Okay... I love you, too. Bye."
Lydia hung up the phone and sat back, satisfaction painting itself on her face as she heard Lisa run upstairs.
Part 17
Lisa sat on her bed for a few minutes, contemplating what she had just heard. There was no way it could be true. But why would Lydia say something like that? Her head ached from all the speculation. She had only recently heard that her thirteen-year-old sister was pregnant, and now it turns out that her own boyfriend might be the father. She closed her eyes and shook her head vehemently. Of course it wasn't true. She had been with Derek nearly every night since the party at Ricky's house. Well, except for Mondays and Thursdays. She had practice with the squad on Thursdays, and Monday was the day she always went out with Jen. But Lydia was in the squad, too. Where was she on Mondays? Her headache was now ten times worse. She buried her head under her pillow, and tried to shove all thoughts of Lydia out of her mind. Presently, she fell asleep.
At the game Saturday, Lisa watched Derek carefully. He seemed to act normally enough; he waved as usual during the fifth inning. She gave him a half-hearted smile in return. The debate was still going on in her mind. It went with her everywhere. Every night, she dreamt of two Lisas debating with each other, whether or not Derek would do something like that. So far, it was a stale-mate. She did not want to believe such a thing was possible, but the cynical, insecure side of her always found a way to make Derek guilty.
She also kept an eye out for George. She wondered if he had been arrested yet. She knew her father had as yet to call the police, but there could be other girls whose lives he had ruined.
Lydia, of course, had been suspended from cheer-leading. She was at home, presumably asleep. Lisa was glad to have a few hours away from her. She found the very sight of her sister too painful to bear.
Just before the seventh inning, Derek was sent to get refreshments for the team. Usually, Catherine sent Bobby or Eddie to get them, but Derek seemed especially eager today. There was a reason, of course: he had not talked to Lisa since that day outside her house. He wanted to know where their relationship stood.
As he passed her on his way to the concessions stand, he said,
"Lisa, are we going anywhere after the game?"
She thought hard, making her head hurt.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "You don't look very well."
"I'm fine. I'll let you know after the game, okay? I might have to go somewhere with my dad."
He nodded, trying to see in her eyes what she was thinking. Not succeeding, he walked off to get the refreshments. As he was waiting for the girl behind the counter to retrieve his rather extensive order, Lydia coddled up beside him.
"Hi, Derek," she purred, coming a little too close, he thought.
"Hello, Lydia," he said unenthusiastically, trying to edge away.
"Aw, what's the matter, sweetie?" she asked, trying to trace his face with her finger. He backed away again.
"I think you have me confused with George," he said dryly, and started to walk away. This made her angry.
"What, are you afraid to face me after what happened?" she demanded loudly. He turned around slowly.
"What are you talking about?"
This pleased her somewhat. She smiled, like a cat, and came closer.
"I'm talking about us, honey," she said, and before he could react, she pulled his head down, and engaged him in a lengthy, one-sided kiss. Of course, she made sure it would look two-sided from where Lisa was standing. With one hand, he supported the tray of concessions meant for the team, and with the other hand, he took hold of her shoulder and pushed her away, none too gently.
"What was that?" he hissed. She looked up. Her eyes were inscrutable. Suddenly, her hand reached up, her palm coming in swift contact with his left cheek. She turned on her heel, and walked away.
Wondering what on earth she was up to, Derek turned around. His eyes caught Lisa's. She had seen the whole thing. She looked away quickly, barely acknowledging his presence. He felt sick to his stomach at what must be going through her mind. What in the world was her little demon sister up to now?
Lisa felt like she was going to cry. Her mind had been screaming for proof for three days. Now she had it, and she didn't want to accept it.
After the game had ended (5 to 3, Rockets), Lisa waited impatiently for the other girls to finish packing up. She had not seen Lydia since the incident at the concessions stand. She knew for a fact that she didn't want to, either.
As she was waiting, Derek approached her cautiously and said,
"Look, Lisa, I know what you must think, but just let me explain..."
"There's nothing to explain, Derek," she replied, not meeting his eyes.
He leaned his back against the wall and folded his arms. Lisa was impatiently drumming her fingers against her elbow.
He wondered exactly what she was thinking. What had made Lydia do that? Did she want him for himself? No. As proud as he was, he had no false assumption that any girl would throw herself at him like that, merely for his own sake. She had to have a different motive.
These are the facts as he knew them: Lydia was pregnant; George was the father; Lisa hated George, as did most of the team and the cheer-leaders. Did Lydia think she needed to get married? Did she know the predicament George was now in, if and when he was found? Lydia was in love with George, or at least she thought she was. Was she angry because she could not have him now?
Suddenly the thought popped into Derek's brain, and he couldn't shake it off. Had Lydia said something to Lisa concerning him, about her baby?
"Do you think I had anything to do with Lydia's predicament?" he asked suddenly.
She looked him in the eye, and didn't say a word. But now he had no trouble reading her expression.
"You think Lydia's baby is mine," he said incredulously. What could she say? She said nothing. "I don't believe this. This is insane! First you accuse me of spitefully getting George thrown off the team, then you think I won't want to see you because your sister's pregnant, and now you think I did that to her?" He paused, trying to control his temper. More quietly, he asked,
"Lisa, why can't you trust me?"
"I don't know!" she sobbed, her face to the wall. "Something in my head tells me it can't possibly be true, but then I see .... that." She motioned with her hand. It was nothing in particular, but he knew what she meant. They stayed like that for some time; she sobbing into the wall, he staring into space.
"I guess you don't want to see me right now," he said bitterly. His words cut into her. "But then, I suppose I wouldn't, either, if I were in your shoes. Good-bye, Lisa. I'll see you around."
In other words, they would not be going out that afternoon. Or ever.