Worst Impressions

Bonus Chapter - The Coffee Shop

News of the party hosted by Jenny's mother reached us far too late for us to try to negotiate an invitation. Although I had little inclination to spend an evening around Wyatt, Gideon, and Beth's stupider friends, I would have sacrificed my night to keep her safe. I had sat at my window that night watching for the returning cars and, when they did finally arrive, I observed that neither Jenny nor Beth staggered out of them. My heart had been in my throat until I saw that Gideon had returned, and I was reassured that Beth was a safe distance from him, even if only temporarily.

The following day was meant to be a respite from everything; a day in the city, basking in normality away from the confines of the school.

Meant to be.

'It's just so unfair,' Chantelle whined for the hundredth time. 'If she wants to spend time with Charlie and with me, then we should have been invited.'

It didn't matter that Jenny hadn't been in charge of handing out invitations to the event, that she hadn't begged her mother to add three more people to her gathering was a personal insult to Chantelle. Whenever we were in attendance at any party in which she wasn't the centre of attention, she did nothing but complain and ask to leave. There was no sense to her complaints, and her voice had been grating on my last nerve for hours.

'You have your own party to prepare for,' I reminded her. 'Isn't that the whole point of you dragging us around with you?'

Chantelle and Charlie were twins, and their birthday parties had always been lavish affairs. My mother and sister couldn't attend so I would be the sole representative of the Darcy clan, and that meant a lot of handshaking and fake smiles were to be had. It was less a party and more a networking event. I couldn't think of anything worse, but I would still be present, if only for Charlie's sake. He deserved to have a friend at his side while being maligned and ignored by his sister who seemed to believe herself an only child at said celebrations. Everything would be decorated according to her personal tastes, she would approve the guest list and dress-code, and every inane speech would be either from or about her.

I was so happy that my sister was nothing like her.

'Where's Charlie?' Chantelle asked.

Even I'd forgotten that he was a part of our group. He'd been so quiet since we'd left that when he'd fallen behind, I'd barely noticed. I turned around and spotted him stepping into a little coffee shop with some urgency. I tried to follow but Chantelle clung to my arm resolutely. I let out a frustrated sigh and brought her along as I approached the building. It was a quaint little store, certainly not a chain or franchise. The cakes in the window were all freshly made, there were old-fashioned brassy coffee machines behind the counter, and the baristas were well-groomed and stood straight-backed and square-shouldered.

'What is she doing here?' she asked with revulsion.

It wasn't difficult to guess who Chantelle might be talking about. While she was all smiles and politeness in front of Charlie and Jenny, she had no qualms about letting her mask slip with regard to Beth Bennett in private. Only an idiot would fall for Chantelle's sweet and innocent acts, and I'd never been accused of being any such thing.

For a moment, I considered waiting on a nearby bench for Charlie to be finished with whatever business he might have with Beth and Jenny.

Just for a moment.

Tired of Chantelle's muttered insults and annoyed that she'd commandeered so much of our free time, I suggested, 'Why don't we go ask?'

'What?' she asked, aghast.

'Come on,' I urged, pulling her toward the door. 'You must be dying to know what she and Jenny are talking about.'

'Will, wait! I don't – Will!'