New Girl {Poldark}

chapter 12

a/n;

So I know I'm halfway through Dwight x Caroline but if you guys don't mind I kind of want to start weaving Drake x Morwenna into the story as well - I know I'm still halfway through Dwight x Caroline but I promise I will come back to them it's just that I have more ideas for Drorwenna rn :)

thank you all for reading this btw, I really appreciate it

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Elizabeth POV

Elizabeth sighed in casual boredom as she scrolled through her Instagram feed. It was one of those days when people online suddenly get a spontaneous burst of self confidence and post three selfies in four hours and subsequently sit on the bed nervously refreshing their notifications every five seconds. If only there was a dislike button, she thought as she grimaced at yet another photo with four different filters.

A tag with Demelza's name on one of Verity's photos popped up. They were at the beach, posing in bikinis and holding ice cream cones, looking relaxed and happy. It was captioned 'Girls just wanna have fun' - cringe.

Elizabeth scrolled through Demelza's feed like a spy trying to gather information about a suspect - scrutinising every outfit, every location, every comment, every tag. Her finger stopped swiping up when she eventually found a photo of Demelza and Ross, also taken at the beach. Demelza was leaning into his chest, he was laughing at a joke someone had made off camera. They were wearing casual beach clothes, their hair blown back by the seaside wind to reveal beaming smiles. They look so happy, she thought miserably, so good together, so...carefree.

But she remembered who she was. No one, not even Demelza Carne, would ever outshine Elizabeth Chynoweth, crowned homecoming queen for five years running and current winner of Marsh Hill's annual talent show, not to mention enough popularity and high school fame to last a lifetime. As if a shabby loser from Cornwall could beat that.

A text popped up at the top of her screen. Francis - ugh. He'd been pestering her about going on a date ever since he'd got out of hospital after some incident with drugs. As if anyone was going to date him after that, let alone Elizabeth, the most popular girl at Marsh Hill. She ignored the text and carried on scrolling. She was supposed to be getting ready for George's party in two hours time, but she didn't feel like choosing an outfit and doing her makeup.

"Elizabeth?" a shrill voice called from the kitchen, interrupting her browsing session. Her mum - double ugh. Elizabeth knew she was supposed to love her mother after the whole she-birthed-her-and-it-probably-hurt thing, but in all honesty she had no respect for her mum. She was so old fashioned and devoutly religious, and wore hideous yellow jumpers which Elizabeth preferred not to look at if she could help it. She was constantly telling Elizabeth what to wear and forcing her go to church. Her daughter defiantly refused to do either of these things and as a result their conversations usually consisted of a) shouting matches b) furious stares fought with disapproving glances and c) more shouting. Elizabeth didn't care. After all, who didn't have issues with their mother?

"What?" Elizabeth responded huffily.

"Come down here please."

She grunted, hauling herself off her bed and stomping down the stairs.

"What is it?" she demanded sulkily, slumping in her chair. "Make it quick, I'm off to a party soon."

Jacqueline Chynoweth frowned at her whilst laying the table for her and her husband's usual Saturday dinner - leek soup and cottage pie. They had it every week, always the same. Like some sad ritual, Elizabeth thought.