Free One Word From You: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation by Natalie Penna Page A

room. Meg took a little longer to realise we were on the move, but soon caught up. She wasn't listening into our conversation. She was content to follow up the rear of our little procession, lost in her own thoughts.
     
    “ Did I detect a little tension between you and Mr. Wilson?” she asked.
     
    “ No.”
     
    “ You've never been that good at lying, you know? I mean, except when it comes to the teachers.”
     
    I smiled, “True. I just think he's cute, okay? I have to have someone to look at, it's only fair. You have Charlie, Lisa and Chrissy have every other boy with a pulse, so I should get to have Gideon.”
     
    “ I don't exactly have Charlie. We're just good friends.”
     
    “ Good friends who can't stop making eyes at each other,” I muttered.
     
    “ What?”
     
    “ Nothing.”
     

 
     
    Chapter Nine
    We are not on friendly terms.
     
     
     
    I didn't usually put much effort into my clothes.
     
    Not to say I looked terrible all the time. I just wasn't as pampered or well preened as my peers. But I felt that Gideon was worth a little more work on my part, and that meant I was inclined to borrow a dress from Chrissy. It wasn't white, because I didn't think I could force myself that far outside of my comfort zone. A dark blue, knee length, casual evening dress was good enough for me. I was lucky that Jenny had some shoes that were a good enough match for it, although they did pinch a little because they were so narrow. She had much daintier feet than I did.
     
    “ You could actually pass for a Lady,” Lisa told me as she finished fastening her earrings, “You know, as long as you didn't open your mouth.”
     
    “ She could always pass as a Lady,” Jenny corrected.
     
    “ You would say that.”
     
    “ Don't make me come over there. I will happily ruin my nails just to strangle you,” I warned.
     
    “ See what I mean? If you want Gideon to like you, then you shouldn't talk.”
     
    “ Who said I want Gideon to like me?”
     
    She huffed, “You don't have to say it. It's written all over your face.”
     
    I was going to have to keep an eye on that.
     
    No one else could know I was interested in him, and that included Gideon himself. I didn't want to start rumours that could put his job at risk. He was in a position of trust. Regardless of our respective ages, he was still a teacher while he was in his placement. After that, if he liked me by some miracle, then I could let him know I felt that way.
     
    It wasn't long until the end of the school year.
     
    I could wait.
     
    “ Come on, or we'll miss the car,” Jenny said to put an end to Lisa's accusations.
     
    Even if they were true, I still didn't like it. I steeled my nerves, and willed my emotions to behave themselves. I wasn't usually thrown so out of sorts by a guy, and I didn't want this to be the first time. I ignored the glances of the other girls in the halls as we passed them. Seeing me in a dress was as rare as seeing an Aurora Borealis lighting up the sky. If they'd had some warning I might be wearing it, they might have taken pictures to commemorate the occasion.
     
    It definitely took Wyatt by surprise.
     
    The men were waiting on us at the entrance, and the cars had arrived early. Jenny's mother had taste, and she knew that a limousine would appear gaudy. She'd sent three cars to collect us so we could be comfortable. Bentley was waiting by his, his shoulders squared and his back straight. He was a nice guy, and I'd had a crush on him for a while. But he had been married for a few years, now. So I got over it. Still, his eyes widened when they fell on me. He'd been driving Jenny and I around since we were twelve, and he'd never seen me in anything more formal than my school uniform.
     
    “ Evening, Ben,” I greeted before he could say anything, “Are we going drag racing in these things?”
     
    “ Hardly, Miss. Blake,” he chuckled, “These are precision machines, as you well know. They are not to be