"I take it you know Will Darcy from your Pemberley days?"

He sighed. "Yes, unfortunately. You could say that we were once on friendly terms. But you seem to be friends with him, so ..."

I groaned. "Hardly. I've known him for a week, and I find him to be the most egotistical, condescending person on the planet."

Wick laughed. "So you do know him well."

"You got me there."

Wick approached the counter. "You really need to start being more careful about who you're seen hanging out with."

I smiled at him. "Are you referring to Darcy or yourself?"

"Depends on who you ask."

"Hmm, I guess since there isn't a way for the esteemed ladies of Longbourn to despise me even more, I will hang out with whoever I choose."

"Well, then, Longbourn scholarship girl, do you think you'd ever entertain giving charity to a disgraced Pemberley boy such as myself?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Your phone number would be a good start."

I gave it to him without hesitation.

I was ready for a good start.

10.

WE HAD OUR FIRST DATE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WICK took me to a pizza place that was in a part of town that I hadn't been to before, a very non-Longbourn establishment.

"Hey, Wick!" a girl behind the counter greeted him. "Couple of slices?"

"I didn't know you were working tonight." He leaned over the counter and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Couple slices would be great. Lizzie, this is Cassie. Cassie, this is Lizzie." He motioned toward me and the girl smiled at me. "I'm saving her from the elitists over at Longbourn." He looked over his shoulder and then said in an exaggerated whisper, "She's a scholarship student."

I couldn't help but laugh. I knew that nobody in this place would care. It was nice to be somewhere that I didn't feel the need to constantly look over my shoulder or think that I was being set up.

"Here you go." Cassie handed us each two slices. "You know your money isn't good here, Wick," she said as Wick reached into his pocket for his wallet.

"Aww, you're the best." He winked at her and we headed over to a booth. "See, Lizzie, you need to start finding the right kind of friends." He motioned down at our free food. "I've known Cassie since kindergarten. There's a group of us that have been close friends for ages. I don't remember life before them, you know? I'm sure you have people like that back home. It was hard for me to leave them behind and I was only down the road; I can't imagine what it must be like for you."

It was the first time in a while that I'd felt comfortable and open around a new person. Being with Wick felt normal, natural. He was open, honest, and self-deprecating in a very, very irresistible way.

"I still can't believe a Longbourn girl has agreed to be seen with me in public," he said after I'd told him more about life back home in Hoboken, and the switch to Longbourn. "The prima donna police have probably sent out a search party."

"Not likely. They're probably changing the locks as we speak."

"Still" -- he gave me a smile that made my stomach flip -- "you're a brave one."

"Believe me, the bravest thing I'll be doing this evening is entering my dorm. The goal is to try to get back to my room without someone throwing something in my face. But you're all too familiar with the treatment of our kind."

Wick played with the wrapper of his straw. "Actually, things weren't that bad for me at Pemberley."

"Really?"

For the first time since I'd met him, I didn't know whether or not to believe him. I couldn't comprehend that the guys at Pemberley would have any compassion for people like us.

"Really. I even had friends, if you can imagine that."

"Wow, that's impressive. I have Jane and Charlotte, but that's it. Jane is always trying to get me to go out more, but every time I do, the evening ends in either bodily or emotional harm. She's pretty relentless, though. I've already agreed to go to this party on Saturday night, despite my better judgment."

"Charles Bingley's party?"

I was surprised. "Yes -- how did you know about that?"

"You don't give us townies enough credit. We find out about the parties, and a few of us usually crash. With all the students around, nobody seems to notice."

"Please tell me you're going to come on Saturday." I tried to hide any hint of desperation in my voice. Having Wick there would make it bearable. Plus, I wanted to spend more time with him.

"Now you've put me in a tough spot. If you're going to be there, how could I not show up?" Wick smiled at me, but then his smile faded. "Sadly, I have a feeling someone else will be there, and there's no way I'd be welcome." Wick hesitated. "There's something I want you to know, and I want you to hear it from me."

"Okay ..." I leaned in.

"It's about why I got kicked out of Pemberley."

"Wick, you don't need to --"

"Yes, I do. I'm surprised people haven't started trying to turn you against me yet."

I hadn't really told anybody about Wick. Jane knew I'd met someone from town, but I hadn't told her he was a former Pemberley student. I didn't know why, but I wanted to keep Wick to myself.

"I don't care what anybody thinks of you," I told him now. "You should realize that I would know better than to believe anything anybody at Longbourn or Pemberley would say to me."