In Chains - C. Noble (best novels to read for students txt) 📗

she had the distinct feeling that Will was selling Dante. But a reprimanding look from Will brought her back and made her realize that she really was being shallow. What did she like Dante for anyway? He was gorgeous and athletic, but she had never even asked about his mind. She hadn’t cared. Ashamed, she turned her thoughts back to her work.
Will saw this, and his bronzed skin took on a delicate shade of pink. “I’m sorry, Darcey…I didn’t mean to…” he quietly stammered. Mr. Munro had, at that moment, called the class to attention.
“Misses Price and Carter, and Mr. Foster are asked to meet me outside of the classroom. We have something to discuss.” And with a reprimanding gaze, he turned and strode out into the hall.
“Oh, what’ve you two done now?” Mary Ann giggled. Shooting a flirty wink over her shoulder back at Dean, she said, “I’m kidding. I probably was talking to Dean too loudly. And where one of us goes, we all go! The three musketeers, off for another adventure.” Laughing, she followed Mr. Munro, Will and Darcey tailing her at a distance.
Once out in the hall, Mr. Munro turned and addressed them much softer than they had expected, “Miss Price, I must thank you for bringing up the subject of Dijoubwe this morning, I believe it opened a few eyes. It concerns you more than you know. Miss Carter, Mr. Foster, the same applies to you, especially to you, Miss Carter. You would do well to do more research. As this is Friday, I will not call you into my office tonight, but next Monday. School is over for summer vacation on Wednesday, so you will have a full day to process and ask whatever questions you see fit.
“Now, over the weekend, I expect you three to each write me a report on Dijoubwe. Mr. Foster, your essay will deal with the militia side of the island. Miss Price, yours will outline their economy. And Miss Carter,” Munro said, turning to face her. A strange mixture of frown and suppressed smile creased his tanned face. “You will research the monarchy of the island. All of it, including the full history and dates, names, and events. Timelines and successions are crucial. If completed satisfactorily, they will guarantee you a perfect grade in my class, which I know that at least one of you needs.” Mr. Munro winked at Darcey before feigning a furious attitude and scowled back into the classroom.
Darcey, Will, and Mary Ann were dumbstruck. Darcey had no idea where this came from, but if it would get her perfect in this course, then it would force her parents to notice her, and maybe even let her in the family photo. Will stared at Darcey to gauge her reaction while Mary Ann started pacing.
“Darcey, do you have any idea what this is about? I mean, Munro loves you, maybe he told you something about this…” Will ventured. Darcey just shook her head, staring back into Will’s face, where worry lines were beginning to surface. Will looked hopefully at Mary Ann, who threw up her arms in confusion and marched back into the classroom, determined to find a book so much as referencing to Dijoubwe. Will and Darcey remained in the hall.
As a teacher strode by staring at them curiously, Will looked back at Darcey. His spiky dark brown hair sprung out from his forehead, shading his crystal blue eyes. Darcey inhaled sharply, realizing for the first time that Will was the spitting image of Dante, and by extension, their father. Will was just as smart and athletic, but Will was kind. Dante seemed to rub his success in his brother’s face and anyone else who turned his way.
For the first time, Darcey saw what Will had been trying to tell her since preschool. Dante was just not a great guy. She glanced back up into Will’s startling aqua blue eyes and felt tears stream down her face. Looking confused, Will grabbed her arm and yanked her into the nearest unlocked room, which happened to be a janitor’s closet. He turned on the light and locked the door before pushing her down onto an upside down mop bucket.
“What’s up? You never cry,” Will said, almost accusingly. Darcey shot him another glance, this one containing more anger than apology.
“What’s wrong with me? Oh, I don’t know. My family just hates me, they won’t let me do anything, and now I can’t go to your lodge with Mary Ann and you…” Darcey’s speed talking melted into loud sobs of despair.
“They won’t let you…what? What do you mean, they won’t let you…” Darcey began to shake. Will stared awkwardly for a moment, then sat down on the bucket next to hers and gingerly wrapped his arms around her to stop the shaking. She was rattling the bench behind her. If they were caught in the janitor’s closet without permission, they would get detention. Darcey leaned into him, still bawling. Slowly, Will patted her shoulder, trying to think of something that would make her feel better. Drawing a blank, he just kept up what he was doing, hoping that it would offer some consolation. Before he could stop himself, however, he began talking. Softly, he recalled their history together, starting with the three of them in diapers.
“Do you remember when Mary Ann fell in my pool with those floaties around her feet? That was awful, she almost died. She couldn’t get her head up, and we had to call the cops. Or what about when I put that blood pressure meter around my head? Mom and Dad got so angry at me, and the doctors were sure I’d have some kind of brain damage. But hey, nine years later, I’m still an honor student. Hey, do you remember when I went in for my driver’s license a few months ago? It was awful. I hit every cone, almost killed a cat, and put the tester in the hospital for two days. But it was like some kind of miracle, because I still passed.” Will chuckled to himself, reminiscing. Darcey had stemmed her flow of tears and was beginning to smile. She stuttered as she spoke, still choking back sobs as she too contributed.
“Or what about when we were in the m-movie theater and I threw p-popcorn at that guy’s head, and he was like t-ten feet tall? Your dad s-saved my butt, you know. He was a r-real hero. But you were too, y-yelling at him to leave m-me alone. You were really b-brave.” She looked up and smiled. She was so tired, she leaned her head against Will’s surprisingly hard chest and fell asleep, breathing shakily. Will looked down at his sleeping friend, and put his chin on the top of her curly mane of dark hair, staring at the door. Outside he could hear the bell ringing and students running through the halls. He sat there with Darcey asleep leaning on him for what seemed like hours. The second bell to get to class rang, and the halls were again silent. Darcey was still fast asleep.
The final bell dismissing the students from school rang loudly, and the halls were crowded much longer this time around. Darcey’s long, thick eyelashes began to flutter as she opened her emerald eyes. Will moved his chin off her head as she turned up to him and yawned. Smiling, she asked what time it was. Without concern, she heard that school had been out for about half an hour. She stayed in Will’s warm grasp a little while longer before she stood, almost reluctantly. Will’s arms had been in that position for so many hours, they were stiff. He stretched and flipped the mop buckets back upright and stacked them, carefully rearranging them so that their cranky old janitor wouldn’t realize that his closet had had a few unregistered occupants. Darcey stood watching as Will unlocked the door, turned off the light, and checked to see if anyone was around. Evidently, the halls were empty, as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him quickly out of the closet.
Mary Ann had gone home by herself a few minutes earlier, which left them to walk home together. Although usually their walks were a silent venture, this afternoon proved different. Darcey, unwilling to face a whole weekend with her family, who were sure to be even more difficult thanks to her failing world studies marks, asked Will what he was doing.
Expecting him to say that he was going to do his essay, he rather eagerly blurted out, “Come and stay with me this weekend.” It seemed as though he wanted to say more, but the violent shade of red coloring his nose and high cheekbones prevented further discourse. Darcey, however surprised, was delighted to accept his proposal.
“Are you serious? I’d love to! Can you just hang on in the living room for a minute while I grab my stuff? I won’t bother asking Mom and Dad, they will just say no. Will, you’re the best.” Darcey grabbed his hand excitedly as they stopped outside her home, and tugged at his arm to pull him inside. He stood by the front door, ignoring scorching stares from four year old Drake and six year old Lana.
Dalton Carter was not yet home, but Louise, the ever present figure of maternal purgatory, stared scornfully at him but refused to speak. The Carters had never really liked Will, but were hoping that by letting Darcey associate with him and Mary Ann, who was also an honors student, that some of their smarts might rub off. Sixteen years of shoulder rubbing had yet to produce this desired effect.
An almost eternal time passed before Darcey ran back down the hall with her backpack and duffel bag stuffed to the brim. She shouted to her mother that she was staying at Will’s for the weekend as she darted out the door, eager to escape what she knew would be one of her mother’s infamous, destructive tantrums. Gleefully she gave Will her duffel bag when he offered, and skipped down her front walk. They were about halfway to his place when they spoke again.
“You know, Will, we really should invite Mary Ann. She’ll be so disappointed if she misses out, and you know how much she loves to hang around your place. Your dad is like a fountain of knowledge to her, I’m sure he could answer some of our questions about the essays.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure…” Will drifted off. His still warm hand grasped Darcey’s green duffel bag more firmly and threw it back over his shoulder. It smelled like her, too. Like roses and soap, and some indefinable quality that he very much wished to bottle and store away. The last thing he really wanted to talk about was those stupid essays. It wasn’t like he’d needed the mark, it would only boost him two percent. But Darcey…she was failing the course, he knew that. She would need his dad’s expertise, which when added to the fact that Dante hadn’t received any better offers from his friends to stay at their place, meant that Will would be lucky to get a moment to hang out with her.
“Hey, do you mind if I…you know…” Darcey broke off, ashamed of what she was about to ask. Her golden skin turned a kind of ghostly pink, an emotion that Will could not easily identify. He desperately wanted to know what she was going to ask him. Of course, the answer would be a hearty yes, but still, a question would help. A sudden idea occurred to him. Risking the embarrassment he thought would go with it, he boldly said, “Why don’t you just crash at my place until the end of school? It’s only like a week, and then we can