Matters of Chance

Chapter 3

The Lucas' long backyard picnic table was set with food and drinks on the late sunday morning. Summer was good in Meryton, the temperature was warm, but not enough to sweat through clothes, and a comfortable breeze carried through the air. This would have been the usual peaceful weekly brunch between the Bennets and the Lucases if not for the evening before. As soon as everybody was seated, chatter about the housewarming party erupted at the table. Everybody had something to say about the event. Lydia talked about how she danced with the cute guy from her math class, Mary complimented the architecture of the building, and even Mr. Bennet spoke of how good the catering was. Elizabeth talked about Mr. Darcy.

"He said that to you?" Jane asked, her eyes wide.

Lizzie shook her head. "He didn't say it directly to me, I overheard," Lizzie said, "Apparently, to high and mighty Darcy, I'm not pretty enough to dance with."

"He is a terrible man," Mrs. Bennet said, "I don't want my daughters anywhere near him!"

Lizzie grinned. The thought that a handsome, rich, young man could be despised by her mother was one that she'd never imagine. Only Darcy could pull that off.

"Trust me," Lizzie responded, "I won't even get close to him."

The conversation continued, many people continuing to talk about their experiences. Eventually, the hot topic of the night came up: Charles Bingley and Jane. Jane turned pink at the mention of Charles' name, but she couldn't help but smiling. Her happiness over the night beat out any embarrassment she might have speaking about it.

"Jane might be getting married soon!" said Mrs. Bennet, "He looked like he was head over heels for her already!"

Mary rolled her eyes. "Mom, they just met. You're being unrealistic."

Lizzie laughed at Mary's comment. Mary was her partner in crime in bringing their mom back to reality, although Mary was usually a lot more blunt.

"Oh, but I knew Jane would be the most loved there," Mrs. Bennet said. She gestured towards Jane from across the table. "Look at her, she's the prettiest girl in Meryton."

Jane blushed more, her cheeks beginning to look like they were stained by a strawberry. She didn't say anything about Mr. Bingley, and let her mother babble around her. However, everybody at the brunch table knew Jane well enough to know she was just being shy.
Brunch eventually came to a close, and the Bennets got ready to leave. Lizzie, however, was determined to have some alone time with her best friend. She insisted that she'd stay for a little bit and walk home later. After all, it was only a couple miles. Her nervous mother spoke of the heat, but eventually caved and let her daughter stay. After all, once Lizzie made up her mind about something, it was hard to talk her out of it.

After Lizzie and Charlotte helped the Lucas' clean up the meal, they made their way to Charlotte's room.

If a singular location could define Lizzie's friendship with Charlotte, it would be Charlotte's bedroom. Charlotte's room looked the same as it did when they were in highschool. Posters for various bands hung on the wall, most of them which Lizzie helped put up. Charlotte's twin sized bed sat wedged in the back corner of the room, the purple comforter spread neatly on top, and pillows with mismatching cases stacked by the headboard.

Lizzie sat on the edge of the bed and Charlotte joined her. Hanging by the bed was a framed picture of the two of them at high school graduation, smiling and holding up their diplomas. Charlotte's hair was really long back then, especially compared to the pixie cut she had now. Lizzie stared at the photo.

High school was a hard time for the both of them. It wasn't their classes, Lizzie and Charlotte were generally A students, but the social life that made the experience miserable. While Meryton was generally an accepting place, both of the girls struggled with being some of the only people of color in their class. Elizabeth, being half asian, was the target of many 'dog eating' and ching-chong jokes. She couldn't explain how many times she had to tell people that she was half Korean, not Chinese or Japanese. Unlike the rest of her sisters, Lizzie seemed to have inherited monolids from her mother. This led to a lot of jokes about her eyes. Despite these situations, Lizzie couldn't deny that Charlotte had it much worse than she had.

"Thinking about something, Liz?" Charlotte asked, having noticed Lizzie's staring.
"Just about how much I hated highschool."

Charlotte laughed. "Yeah, me too." Charlotte looked at the picture also. "It was not fun being the only black person in our class." She shook her head. "But I'm out of there now."

Elizabeth grinned. "We both are."

Comfortable silence stretched between the two. Elizabeth checked her phone for any important emails she might have, while Charlotte just stared into space. There was something really nice about having someone who didn't expect interaction from you, but was just satisfied with coexisting in the same space.

"You know, Lizzie. I'm not sure if Charles can tell how much Jane likes him." Charlotte said.

Lizzie looked over at her friend, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Jane is reserved. She doesn't outwardly express her feelings much."

"So?" Lizzie responded, irritated.

"Men rarely keep their feelings without proper encouragement. A lot of the time, they're oblivious to the hints that girls drop."

Lizzie shook her head. "Jane just met him, how can you expect her to be so affectionate already?"

"I don't expect her to do anything," Charlotte said, "but with a man like Bingley, handsome, rich, and incredibly kind, Jane should hang on while she can."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to argue but quickly shut it. She knew how stubborn she was, and how stubborn Charlotte was. There was no point in arguing. Lizzie sighed and flopped down onto the bed. "I disagree with you, Char."

Charlotte laughed and flopped down next to her. "I know."

Lizzie stared at the ceiling. She wanted to ask Charlotte about her family. The Lucas' worked in home improvement and flipping. Business had been slow as more people moved into the city. New builds were becoming more popular, leaving the Lucas' in a difficult place. Both her and Charlotte were still living at home. Charlotte had gone to school for political science with intentions of becoming a lawyer, but couldn't afford to pay for law school. Instead, Charlotte was left working with her parents on their home projects. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, with her degree in environmental science and sustainability, was left writing articles, not making enough money to move out.

Both of them were in terribly similar situations. Like Charlotte's parents, the growing popularity of the city had also caused trouble to Mr. Bennet's business. Mr. Bennet ran his own personal injury law firm. Before, he was one of the only established law practices in Meryton. However, more firms had been moving in the past years. Charlotte and Lizzie had a mutual agreement that both of them needed to leave their childhood homes and stop burdening their families financially, but neither of them could find a way out.

Elizabeth decided not to say anything. She knew that both her and Charlotte were trying, and bringing up the topic would remind both of them about how disappointed they were with their current adult life. Instead, Lizzie continued to stare at the ceiling, her best friend right next to her.