First Impressions: A Modern Pride and Prejudice Adaptation

Chapter 12

"What's wrong, Jane?" Liz asked several mornings later as she returned from her run. The sun was bright and hot and she was sweating uncomfortably, even after she had splashed several handfuls of water over her face in the park.

Jane was in the living room, her knees pulled up to her chest as she sat in one of the chairs. She wasn't actively crying, but Liz could tell at a glance that she had been, and recently. She rubbed one hand against her nose and handed her phone over. In a watery little voice, she said, "Caroline sent me these this morning."

Liz unlocked the phone and it opened to Jane and Caroline's conversation. She scrolled slightly to find a note sent earlier that morning.

Hey babe! Sorry been soooo busy. But Chip has to run outta town. Lo and I are going with him. She's gotta DEAL with Ned. Like, ew.

Oh ok. Are you coming back?

IDK yet. Chip might get busy with work. Probably gonna go hang out with Fitz and his sister down in Maryland. She's so freakin adooorable! Love that girl.

Lease is up in a couple weeks NEway, so we might just ride it out.

Have fun in Maryland! Say hi to Chip.

Thanx girl. Keep in touch babe <3

Sometimes an exclamation point in a text carries more weight than the words. Jane's shoulders were slumped down and her hands hung loose between her knees as Liz gingerly slid the phone across the arm of the chair back towards her.

"I mean, it doesn't mean forever. It's not like he doesn't have your phone number."

"Then why didn't he text me?" she asked heatedly. The emotion was too much for her and she burst into another little sob.

Liz found the ottoman and pulled it over to sit at Jane's feet, patting somewhat awkwardly at her sister's leg while she cried. Jane was always the one who did the comforting... "Maybe he thinks he'll come back and Caroline just doesn't want him to."

Jane made a noncommittal, sniffly sound.

Somehow, Mrs. Bennet took the news worse than her daughter. She stared down at Jane's phone in disbelief, reading and rereading the text messages several times. "I don't understand," she said, more than once. As she struggled through the reading, Cat and Lydia came down. They looked from Jane's tear streaked face to their mother, staring at the phone.

"What's there not to understand?" Lydia asked, standing on tiptoes to see over Mrs. Bennet's shoulder. "Chip's outta here. Bad luck, Jane."

Cat made a sad little cooing noise and tried to hug her eldest sister. It was an awkward hug, Jane still wedged into the corner of the chair and Liz sitting in front of her. Jane rested her forehead on Cat's shoulder and patted at her hand a couple times.

"'Bad luck?'" Mrs. Bennet repeated, her first new sentence. "'Bad luck?' It's more than that! I've never seen anyone, even a young man, act in such an outrageous manner. The way he led you on, Jane! How dare he?" Her face was beginning to grow quite red and she puffed out her chest at the indignation. "Ridiculous."

Jane rubbed one hand vigorously against her eye. "Mom. Please, don't. I'm sure Chip didn't... didn't mean to..."

"Desert you?" Lydia offered.

"Break your heart?" Cat suggested.

Jane let out another dangerous little sniffle, shaking her head. Liz wrapped one arm around Jane's leg and gave her a quick hug.