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“Liz, you have to get up.”
Lizzie let out another groan.
“It’s been three days, and you haven’t left our rooms once.”
“I can’t go out, Char,” Lizzie said, turning her head slightly so she wasn’t totally speaking into her pillows. “I want to die.”
Charlotte took a slow, deep breath in, reminding herself that she loves Elizabeth Bennet so, so much and that they’re best friends. “Surely you can’t still be embarrassed about Wickham. You’ve talked about breaking it off with him for weeks now. The conversation can’t have been a surprise.”
That got Lizzie to actually look at Charlotte, propping herself up on one elbow and pushing her hair out of her face. “If I gave a damn about what people on campus thought about my relationship with him, I wouldn’t have dumped that smoothie on his head.”
“I thought you did that in retaliation for him splashing his water on you.”
“Well, okay, yes, that was definitely a factor in my decision,” Lizzie conceded. She turned around and flopped onto her back, staring up at the blank white ceiling above her.
“Then why are you so unlike yourself?” Charlotte asked gently. Lizzie heard her move and shuffled over on the bed, so Charlotte could lay next to her.
“IhavetoapologisetoDarcy,” Lizzie said in one breath.
“You have to what?” Charlotte looked at her from the corner of her eye.
Lizzie had the sneaking suspicion that Char already understood her; they couldn’t have been best friends since Year Two if Charlotte didn’t understand when Lizzie speaks so quickly.
“I have to apologise to Darcy,” she repeated, words coming out reluctantly.
“Yes, you should.” Charlotte agreed, elbowing Lizzie’s arm lightly.
“Charlotte!”
“What?”
“You’re not supposed to agree with me!”
“There really is a first time for everything, hm?” Charlotte teased as she sat up.
Lizzie followed suit. “I… I know that I was wrong to disregard what he’d been saying,” she said quietly, wrapping her arms around her knees. “I was too blinded by my own opinion of him, and Wickham’s lies about their childhoods didn’t help matters any.”
“And Caroline tried to meddle in things, as well,” Charlotte reminded her.
“Yeah,” she agreed half-heartedly.
The two of them sat in silence for a little while, Charlotte resting her head on Lizzie’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
“What if he hates me?” Lizzie eventually asked, looking intently at a picture of herself and Charlotte on the Eye when they were sixteen.
Charlotte scoffed. “He’s ridiculously in love with you, you clown. This isn’t going to make him hate you.”
“You can’t know that for sure,” Lizzie protested, squeezing her legs a little tighter.
“You could always message him and ask him to meet you somewhere,” Char suggested. “I’m sure by now it’s got around online that you dumped a smoothie on Wickham’s head. I’m willing to bet that he wants to check on you, but is unsure if he should or not.”
“I guess there’s no harm in just saying hi,” Lizzie said in a failed attempt at nonchalance.
“It’s a new day,” Charlotte said, lightly slapping Lizzie’s shin. “Let’s go.”
“What do you mean, let’s go?”
“Right, you should probably get changed first. Wouldn’t do to show up at his and Charlie’s flat in naught but a flimsy pair of pyjama shorts and a ratty sleep shirt.”
“Charlotte Lucas!” Lizzie gasped dramatically.
Charlotte stood up and gave Lizzie her best “I’m innocent” look. “That’s me.”
“I wouldn’t– how dare– what would– you– I– what?” Lizzie spluttered, her arms dropping from her legs, and her legs dropping to the side of the bed. Her mouth was opening and closing like a fish.
“Let’s get you cleaned up and into something that’ll make you look proper peng!” And with that, Charlotte grabbed Lizzie’s unresisting hands and pulled her out of bed.