The Bennet Women

by Eden Appiah-Kubi

  Tessa barked with laughter, her arms shaking as she pinned the last bit of EJ’s hair into place.

  “Anyway, I think it’s a credit to my own character, and to Longbourn, that I haven’t had too many run-ins with showy, rich assholes,” EJ added. “It also helps that I don’t have a WASP-y finance major for a boyfriend.”

  Tessa stuck out her tongue. “And for that, I’ll offer no more information, and your hair may be crooked.”

  EJ didn’t even pretend to take the threat seriously. Tessa took too much pride in her updos to make her worry. In any case, she didn’t have long to wait.

  “Hop up!” Tessa commanded, giving her masterpiece one last pat. “Tell me if you like it!”

  EJ got up and looked at herself in the mirror on the back of the door. “I love it! I look like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It’s perfect.” She whirled her head around. “And it doesn’t move! You’re a wonder.” She turned back to Tessa and gave her a big hug. “Well, rich randos or not, we’re going to have so much fun tonight.”

  Tessa squeezed her back. “I think this might be the most memorable Fall Formal Longbourn has ever had.”

  EJ at the Dance

  She knew it was a little silly, but EJ couldn’t get ready for a big campus party without thinking of her parents. As the frequently retold story went, they met at a house party during Howard’s homecoming in the early ’80s. Momma was sitting on the couch wearing espadrilles, a floral sundress, and giant round glasses. She was a music major and hadn’t been to many parties where there was no band. She didn’t really know what to do with herself at these things if she wasn’t playing piano. Her friends left her to go do the Electric Slide and had been gone for some time. She was deciding whether to stay or go when this guy in a vest offered her a drink. Daddy had seen Momma from across the room, looking like she was trying to camouflage herself in the near-matching couch. He handed her the drink and said, “A pretty lady like you can’t fade into the background.”

  At this point Momma always interrupted. “I thought he was corny—but he also was fine, so I let him sit down.” Then they’d kiss, Maya would groan, and EJ would find it sweet or sweet but embarrassing depending on her age/mood. From that initial meeting came dating, then marriage, then her sister, Maya, and finally EJ. The story never lost its magic for her. Maybe that was why she always put a little extra effort into getting ready for campus parties. A little part of her was always hoping that someone would see her from across the room.

  Tonight was no exception, and in EJ’s opinion, she and Jamie looked really fucking good. She’d found one of those stick-on bras actually in her size and decided this year she’d try her first backless dress, C-cup be damned! The sequined gown also had a scandalously high slit that wasn’t visible until she walked. EJ topped off her look with a white faux-fur stole cape for vintage ’30s glamour. She worried that the fur made the whole thing a little too much, but Jamie approved.

  “You are rose-gold sex in that dress, mama,” she said before bending to reapply her lip gloss in the rearview mirror. “Seriously, seriously, absolutely no joke—what is wrong with Longbourn boys? You should be fending them off with a stick. I look at you, I see how cute you are every day, how hot you look when you turn it out, and then I remember that you’re single. So are the guys here blind or what?”

  “It’s not my market,” EJ said with a shrug. She knew she was pretty, funny, and a catch. She also knew the prevalent ideal of feminine beauty at Longbourn was white or light skinned, no more than five feet two, and slender—preferably with long hair. EJ was the opposite of pretty much all those things: tall with dark-brown skin, an hourglass figure, and hair that was either in braids or an afro.

  During her freshman and sophomore years, she’d caused herself a lot of pain by trying to overcome her obstacles with sheer force of personality. Unfortunately, when she flirted brazenly, she got a blushing rejection that embarrassed them both. When she was subtle, guys just thought she was friendly. At Longbourn she was romantically invisible. It was a phenomenon most black women in white spaces had experienced—dark-skinned women especially. She had to live with it the way she had to dodge the occasional stranger trying to touch her hair.

  Eventually she decided that looking for love at school wasn’t worth the effort. When she was quiet and rational, EJ knew the magic her parents found just wasn’t on this campus for her. She wasn’t one to sob into her soup, though. EJ still dressed like someone a guy might notice from across a dance floor. And if that didn’t happen, this was still her last Fall Formal. All she wanted from tonight was to look stunning and have the best time with Jamie and Tessa. She just had to end this conversation in a way that didn’t completely kill the vibe. “I’m a Joan Holloway in a world where all the guys seem to want Megan Draper.”

  Jamie faux gasped. “Wow, you made a pop culture reference. It’s even from this century!”

  EJ rolled her eyes. “At least I got a chance to make up for lost time in Scotland. They were buying what I was selling.” Not only did EJ have some enjoyable hookups during her time abroad, but she’d had something close to a boyfriend for a month. They broke up right before exams after ruling out a long-distance relationship.

  “And Paris. And on a ferry to Mykonos, if I recall correctly.” Jamie snickered.

  “Hey! I was heartbroken and emotionally recovering,” EJ protested.

  “And missing getting it regulah,” Jamie added in a cartoonish Boston accent.

  EJ gave a slight tilt of her head. “That too.”

  Jamie returned her lip gloss to her clutch. Then she straightened and posed for her friend’s approval.

  “Goddess,” EJ exclaimed. Jamie looked powerful and also feminine and sophisticated. Every detail was perfect. “You look like you could walk out of a Vogue cover.”

  “Thanks, I feel like a cross between Lindsey Wixson and Lana Del Rey.” She did a brief runway walk up and down their parking space.

  EJ blinked and tried to recall either name. “I got nothing. Would you like to know who got the best cinematography Oscar last year? Because I can tell you who it was and who got robbed.”

  Jamie blinked at her and then leaned in, whispering, “You know, doll, you can tell me if you were homeschooled in a cave or reanimated in a lab two weeks ago after being frozen since 1972. I won’t judge, I promise.”

  EJ rolled her eyes again in response, mostly because she had no comeback.

  “Not knowing Lana is unforgivable,” Jamie continued. She seemed to love educating her friend. “But Lindsey is a bit of a deep cut. You’d know her face. She was a supermodel from when the term meant something—before Kendall Jenner and the Hadids took over.”

  EJ still had no idea what her friend was talking about. “You look beyond hot. Ready?”

  They followed the sound of music to the main quad. The dance’s organizers had thoughtfully and literally rolled out the red carpet on the moonlit grass. At the mouth of the party tent, someone checked them in, and another person got them to pose for a photo. Amber light spilled enticingly from the entrance.

  Inside, the space had been impressively decorated in a reasonable approximation of Victorian style (for a school fundraising dance). At one end, there was a long banquet table groaning under donated snacks from local restaurants. At the other, an empty dance floor and DJ booth. Artfully strung Christmas lights gave the impression that an elegant swarm of fireflies was attending the party.

  Before she could put down her beaded clutch, EJ felt her arm being lifted into a spin. It was her ballroom partner, Franz. (That was just how he said hello.)

  They were joined by Vanessa, his girlfriend and EJ’s old lab partner. She gave EJ a hearty wolf whistle. “Damn, girl. I feel like a detective should be describing you in voice-over.” She gestured to EJ’s slinky sequin dress. “We’ve been in half the same classes for all this time. How did I not know you had all that going on?”

  “Because in engineering classes I dress like Ern
est Hemingway,” EJ said, laughing. In the department, she was known for her wardrobe of clever hoodies and giant sweaters. “I had Samuelson freshman year, and he doesn’t think you can do math and have boobs at the same time. God bless the minimizer!” The women laughed in commiseration.

  “Seriously, though, he needs to get fired,” Vanessa said darkly. “Wanna check out the food?” The three of them wandered over to the dessert bar and chatted about their capstone projects until the mirror ball started to spin and the opening notes of “Canned Heat” began to play.

  “Fun throwback,” EJ chirped, pitching her voice above the music. The song always made her think of the movie Center Stage and doing fouetté turns in a red tutu.

  Franz held out his hand and nodded in the direction of the mirror ball. “Let’s go put on a show.” EJ smiled. With a wave to Vanessa, they hurried onto the dance floor.

  She was giddy as she let Franz spin her around in the fast, whirling steps of the hustle. A few more ballroom friends joined them, and other students formed a small circle to watch them show off.

  Before long the song changed, and EJ spotted Jamie across the room. As if on cue, Jamie mimed casting a fishing line in her direction. In response, EJ pretended to be caught and “swam” over to where Jamie was dancing with some of her fellow French majors. Wordlessly the pair got in sync swaying and shimmying to a dancehall-EDM hybrid that neither could identify.

  About an hour in, they’d just finished scream singing Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” when Tessa materialized beside them, looking gorgeous in a fringe dress. She’d volunteered to be the handler for the special guest, after Colin launched his one-man boycott. Now it appeared to be showtime. Tessa said something into her walkie-talkie and looked over at them.

  “You are gonna flip,” she squealed, vibrating with excitement.

  EJ didn’t have a chance to react before the DJ’s voice filled the tent. “Longbourn University, make some noise!” The crowd clapped and cheered obligingly.

  Now let’s see who all the fuss is about, EJ thought.

  “Please welcome . . . star of stage and screen . . . Za . . . ra . . . Her . . . nan . . . dez!”

  EJ staggered and clutched Jamie’s arm. “What?”

  Jamie looked back at her with wide eyes. She looked to Tessa, who gave a Cheshire cat smile, somehow smug and pleased at the same time.

  “I told you,” she laughed.

  Standing before them was Angelica from Hamilton at the Hollywood Bowl. “The Girl” from the very first production of Everybody Taps. Mia from La La Land—on Broadway. Dr. Bev from freaking Dr. Bev !

  “Is this happening?” Jamie cried.

  EJ couldn’t respond. She was in a full Beatlemania-style freak-out. Luckily for her, everyone around them was screaming, too.

  Once the cheers died down, Zara launched into a rousing appeal that flattered the students while reminding them of their immense privilege. As she spoke, Tessa fired up an iPad with a credit card reader and held it above her head. Jamie looked around and saw other Gordon Campbell members with giant plastic buckets. It was smart—they were ready to take additional donations in any form. She returned her attention to the stage. Zara, again wow, seemed to be wrapping up. The star went to the side of the stage and dragged a tall, furiously blushing guy into the spotlight.

  Jamie leaned over and shouted into EJ’s ear. “Who’s the cutie?”

  EJ, now calmly fanning herself with her hand, chuckled. “He’s Lee Gregory. Tessa has all the details.”

  “I have to embarrass this kid right here,” the celebrity continued, “who I’ve known since I was his babysitter—which is how his mom discovered me, but that’s another story. Anyway, Lee, your Gordon Campbell Society president, has the best heart I know. He cares so much about this school and about making your volunteering projects valuable and meaningful.”

  There was another surge of applause.

  “When Lee called me and told me about the goal of doubling the number of alternative Spring Break projects this year, he was only asking for advice. Lee wanted to know how I pull in the big funds for my charity.” Zara looped her arm around the tawny young man’s waist. His unruly brown hair was like a lion’s mane. “What did I say you needed, sweetness?” She tilted her mic toward him.

  After a fit of nervous giggling, he replied, “You said something about a celebrity endorsement.” Zara bowed to a mix of laughter and applause. “And an incentive.”

  Zara kissed him on the cheek and spoke into the mic again. “Since we know one is taken care of, here is your incentive, Longbourn. If you guys give a minimum one thousand dollars in this room, I will add ten thousand dollars to whatever is raised here, tonight.”

  Lee gasped in happy surprise and hugged Zara as the rest of the service group’s leadership cheered especially loudly. Now Tessa was the one screaming and jumping up and down.

  Lee took the mic, still looking amazed. “Zara, thank you!” He turned to the gathered students. “I had no idea she was going to do that!” He caught his breath. “You heard the lady. Get giving, Longbourn—and let’s dance!” The lights went down, and the music started again. EJ fished out her emergency twenty-dollar bill. Looking around she saw many other students reaching for their wallets. Zara Hernandez was a smart woman.

  Not long after all this excitement, the DJ put on something slow and romantic. Everyone not in a couple drifted away from the dance floor. Tessa had already dashed off, probably to celebrate with Gordon Campbell leadership. Most people grabbed snacks from the back tables and went out to the quad. The formal needed a sort of intermission after Zara’s appearance.

  Jamie at the Dance

  After getting some fresh air and fixing their makeup, Jamie and EJ went looking for Tessa. They spotted her under a lamppost on the other side of the party tent. (T was wearing a rainbow fringe dress that was ev-ery-thing and so was pretty easy to spot.) EJ pulled off her heels and rushed over to give Tessa several hugs in rapid succession. Jamie followed at a more measured pace. She squeezed Tessa’s hand and congratulated her on the evening’s success.

  “Everyone I saw was emptying their pockets,” Jamie said. “Seriously so, so impressed.”

  Tessa beamed and did a small victory dance. “Thanks! It was so exciting. I had the craziest afternoon.”

  She was beginning to tell them about her day with freaking Zara Hernandez when Jamie spotted someone approaching their trio. It was that cutie-pie Lee.

  God, he’s so attractive he’s almost sparkly.

  Tessa brought him into the circle. “EJ, Jamie, this is Lee.”

  He greeted EJ warmly; then he turned to Jamie, stuttering slightly before saying, “Hi.”

  If you asked Jamie what she felt in that moment, she wouldn’t have been able to describe it. It was the chill of anticipation on a hot summer night before a fireworks display, or the bright spark of exhilaration that rushes up your spine when the house lights dim in a theater, or the moment on a roller coaster when you put your hands in the air and get ready to scream. That feeling of magical possibility had somehow been turned into a human—and he’d just said “Hi.”

  After a moment of smiling, Jamie realized she hadn’t said anything yet. This pause was too long—why couldn’t she speak? EJ must have sensed her panic. She gave Jamie an imperceptible nudge.

  “Hi, Lee,” Jamie almost sighed in response. He was tall with long limbs and warm hazel eyes, wearing a stylish all-black tuxedo that someone had obviously picked out for him because he didn’t seem to remember where the pockets were. Jamie found this adorable. She also loved how the lamplight on his afro gave him a sort of halo. His smile was slightly crooked—and he had freckles! Lee seemed like the romantic hero of a YA novel come to life—perfectly imperfect.

  She heard a giggle behind her and caught EJ exchanging glances with Tessa.

  “Well, I’ve been working this party for two and a half hours,” Tessa began. “I’m gonna go dance. EJ, coming?” she asked pointedly.
r />   EJ was too nosy. “In a minute,” she said sweetly.

  “Okay, I’m requesting ‘the Wobble’ for Zara, so I know I will see you soon.” With that, Tessa disappeared into the tent.

  Jamie laughed internally. EJ could no more resist a line dance than Tessa could a spin-off of The Bachelor. They all knew each other too well.

  Tessa went inside, and EJ made small talk with Lee. It took a moment for Jamie to realize her friend was giving her time. Eventually, when Jamie could remember how to be clever and charming, she joined the conversation.

  “So you’re a psych major? How long after you declared did you start diagnosing your roommate?”

  Lee laughed, and Jamie felt a hundred feet tall. “Almost immediately, but I had my reasons. He was collecting PEEPS.”

  Jamie frowned. “Like to eat?”

  He shook his head. “No, like, pathologically. He only bought the chicks—hundreds of them. He would arrange them on every surface he had in the room. After he started making them little wigs out of Starbursts, I decided I was getting my own apartment.”

  They all laughed. This was good; EJ was talking less, Jamie was talking more, and they kept laughing. Then, of course, someone had to come from the shadows and rain on their parade.

  “Yo, Lee! We done here or what?”

  Jamie and EJ turned to face the human record scratch. Lee blushed and seemed to force a laugh.

  “Hold your horses, Will.” He stepped to the side to allow the newcomer in.

  First thing, Jamie was sure Will had money. He was very expensively dressed and distressingly handsome. That man has never bought his own groceries in his life, she thought. He seemed to be about their age and looked kind of like an Asian Christian Bale: slim and well muscled with a face that could slide easily from cruel to kind. At the moment, he seemed set on “sardonic.”