OK, since this is the first thing up I might as well write a little note about this whole... thing. Anyways. These "chapters" are just some scenes from an idea that I have - basically a modern Pride & Prejudice that takes place in a Nantucket-type beach town. Lizzy is a local, and Darcy is a preppy summer visitor. Basically I didn't want to write the whole thing and have no one read it, so I figured I might put up some samples and do a test run. If it generates some interest, I'll do some rewrites (because I barely look these over as it is XD) and put up the whole thing. But I don't know if you're reading or not if you don't tell me! So follow, review, email, and I'll know this has some interest. I don't own anything, this is a fictional place, blah blah blah...

A half hour later, the five teenagers sat in the sunny town square. The sky was littered with clouds, and the air was thick and sultry. Thankfully, though, there weren't so many tourists where they were sitting. The ones who chose to risk the chance of rain sat with their shopping bags and purses in the high chairs and circular tables.

Eventually, the awkwardness must have reached a point where it was too much to bear. Caroline examined Lizzie, straightened up, and finally said something.

"So… Lizzie. What's it like living here… all year?"

Lizzie looked up from her smoothie. She thought for a moment, biting her lip pensively.

"It's nice, I guess. It's really cold in the winter, though, and there are so many tourists in the summer. But we get by."

She glanced to her right to see Darcy's reaction, but he was texting furiously on his Blackberry. He must have sensed it, because he flinched suddenly and turned his head sharply to Lizzie. He opened his mouth to say something, when Caroline cut him off.

"But there's nowhere to shop." She said, a little too loudly.

Lizzie frowned and took a sip of her smoothie.

"Well… we have the Pavilion Mall. And all those boutiques that open during the summer."

"Yeah, but nowhere to shop, you know?"

A pause.

"No. I don't."

Caroline stared at her for a moment, then turned her attention to Darcy, who was still tapping away on his Blackberry.

"You text so fast, Darcy." She said. It was loud enough that Charlie and Jenny glanced over to see what was going on. Caroline let out an embarrassingly loud giggle, and Lizzy could swear that her foot was stroking Darcy's. She rolled her eyes, only thinking of Lindsey.

"Thanks." He muttered back, not looking up.

"Who, may I ask, is the lucky girl?" Carolyn asked, already knowing the answer.

"Grace." He sighed.

"Oh, Grace? God, Darce, I wish my brother was so devoted to me." She giggled again – Lizzy winced – and went on, with neither encouragement nor tact.

"But you know, poor Darcy doesn't need a girl as long as he has Grace." Carolyn smiled.

Darcy stared right ahead, trying as hard as he could not to break her neck right then and there.

"No, no. Darcy is much too picky. I remember Charlie's and Darcy's sophomore year," Carolyn said, now addressing Lizzy. "They were having a sleepover, right? Like a little guy slumber party thing. Half the lacrosse team was there. Anyways, I was tagging along, because, well – lacrosse guys, need I say more? They were all talking about this one girl at school, what was her name?"

Nobody answered.

Carolyn smiled sweetly at Darcy. "What was her name?"

"Brooke Parker." He said mechanically, without looking up.

"Brooke Parker! So, like I was saying – all the guys loved her. I mean loved her. Perfect body, perfect hair, rich, so on and so forth. But not Darcy. No, after every guy had their say, Darcy had to go all John Hughes-sensitive-guy on us."

She paused, to see his expression.

Which was murderous.

"He said that Brooke Parker wasn't his type. Did I mention that she was like, totally in love with him? Yeah. But she just wasn't his type! Can you believe that?"

"Huh." Lizzy registered the information. Then, she turned to Darcy. "Well, what is your type, then?"

Darcy nearly jumped from the surprise of hearing her address him directly. He sat, shocked, for a moment. Then he answered, "I prefer women with substance."
Charlie chuckled. "What do you consider substance?"

"Thank you, Charlie," Lizzie said. "I was just wondering the same thing."

Darcy exhaled coolly, not intending to answer at all. He knew by now Carolyn would jump at any opportunity to do that for him.

"Oh, my god. I totally remember his whole noble speech. She needs to be headed to an Ivy League (Columbia, preferably, that's where mummy and dad went), have a decent body, be athletic but not a jock, happy but not annoyingly so, play the piano and guitar, read in her spare time, and speak french."
Charlie laughed loudly, remembering the night. "And not a sexual reference in there. Jesus, man, we all thought you must have been gay or something."

Darcy ruffled his dark hair and blinked several times. "There was beer, there. We were all pretty screwed up by then."

Another silence.

"Lizzie…" Jane spoke softly. Everyone turned in surprise; she seemed to have been forgotten. "I don't feel well."

Charlie leaped up from his chair immediately and ran to her left side. He pressed his hand to her forehead, and concentrated hard. "I think she has a fever."

Lizzie frowned and furrowed her brow, and quickly tried to weigh her options.

"Oh, Jane," She said. "I think I should probably get her home."

Carolyn smiled. "See you later, then!"

At this, Charlie was deeply offended. "Carolyn!" He scolded his twin. "She looks pretty bad."

He had a point. Jane was wobbly, even in her chair, and was holding her head in an exhausted pain.

"How are you getting home?" He asked.

"Same way we got here, we'll walk." Lizzy said.

"No!" Charlie exclaimed, as if Lizzy had suggested they ride on the back of an old motorcycle with an aging punk singer. "I can drive you if you want. It's not far! But… it's too far to walk… so don't walk!"

Lizzie gave a genuine smile for the first time all day. Charlie was so adorable in his concern for Jenna.

"That would be great." Lizzy said, fiddling through her pocket and taking out a few crumpled bills. "That's for the smoothies. Thanks, you guys."

Carolyn sneered slightly.

Darcy just stared at the bills.

"C'mon, Jane, let's go…" Lizzie and Charlie slowly helped Jane out of her chair and out of sight in the direction of his car. Carolyn craned her neck to watch them the entire time, whereas Darcy continued to look at the bills.

"Oh my God." Carolyn sighed. "Can you believe them? Just taking advantage of Charlie like that. I bet she wasn't even sick. She was fine when she came here. Seriously, I swear, the girls here are such attention whores. Right?"

Darcy wasn't listening, but muttered a "yeah" as a habitual agreement.