Hey what's up Jane, thanks for letting me borrow your story

Hate at First Sight

I looked at the grocery list Mary had given me and blinked. Her writing was so tiny.

"Is that tomato or potato?" I mused aloud in isle 5.

"Oh it's definitely potato. Who would eat a tomato? Gross."

My head shot up, "Charlotte!"

"Long time no see Lizzie!" I gave the college grad a hug.

"What's up? I know you're working for your dad, how's it going?" Charlotte was a few years older than me, and had just begun working as her father's accountant.

"Oh, he's as long winded as usual. Nothing new. But I'm sure you've heard of the Bingleys?"

I nodded, "Yes, thanks to my mother and the Longbourn Ladies."

"I'm ashamed my mother created that group."

"Ha ha, no! It's a good thing. It distracts my mother."

I talked with Charlotte for a while before heading home. She invited me to her mother's "welcome to the neighborhood" party later that evening. The Bingley's were to be the main attraction. I grinned to myself. Poor Jane, if the boy is terrible it will be a long night.

I put on a knee-length evergreen skirt and grey blouse, coupled with some random sandals. Jane lit up the Lucas' living room in her soft-pink summer dress and wedges. I sat on the couch with Charlotte, who wore a short brown dress.

"Does your mother want you to marry the Bingley boy too?"

"How did you know?" She feigned shock.

"Ha, ma wants Jane to marry him tomorrow. 'Trophy wife here we come', she says."

"Poor Jane, she's so patient with your mom."

"Yeah, thank god I'm not getting the 'mother hen' treatment." Jane was speaking to Charlotte's dad, Mr. Lucas, when I noticed an eclectic group of strangers.

The first person I noticed was a haughty looking woman, who stood about six feet tall. She had a glass of wine in her hand and a tight, shiny purple dress plastered to her body. It was hideous. I coughed on my soda.

"She looks cheerful, doesn't she?" I said to Charlotte as I watched the tall woman's frown deepen. She looked (oh what was the word?) dissatisfied. Next to her was an older couple, the woman curvy and a tad overweight, the man a round blob, with balding blond hair. He looked a bit tipsy. The curvy woman's frown was as deep as the purple-dressed stick.

"Oh, the purple one? Yeah, she looks like a witch."

"Maybe we're judging too harshly?" We looked at each other. "Nah." I loved Charlotte.

The purple woman and the odd couple walked over to the table next to the couch. The man looked out the bay window, obviously bored.

"I can't believe my parent's are making Charles and I stay here for three months. You're lucky you're married Louisa," purple-woman said, "you can return to the Hampton's whenever you want." Louisa, the curvy (borderline fat?) woman, downed her glass of wine. "Oh but Caroline, he's so annoying. He wasn't like this when we were dating." They walked away as Caroline scoffed. Charlotte and I cracked up.

"Oh Louisa," I mimicked, "you can return to the Hampton's whenever you'd like. Why would you ever want to spend the summer in this—" I looked around the room and sniffed, "middle class neighborhood?" Charlotte snorted on her wine.

"Oh god Lizzie, if they hear you—"

"Eh, who cares? I'm never going to see them after this party anyway." Over our laughter I could see Jane walking over with a very handsome man on her arm.

"Oh, Lizzy, Charlotte, meet Charlie Bingley." Charlie? Already? Damn sis.

"Great to meet you two, I'm Charlie." We shook hands, and then my sister and the handsome blond sat down.

"So, Jane tells me you both go to the same school?"

We conversed, and I found that I thoroughly enjoyed this man's company. I would have loved to see him again, especially if he and my sister ever got together, but then I learned that Caroline and the Hurts', Louisa and her husband, were living with him. They were his siblings. I had to force myself not to shudder and put on a smiling face.

"Oh that's great, why the sudden move to Longbourn?"

"Oh, this is where my mother grew up. In fact, her parent's used to own the house we're renting. Mom wanted us to spend some time here. She's very nostalgic. Oh, and my friend Will is living with us too. I don't know where he's hiding at the moment, but he's here." As it turns out, Charlie attended the same college as Jane and me; only he was a year older. I saw Jane's face light up at this news, and I knew she liked him. Charlotte and I moved into the TV room, leaving Jane and Charlie immersed in their own conversation. Our father's were watching golf or something—I never paid attention to sports, preferring to play rather than watch them.

There, looking out the window in the corner of the room with a frown on his face, stood a very tall, very intriguing man. I guessed immediately that he was Charlie's friend Will, but chose not to approach him. Something in his manner screamed, "don't talk to me" and so I didn't. A few minutes later Caroline Bingley snuck over to him, looking like a tigress zooming in on her prey. Poor Will, I thought. Charlotte got up to help her mother in the kitchen, and I started talking sports with Mr. Lucas and my father.

"Ewe, golf." I moaned, "such a slow, boring sport. I mean, golfers don't even break a sweat unless its five hundred degrees out. I'd much rather watch ice hockey or rugby." It's true, ice hockey and rugby were the only sports I could force myself to watch. Mr. Lucas laughed, "I can't believe you play rugby Lizzie, you are so tiny and fragile." My father bent his head closer to Mr. Lucas, "And she's nothing but muscle."

"Hey!" I threw a pillow at my dad and went to find Charlotte. From the kitchen I could see Charlie had rescued his elusive friend from the purple princess; they were talking about Jane.

"She's an angel, a gorgeous angel."

"She's just being polite, don't fix yourself on her."

"Oh stop Darcy, she's obviously into me. You would know that if you talked to her instead of hiding in all the dark corners like a creep. Why don't you give conversation a try?"

"I'm not a creep!" The brown-haired man ground out, glaring at Charlie and at the same time remaining composed. I giggled from the kitchen.

"Talk to her sister, she's really nice. She won't be put off by your awkwardness."

"I'd rather not." William Darcy replied with a haughty sniff. "She's nothing compared to Jane in beauty and definitely a gold digger. Her mother talks about nothing but marrying off her daughters. What is this, the eighteen hundreds?"

I put several plates in the dishwasher and slammed the door with a bang before storming out of the kitchen, deliberately passing Darcy in the process. I ignored him, but couldn't help hearing Charlie's low laugh and whispered exclamation. "She heard that Darcy, you idiot!"

I told Charlotte I wasn't feeling well and walked home.