Author's Note: Okay, so this is my first fanfiction story. Tell me what you think. Advice is much appreciated. I hope to be writing more soon.

Disclaimer: I wish I could write like Jane Austen, but I can't.

CHAPTER ONE---THE ARRIVAL

"Hey Liz!"

Liz turned around. She smiled as she recognized the person in front of her. "Hi, Charlie." She reached for him and gave him a warm hug.

Charlie looked offended. "What... no kiss for your boyfriend? Your dedicated boyfriend, I might add, who's been waiting for you here for over half an hour!"

Liz laughed. "Well, if you insist..." She proceeded to give him a big fat kiss right on the lips.

"Now that was much better," said Charlie, with a grin. "I'd almost forgotten why I even bother with you." Liz slapped his arm. Charlie gave a pathetic Hey! trying desperately not to laugh. "I said almost, didn't I?"

Both Liz and Charlie started to make their way out of the airport. People everywhere were rushing about, trying to get to their flights on time. Liz grinned to herself. She had yet to be on a plane that wasn't somewhat delayed. Hurrying to catch a flight seemed completely pointless to her.

"So, did you have a good trip?" Charlie asked.

She almost snorted. "The trip was terrible. Being stuck in an airplane for eight hours straight is not my idea of fun. Actually being in France, on the other hand, was awesome."

She had always wanted to go to Europe, especially France. She knew about all the stereotypes, but she didn't care even if they were true. On her trip, she got to see that they weren't. Well, except for maybe the one about having too many smokers in France...

Charlie smiled. "That's great. What did you see?"

Where to begin? "Well, Paris was my main destination. I got to go to all the tourist hotspots, like the Eiffel Tower and Versailles. Oh my gosh, did you know there was a POST OFFICE in Eiffel Tower?" The more she talked, the more excited she became. "I just couldn't believe it! And Versailles! The gardens were just so beautiful. I even got to row a boat in one of the garden ponds. Oh! And I also got to visit the Musée d' Orsay. Who would have thought to put a museum in an old train station? It was really great." Liz finally paused for breath.

"Wow... that'll teach me to ask about your visit. I guess I must have also forgotten how much you like to ramble on about France." Liz didn't hesitate to slap him lightly again. Charlie exclaimed, "Two in a row! You must be on a roll!" Liz gave him an overly enthusiastic smile.

By this time, they had reached the outside of the airport. Liz breathed deeply. She hated airports. She hated the smell, the feel, everything. However, she loved to travel and explore new locations. Not exactly a very convenient combination, she thought.

Charlie led her through the parking lot. He stopped in front of a green Honda civic. There appeared to be a person in the front passenger seat. Liz frowned, "Who is that?"

Charlie looked to where Liz was pointing. He smiled. "Oh, that's Will. We've been best friends since elementary school. He's transferring to our school this year. I thought it would be cool if you guys could meet before the school year started."

Liz gave him a look that clearly had the meaning You thought what? attached. Charlie laughed. "Don't worry. You'll love him..."

Will looked around the parking lot and wondered what the heck he was doing here. Charlie had simply appeared on Will's front porch a few hours ago and said, "Hey! How's it going?" Will hadn't seen Charlie in years, but their easy friendship had never broken apart. As soon as they were reunited, things seemed to pick up where they had left off.

Will first met Charlie in first grade. Will was shy and mostly kept to himself, but Charlie befriended him anyway. The two seemed like complete opposites, both in their physical appearance and their personality. Charlie was outgoing and could make friends with everyone. His blond hair and blue eyes gave him an "All-American" appearance. In contrast, Will had few friends and was very reclusive. His shy nature made it hard for him to bond with strangers. With black hair and piercing green eyes, along with an incredibly tall body, people who weren't thrown off by his personality were intimidated by his looks.

Despite their differences, the two remained friends, even when Will was sent to private school. They would occasionally meet and hang out together throughout the school year and during the summer. All that changed with the beginning of high school, however. Not one word had been spoken between the two since freshman year. That is, until today.

Will couldn't have been more shocked to have seen Charlie. Thinking back on the encounter, Will smiled. How like Charlie to just show up one day, he thought. He hasn't changed a bit.

But he has changed, Will remembered, his smile quickly disappearing. Charlie has a girlfriend now. On the way to the airport, Charlie had gone on and on about Liz. The way Charlie had talked about her, Liz sounded perfect. Will wasn't convinced. She sounds like a twit to me, he thought darkly.

Will cared about his friend. He didn't want Charlie to make the mistake of falling in love with some girl who would dump him in a heartbeat. He just couldn't let that happen.

Will snapped back to the present. He was still in Charlie's car, in the middle of the airport parking lot. Will looked impatiently at his watch. God, how long does it take to go into an airport and come back out? Charlie'd been gone for almost an hour.

Right at that moment, Will could see Charlie approaching in the distance, a woman close behind him. Must be perfect Liz... He could tell it would be a long school year.

Charlie took Liz's backpack and small suitcase and stuffed them in the trunk of the car. Liz stood next to the car, uncertain about what to do next. She hadn't expected to be meeting anybody, much less Charlie's "best friend since elementary school." Since the meeting was inevitable, she decided to make the most of it. She put on a smile and prepared herself to make a good first impression.

Charlie came back to her side and grabbed her hand. "Come on, don't just stand there." He led her to the right side of the car. As he did so, the mysterious passenger opened his door and stepped out of the vehicle.

Liz's jaw nearly dropped. Only one thought was left in her head: he's tall. While she had thought Charlie to be fairly decent in height, Charlie could not compare to his friend. What is he? 6'5"? After being stunned by his height, Liz took some time to notice some of his other features. Overall, he seemed pretty lean. His hair was as dark as the night and had a messy look to it. For the second time, Liz froze. His eyes had the most intense shade of green that she had ever seen. From his expression, it seemed that she wasn't the only one to have been unexpectedly surprised.

Charlie cleared his throat. Liz quickly looked away, realizing that she'd been caught staring. Charlie started the introductions. "Liz, this is Will. Will, this is Liz."

Liz tried to give her most winning smile. "Nice to meet you." She extended her right hand as a sign of friendship.

Will looked down at her hand and seemed to hesitate. Finally, he quickly shook her hand and mumbled, "Same here." He then turned around and went back into the Honda.

Liz's smile instantly fell. How rude! What the hell's wrong with him? Who does he think he is? Am I not good enough for him to simply be polite to? Well, fine! Be that way!

Charlie seemed to understand the direction of her thoughts and quickly stepped in to the defense of his friend. "Don't mind Will. He's not really good with strangers. He's just shy..."

Yeah... shy. I bet he is...

Inwardly, Will groaned. I can't believe I just did that. What could he say? Liz had been a shock to him. He certainly hadn't expected her to be the way she was. He'd envisioned her as a blond bombshell or a nice brunette; somebody who was Charlie's type. Instead, he'd met with a fiery redhead.

She was of medium height, but she had an air of easy confidence that made her seem taller. She also had the most beautiful brown eyes he'd ever seen... But, that didn't have anything to do with why he hadn't been able to speak for a few minutes. He'd just been surprised, that was all, he told himself.

Looking back, Will still didn't understand why he hadn't automatically taken Liz's hand when she had offered it. He didn't know why he hadn't just smiled and said Hello like a normal person. He certainly couldn't fathom why he'd quickly retreated back to the car so rudely.

Actually, he did know. There was something about Liz that had intimidated him. He hadn't known how to act and ended up doing what he had always done: making the encounter as short as possible.

Well, what's done is done...

He heard one of the rear passenger doors open, and Liz crawled into the car. Charlie placed himself in the driver's seat. Will looked in his rearview mirror at Liz's reflection. She did not look happy.

"Everybody ready?" asked Charlie, with his usual jovial tone. He seemed oblivious to the moods of his fellow companions. "Alright, then."

They rode in silence. A few times, Charlie attempted to start a conversation. He soon gave up when he realized no one else was interested in talking.

As Charlie neared Will's house, Will saw his opportunity to make amends.

"Hey, it was nice to see you, Will," said Charlie. "It'll be so cool when school starts again. We'll get to hang out, like the old times."

"Yeah, it'll be great." Will looked at Liz. She obviously did not share Charlie's feelings on the subject. She was practically glaring at him. "Well, bye."

Will closed the car door behind him. Liz got out of the back of the car to take his seat. This was his chance to make up for his behavior before. He stood where he was, trying to think of something to say. Liz looked at him expectantly. However, Will couldn't come up with anything, and for the second time, he turned around and left.

So much for making amends...

Well, that was Chapter 1. By the way, the reason why some of the tenses changed in some of the paragraphs is because those sentences were meant to be in italics. Obviously, the italics didn't show up. There was also supposed to be extra space between sections of the chapter. Those didn't show up, either. I hope the story still makes sense, though!