Chawton was beautiful in the summer. It wasn't freezing like it was in the winter, or empty like it was in the autumn; nor was it rainy like it was in the spring. The New England town was warm and bright in the summer. But it was crowded. The population exploded in a pink and green fire when the wealthy families of the country flocked to the place. Though summer businesses thrived from the tourism and the beachside manors stood tall, the locals were never so fortunate. They were infamous for their prejudices against the "eighters" who reaped Chawton for its summer season and forgot it for the other ten months of the year; who clogged the local parking lots with sports cars with Yankees bumper stickers. But the tourists made no effort to make peace – they were too good, too above that kind. Chawton was only good for one thing in their minds: the summer.

But for Elizabeth Bennett, Chawton was good for an infinite number of things, and the summer was not one of them. It was far too humid for her taste, and her idea of an ideal summer excluded working at her dad's seasonal gift shop. Still, there was no school and no worries – so what if Muffy and Tuffy and Biff and Brock gave her the cold shoulder in the supermarket? There were plenty of ways to avoid the regular summer crowd.

That's why she was so grateful for Woodwake. It was cramped and too windy, but for her and her friends, it was a sandy haven.

The sun was finally going down on Woodwake one night when Lizzy pulled up on her beloved bike. She clucked her tongue in disappointment when she saw three beat-up cars sitting by the entrance. It meant everyone was already there, which meant that Lizzy missed the first few minutes of their annual summer kick-off.

After locking her bike in the rusting old rack, she trekked down the familiar passageway. She shivered from the cool summer air and the tickle of the tall grass on either side of her. Finally, the sand opened up into a square of beach. A group of familiar teenagers sat on a large flannel blanket, talking and tuning guitars. Lizzy stopped before they could see her, just to take a moment and breathe it in. It was finally summer. She had friends. And they were waiting.

"Lizzy!" Jenna was the first one to spot her. She jumped up and waved cheerfully, her long blonde hair messed across her face from the wind.

"It's about time." Meghan moaned dramatically. "Really, hon, you should think about getting a real car."

Lizzy shrugged. She was used to this argument, and there was no point in going through it for the millionth time.

"Nice to see you too," she said, taking her spot on the blanket.

The 'Longbourn Bunch' as they called themselves were a happy, albeit limited, group. There were seven of them, all from the same road (Longbourn, to be precise) and the same old circle of Chawton locals. They grew up alongside each other, and although each member has grown dramatically over the years, their bond never changed.

There was Lizzy, for starters. She was strong and independent, and always so picky about guys that it was a miracle for all of them when she finally dated a male specimen in her freshman year. She and Jackson were inseparable for three years, until he moved to California. But Lizzy didn't need a man to make her happy – she was fine with what she had.

Jenna was a different story entirely. Though she was shy around guys, they were certainly not shy around her. She was gorgeous and feminine, but never flaunted it. A string of obnoxious boys in seventh grade left her skeptical about males in general, and so the poor girl was always in doubt of a guy's intentions. Lizzy felt bad for Jenna – there were so many wonderful guys for her out there, that she never gave a chance.

Then there was Katie and Lindsey. Katie was an immature and wildly flirtatious junior who began tagging along with Lizzy and her friends since her exile from the popular group in sophomore year. She was irritating and embarrassing, but was never left behind or cast out of the group – everyone was too nice for that. Her sister Lindsey, though, was a sophomore and considered the baby of the group. Nobody touched her. Ever.

And Meghan. She was the oldest, and always the matriarch of the group. She never knew how to be tact or keep secrets, and always succeeded in humiliating Lizzy and Jenna in her attempts to hook them up. Of course, Lizzy had to admit; if it wasn't for Meghan she and Jenna would be single for the rest of her lives. Ben was her twin brother, the gay friend and the voice of reason in the group. He was never flamboyant or gossip-crazed, and Lizzy always admired him for his down-to-earth and sensible outlook. He balanced the group out, and although he was distant and often abandoned them for his other friends, Ben was definitely Lizzy's closest male friend.

There was also Mary, but she was annoyingly cynical and too wrapped up in her homework and herself to really be friends with the group.

So that's how it was – the seven of them, curled up on a large flannel blanket on a windy beach on a cool summer night. Lizzy would have liked to join Ben in his brooding, but Meghan couldn't stand silence.

"Guess what." She pushed Lizzy and Jenna playfully, nearly knocking them over. Neither of them answered, though, because 'guess what' usually meant that she would end up spitting it out anyways.

"So you know that giant house on Sanditon that is always empty during the summer?"

Jenna and Lizzy both nodded yes – a family had purchased that house decades ago, but stopped their summer visits to Chawton at least fifteen years ago.

"Well, Ben called me up the other day and said – tell them what you said!"

He groaned and rolled over onto the sand. Meghan rolled her eyes and spoke for him.

"So anyways, he's getting gas over on Evelyn, right? And that stupid station has always been self-serve, so he's just minding his own business when up pulls a… well, some fancy car," she paused for affect, but it wasn't a secret that Meghan knew next to nothing about cars. "And out comes this guy. Totally lost. But totally gorgeous. And he could tell he wasn't a local, because Ben had never seen him before, and the guy was wearing a goddamn Lacoste polo that probably cost more than I'll make this summer. So yeah, and Ben just walks up to him and directs him to the Stop n Shop across town."

"So what?" Lizzy said, cutting Meghan off. "Ben met a prep, big whoop."

"Let me finish," Meghan snapped. "Anyways, the two have a nice chat, and based on his truly state-of-the-art gaydar, the guy's hetero as Tarzan. And Ben… invited him to Kelly's beach party tomorrow night!"

Jenna and Lizzy were unimpressed.

"And he said yes!" Katie and Lindsey both shouted at the same time, doing their own victory dance. Ben groaned and covered his ears.

"So the guy – what's his name?" Meghan continued.

"Charlie." Ben said, still facedown in the sand.

"So the guy Charlie is coming down to Steventon tomorrow night with like, five or six other people! Can you believe that?"

Jenna grinned widely, her heart fluttering at the idea. Lizzy smiled with fake enthusiasm.

"Yeah, because every rich, single guy must be looking for a girlfriend."

Meghan shrugged, "It's true."

Lizzy mulled this over for a moment. "Whatever," she finally said. "What do you care anyways? You still have Jason." Jason was Meghan's current boyfriend, at least the last time Lizzy checked.

"We broke up," or maybe not. "I'm with Marco now. And anyways, not for me, stupid, for Jenna. And you, if you don't go all pretentious bitch on us."

Lizzy rolled her eyes for what must have been the fifth time that conversation. "Do you even know what pretentious means? Look, why would I want an oversized douchebag to carry around for the summer?"

"That's not the point," Meghan jabbed Lizzy pointedly in the chest. "How jealous is everyone going to be when they see you – or Jenna, 'cause she'll probably land one first, no offense – hanging on the arm of someone who drives a car that will cost more than you make in a lifetime. Besides," she giggled excitedly. "They throw the best parties. And I bet that house will fit everyone in Chawton. So do it for me! Do it for the parties!"

Jenna didn't need convincing; she was a romantic at heart. But Lizzy remained stubborn.

"Fine," Meghan sighed. "But you'll have to meet them. The party's tomorrow at six at Steventon. You know, before, we should all go to the Pavillion and get our nails done, def our toes at least because I can't even look at mine –"

Meghan was too busy rambling that she neglected to look behind her. Ben slowly sneaked up to her, step by step, until –

"BEN YOU ASSFACE!"

Ben summoned all of what could be considered upper-body strength, threw his twin over his shoulder, and threw her into the cold and shallow water of the beach.

"I SWEAR TO EFFING GOD, THE SECOND I GET UP THERE…"

The teenager was sandy, cold, and soaking wet. But nobody could help her – they were too busy laughing. Meghan shrieked and stomped, but after a while, she found herself giggling at the absurdity of it all.

Lizzy smiled to herself, calmly and at peace.

This was going to be a great summer.