Summary: When Emily Belitorini's family gets new neighbors, her life on the Main Line is turned upside-down. This is a modern-day version of Jane Austen's classice novel Pride and Prejudice. Please read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter 1

There was a time when men were gentlemen, where in order to gain respect amongst their peers they had to have the qualities of a gentleman. They had to be noble, courageous, and polite. And to be attractive to women, they had to have all these qualities and much more, usually that being filthy rich. They didn't go around beating their chest like monkeys and bragging about how many ladies they "hooked-up" with, they waited until marriage. Women didn't have to dress, or act, like prostitutes to get a man's attention. They just had to be pretty in the face and talented in the arts of dancing, painting, and playing music. This was a time when men and women respected themselves and others.

Unfortunately, as time went on, these practices became out of style. Bows and curtseys were replaced by high-fives and hugs. Fancy balls where men and women dressed in suits and dresses were replaced by mixers where teenage boys wear baggy basketball shorts and polo shirts and girls wear skirts so short that they barely cover their behinds and shirts that reveal every curve. Before it was considered a dishonor on the entire family to elope, but now elopement is seen as the "cool" or "romantic" way to get married. Parents have literally no say in how or when their children marry whereas before, men had to ask their permission.

This is the world we live in today. During the 1920s, there was a group of writers who called themselves the "Lost Generation" and they believed that their world around them was deteriorating morally. In their frustration, most of them moved to Europe in flight of the society. Now, I know that society today is bad but I'm not that crazy to move to Europe! I've always felt that those guys, though I enjoy their books, were a little out there.

In case you haven't noticed, I enjoy times where life was simple. Take the 18th century for example. All the women had to worry about was when the next ball was. All the education women had to get was that in music, art, and home life. Nowadays, we work so hard to the point where we don't have any free time for ourselves.

I live in a very nice area right outside of Philadelphia, you may have heard of it. Its name comes from the train that runs from the city to the suburbs. It's called the Main Line. Anyway, my father works as a doctor in one of the major hospitals while my mother stays at home to take care of us five girls. Yes, five girls. My father has to live in a house completely taken over by estrogen. Well he has my cat named Sherlock but that doesn't really count.

I'm the second oldest of my sisters, I have one older sister named Jessica, and the other three are younger than myself. Margaret is the next in age. The youngest sisters are Louisa and Kathleen, they're twins. Louisa is older by two minutes and sixteen seconds, a fact she never let's Kathleen forget. I cannot imagine having four years of being constantly pregnant. You see, all my sisters are a year apart. Jess is eighteen, I'm seventeen, Margaret is sixteen, and the twins are fifteen. I shudder at the thought of being huge for that long.

Out of all my sisters, Jessica and I are the closest. Margaret is very, in a word, odd. She has brown eyes and hates her natural hair color. Margaret has had almost every color of the spectrum on her head. Now, however, she's settled for jet black with shocking-red tips. I actually have to say she can pull it off. She spends all of her time at our grand piano and it takes a crowbar and some hard cajoling to get her off of it for meal times and to do her homework. But when she's not playing, she's on her computer editing videos she and her friends made. As for the twins, we have nothing in common. They are flirts, Kathleen following Louisa around like a lost puppy. They would rather spend their days in the company of the opposite sex than with their own classmates. Both girls have horribly dyed blonde hair and deep brown eyes, but that's the only thing deep about them. They are very shallow and completely focused on their appearance.

While Jessica is the shyest girl I have ever known, she is a wonderful companion. She can be very witty at times and is nice to the point where it does get rather annoying. She can see nothing but the good in people and that makes her more susceptible to not standing up for herself when she is being teased, which was more often than I like. The only reason they tease her at school is because she's brilliant and gorgeous. She is the best in her year, maybe even the entire school, and she makes heads turn as she walks to her classes. She's too shy and modest to admit to it, but I've seen it all the time. She has wavy light brown hair that she always pulls back out of her face while she does work at school and hazel eyes that are always shining with kindness and intelligence. Jess just loves life and always looks on the bright side.

As for me, I'm the tomboy of the family. I'm the son my father never had. Whenever we used to go on family hiking trips, I would be up in the front with him while the rest of my sisters struggled to keep up. Let's just say that the family hiking trips quickly came to end…as did the family camping trips and all family trips together. But my dad and I still try to do something together once or twice a month. As for my mother, well, she prefers the mall to the outdoors. We don't have much in common to keep us together. She always complains that I never wear my hair down and always pull it back, but she fails to remember that I play sports a lot so why would I want my hair in my face? Like my sister, I have wavy brown hair but mine is much darker than hers. My eyes are green with flecks of brown in them, which I think is pretty cool actually. It's odd how both my parents are Italian yet my sister and I have green in our eyes.

Because of my boyish attitude, my social life is nonexistent, just the way I like it. I don't need any other friends besides my sister and my best friend Chelsea. Chelsea has been my best friend since we were both in diapers, although she's a year younger than me. We played on the same soccer, swimming, and softball teams that we had been on since we were old enough to play. Slowly the two of us made our way up to the top teams and were playing alongside boys our age. Now obviously that was intimidating to them because after we joined, we seemed to be rewired with boy repulsion sensors. No boy in all of the area wanted anything to do with us. My mother was smart enough to make the connection and tried to force me to quit the team. I refused outright and my father finally convinced her to let me play.

"Fine! Ruin our daughter's hope of finding any man for prom!" she said angrily.

Ah prom, the highlight of every girl's junior and senior year. Every girl that is, except mine. I personally don't care of I go or not, all that happens is that you stress about finding a date, pay too much for a dress you can only wear once because "I wore it last year Mom! How could I possibly wear the same dress twice?" as my youngest sisters so kindly put it. At the before party, you meet up with your date for the first time and stand their awkwardly as you desperately try to find a conversation, as it will be in my case. Then, when you get there, you listen to blaring music while people sway around, making up their own dance moves. If you're with people who actually date their dates, you'll be so blessed as to see them grinding around and making out constantly, which will be awkward especially if you and your date were set up only minutes before the dance started. Then comes the infamous after parties. All around you, you see people so wasted they can't even talk as they and their dates lie on couches doing…well, let's not get into that part. As you can probably tell, I'm not very enthusiastic about prom.

Now don't get me wrong, I love dancing. When my mother signed me up for ballroom dancing when I was in sixth grade, I loved every minute of it. Everyone knew what they were doing and there was no awkwardness, except the fact that no one else really wanted to be there but me and they were only because their mothers forced them to. Half the time I believe it was I who was leading them around the dance floor. I never minded though because I was enjoying myself too much to care.

Of course, I don't have to worry about my junior prom until school starts up again. I have the entire summer until then and I intend to spend ever minute of my three month vacation outdoors and carefree. Chelsea and I just finished a two week soccer camp so I am happy to not have to worry about anything else but my summer reading. In fact, that was exactly what I was doing one morning as I sat on my front lawn. I was reading my summer book for my English class, Pride and Prejudice, which I had read often before but wanted to refresh my memory.

"EM! Get inside already, Mom needs help making breakfast!" Kathleen shouted from her bedroom window.

"Why don't you get your fat ass out of bed and give her a hand?" I yelled but she had already closed her window and probably went back to sleep. She and Louisa always slept until noon because they were out late.

Closing my book with an impatient snap, I got up and went inside to help my mother make breakfast. Actually, when my youngest sister said my mother needed help making breakfast, she meant the maids needed help. All my mother does is watch over the cook and make sure everything is cooked using nonfat items and organic food sources. My mom is a carb-freak and doesn't want anything that isn't made from the purest ingredients.

As I walked into the kitchen, I passed Margaret playing the piano. She was very good because of the almost nonstop practice, which was good for us because at least we didn't have to listen to constant horrible piano playing. Jessica was working on getting a head start on her AP work so she wouldn't have to do it all last minute.

"Her Highnesses so kindly commanded me into the kitchen," I said sarcastically to my older sister as I passed her, "And I was right in the middle of my favorite part!"

"And which part would that be?" Jess asked as I help up my beat-up copy of Jane Austen's classic love story.

"When Mr. Darcy confesses his love for Elizabeth for the first time," I said with a sigh, looking far away as I continued, "People don't talk like this anymore. Now, you're supposed to be happy when you get a text from a guy saying, "I luv u babe" after dinner time."

"No, that's just Lisa and Kath," Margaret said as she played a scale.

"You do have a point there Mags," I said with a laugh as I went into the kitchen. My mother was a lean lady who worked out constantly so she had a body some girls my age would die for. Her hair used to be a gorgeous chestnut but, after moving here when I was two, she died it blonde. How I hated that fake blonde color!

"Morning Mother!" I said with a smile as I entered the kitchen and helped the cook with the eggs.

"Emily Belitorini," my mother said with an annoyed sigh, "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me "Mother"? It makes me sound so…old."

"I already told you that I'm not calling you by your first name Mother," I said with a roll of my eyes, "And you are older than me so I should be able to call you what I want without you feeling old."

Ever since we moved to the Main Line when I was two, Jess was three, Mags was one, and the twins were barely a month old, my mother has changed. She used to be happy just spending time with her children at the park or actually cooking a meal. However, upon moving here, she became involved with the other women in the neighborhood and hired sitters and domestic workers just like her newly made friends. Then she died her hair and started working out. She was obsessed with her weight all the time and began buying "healthy" snacks that tasted like overdone cardboard. It's been years since I've had a real home cooked meal that had fat or grease.

"I'm just trying to keep with the times girlfriend!"

"Call me girlfriend one more time and I swear I'm moving out," I snapped.

"OMG Ems, what's up with you today?" my mother asked. I hated when she talked text.

"OMG, IDK!" I said furiously, "Seriously Mother? Why can't you talk like a normal human being? Texting is so fake and emotionless."

"You other sisters don't mind it, so I don't understand why-?"

"You mean Lisa and Kath?" I said with a laugh, "Mother if it's in, they do it. I bet if the latest fashion was to walk around in just a bra they'd do it. Although I bet they've already done it." The last part I muttered under my breath.

"Emily Marie Belitorini, don't talk about your sisters like that!" my mother said horrified, "If you haven't anything nice to day, don't say anything at all."

I turned around and pretended to zipper my lips, lock them, and throw away the key. My mother just waved me off and I returned to helping the cook by cutting the fruits. My younger sisters were sluts, bottom line. Everyone knew it but no one said anything because they were the babies and my mom protected and doted upon them more than the rest of us.

"ERIN!" Lisa shouted as she entered the kitchen, "Where are my eggs? I'm so hungry I think I might just faint!"

"Coming dear!" my mother said and stole the eggs I had made for myself. The cook, a heavy set woman with a ruddy complexion that was surrounded by bright red, thick, curly hair and green eyes, gave me a look and I just rolled my eyes.

"Ew Erin, don't call us that!" Louisa said as her mother placed down her breakfast before her, "That's not cool."

"Call us amigas," Kath said and Lisa nodded.

"So then mi amigas, what's the lowdown for today?" my mother asked and I slapped my forehead from behind her back, dragging my hand down my face. Our cook stifled a laugh as she put the fruit in a bowl and set it on the table.

"There's a party at Mary's house tonight from six to whenever," Kath said as she texted God only knew who.

"And tomorrow we're inviting our friends over for a party," Lisa said as she admired her tips.

"No that's OK, Really, I didn't want to sleep tomorrow night," I said as I ate my eggs at the counter, "If you use my room as the make-out room I swear to God I'll ring your little anorexic necks! The last time you all had a party, I found stuff in there that made me have nightmares for weeks."

"Morning ladies!" my father said as he entered the kitchen. He sniffed my plate and smiled, "That smells incredible Emsy. I'd like to have that as well."

"I got it Cook," I said as our cook went to examine my plate, "You should go home and check on your daughter. Tell her I hope she feels better and to drink her orange juice." Her daughter had a bad case of the flu and had to miss her last days of school. Jess and I had gone to visit her and she didn't look too good at the time.

"Thank you Emily, God bless you," she whispered and wiped her hands before leaving quickly and unseen.

"I hope I didn't hear any bickering this early in the morning," my dad said. He was a handsome man with black hair and moustache (only just beginning to grey), with dark brown eyes and tan skin. He was full-blooded Italian, as was my mother but you'd never know it. My dad hated the new diet plan just as much as Jess, Mags, and I did. We were old enough to remember at least some of Mother's cooking.

"Of course not Father," I muttered to him as I fried the bacon behind my mother's back, "Why would you assume we would be fighting?"

"Daddy," Lisa said, putting on her puppy-eyes that she only used when she wanted something, "Can Kath and I have a party tomorrow night? Pretty please with sugar on top?"

"Dad, the last time they had a party, you don't even want to know what I found in my room," I pleaded.

"Richard, can't they have just one little party?" my mother asked.

"I'll take the garbage out for a whole month, even the rest of the summer," I begged, "I'll clean the entire house even," I gulped, "Even the twin's room."

"We can't have the party anyway," my dad said, "We're going to another party, don't you all remember?"

I punched the air and did a touchdown dance while the other women groaned and began their begging. I quickly wolfed down my breakfast, cleaned up my things, and left the kitchen with my book. How could we have forgotten the yearly block party? Rumor had it that it was going to be the best since the one when we first arrived. They had fireworks, barbeque, and the creepy old man from down the road's pants "accidentally" caught on fire.

"I swear Daddy," I said innocently when I was interrogated for being the last to hold the matches, "I put them right back on the grill like you told me to."

Chuckling at the memory, I went back to my spot on the front lawn and began where I left off in my book. I was just getting to the best part of the argument when a truck pulled up with a loud banging noise and I looked up. Cocking my head to the side, I tapped on the window and gestured for Jess to come outside with me. She ran out and stared at the strange sight.

It was a moving truck with a license plate from Pennsylvania driving down the street. This one was followed by three more trucks and two extremely fancy, and expensive, cars. The truck seemed to have technical issues because it stopped and the two cars pulled over.

"No way!" I gasped as the second car pulled up, "That's a 1921 Rolls Royce in perfect condition! Look at the fenders on that thing! I would be so afraid I'd total the car if I drove it."

"I guess they can afford to pay for it if that does occur," Jess said with a frown, "I knew they sold the house down the street but I didn't realize just how quickly the new neighbors would move in."

"Bet'cha ten bucks they're a bunch of crotchety old farts who'll be shouting at us to "Get off my lawn you hooligans!" on Halloween or whatever."

As soon as I said this however, three people stepped out of the Rolls Royce that didn't look like senior citizens. Two had orangey-red hair while the other had dark hair. They were too far to see their faces but if I had to guess, they must've been about our age. Jess held out her hand and I sighed, pulling out a ten dollar bill and handing it to her.

"That's twice I've been interrupted in my reading," I said, closing my book again, "Care to go for a walk? Maybe we can get a better view of our new neighbors."

"It's not polite to snoop," Jess said with a stern look.

"And it's not polite to interrupt one who is at the most romantic part of a love story," I said with a shrug, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Come on, let's go! Get your sneakers on for heaven's sake, while I'm still young!"

Jess laughed and ran into the house while I waited outside. I turned to look at the house across the street from us and found the three strangers staring at our house, probably at me. I smiled and waved jovially and they turned to get back into their cars, driving away with the moving truck. Little did I know how much these people would change my dull, Main Line life.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I hope you guys like this so far because I really enjoy writing this story and want to keep going. Unfortunately, I may have to stop if no one reviews. :( So please make me smile and hit that little review button at the bottom of the page. Thank you!