CHAPTER 1 - BAILEY
The wind ruffled my hair gently as I stooped to retrieve my Science Book. The air smelt faintly of oncoming Spring. I quickened my step as students whirled around me.
"Bailey!" Called a far away voice. I turned and saw Jessica galloping towards me. She grinned from ear to ear as she thrust a magazine in my face.
"Oh my god, you have to read this new Hanson interview and see these pictures! Here, I grabbed a copy for you and Sav" She burbled, checking her watch.
"Oh crap! I've gotta go, I;ve got chem now. Meet me out the front of school?" I nodded mutely.
"Sure" I answered to her retreating back. I finally founf the right science block and settled into my seat next to Rebecca Chalmers.
I had been best friends with Jessica Fryer and Savanna Frank for as long as I could remember. Jess was almost three years older than me but Savanna was only a year older. We all attended St. Jeremy's catholic college in Echuca, a small Victorian town in Australia. I lived with my mum and dad in a medium sized house in the nice part of town, on a property backing onto the Murray River.
I flipped open the magazine to the page Jess had marked to fins a double page spread of our favourite band ever...Hanson! (Duh!) I quickly scanned the interview. It was the regualr "So what are you guys up to at the moment?" and "So, have you got any girlfriends since we last spoke to you?" kind of interview. I noticed that Jess had indicated question twelve with a love heart.
So, about those pesky tour rumors...are you guys gonna tour Oz?
Taylor - Ugh! Everyone asks us that!
Zac - Actually we're gonna....
Isaac - We're gonna nothing Zac! Nothing has been confirmed yet, so you'll have to keep visiting our website to check okay?
I couldn't determine anything earth shattering from the interview and the teacher was already droning on. Mr. Julian was English and spoke with a "plumb in the mouth accent". It quickly got tiring. I ran my fingers through my hair and peered around the lab. It was whitewashed with a hideous blue streak. I snuck a glance to the back row and saw him...Ford Hamilton! My god! What a hottie! He was totally the most gorgeous guy in school. He was tall and tanned with black hair that fell into his eyes, his dark, brooding eyes. He caught my eye and I blushed. He smiled at me and I blushed even more. The final bell clanged and I busied myself in collecting my books and making a beeline for my locker. Savanna was already there, her bag neatly paked and slung casually over her shoulder.
"Savanna!" I cired, staring in disbelief at her outfit.
"What?" She asked innocently. I rolled my eyes.
"This is like the fourth time this week that you've been out of uniform, and it's Thursday today!" She laughed.
"So? Like I care Bails!" I stuffed my homework messily in my bag and followed her downthe Year 9 stairs. As we made our way to the front of the school she ranted and raved.
"I hate year tenwitha fiery vengeance! Mr. Dowlen is a horrid little troll that lives to make me suffer!" She whined. I grinned at her. She loved to complain, in fact, she even puts it down as her hobby on forms.
"And I hate that awful Luke Rowling. Why does he hate me so much?" She grumbled. She was talking about a boy in her class. If only she knew that Luke Rowling, one of the most popular guys in year ten, had been in love with her since year seven. And rightfully too, she was beautiful. She had short, layered black hair with bright red tips and flashing green eyes, mum always said they were a Gypsy's eyes. She was tiny and fragile looking. Her brother saysy that that's the only reason he'll let her tag along with him to parties, cause he knows that if there's any trouble he could always just put her in his pocket and she'd be safe. But there was a fiery, rebel side to Savanna. She's a wild child. She does her own thing, notcaring what anyone else thinks of her. And that is why she had every guy with in a fifty mile radius panting after her. I sighed.
"Gee Sav, I dunno, but hey...you could try being a little more pleasant" She tossed her head defiantly and marched through the school gates. Jess was waiting by her family's white sedan. Savanna stormed over to her, pointing at me agrily.
"She..." Savanna began "Thinks I need to be more pleasant" Jess rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. She was re-reading the interview. Savanna let out an angry cry and tore the mag from Jess' grip.
"Did you here me?" She screeched, turning a few heads in teh busy street. "Oh my god! Hanson!" She cried, clutching the magazine an inch from her face. Jess laughed and pushed her into the car.
"Ready to roll girls?" She asked. We nodded in silent response as she accelerated towards KFC.
"So, what's so great about the interview Jess?" I ventured to ask as I licked my ice-cream. She glanced at me as though I was a total moron.
"Duh! They're gonna tour Oz!"
"It didn't say that though" Jess rolled her eyes again.
"When Zac said, 'actually we're gonna...' Ike cut him off, so he was gonna let something slip" I snorted with laughter.
"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard Jess!" She looked hurt.
"Just you wait and see Bailey" She replied stonily.
The three of us carried our glasses up the narrow flight of stairs to my room. Our house was fashioned out of brick and pine and set into the side of a hill. Our garage was under the main house and the first floor was on top of that. My room was built up a small distance and suspended over the carport. It was the master bedroom and had a balcony coming off it. Mum and dad took a different room because mum said it gave her the jitters sleeping on an unstable surface. I glanced around the room. Along one side was a wall of windows that led out onto the balcony. My bed was pine with a blue patchwork quilt and rested against another wall. Two doors led off to a navy blue and cream en-suite and a walk in robe. I crossed to my pine wall unit and switched on my TV. Jess and Savanna flopped down on my bed and I curled up in the navy blue armchair. Jess was stretching her legs up against the wall.
"So I was thinking that maybe a trip to the movies is in store. Hanson are making a guest appearance in Scream 4" She suggested.
"Duh! As if we didn't know that Jess! When's it showing?" Savanna asked.
"Um...Saturday...11:00pm" I shook my head.
"I can't go...it's Zac's fourth birthday then and we're going down to Bacchus Marsh for the happy occasion.
"What fun!" Savanna cried sarcastically.
"Yeah, fun" I muttered.
"So, the little guy's turning four? Is he the anti-social one that won't talk to you?" Jess asked.
"Yup! The one and same. I couldn't thinkof what to buy him so I bailed up a little boy in the toy shop and asked him what he'd choose" I said, dragging Zac's present from the cupboard.
"Ingenious" Savanna muttered sarcastically. I chose to ignore her.
"So this is what I got him" Jess and Savanna stared at me.
"What..." Savanna asked "Is that?" I grinned.
"I'm not quite sure, but it looks pretty cool don't you think?" I began waving the thing around, making it fly, shoot and do all kinds of wonderful things that I wasn't sure it could actually do. Jess shook her head sadly. I crammed the gift away into my cupboard again and pounced on our favourite subject (next to Hanson of course) Boys!
"So? How's Ant?" Anthony Gallagher was Jess' boyfriend. She groaned and covered her face with her hands.
"Don't even talk about him!" She cried.
"He is totally unreliable!" Savanna gave a contented sigh.
"Two words for you Jess, Taylor Hanson. Now there's a reliable guy" She bretahed.