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Clarabella was walking to Alex's house after school. She couldn't wait to tell Alex about how weird Ryan was today at school. He kept following her around all day with his friends and after classes he would hang by the door to wait for her. He was completely out of character and she found it humorous.

Her and Alex had been friends for three months at this stage and she had been walking to his house nearly everyday after school. She knocked at his door, waiting for someone to answer.

The door flung open and she was greeted by an older woman gleaming back at her, Alex's mom. "Oh darling, it's so lovely to see you again!" She brought Clara into a hug.

"It's lovely to see you too, Penny!" Clara said, returning the hug. "Is Alex 'round?"

"He is just upstairs in his bedroom, love." Penny said, pointing towards Alex's room.

"Thank you." Clarabella replied as she started walking up the stairs. She knocked on Alex's door and it opened abruptly with an annoyed,"What now, mum?" Coming from the other side.

Alex stood there, in nothing but his underwear. When he noticed who it was his eyes flew open and Clara slapped her hands over her eyes and turned around as fast as she could.

"Shit, sorry I forgot you were comin' round." Alex said awkwardly.

"Well, will you put on some trousers and let me in?" Clara still had her eyes covered and facing the other direction.

"It's not that bad love, not like I'm naked." He laughed.
"Might as fuckin' well be." Clara responded. Alex left out a chuckle and went back into his bedroom to get dressed.

Once Alex put on his trousers, he called Clara back in.
"Ya dressed?" She asked.
"Wouldn't tell ya to come in if I wasn't!" Alex said in a sing song voice to mock her.
"Sure you wouldn't." She joked.

When Clarabella walked into his room, he was sitting at the edge of his bed. Clara took a seat next to him.

"Are you free in two weeks?" Alex turned to her.

"Mhm, why?" Clara said in response.

"Me and the band 'ave a small enough gig in two weeks, I was hoping you could come." He said sheepishly.

"Of course I'll come Al, you know I love to see ya perform."

"Great, because you should open for us." Alex slid in.

"Alex! What? I can't!" Clarabella exclaimed from being caught off guard.

"You said you won't be busy! Now you 'ave to." He continued.

"I'm not on about that. You need to have your own songs to open for a gig!" She pushed her back against the wall dramatically.

"First of all, no ya don't. Second of all, in two truths and a lie at the pub the other month, you said that you wrote your own song. So don't lie Clarabella." Alex knew how to bribe her into it.

Clara snapped her head to look at Alex with raised eyebrows.
"There is no fucking way I'm performing a song that I wrote. It's not even good! And do not call me my full name Alexander." She rolled her eyes.

"I'll be the judge of that," Alex says while passing her his acoustic guitar. "Go on then." Clara just stared at him with a pissed off expression.

"Wait shit sorry, I forgot you play electric." Alex quickly swapped the acoustic guitar for his electric guitar.

"It's not that Alex, I'm not playing the song for you." She scoffed at him.
"Please?" He asked her genuinely.

She gave a slight eye roll in response and she rested Alex's guitar on her lap, she then plugged in the guitar to the amp next to her on the floor.
Clara started plucking the strings, avoiding eye contact with Alex by looking at the guitar frets.

She had a worried expression on her face right before she started singing, Alex noticed this and put his hand on her leg to reassure her, as he did, she got distracted and messed up a few chords.

"What the fuck was that for? Now you've messed me up Al!" She got annoyed and hit his arm.

"You looked like you were about to be slapped in the face! I was only trying to reassure you, Arabella." Alex joked to try make the situation better.

Clarabella looked at Alex with a smile. "Well that's a new one." Referring to the nickname.

"Just experimenting to see what you like." He smirked. "Now go on, play yer song."

Clara rolled her eyes and started to strum the guitar again, Alex couldn't help but stare at Clarabella's beauty as her hair fell over her right side while she played the guitar.

"It was a drive-by, Sunday night.
Most of us were in bed alright.
I turned down the light.
Then I heard the sirens interrupt the silence.
Is this what you wished, to commit a crime?"

Clarabella continued to get lost in the lyrics while Alex stared in awe. By the time she finished the song she had forgotten that she was singing it for someone, instead of being in her bedroom singing it to herself as she always does.

She sounded younger when she sang, and her voice was raw.
Her cheeks flushed red once she saw Alex staring with his mouth open and eyebrows slightly drawn together.

"Stop staring at me like that! It's really shit and completely different to the music I listen to and cover but I don't know." Clarabella said awkwardly.

"Clarabella that was fucking amazing." He said, mouth still hung open.

"First of all, do not call me by my full name, we have fucking talked about this also you sound like my mother, but thanks Al."

"Well it's official then." Alex spoke.

"Huh, what is?" She tilted her head at him.

"The show, you have to open for us." He smiled.

"Alex," Clara complained, " I dunno."

Alex eventually talked her into opening for the Arctic Monkeys gig, it was only a private show that people had to be invited to. It was still a massive deal for Clara.
She was nervous but really excited.