The Pros And Cons Of Being In Love With The Lead Singer Of A Rock And Roll Band

Chapter One

THE PROS AND CONS OF BEING IN LOVE WITH THE LEAD SINGER OF A ROCK BAND; A LIST BY MORGAN SYDNEY

PRO: You get to hang around the band on the pretence of enjoying their music.

CON: You don’t actually enjoy their music.

PRO: When your elder brother is in the band, you have a perfect excuse to be with said band.

CON: Your brother knows the last place you usually want to be is with him, and he gets suspicious.

PRO: Free CD’s!

CON: See the first CON.

PRO: Being around a rock band is fun!

CON: You know the lead singer is never going to notice you, as he is too busy in pursuit of stardom, and that kind of ruins any fun you might otherwise have had.

*

“So, have you got band practice tonight?” I asked Liam, casually.

“Yes,” he snarled. “You’re going to shadow us again, hmm? What is this obsession with Alex Carter? We only keep him in the band ‘cos he can sing! He’s not even cool, Morgan! Then again, neither are you, ha ha ha! Oh, Shane! Quinn! Orlando! Wait up!” I watch as my charming brother sprints away to join the “cool” members of his band.

I raise an eyebrow. They all look exactly the same. Spiky hair, with streaks of cherry red dyed through, that look like they’ve all accidentally spilled tomato ketchup on their hair. Cool? I don’t think so.

But, I guess part of me wishes I was like Liam, Shane, Quinn and Orlando. I’m too scared to be rebellious.

I catch sight of myself in a reflection and it rather depresses me. I’m what the teachers would describe as a model pupil. I’m president of the school committee. I always wear the right school uniform, I always get straight A’s, I always do my homework. I’m always boring.

Maybe that’s why I like Alex so much. He’s… different. He sticks to most of the rules, and people give him a hard time, but he doesn’t seem to care. But you can forget everything my brother said about him not being cool. He totally is.

Alex stands out from the crowd. He’s braver than I am. He’s got the courage to be different, to like “uncool” music from the past, to wear vintage clothes. He’s himself. And that’s more than I can say about Liam and his friends.

Or me, for that matter.

*

Sometimes it feels like I’ve been so long acting a part, I don’t know who I really am anymore. I’ve played the part of a girl who never gets hurt, who always picks herself up when she falls and who never says die that she’s actually become me. There’s not a lot left of the down-trodden, forgotten girl anymore.

And yet, I know she’s still with me, curled up inside me like a hibernating animal. One day, she’s going to wake up, and I’ll be back where I started.

Because, at primary, I did have a hard time. I was plain little Morgan Sydney, stranger younger sister of Liam Sydney. Liam was cool and wonderful and practically perfect. In the old days, he was the one who got the straight A’s, did the homework, had the right friends. I was just… kind of insignificant.

When I got to high school, I decided it was going to be different. I bought the right clothes, dyed my hair the right colour, started listening to the right music and tried to make the right friends. I guess I just wanted to be like Liam. I just wanted my parents to look proudly at me, the way they did at him