Raise Your Voice [lrh] (EDITING)

nine

"Eleanor, wake up sweety." Mum's voice echoed in my head. "Ellie baby, come on. We have to go to the airport and visit go see your best friend, Joe, remember?" I rubbed my eyes as I woke up. It was still dark in my small room, the only light visible was from my hallway. Mum's silhouette was still illuminate though. You could see her rough bags underneath her light brown eyes. Her recently dyed black hair was all matted and curly from the late nights she had been working on her album.

I looked up at her and she smiled sweetly and kissed my forehead gently. I saw Wynona - the nanny - in the hallway, smiling at me.

"She's really gonna meet him? He's really gonna meet her?" Wynona asked and mum nodded. I got out of bed and mum carried me to the bathroom to brush my teeth and use the bathroom before we headed to the airport.

"Are you ready, Ellie Rose?" Mum asked and I nodded. "Let's go see Joey." Mum spoke and we were off.

*

"You know, El... Now that I think about it, you and Joe actually look alike. Is he your father?" Fabian said as we stood behind the bartop and took basic orders from the customers. I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"See, even you have the same eyebrows." Fabian mentioned and I chuckled. Joe walked out and looked at the both of us giggling.

"What are you two on about?" He asked and I looked at Fabian.

"Nothing, Joe. Just talking about my child hood." Fabian lied and I went along, luckily he was my best friend and I knew basically every single story.

"Oh yeah, what happened now?" Joe asked as he helped the bartender, Mackenzie, make drinks. I looked at Fabian and then back at Joe.

"Actually, Fabian said that his brother made him laugh so hard that Fabian ended up snarting." I replied and Joe gave me a quizical look.

"Snarting? Elaborate please." Joe responded and I giggled.

"When you sneeze and fart at the same time. Hence the word snart." Fabian explained and Joe busted out laughing.

"You two are a wreck, I'm glad you aren't siblings." He remarked and Fabian looked at me again with an eyebrow raised.

"Hello, Ellie and Fabian I have arrived!" Luke called as he sat down in front of us at the bar.

"Ew, what do you want?" Fabian joked and Luke just smiled at us. Luke had become part of our little group when he was at school because all the other students would freak out around him. He told us we were the most real students at Sydney Arts and I knew it was true. Luke came over a lot too, not to see me of course, but to see Tabatha and Tiffany and Serena.

"Why are you here, Hemmings?" I asked and Luke smiled at me.

"Because I want to sleep with you." He winked and Fabian looked at him with a glare.

"Don't you talk to Ellie that way, Luke! Just cause you're in a band doesn't mean she'll be one of your groupies." Fabian told him but Luke and I began to cackle because Fabian was so oblivious. Luke didn't want to sleep with me and I sure as hell didn't want to sleep with him anyway.

"I'm here to tell you that Serena and I have broken up. I'm single and ready to mingle, getting those digits from the ladies and making them fall for my charming good looks and amazing sense in bands." Luke bragged and I looked at Fabian.

"I kind of hated you for a while because you were so good looking, who knows. Maybe it will be the same for other girls." I responded and Fabian laughed so loud you could hear it bounce off the walls and back to us.