The History of Us

I Will Be There For You...

I Will Be There For You...

There's such a fooled heart
Beatin' so fast
In search of new dreams
A love that will last

-David Bowie, Labyrinth

"Madison, put that over here!"

I sigh, and turn around in the opposite direction, carrying the centre piece over to a different table. I put it down, and Mum gives me an approving nod.

"Shouldn't we be starting to get ready?" I ask, checking my watch. Paige and I have been helping set up the ballroom since ten this morning, and it's nearly five now. The ball starts at seven thirty, but we've got to get home, get in the shower, and get our makeup done by Bella, who's also helping me to get dressed.

"Nonsense, you still need to put the rest of those centrepieces out!" Mum orders, and then turns her attention to the poor souls setting up the sound system, beginning to bark orders at them.

"I feel like a pack mule with your Mum" Paige jokes, appearing next to me as I adjust the table centrepiece, and I have to laugh "I hope you put plenty of National Young on the playlist, I'm so ready to dance to my favourite music tonight"

"Yeah, I made sure to fill the playlist. We're dancing to 'Save the Night' for the signature dance" I inform Paige, scattering pieces of confetti across the table. I think the centrepiece would be enough on its own, but my Mother is a perfectionist and insisted on silver confetti too.

"Madison, put more confetti on the table" Mum instructs, and I oblige "The DJ sent me a copy of the playlist, I like your choice of song"

"Yeah, we were just talking about that!" Paige beams "Can you believe it's been two years since we saw them live?"

"No, it was such a good night!" I reminisce, turning to Mum "I still can't believe you managed to get tickets!"

"I didn't get the tickets dear, I had them given" Mum announces suddenly, and turns to walk away, but instantly Paige and I chase after her.

"What do you mean they were given?" I ask, and Mum turns around and smiles at me. "You never said anything about it before"

"Nathan gave them to me, him coming back to town reminded me. I told Myra that you were struggling to get tickets, and she mentioned it to Nathan, and he called me up and insisted that I take his tickets. He wouldn't even let me pay him for them, no matter how much I offered. His only rule was that I didn't tell you they were from him, but it was so long ago I doubt he'd mind now" Mum explains, and my jaw drops open.

"Nathan gave you the tickets?" Paige asks before I even have chance to.

"Yes, he's such a lovely boy" Mum ponders, and then heads off to go and boss someone else around. Paige turns to look at me, her eyes as wide as plates.

"Nathan bought you tickets for National Young" Paige repeats. Clearly, like me, the information isn't going into her head "Wasn't he at university then? I didn't think you were speaking to him then"

"I wasn't. I hadn't spoken to him in two years then" I inform Paige, my heart pounding. I can't believe he did something like that. "He never told me"

Nathan and I were talking about this very subject the other day in the treehouse. He could have told me then, and he didn't. He kept quiet on the subject.

"Why would he? I doubt you'd have believed him, I mean you hated him when he first came back" Paige points out, and I have to agree with her.

"I still can't believe he'd do something like that. He gave me his tickets" I realise, and Paige raises an eyebrow at me.