Falling Down Under

Chapter 12.

With great difficulty and caution, Lucie pulled on her dressing gown and made her way down the main staircase. It was now nearly 3pm and a day in bed had certainly improved the throbs of her migraine, making her feel just that slight bit more sober. The brightness of the landing lights, with held her vision as she stumbled her way into the kitchen. Amy sat at the island, scrolling through her iPod, unaware of Lucie's arrival. Reaching for a mug, Lucie began to make herself a coffee, accidently dropping the carton of milk on the clean linoleum floor.

"For fucks sake!" She groaned, almost jumping out her skin as a rather large dog began to lap up the spillage.

"Oh hey Lucie! Didn't think you'd be up this early!" Amy saracastically said while walking over to the counter and sorting out a coffee for Lucie. "Here you go, How are you feeling" She said while placing it on the kitchen table and motioning for Lucie to come and take a seat.

"Not good, think I had too much of that sex on the beach. Where is everyone?" Lucie replied while running her fingers through her tangled blonde hair.

"You mean you actually did it?!" Amy mouthed the last word in complete shock.

"Its a shot, you moron." Lucie sighed, while picking up the newspaper, then throwing it back down after realising how shit it was. "Hey, can I see your magazine?" Lucie queried, while picking up the copy of Just 16, and strolling out the kitchen with her coffee towards the main living room. Taking a seat in large, floral armchair, Lucie began to skim through the many pages, pausing momentarily at the fashion sections and main celebrity news. Fallan Rae is missing?! Oh my god. Lucie muttered to herself as she continued to read that particualr article.

"Excuse me, but is this Dannerston house, and are you Amy?" A strange voice asked from across the room.

Lucie peered over the top of her magazine, her gaze met with a young girl around 16 stood in the doorway with a small travel bag draped at her heels. "Um, yeah but Im not Amy, who are you anyway?" Lucie asked while standing up and brushing herself down.

"Oh um..I'm..eh...m..m..Marley, yeah sorry, I'm Marley"  The girl replied with a stutter. She tilted her head to the floor, trying to avoid Lucie's gaze, as she flaunced her way past Marley.

Reluctantly, Marley sat down on the edge of a chair and fumbled nervously around waiting for someone slightly more approachable to help her out, luckily enough the front door was shoved open as Shauna walked in.

"Oh um excuse me, I'm looking for a girl named Amy, I'm meant to be staying with her as eh...part of an exchange?" Marley blurted, stopping Shauna in her path.

"Sorry, what? I didn't know about an exchange?" Shauna responded, trying to figure out what this strange girl was on about.

"Oh, well I...um, I'm part of this group of american students and we are over in Australia as part of an exchange, and well... we needed places to stay in for the 2 weeks so Amy offered to take me. Sorry, I'm Marley, whats your name?" Marley stammered, avoiding any eye- contact with Shauna.

Shauna, stared intently at the girl before her. She was around 5'3 and had long dyed red hair and big brown eyes, her ghostly white skin and petite frame gave her an almost ill appearance as she paced around like a worried dog. "I'm Shauna, nice to meet you, you look freezing though want a drink?" She offered, while coaxing her into the kitchen to find Amy and make some coffee. "Well then Amy, you'll be glad to know that Marley here as already explained whats going on" Shauna said atortly, raising her eyebrows at Amy's guilty expression.

"Look, I thought it would be fun, y'know having an extra girl in the house for company, anyway she needed somewhere to stay and this house is huuuge!" Amy spoke before Shauna could interwine.

"Alright, but only if Dora agrees."  Shauna said.

"Haha, obviously!" Amy grinned back.

The three girls sat around the table, chatting about Marley and all the events they each had got up to while in Australia. The Jersey girl, spoke all about life in America, and the other students on the exchange, while Amy and Shauna reluctantly spoke about the events of the nightclub and laughed over Lucie's wasted night and her throbbing hangover and bratty attitude.

"You all seem so lovely, i'm really lucky to be here with you! Thanks guys." Marley said with a huge smile.

"Aw. its no problem, anyway you're still to meet Tara!" Amy giggled.

"Where is she?" Marley replied, looking around the room, "was she the blonde one I saw earlier?"

"No that was Lucie, Tara is in her bed mourning over her love for Jai Brooks" Shauna replied sarcastically, while rolling her eyes.

"Is that her boyfriend?" Marley replied confused.

"She wishes, no he's a member of the Janoskians, have you never heard of them?" Amy added.

"Eh..no? Are they a band or something?" Marley asked sheepishly.

"Ohmygod no. their prankters off YouTube and we have met them! We could go see them tomorrow if you wanted?" Shauna responded instantly.

"Yeah, that should be fun I look forward to it!" Marley beamed, while finishing her coffee and following the two girls upstairs, to find her room.