FABLE

Chapter Three

"And we're back," the radio announces. "If you've just joined us, after the ad break we'll be talking to the boys of Fable. Don't go anywhere!"

"No freaking way!" Zee says. "They just had an ad break!"

Alix lets out an exaggerated sigh. "Well obviously Zee. The station's squeezing in as many ads as possible around the interview so they can sell more stuff."

The car jolts forward as it screeches to a stop at the traffic lights. "It goes along with being commercial fake rock sellouts. I mean, they're basically a glorified boy band."

He's done it now. Zee turns her head very slowly to face him. I don't want her to start shouting or something and cause a car accident, so I put my hand on her shoulder.

Zee's pretty easygoing most of the time, but when it comes to Alix she's like a banshee.

"Just because the only thing you'll listen to is obscure bands with impossible to pronounce names, doesn't mean you get to trash what I like," she says so slowly and angrily that I swear her words could kill. "Admit it. You hate any band that's successful."

Alix might look like a jock on the surface, but underneath, he's pure hipster through-and-through. To the point of listening to everything on vinyl, playing ukulele on weekends and wearing thick-rimmed glasses during band practice (minus the lenses). At school he's the spitting image of a clean-cut star quarterback, all straight-edge and preppy Mr. Popular. It's like he's leading a double life, and sometimes I'm not sure which is the real him.

"You wouldn't understand," he replies, skidding the tires as he turns the car too quickly into a bus lane. "Anyway, you're under their spell now. You're not seeing what they really are."

"And what's that?" Zee asks.

"Sell outs," he replies.

Zee's face is turning bright red, which is a sure sign she's angry. Her skin is so tan that most people wouldn't be able to tell, but I know her well enough to see when she's furious - and so does Alix.

"Whoa, looks like I hit a nerve." He mutters glancing her way. "Forget I said anything."

"Don't tell me to forget it. I've had enough Alix. I'm tired of you ripping on them all the time."

"Lighten up Zee," he says. "I just want my little sister listening to quality music. Not the teen version of 30 Seconds to Mars." He adjusts his mirror slightly, glances at me for a moment.

"You too, Ashling," he says. "I mean, we're making music together, right? It's really sucks that our lead singer has a massive crush on some lame pop-rock band."

"Hey!" Zee protests. I can hear in her voice she's really upset.

I reach out and squeeze her shoulder, struggling to find the right comeback.

"We get it Alix, you hate them," I say, trying to sound defiant but stumbling over my words. "If you actually gave their music a chance, you'd see... they're amazing. They helped me through a really tough time in my life."

I barely manage to even whisper the last part. It feels so stupid to say it out loud.

"Fable helped you? Seriously? You mean like, personally?" Alix smirks. "Did Felix Lockhart jump on a plane to serenade you? Did Lyall Greene cradle you in his arms and wipe away the tears while crooning Deja Vu?"

Alix really gets on my nerves sometimes.

"Well no, obviously," I say as I feel my face burning. "But they mean a lot to me. More than I can really explain."