Battle of the Bands

I'm at a Payphone

LUKE’S POV

We managed to light a fire somehow, and it was pretty decent. We dragged over a heap of old chairs we found and brought out some doonas and blankets to put on the floor. Maeve brought out a bag of s’mores ingredients and we went hunting for sticks.

“Pass us another marshmallow Ty,” Mitchel called from across the fire.

“Luke! While you’re there, can you toast mine as well?” Maeve asked sweetly, holding out her stick and giving me puppy dog eyes. I rolled my eyes and took the marshmallow from her, holding it in the fire with my own.

“Let’s play a game,” Taylah said out of nowhere. “To get to know each other.”

“20 questions?” Brock suggested and we all agreed. “Girls versus boys.”

“Okay, we’ll go first,” Christian leant forward in his chair. “How did you girls become a band?”

“Wellll,” Georgia said, stretching out the word. “Maeve and Taylah have been friends since they were like five or something, and I met them in high school. We all had music class together and we loved to sing so it kind of just seemed like the natural thing to do.”

“Our turn,” Maeve said excitedly. “Ummm, do any of you guys have girlfriends?”

“Nobody except for Ty,” Brock answered, looking over at where the man himself was bent over his phone and looked up guiltily.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said defensively.

“But she wants to be,” Mitchel teased. “Okay, well do you guys have boyfriends?”

“Noppppe!” they grinned. “Single as a Pringle and ready to mingle.”

“But Pringles aren’t single,” Christian pointed out. “In fact, they’re all just like spooning…”

“What slutty chips,” Maeve laughed. “Um um um, oooh yeah, what did you guys think of us when you first met us? 100% honest!”

“Uh, well,” Mitchel said, suddenly awkward. “First thought was um that you…” he mumbled the last bit so nobody could pick it up.

“What was that Mitchel?” Taylah asked, obviously enjoying this.

“I said,” he said loudly. “That we thought you guys were kind of hot…”

“But, then we just thought you were bitchy,” Christian added, trying to save all fo our dignity while the girls just laughed. “We were wrong, but you came off a little up yourselves.”

“We’ve been told,” Georgia shrugged, eating her marshmallow like it was no big deal. “Your turn.”

“Well, what do you girls think of us now?” I asked.

“I think you’re sort of sweet I guess,” Taylah said thoughtfully. “Still pretty arrogant, but you’re funny and nice enough in your own way.” The other girls nodded.

“Hey, Annie wants you to text her,” Maeve spoke up, looking up from her phone. “Logan said she’s getting a bit worried cause she hasn’t heard from you all day.”

“I got it,” I said, pulling out my phone.

“So how did you end up with Logan as a manager?” I heard Brock ask as I was getting into my messages.

“He’s my cousin,” Maeve answered. “We’ve always been close as and he’s really good with all this music stuff. We live with him, just because it’s easier, you know.”

To: Annie G

Hey An, we’re all fine here, having a good time. Lit a fire with the girls, everyone’s getting on well. Xx.

From: Annie G

Great to hear love. Take some photos. Twitter, instagram, will be great publicity for fans to see you hanging out together. Talk to you tomorrow, much love x.

“She reckons we should take some photos,” I told the rest of them. “For publicity and stuff.”

“We should all take pictures on each other’s phones,” Tyrone suggested. We followed the girls on twitter and instagram and they followed us, then we all passed our phones around and had a bit of fun taking stupid selfies and uploading them. When I got mine back I scrolled through my feed to see them all.

christianwat made some new friends, maybe you’ve heard of them? @hipster_official @realgeorgiag @taylah_hg @itsactuallymaeve

He and Mitchel had taken a picture with all three of the girls, pulling stupid faces with their arms around each other.

brockjays bonfire bonding with @tyronegwat @realgeorgiag

They’d taken a photo next to the fire, all holding thumbs ups.

taylah_hg every fangirl’s dream right here ;) @mitchelcave @christianwat

She had an arm around each of Mitchel and Christian and they were both kissing her cheeks while she grinned widely.

mitchelcave look out for this lethal combination #WATandHipster #GirlsvsBoys @itsactuallymaeve @realgeorgiag @lukehowell @brockjays @hipster_official

We were all gathered into the tiny screen, pulling the stupidest faces I’d ever seen.

lukehowell the fabulous @itsactuallymaeve <3 <3 <3

She’d pulled me in for a selfie, with her arm around my neck. We were both smiling brightly. She actually looked really nice with her hair all curly and a woollen beanie on and… wait what?

“Christian, Mitch, did you bring your guitars?” Tyrone’s voice broke me out of my thoughts.

“Nah, I forgot,” Christian shook his head.

“I’ve got mine,” Georgia jumped up and ran inside, coming out again with an acoustic guitar. She handed it to Christian and he looked it over.

“Nice,” he said approvingly and she grinned. He started strumming away and we all recognised it immediately.

“Yeah I,” Mitchel started up. “I know it’s hard to remember, the people we used to be.

“It’s even harder to picture,” Christian took over, “that you’re not here next to me.”

“Say it’s too late to make it,” Taylah joined in. “Or is it too late to try.”

“And in that time that we wasted,” Georgia sang, damn, these girls were better than I thought. “All of our bridges burned down.”

“I’ve wasted my nights, you’ve turned out the lights,” we all sang together. “Now I’m paralysed.”

“Still stuck in that time,” Brock chimed in.

“When we called it love but even the sun sets in paradise.”

“I’m at a payphone,” Tyrone came in with his high notes. “Trying to call home.”

“All of my change I’ve spent on yo-ou,” Maeve sang beside me. Well shit.

“Where has the times gone, baby it’s all wrong,” Ty sang back at her, smiling.

“Where are the plans we made for two,” she grinned back.

“If happy ever afters did exist,” we all jumped back in. “I would still be holding you like this. All those fairy tales are full of it, one more stupid love song I’ll be sick.”

“Now I’m at a payphone.”