Spoiler! :
I sneezed as the smell of hairspray flew up my nostrils. Cassie was using way too much. I squinted up at Leanne to see that she was holding her nose too.
“Don’t you think it’s bad if you breathe too much of that stuff in?” I asked, waving a hand in front of my face to waft the fumes away from me.
I saw Cassie shrug in the reflection of the mirror she’d sat me in front of. “Uh, probably. But I use it every day and I’m fine.”
“Right.” Leanne was holding in a laugh and I shot her a scowl.
In order for her to be able to help me get ready for the gig, Leanne had had to drive me over to Cassie’s house. I’d convinced Leanne to stay, pointing out that we wouldn’t be long, but an hour later and Cassie had only just finished my hair. Now I knew why she’d told me to be over at four. The gig started at nine and there was no way that I could see this taking less than two hours.
Leanne had settled herself on Cassie’s bright pink bedspread and was now flicking through a magazine with a look of disinterest on her face. I’d give anything to swap places with her now, though. Who knew having your hair curled would hurt this much?
“I’m almost done,” Cassie said as she practically pulled a clump of my hair out. I winced and she caught my expression. “Oh don’t be a baby, H,” she added. “I do this most days and it doesn’t hurt at all.”
I wanted to reach up and rub my scalp but I knew Cassie would only swat my hand away. With a look of intense concentration she was now rooting through the biggest make-up bag I’d ever seen. My eyes widened as she pulled out bottles and tubes and God knows what else.
“We’ll start with your foundation,” Cassie said more to herself than anyone, but it was enough to make Leanne snap her gaze up from the magazine.
“Harri doesn’t need any foundation,” she said, dropping the book onto the floor with a pile of others.
“Not even to cover up the spots?” Cassie asked, pointing to my nose.
I leaned forward in the chair and frantically studied my nose. Cassie was right. I hadn’t even noticed the huge group of spots threatening to ruin my evening with Sonny. And the rest of the band, of course.
“Harri doesn’t have any spots,” Leanne replied, getting up to stand on my other side. “Not anything majority noticeable anyway.”
I sat back in my seat and frowned. Thanks Leanne. I couldn’t express my concerns about Sonny not liking me with Leanne here, but there was no way I was going without some sort of cover-up on my face.
“You could just use a little bit,” I suggested.
Leanne shook her head. “Not if it comes in a shade of orange, you don’t.”
Cassie was still holding the bottle of foundation in her hand and I glanced at it to see that Leanne was right. The shade was more than likely called ‘Tangerine.’
“But it’ll look nice,” Cassie tried. “I’ll only use a little bit.”
Cassie never used a little bit and I found myself recoiling away from the bottle in her hands as I remembered something that Aiden had said. Sonny doesn’t like girls who wear too much make-up.
“How about using a touch of concealer?” I said. “Just around my nose and maybe my chin.” I looked at Leanne to see her biting her lip. She’d said on the car journey over that she wasn’t going to let me leave Cassie’s house looking like some sort of make-up canvas, whatever that was, and I could see it in the way she was looking at me that she wasn’t too sure about the concealer either.
“That could work,” Cassie agreed, setting the foundation down on her desk, which was more of a make-up counter than a place for doing homework, before picking up a little white tube. She took the lid off and twisted the bottom of the container like a lip stick. A peachy coloured paste rose into view. “It’s not heavy like a foundation is, but it’ll still help to cover up what you don’t want people to see.”
Leanne fidgeted on the spot, her eyes leaving me to take a short trip over Cassie’s bedroom walls, mainly covered in posters of actors and singers, before she looked back at me again. “As long as you don’t look like Barbie when we’re finished, then go ahead.”
As soon as Leanne’s approval left her mouth, Cassie was applying the concealer to my face. “You’re going to look stunning,” she announced with a grin.
***
Three quarters of an hour later, Cassie was done. My butt was numb from sitting on a rock hard stool for so long and my eyes hurt from being overexposed to the colour pink, but it seemed worth it.
My hair was set in loose curls and, much to Leanne’s joy, I didn’t leave Cassie’s house looking like a doll. Cassie had stuck to Leanne’s rules; glam but natural. I didn’t even know what that meant, but the shock of black eyeliner on my eyelids and the smear of clear lip gloss on my lips looked great to me. Leanne had had to prise the fake eyelashes out of Cassie’s grip though, much like having to remove your favourite shoes from your pet dogs mouth.
Leanne was out of Cassie’s bedroom and down the stairs like a shot as soon as Cassie announced she was done. I’d got up slowly, my body stiff and my legs full of pins and needles, but I eventually made it down the stairs with Cassie’s help.
“I’ll meet you in the car,” I said to Leanne upon seeing her with one hand on the front door handle and her car keys in the other.
She’d nodded and clip-clopped down the drive in her spiky heels. When she was far enough away from me, I turned to Cassie and grabbed her wrists.
“I’m so nervous about tonight,” I said, fear leaking into my voice. “I don’t think I can do it without you there.”
Cassie sighed and patted my shoulder. “Well you know that I’d have gone if the witch hadn’t banned me from having a life.” Her voice rose in volume as she spoke and she turned to stare at the lounge door. I guessed her mum was inside. “But I can’t come, so you’re going to have to survive without me.”
I bit my lip, tasting strawberry flavour lip gloss. “But I don’t think I can. What if I do something really stupid, like laugh at something that’s not funny?”
“You won’t do that.”
“But what if I do?”
Cassie shook her head. “You won’t do that. Promise.”
I managed a weak smile, my insides squirming with nerves. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. Look, you know how to talk to him now, which is good, so it’s not like you’re still afraid to speak around him.”
I nodded meekly. “I suppose.”
“And you both like music, so you know to talk about that if any awkward silences come up.”
The mention of awkward silences made me want to heave, but I tried to focus on the good things that were being said. “Yeah.”
“Besides, you look hot, so that’ll help.” Cassie smiled and I felt myself smiling with her. “And Aiden will be there too, so you can ask him for help if you really need it.”
My smile grew, knowing that I wasn’t going to be totally alone. I’d made Aiden promise on the way home from dance practise yesterday that he wasn’t going to leave me alone in the club. I’d even threatened him with handcuffs. Not that I had a pair handy.
“Just as long as you wear that dress I picked out, then you’ll be fine. You are wearing the dress, right?”
“It’s hanging up on the back of my door, waiting to be worn,” I assured her. “But don’t you think a black dress is predictable?”
Cassie widened her eyes, looking scandalised. “Harri, every girl needs a little black dress when they’re on the pull.”
I raised an eyebrow. “The what?”
She laughed. “When they’re on a mission to kiss a guy,” she explained.
Her words made me blush.
“Oh come on, H. This is what tonight’s all about, isn’t it? You are going to try and kiss him?”
I felt myself do a non-committed nod. “Sure.”
To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about trying to kiss him tonight. My head had been so full up of other things, like getting my hair and make-up right and looking nice, that I’d forgotten that deep down, I was trying to get Sonny to see me as more than a friend. Was tonight the night that that was really going to happen? A shiver ran up my spine as a breeze blew into the hallway and I forced on a smile.
“Wish me luck, then.”
Cassie leaned in to hug me, being careful not to ruin my hair. “Luck.”
“Right, I better go. I’ll text you when I’m about to leave.”
“You better,” she replied.
I pulled my shoes back on and was about to step out of the door when Cassie took hold of my arm. “Ooh! I almost forgot. Here.” I watched as she slipped one of her rings off of her finger. The one she’d chosen was fairly new, but she’d been wearing it a lot recently. It was silver with a pink gem, that looked pretty fake, embedded on the top. “Wear this,” she said, pushing it into my palm. “It’ll be like I’m there with you then.”
My face lit up at her idea. “Oh, Cass. That’s really sweet.” I gripped the ring hard. “I’ll definitely wear it.”
She grinned back at me before giving me another careful hug. “Just as long as you don’t wear it with any gold jewellery, you’ll be fine.”
I wasn’t sure what she was on about, but I stepped out of the house feeling a little more confident than I had before I’d let Cassie make me over. “Thanks, Cass.”
“No problem, H. Now get to the car before the wind messes up your hair.”
I turned to run to where Leanne was waiting at the bottom of the drive.
“And Harriet.” I looked back over my shoulder to see her grinning cheekily. “Give him a kiss from me.”
I rolled my eyes before waving and running to the car.
***
The club was already busy when we pulled up outside. Leanne had deviated between chatting and singing all the way here and the short journey had seemed to take no time at all.
Nerves were bubbling to the surface as I glanced out of the car window to see an already long queue outside of the club. The neon lights were as bright as last time I was here with Cassie and memories from that night appeared in my mind. Was tonight the night that I really ended up kissing Sonny? My phone buzzed in my hand, making me jump.
Are you almost here? X
I replied to Aiden quickly as Leanne parked the car and started to get out. She kicked off her driving shoes, a pair of sensible flats, and pulled on her spiky heels. The metal studs on the back glistened under the street light.
“Are you getting out?” she asked, zipping up her leather jacket as the chill night air filled the car.
I nodded and opened the door slowly. I could hear chatter coming from the queue just around the corner and the smell of cigarette smoke itched my nose as my feet finally touched the concrete. My heels made a clip-clop sound as I inched out of the car and shut the door behind me. I pulled my dress down to make sure that it was covering everything that should be covered before I carefully teetered around the car to meet Leanne.
She smiled. “Finally. I thought you’d changed your mind about wanting to come.”
I shrugged. “I’m just anxious.”
“What have you got to be anxious about? You’re not the one who’s going to be singing to a packed night club in just under an hour.” Her smile grew and she clapped her hands together in glee. “I’m so excited.”
I tried to match her smile, but I could still feel my hands shaking from their place inside the sleeves of my jacket. I’d borrowed one of Leanne’s coats, seeing as all I had were hoodys. Luckily we were the same size so I didn’t feel like a little kid playing dress up wearing it. The dress, however, was what made me feel uncomfortable. I was so used to wearing jeans and t-shirts, dressed in a skin tight black number, I felt a little strange. As expected, Cassie had chosen the dress. It hadn’t taken long thankfully, and it had been in one of the first shops we’d looked in. Cassie’s eagle eye had spotted it straight away and she’d made me try it on within seconds of picking it up. The material finished halfway between my knee and hips and there was a silver zip going from the bag of my neck to the small of my back. I just hoped no-one was immature enough to try and undo it.
“We’re meeting them in the back,” Leanne said, linking an arm through mine as she led me towards the entrance.
I glanced at the queue for the second time that evening and it seemed to have grown already. Guys were checking girls out as they passed and the smell of cigarette smoke and perfume became even stronger as I neared the doors.
“Uh, hi.” Leanne regarded the bouncer with a huge smile on her red lips. “I’m in the support band that’s performing tonight.”
The burly bouncer stared at Leanne for a moment before begrudgingly pulling a piece of paper from the breast pocket of his coat. He seemed to study the paper for a moment, his eyes flitting to Leanne and I, before he nodded curtly.
“She with you?”
His piercing brown eyes were on me and I felt myself gulp.
“She’s my sister,” Leanne replied, before pulling me past him and into the club. I couldn’t get away from him quick enough.
“Was he not going to let me in?” I asked as Leanne led me away from the dance floor and towards a long corridor with a door at the end of it
“Probably,” she replied. “He looked like a bit of a dick.”
Relief washed over me for a second as I realised that I’d avoided having to wait in the cold with the rest of the patrons. But then I saw the door we were heading for open and Aiden stepped out, followed by another guy who looked to be the same age as us both.
“Do you mind waiting with Frankie?” Leanne asked. “Only we’ve got to do sound check now and the club is only going to give us a small amount of time to run through our set. We’ll meet you by the bar in about twenty minutes. Here, give me your coat.”
I nodded dumbly and shrugged off my jacket before she disappeared through the door with Aiden. He hadn’t even appeared to see me. I couldn’t help disappointment flooding through my body. So far this hadn’t been anything like I’d dreamt it would be at all. Not only had I almost not been allowed in, but now Leanne had disappeared with Aiden and I’d been left alone with a guy who was staring at me as if I had something inhuman on my face. It had felt rushed. Blurred. And I hadn’t even got to see Sonny.
“Shall we find a table?”
I looked up at the guy standing next to me to see that he was pointing back towards the entrance. I nodded weakly.
He offered me a friendly enough smile before leading me to the bar and dance floor. We passed the toilets and the cloak room and the club began to feel familiar again. I speed walked past the main doors in case the bouncer saw me before scuttling into the main room. It was bigger than I’d imagined without people dancing and queuing at the bar. It smelt nicer too. Like cleaning spray rather than sweat and alcohol. The music wasn’t on yet, so the sound of my heels echoed around the room. No-one was manning the bar yet either so we couldn’t get a drink.
“Here okay?”
I regarded the table he’d chosen with a simple look before I sank down onto the bench seat across from him. There were a few members of staff milling around by the DJ booth but no-one paid any attention to the two teens sitting in silence in the corner of the room. I cleared my throat to try and break the awkward silence just as he began tapping his fingers along the edge of the table.
“So you’re Harriet, right?”
I nodded and looked up to see him watching me with an intrigued expression. I pulled up the neckline of my dress just to make sure his eyes didn’t wander. I knew nothing about this guy. Who he was and why I’d been left to sit with him while the real focus of my attention was playing the guitar on the other side of the club. I sighed just as his smile grew. Freak.
“You have no idea who I am, do you?”
I raised an eyebrow at his accusation. Was I supposed to know who he was? Was it some sort of trick question? I fidgeted in my seat, clutching my bag close to my side, and shrugged.
“I’m Frankie,” he said, a hand stretched across the table in my direction. “I don’t know if Aiden’s mentioned me.”
I couldn’t remember Aiden ever talking about a Frankie, and I was about to say so, when he spoke again.
“I’m Sonny’s brother.”
My waning attention spiked at the sound of Sonny’s name. Then I remembered something. “Oh yeah. I think Aiden said something about you guys starting a band together.”
He smiled again and I started to notice the similarities between him and his brother. He was cute like Sonny, but he didn’t appear to have any piercing or tattoos. None that I could see, anyway. He looked like a clean cut version of Sonny, in a denim shirt and black jeans. Less rugged. It wasn’t a bad thing, though. He seemed like a nice enough guy. For starters, he wasn’t leaving me to sit in silence. He was trying to get to know me.
“So have you seen them live before?” he asked and my eyes moved to his dark brown hair. It wasn’t shaggy like Sonny’s. He was obviously wearing gel in his hair. Whether that was just a night out thing, or every day, I didn’t know.
“Uh, no,” I replied. His eyes weren’t coffee brown like Sonny’s, but blue. “I’ve only been to band practise.”
“They’re well good live. Your sister is awesome.”
Sonny’s catchphrase didn’t sound right coming out of his mouth, but I smiled at his compliment anyway. “Thanks. She’s always wanted to be a singer.”
“What about you?”
He seemed really interested in me, and I hesitated for a second. Then an idea struck me. What if Sonny had asked him to ask me loads of questions, so he could find out more about me? I felt my face light up with excitement.
“Dancing is a huge passion of mine, but it’s only really a hobby. I’d ideally like to go on to study English at University when I finish College in the summer.” My grip on my bag loosened and I began to relax. “What about you?”
Frankie smiled. “I’d like to do something to do with Science. I have no idea what yet though.” He shifted in his seat and started playing with a bracelet he was wearing. “Aiden wants to be in the media.”
I nodded. “Yeah. He’s filming me dance for his class project.”
I caught Frankie raising an eyebrow and I got a sudden horrible feeling. What if Aiden had lied about the class project?
“Cool,” Frankie said, leaning back in his seat. “He said something about that.” He smiled again then, but it was a strange smile. Almost like he knew something I didn’t.
I frowned and was about to ask him about it, when I spotted people moving into the room out of the corner of my eye. My heart rate sped up when I realised it was Aiden and Leanne. Surely Sonny was going to appear soon and I’d finally get to try out my new look on him.
“Sorry about that,” Leanne said, dropping into the seat next to me. “Security only wanted members of the band back there apparently. You didn’t mind did you?”
I shook my head and her eyes moved to Frankie.
He smiled just as I felt a hand on my shoulder. My pulse rocketed as I imagined Sonny standing behind me, but I turned around to see Aiden smiling down at me.
“You wanna get a drink?”
I nodded and stood up. “How did practise go?”
“It was great,” he replied as I fell into step with him. He was dressed in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a black Haunted Vegas t-shirt. He looked really good.
“You look nice,” I said, pointing to his outfit. “Very rock and roll.”
“Well you don’t look too bad yourself,” he replied, his eyes skimming over my dress. “Cassie didn’t make you orange then?”
I laughed. “She wanted to, but Leanne stepped in to make sure I didn’t come out tonight looking like a Cassie clone.”
“I’m glad,” Aiden said. “That look wouldn’t have looked as hot.”
I rolled my eyes and rested my bag on the bar.
“Sonny will like it,” he added, almost as an afterthought.
I grinned. “Thanks,” I replied, glancing back at the table to see that he was still missing.
“He’ll be about in a bit,” Aiden said. “He’s just gone out for a cigarette. Now what did you want to drink?”
“Just a coke, if you’re offering,” I said.
He smiled. “I owe you a drink, for not bringing Cassie with you.”
“You know she’s grounded. She’d be here if she wasn’t.”
“Well I’m not missing the Zelda quotes and insults,” he replied, before ordering the drinks. He stuck to his word and paid for them too, before he led me back to the table.
Frankie was gone when we got back, and I reasoned that he could have gone to tell Sonny what he’d found out about me. A happy glow filled my insides. We’d only just sat down when Leanne got up.
“I’m gonna go check on my make-up and find Roz,” she said. “Back soon.”
I waved goodbye before gulping down half my drink. There were still some underlying nerves in my body and I hoped the coke would help wash some of them away. I set the glass back down on the table to see Aiden staring at my hand.
“What?” I asked, waving my hand about in case I had a spider on me or something. “What is it?”
“What is that?” he asked, reaching across to take my hand in his. Flashbacks of dance practise burned my eyes, but I forced them away.
“The ring?”
He nodded, his eyebrows puckering.
“It’s Cassie’s,” I said. “She’s given it to me for good luck.”
Aiden smirked. “I didn’t think something that tacky would be yours.”
I pulled my hand back and swatted his arm. “It’s sweet that she leant it to me.”
“What do you need luck for?” Aiden asked before swigging his drink.
I was about to answer when I finally spotted the person I’d been waiting to see. My stomach filled with knots and I took a deep breath. This is it.
This chapter was good, I just want to be able to flip a page open right now and read more. Seriously, more, more, more! I love it lol. I love Aiden 
He's such a sweety. Write fast because I want more of this. 
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