CHAPTER 1
This morning I woke because something very loud hit my window.
“Francis! Francis!”
I struggle to heave myself out of the mound of blankets that cover me and go to the window. It creaks as I open it, and a great gush of freezing air blows in.
I look down and see Louis sitting on the park bench.
“What do you want Louis?” I ask with a tone of malice.
“Come to the park and kick the soccer ball with me, Lee will be coming too-but he says he’s only going to come if you come to get him!” He yells back.
‘It’s so early!’ I want to say, but I know that deep down, (very deep down) I really want to go.
“Ok, give me second; I have to get my gear.”
“Well hurry and get your arse down here ‘cos I’m about to freeze mine off!”
I scurry around my room and slide into my shoes-tripping over my shorts at the same time.
Once I’m ready I run down the stairs, but dad catches me.
“Where on earth do you think your going at this hour of the morning?” He asks, his deep blue eyes almost burning my forehead with curiosity.
“Just to kick the ball, dad”
Before he can say anything else, I run out the door into the cutting cold wind.
“Francis!” He calls, but I pretend I can’t hear him.
g
“Dave! To me! To me!” Dave passes the ball across and I dribble it through Louis’ legs and around two of his other players.
I feel the wind in my hair and I breath it in.
“Francis! Across now! Across!”
I pass it directly to him and he makes it a goal. We high-five and shake our bums at Louis.
“Oh, very mature” He says with annoyance.
“Face it Sanderson, we beat you, two players against ten!!” Dave winks at me and I get uncontrollable butterflies.
Louis looks angrily at his team and storms off to the park bench.
“Very nice play, Georges” Dave says to me “You have improved amazingly since last year. There is a scout coming from the Victorian girls team in two weeks to watch each A-grade girls soccer teams in Victoria. She is going to be watching our school team most carefully as we are the best interschool team in the state, so practise hard. You want this, I know you do.”
He knows what I want. He is so perfect.
“Are you serious, Jacobs?"
Shut up now before you embarrass yourself.
He smiles. He has such a blow-away smile.
“No worries, Francis. There are only some people out there who really deserve it, and I think one of those people have to be you."
WOW! Don’t hug him. Don’t hug him.
I hug him. He gives me another toothy grin and I loose all forms of self control.
“Wow, Dave. This is awesome, did you know that you’re awesome. Well I know. So does Lia. Do you know Lia, she’s great you know. I can’t believe this is happening! Wow! Shit. I’m babbling. I babble when I’m nervous. I really like your nails.”
Oh my freaking god. Did I really just say that? I’m a tool. He is never going to talk to me again.
“I make you nervous?” He asks slyly, a hint of the smile still on his face.
“Well, no, I mean no in a good way. Okay, I mean yes. Yes. You make me very nervous”
What is up with this verbal diarrhoea? Just stop. Take a deep breath.
He laughs and looks me straight in the eyes.
“Don’t be. I see you around your friends, Louis, Lia, Alex, you are funny and great and you get this hilarious smile plastered all over your face that’s really contagious” He stares.
I feel his warm hand close around mine and I smile like I have never smiled before.
g
“Francis, could you poor me some coffee please? Thankyou”
My mother. Work-o-holic extraordinaire. She has recently taken the job of running the University where I live. She now works everyday, marking work or writing assignment tasks for her students. She spends more time with them than she spends with us.
‘Us’ is Jamie, my brother who is seventeen. Mel, my sister who is eighteen, and me: Francis Rosie Georges.
I really wish mum would let me have her last name. I’m just plain Georges. Mum’s last name is O’Donnell. I would have actual history to my name.
Jamie emerges from his hide-away bedroom (where he listens to heavy metal, day in and day out- telling himself that the world hates him), to grace us with his presence and enjoy a very refreshing bowl of Crunchy Nut.
“Your dickhead friend woke me up this morning, Frannie” he says with a look of disgust.
“Don’t ever, ever call me that! How would you like it if I started calling you Jam?!” I yell at him.
“No, actually I think it has a rather splendid ring to it” he mocks me in a toffee English accent.
“Ugh!” I glare at him and storm out of the room.
I sit on my bed. Images of Dave and my soccer skills at the park occasionally float in and out of my head. I pick a CD at random. Alex, one of my best mates, doesn’t get that- why on earth buy and play CD’s anymore? Well maybe I want to hang on to these things. Now, everyone over the age of forty, regret the day they thought chucking out the old vinyl records would make some space in the house. Luckily enough, my father relished his collection and took pride in it. One-hundred and forty-five vinyls sit in the shelf above my bed; the collection contains some of the greatest albums of all time.
I bop my head to the beat and realise now that my random choice had been ‘The White Album’ by The Beatles.
This album reminds me of the ocean. It gets bigger and swells at some songs, but at others it’s like the wave has crashed and has met the shore. I know all the words to each song by heart. ‘Blackbird’ starts to play and I close my eyes and think of the sea. I feel at peace.
CHAPTER 2
I must have fallen asleep, because I wake and its three o’clock in the afternoon. The album had finished playing and had ejected itself. Memories of my dream come flooding back to me.
I sat on the swings at the children’s park down the road. Alex, Louis and Lia are walking towards me.
“Its either music or soccer, Francis. Are you going to choose?” I hear Alex say.
Lia looks at me and holds out a microphone and a guitar. I reach for them, but Louis hits my hand away and holds out a soccer ball.
“Take the ball, Francis. You know what you want.” He is speaking in a really weird voice and I really have an urge to slap him.
Lia looks at me, unflinching. She is staring me in the eyes.
“I don’t want to choose. I don’t want to choose now, or ever!” I feel hysterical.
“Well your going to have to, aren’t you? You could have Dave, the ball and the world or you could play the guitar in the pub down the road for the rest of your life” Alex is staring too.
I grab the ball and the microphone before they have time to think and run towards the open green.
I’m singing and kicking the ball and I can’t pick only one of them.
Louis comes forward and takes the microphone and Lia runs and dives on the ball.
“One or none” they all say.
“One or none”
And then I wake.
I check my phone for messages and see there are three from Lia, asking me to meet her at her garage to practise.
“Ok, giv me a sec. wil b ther in 10” I text back.
I pick up my guitar and run over to Lia’s. We are in a band with Lee and Sarah. Sarah plays bass guitar, Lee is our drummer and Lia and I play the guitar together and I sing. We’re not some punk rock band though. We are all acoustic- so we sound fairly indie-rock-pop.
I arrive and they are already playing. I look to find my part and get into it. Lia is pleased to see me and I sing loud to make up for my being late.
We go through about seven of our songs and then we stop for a break. Sarah gets us all sitting around her so she can give us some news.
“Ok guys. I have some pretty freakin’ amazing news. Last week my uncle who works for MTV came over and I showed him one of our tracks. He loved it! And wait for this… he says he will pay for us to record an album and make a music video! This is so damn exciting!! Ahhh!!” she is high on happiness. Lia and Lee burst out laughing and almost crying.
I sit there silent.
Is this really even happening?
“This is not funny Sarah. You don’t joke about things like that” I say, not even daring to believe her.
“Do you call this a joke?” she pulls out a letter and stuffs it in my face.
“Oh my gosh!!” I scream.
I jump all over Sarah and Lia and Lee come up behind and jump on us.
“This is the most amazing thing ever!” screamed Lia.
I am the happiest I have ever been in my entire life.
g
I walk home thinking about what just happened. Lee is walking back with me.
“Do you know much about the dates?” I ask.
“All I know is that it’s in about two week’s time and that none of the dates can be changed. We will be away for about four weeks, but during the holidays so it’s ok, I presume” He smiles. Lee lives for music too. He turns down his street and gives me the peace sign. The back of his shirt says “Nirvana” and his jeans have “Bob Dylan” written down the side. I vowed that one day I would raid his wardrobe.
I decide to go to the corner shop to stock up on tic-tac’s. I walk in and see Louis.
“Louis!” I yell with a grin.
“Hello Ms. Georges, how can I help you this fine day?” He has his nose in the air and I giggle.
“You better get on that state team, or I shall disown you.” He says with a laugh.
Oh my gosh. The state team. Two weeks. Don’t worry, it won’t clash.
Dave walks into the shop.
“Hey Sanderson, not too depressed by this mornings loss, I hope. Oh, hey Francis!” he smiles a really warm smile again.
We buy the necessary items and all walk down to the river.
“So Louis, what type of music are you into these days?” asks Dave politely.
“I don’t do music. It takes up too much time. I really want to get my soccer perfect this year.” He looks towards the running water.
“Well that’s a bit too focused, don’t you think. I find listening to harder rock or very beaty music gets me playing better during a game.” Dave says.
“Are you coming to our gig? It’s next Saturday at the park. We got permission from the council.” I say
“Hey! That sounds great! I’ll be there. What’s your band called again?” He asks
“We’re called ‘Turn the Tape Over’, it starts at 9PM.” I get this weird happy toothy smile on my face and he cracks up.
“Well I’m going too” says Louis “but only for an hour ‘cos I’m training with Lee and Alex that night. Okay, I’ve gotta head off. See you at school Jacobs, see you soon Francis”
He walks towards town and Dave and I are left sitting in silence… that’s only broken by the fierce rushing of the water near by.
“Dave, I have a problem.”
“Care to share?” he looks at me expectantly.
Just say it. He won’t hate you.
“Ha, no I don’t. Don’t worry.” I try to smile.
Ugh. You are so pathetic.
He looks at me. It’s so intense. I stare straight back and wait for him to turn away. But he doesn’t.
Once again he takes my hand in his. The moon rises above the water and glistens. The light puts a glint in his eye. Slowly, without words, our heads move together and our lips touch. Our eyes are closed and he raps his arms around me.
He whispers softly in my ear "You are so beautiful, you are the reason I smile"
I want to stay like this forever. To be held and cared for by the person I love.
We slowly get up, hand in hand, and walk along the shining river before we go our separate ways home.
