Bonfire Boys

"Wow," Gina smiled, "I didn't expect such a dusty welcome, what a great ice breaker, New Mrs. Byrne! I don't believe we've met. My name is Georgina Yin and I am Lyla's best friend since we were conceived. Know what I'm talking about? Eh? Nudge nudge?"

Gwen's mouth twitched ever so slightly. The nasty type of twitch that is. It was rather obvious that she was eyeing Gina's outfit and language with the utmost disgust. Lyla heard a soft chuckle from behind her, and turned around to see Dad leaning against the wall, a bemused look on his face.

"Love the new look, Lyla," he chuckled, "it's very... dark. Is black the new black this season?"

"Shut up, dad," Lyla growled, brushing dust off her shorts as Gwen came over with a brush to sort her step-daughter's hair out, "you too, Gina."

"Well," Dad said hastily when Gwen shot him a sizzling look, "we needed a new door anyway."

"Fraser!" Gwen said sternly, as Gina giggled as if she was drunk.

"Ah..." Dad said, swallowing, "I'll go call the thing... people... carpenter... door people. Whatever they're called."

He stumbled away and Gina began hooting with laughter, Lyla narrowed her eyes at her.

"Door people," Gwen imitated, stroking Lyla's black hair and picking large bits of fluff out, "honestly, did Fraser ever even go to school. It's 'handyman' for goodness sake!"

"But handymen are for literally everything," Gina said, striking an intellectual pose, "door people are especially for door-fitting."

"Anyway, Lyla," Gwen continued over Gina, "you're going out today aren't you? Have you had lunch yet? You want me to cook something for you two before you go out?" -She looked at Gina- "Where are you two going anyway, with you dressed like that?"

Oh, we are going to the Bonfire Boys Live Performance!!" Gina announced happily, "something that you'll never experience!"

"Okay! Let me just find some tape to stick her mouth together," Lyla said laughing nervously, then to Gina, "shut up, you nitwit."

"Sure, why not," Gwen smiled, "I bought some super glue yesterday, it's beneath the stairs. Maybe that works better than tape. It's much stronger when it comes to gluing people's lips together."

"Of course! Tape is only temporary, super glue is so much better," Lyla agreed.

"Go do your deed then," Gwen ordered, "then you can come back for your Lagsana Classica. Pizza Express Style."

"Pizza Express?" Gina piped up, causing Lyla to flinch, "I love-"

"All right!" Lyla interrupted, covering Gina's mouth and dragging her away, "Super glue is this way."

Back at her room Lyla stood, hands on hips, and glared at Gina.

"Gina!" she exclaimed, "what did I tell you about talking like a stand-up comedian, wearing hooker make-up, and dressing like a slut?!"

"You said to be myself," Gina said, scratching her neck, "wasn't I myself?"

"I said don't be yourself!"

"But how can I pretend forever to be polite and up-tight?" Gina asked, exasperated, "this isn't just another prostitute girlfriend he's having. This is his wife, your new mom. How can I not be myself when I'm introducing myself to my best friend's mother?"

"Keep this up," Lyla said sourly, referring to the outfit, "and you'll end up as the next prostitute girlfriend. And you'll have to live in a brothel, AKA this house."

"Oh, c'mon Lyla," Gina urged, "do you really want me to pretend that long? AKA forever?"

"Well, you're an A-star Drama student," Lyla muttered, "It would be a piece of cake for you."

"Lyla, you're an a-star Drama student as well. So tell me, if you had to be someone you really hate to be for the rest of your life, will you be that someone? If you had to walk around like a penguin for the rest of your life because your boyfriend doesn't like the way you walk now, will you do it? You'd just make him accept the fact that you like walking the way you walk now, won't you?"

I suppose," Lyla sighed, giving in, "why are you here anyway? It's 11am and the show doesn't start till 5."

"Am I your best friend, or your escort?" Gina asked, "I'm allowed to come over aren't I? Plus, we need to get you ready."

"Isn't this just a concert?" Lyla asked.

"No!" Gina cried in alarm, "This is a Bonfire Boys Live Concert! You need to be sexy and gorgeous, or Harry Louie will never lay eyes on you! Even if you're on the first row!"

"Which we are," Lyla sang as she picked up some papers lying on the printer.

"No way!" Gina screamed, making Lyla flinch.

"Yes way," Lyla smiled as she tucked the printed tickets away, safely away from Gina, "come on, let's go have lunch. And tell Gwen we couldn't find the super glue."

All the way down the hall, Gina claimed that she could mimic anyone's voice, even George Washington's.

"But no-one nowadays know what he sounded like," Lyla said, "they didn't have voice recorders at that time."

"Which is what makes me great!" Gina concluded, dancing around.

"You're great?" Gwen asked, emerging from the kitchen with two plates of lagsana, "how did that come to be?"

"She can imitate George Washington's voice," Lyla said, shrugging.

"But-"

"Yeah," Lyla stopped her, "I know."

"So who're these Bonfire Boys?" Gwen asked Gina, setting the plates on the table, "are they friends of yours?"

"I WISH!" Gina exclaimed, stabbing the lagsana with a fork, "they're the world-famous boy band!"

"Why, isn't that nice," Gwen said, going back to the kitchen. Well eat up, quickly, and get out of here."

"Yeah, we'd better," Gina said, excited, "or we'll be late!"

"Sure," Lyla sneered, "be late for a concert that's 6 hours from now..."

***

"Oh my God!! Lyla!!" Gina yelled over the cheering of the audience, "quick! We're late! It's starting!" "Come on then," Lyla called, dragging Gina into her seat just when the MC came on stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he sang into the mic, "if there are any gentlemen around, that is."

Gina laughed, along with a lot of other enthusiastic female audiences.

"Mister, here, up front," the MC shouted, kneeling down at the edge of the stage. Lyla looked to her right, where a man in his 30s sat, looking absolutely embarrassed, "do you think you are the only man in the audience?"

The blond with him laughed, her blue eyes squinting as her pink lips crept up at the sides. The man gave a low and awkward laugh as he put his arm around the woman, squeezing her.

"Alright, alright," MC gawfed, "here with her girlfriend. Let's get this show on the road shall we?"

Screams erupted from the audience.

"Alrighty then!" MC yelled, "Give it up for the Bonfire Boys!"

Gina and the audience screamed in anticipation as the MC danced off stage, while Lyla smiled and waited for her dream guy, Harry Louie, to appear on stage.

A young-looking averaged height boy with straw blonde hair walked on stage first. With one quick but awkward movement, he snatched his sunglasses off, revealing emerald green eyes. He twitched and tossed the glasses. He gave too much power into the throw though, as it sailed a short distance in a quick second and landed, hard, on Lyla's nose. He looked horrified.

"Milo Star!" the audience chanted as Lyla rubbed her nose and took the glasses in her hand.

A second boy came on stage, a tallish Chinese boy with his hair spiked up with gel. Just like the previous boy, he snatched his glasses off and threw them (successfully) at the audience. He was quite large, with bruises on his arms.

"David Archei!" came the change, as an area of the audience squabbled over the glasses.

The third member of the band glided on stage .He was pale, tall and skinny with long white hair which he tied up with a red ribbon. In his mouth was a rose, with ruby red petals, an object which he removed from his mouth, knelt down at the edge of the stage and gracefully gave it to Gina.

"Lucas Galbraith!" the crowd cheered, as Lyla hastily edged away from Gina, who was slobbering over the rose.

Then came for the fourth entry, the largest member of the Band. He had dark blonde hair that stood up because it was so short, and dark blue eyes. This guy was one who was an extreme body builder with huge bulky muscles.

"Jackson Lyos!!" Gina shouted, along with the rest of the audience.

With that, that four band members: Jackson Lyos, Lucas Galbraith, David Archei and Milo King waved at the cheering crowd as they took their places with their instruments.

"Now," MC's voice blared through the speakers, "the moment you've all been waiting for! i give you, Harry Louie and the Bonfire Boys!!"

10,000 girls screamed in anticipation, and began to change Harry Louie's name over and over again.

"Come on, Harry Louie," Lyla whispered to herself, "let me see you.."

Then out of nowhere, came the angelic voice that Lyla longed to hear.

Who catches you when you're falling?
Fallin' in Love?

Lyla's eyes scanned the stage, but the owner of the voice could not be seen.

What happens when you're falling?
Fallin' in Love?

The audience screamed. Lyla looked to the completely rigid man next to her, and smiled. It seemed that the only people not cheering were Lyla and him. The blonde with him was screeching her head off, just like Gina was.

There was a soft instrumental section, in which the lights faded and the audience murmured in excitement.

Then it happened, the moment that everyone awaited. The guitars forcefully struck a melodic chord, the keyboard repeatedly played a few notes, and the drums sang out a loud crash of cymbals. The strobe lights flashed. All the emphasis the arrival of...

Harry Louie, who dropped from the top of the stage and landed in the middle in style, was already receiving more cheers and screams than the rest of his band put together.

"Oh my god he's so cool, did you see that jump?!"

Who catches you when you're falling?
Fallin' in Love?

The same lyrics came again, but this time, all softness was gone. The Bonfire Boys were really playing what they were famous for.

What happens when you're falling?
Fallin' in Love?

They didn't shout or strain their voices, none of them did. Their singing never required them to yell or belt out. It was like a group of alto choir boys singing rock instead of hymns.

Harry Louie was lead singer, gripping the microphone as he sang into it. The others sang with him in perfect harmony, while strumming their electrical guitars or playing their keyboards. The blonde haired drummer didn't sing, no one would know if he did anyway.

"God, Lyla!!" Gina shouted, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, as the crowd began to stand and cheer, her silky black hair fluttering around Lyla's face, "Stop looking like you've never been to a concert before!!"

"I haven't, Gina," Lyla replied, smiling shyly at her best friend before turning her attention back to stage, where the lead singer, Harry Louie, stood. His legs stood wide and steady, with his right hand clutching the sweat-drenched microphone and his lips a mere millimetre from the microphone as he hummed a low note. Lyla lost herself in a dreamy pose gazing at his perfect face; despite herself a smile crept up the edge of her lips as he finished his note by pulling away from the microphone as if he was pulling away from a passionate kiss.

"I LOVE YOU HARRY!!" Gina screamed, causing Lyla to lean instinctively away from her, "God, isn't he so good looking?" Gina asked, but it was a rhetorical question.

"Yeah?" Lyla said quietly, as the singer on stage winked cheekily at Lyla, Gina and the 10,000 other screaming girls behind them, without missing a beat from his song.

"Oh my god!!" Gina yelled into Lyla's deafened ear, "He is so hot!!!"

"Mhmm," Lyla mumbled to herself softly, trying to block out all the screams erupting from behind her and attempting to catch the tune that she was familiar with. Inside her head were just visions of her up there on stage, singing with Harry Louie and having the time of her life. But the screams of the 10,000 strong fan girls pulled her back to reality, and she felt her dream slip away. Over a million girls would do anything to shake Harry Louie's hand, and at least half of those million girls can sing well, and only a handful is talented enough to sing with his band. It was a one-in-a-million-chance to be up there with her dream guy. Harry Louie didn't need another singer for his band anyway; his voice alone was good enough.

Lyla snapped out of her reverie just in time to see a mass of well-built muscle and a well-toned body topped with beautiful short brown locks crashed into Lyla. She fell backwards and landed painfully on her back and in the process, knocked her head hard against something sharp and hard. A vague image of a perfect face flashed before her eyes before unconsciousness swept over her.