Star Riddled Skies

I think I did survive, just barely, and I collapse onto my bed when I get home. My blazer's already dumped on the floor, pens, bus tickets and badges spilling from it. I stand and pull off my uniform, throwing my shirt into the basket in the corner and my skirt onto the radiator.
I manage, somehow, to find a top from the pile underneath the radiator, one wearable, with Enter Shikari on somewhere, and pull it on. I grab one of my many pair of skinnies from a hanger and pull them on, pushing my feet into my pink and black Van slip ons.

I clatter down the stairs, pulling my hoodie from the banister when I reach the bottom step and yell to whoever's listening, most probably only Squiggle, and maybe Mum if she's not in the garden, that I'm going out and I've got my phone.

I walk to Ra's and meet her at the doorstep, where she's just closing the door. We link arms and walk to the field, where there's just a few people, most still getting back from school.

I notice one of the people sat underneath a tree have a bottle of something strong and clear in their pale fingers, and I bound over to them, dropping to the floor crossed legged, "Well be polite!" I say, "Offer it round love!"

"I hope you're talking about the alcohol," Matt says, and I smile at him.

"Oh you'd love it if I weren't, wouldn't you!" I smirk and he nods, agreeing with me. Our group's tight, real tight knit, and we're all close, like a family. Part of me's amazed that Zach's been let in, but after all he's a relative.

Ollie passes me the bottle and I take a swig, putting it down between us when I've finished. So we sit, we talk, we joke, until a few more people start trickling through the rusty iron gate separating our sanctuary from the road.

I can't see Zach from my position under the tree with Ollie and Matt, so I struggle up and wander round, keeping my eyes out for him. I know he's here since Sam is, and they would have come together. So I keep looking. I keep looking until I see him, but I hesitate and stumble a little, and I don't rush over.

I hang back because Zach's talking to the one person in our gang that I don’t get along with. Emily Creswell is the one person Zach could really do without talking to. Especially when she's reaching out, touching his arm, flicking her hair, smiling that glittering smile. So I just stand there like an a complete idiot, watching her flirt with him, wishing she would disappear. Zach looks round, and catches my eye. I try to look away but his eyes hold mine.

"Ash!" He calls, and I see Emily scowl from here. Zach hurries over to me, Emily wrenching on his arm, until he pull sit from her grip and smiles at me.

"Thank God," He whispers when he's closer, walking us further from Emily, "That was killing me,"

He smiles and I laugh a little, walking closer to him. We reach the main group, Keek, Tom, Ra, Justin, Matt and Ollie have moved, and about ten others. So we sit next to them and I quickly realise we're talking bands again.

"Trouble is," Justin says, his fingertips brushing Ra's, "We've got everything but a vocalist who can scream, and no one round here can,"

Zach raises his hand a little from beside me, "Uh, I can,"

"What style?" Tom asks, "Oli Sykes? Rou Re-"

"Enter Shikari!!" I squeal, getting weird looks from everyone until Tom continues.

"Or, like, someone else,"

"Everything. I can do Oli if you want, I'll do Rou, and whatever else you can think of," He smiles, glancing at me with those bright eyes. My God, this guy just gets better.

"Really?" Tom asks as we all stare in curiosity and disbelief, "Go on then, just roar,"

"Here?" Zach shuffles further from the group, a little uncomfortable.

"Here."

Zach closes his eyes and leans back on his hands a little. And he roars. He lets out a growl just like Oli Sykes, so much that I have to check that no one's got their music on, and they haven't, and I see the whole gang's jaw's drop.

"Whoa," I whisper and he glances at me, his smile widening.

"You wanna be in a band Zach?" Justin asks, "In fact you're so good we're gonna make you join the band even if you don’t want to,"

"Hell yeah," Zach says, nodding vigorously. There's a rare, rare silence until Justin turns to Ra.

"Keira?" He says quietly, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Ra smiles so bright I swear it's actually blinding and takes his hand tightly, "Of course I will!"

"Bout time too!" Kikii says from beside Tom.

Ra smiles at her and opens her mouth to say something but she's cut of by Justin crashing his lips to hers. There's a chorus of wolf whistles and both stick two fingers up to us, still locking lips.And I can't help feeling lonely.

"Okay people let's move out, give 'em space," I say, standing and ushering the group away. Zach grips my hand to pull him up and I grin at him. I notice when we're both stood he keeps hold of my hand loosely. We move a little further away from make out city and fall to the ground again.

"What do we do for fun around here then?" Zach asks, clearing his throat a little.

"Well, we steal things, especially trolleys from Tesco's, we set things on fire, just general illegal idiocy," Kikii says.

Zach laughs again, "Sounds fun,"

I smile, "It is,"

Ra pulls my shirt from behind and I scramble up, following her away from the group.

"Oh my Goddddd!" She squeals, jumping up and down and spazzing just like she'd shown me in the corridors earlier that day.

"I knew he would!" I wrap my arms round her in a rib-crushing hug and we do the classic girly screaming.

"Now go on, go!" I say, pushing her away a little.

She just laughs a little, "Well what about you and Zach, I'm gonna get you guys together whether it kills me!"

I glance over at him worriedly, "Shh! He'll hear!" I lower my voice, "Did you hear how he screams? Oh my god!"

I push Ra back to Justin, who opens his arms to her. I look back over to Zach and my stomach sinks again. Emily. She's virtually sat in his lap, talking, smiling, and flirting, again. I know she'll get him, win him over – she's so much prettier than me.

Zach says something to her and pushes her away a bit. My hopes lift. They soar. Emily scowls and stands, storming off. So I can do over to Zach. I sit next to him and he smiles.

"Where did you go?" He jerks his head away from me, indicating for me to shuffle closer. He wraps an arm round my neck and I lean against him.

"Sorry, I had a bit of a girly moment with Ra," I say, grinning like an idiot.

"Who says we go down the chippy?" Someone asks and we all murmur in agreement. So we all clamber up and about twenty of us wander into town to the fish and chip shop.
We shove a handful of change at Kez and Jess, usher them into the shop, and settle on the grassy patch in front. A moment or two later there's a few portions of chips dumped in the middle of us and we all dive for them.

"So," I say to Zach, pulling one of the smaller portions between us, "Tell me about you Zach,"

He smiles, picking up another chip, "Well, not much to know. Zach Deaton, fifteen, heavy metal, recent vocalist for a band. I got a sister called Emma and a dog called Bournville,"

"Bournville?" I ask, laughing a little, "Isn't that dark chocolate?"

"Yeah," Zach flicks the hair from his eyes, "It's 'cause he's that colour,"

We both reach for the same chip and our hands collide, "Oh sorry," I say hurriedly, pulling away.

There's a brief silence, where I catch snippets of other people's very random conversations, until Zach breaks it, "So what about you Ash?" Tell me about you,"

I lean back on my hands, "Well, my full name's Ashton Campbell, and I'm afraid I'll have to kill you if you call me that. Fifteen. I'm an Enter Shikari freak but I'll listen to anything rock. I have a black and white cat called Squiggle, and I'm a Freestyle dirtbiker,"

His eyebrows furrow, "Freestyle dirtbiking?"

"Yeah, it's where you have the dirt ramps and pull tricks over them?"

"Oh yeah, cool!"

"Yeahh, you're supposed to be sixteen but my instructor pulled a few strings, he says I'm gonna be the female Mike Metzger," And off his blank look I add, "Big Freestyle dirtbiking guy, like my idol,"

"Oh cool,"

"I have training and a competition this weekend, you could probably come, most of the guys do, it's pretty cool,"

"Yeah sure!"

I smile at him and he smiles back. We just pick at the chips between us, eyes fixed, smiles concrete.

Enter Shikari's Johnny Sniper breaks our peaceful silence and I pull my phone from a pocket, "Yeah?"

"Ashton get home, it's ten," My mum tells me.

"Ten? Jeez, okay, give me ten minutes," I say, standing and hanging up, "Zach, I gotta go,"

"Well, I'll walk you home,"

"Um, okay, thanks," I glance at Matt and Ollie, who are completely hammered, "Uh, I better help Matt and Ollie home,"

"Oh.. okay. I'll help then," He links his arm through mine and I smile again.

We go over to Ollie and Matt, who smile drunkenly at us, "Matthew and Oliver Cristo, up you get, we're gonna sober you two misfit brothers up, and fast," I pull Matt up under his arms and Zach pulls Ollie up. There's a stream running through our estate, just a few minutes walk, or drag in our case, from us. When we get to the edge of the stream I push Matt to his knees, ignoring his constant giggles.

"Matt hold your breath," he ignores me, "Matthew! Hold your fucking breath!" He breathes in and I grab his hair, dunking his head in the cold water.

"Sober?" I ask when he sits back up.

He shakes the wet hair from his eyes, "Oh I really hate you when you do that Ash,"

"You love me really," I smile and glance at Ollie and Zach. Ollie's sober, and wet, too, so I pull Matt up and Ollie staggers up.

"You guys can get home yeah?" I ask, and the brothers nod, staggering back towards their beds. Zach links his arm with mine again and I lead us back to Sycamore Close. We stop at the top, so my parents or the nosy neighbours don't see, because I know they'll ask questions.

"Well, this is my stop," I say, reluctantly pulling my arm from his.

"Which one's yours?" Zach says, his voice a soft whisper.

I find myself whispering back, leaning closer to point, "That one, second on the left,"

"Cool," His voice is even softer, and when I turn to him his face is centimetres from mine.

"I better go," I say, almost inaudible.

He wraps his arms round me and I let myself fall into his chest, "Okay.." He says from over my shoulder. We pull away and I can feel his breath on my cheek. I turn and walk, fast, stopping on the doorstep to wave at Zach.

I push open the door and wander into the living room, seeing both my parents on the sofa.

"Good day at school Ash?" My dad asks.

"Yeah, alright, you?" I realise it's a mistake when he starts talking about how this bath of toasters were faulty or something, so I stand and interrupt him.

"Um, yeah, sorry Dad, but I'm like really tired? So see you guys in the morning,"

"Alright Ash honey, sleep tight," Mum says, smiling at me.

And as I pull on my pyjamas and climb into bed, I have to rethink my statement of 'I don’t fancy Zach,'

I've fallen for him. Bad.