25th October 1996

I sighed as I stared out at the calm waters of the bay. The salty scent from the tide crept up to my nose and tickled my nostrils. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Everything seemed so tranquil, so quiet. I sat for a bit longer, as the cerulean waves lapped at the shore. A few minutes later, though, my thoughts began drifting and I wondered how things could possibly be calmer than this.

My serene escape was interrupted when I felt a light tap on my shoulder, I turned to see Axel and Amber, both smiling excitedly at me. I smiled in return and waved back to them.

"Hi guys, what are you doing here?"

Axel replied, 

"Well, we were going to go out for pizza later but Amber convinced me to take a detour by the harbour, and here you are."

He grinned and nudged Amber who elbowed him in the ribs.

"Also, Katie," Amber asked, "Our band's got our first gig tonight in that old tavern in town, do you wanna come?"

I laughed. "Sure, why not?" 

"Great! Meet us there in ten, and we'll pick you up. See ya later!"

They waved goodbye and walked off, Amber turning towards me to say goodbye on the way. I smiled up at her and waved her goodbye too.

I sat on my bed, my clock read quarter-past-nine. 

 Time to go. I stood up and stretched, then headed to the bathroom to wash my hands before heading downstairs. Mum was already sitting on the couch, watching TV. My mum noticed me walking in.

"Hey honey, ready to go?" she asked, glancing over at me.

"Yep, let me grab my coat and keys."

I grabbed my jacket and headed outside. 

It was a cold evening, and as I headed for the pub, I shivered. The sky was a deep blue, and the moon shone 

 brightly in the sky. The harbour was full of boats bobbing up and down.  I gazed out at the horizon, admiring the bright moonlight reflecting against the sea. I took a step closer to the pier and saw a group of kids, Audrey among them, hanging around the end, smoking cigarettes and chatting amongst themselves. 

I kept walking.

Soon, the pub came into view. Its windows glittered in the moonlight like diamonds and above the door hung a sign reading: Ye Olde Husband. I slowed down, and when I stopped I took a deep breath. There was a strong, familiar smell coming from the pub, and my stomach growled loudly at the thought of food. 

When I entered the pub it was filled with music and chatter. I spotted Amber and Axel setting up in the corner near the bar. With them stood another boy whom I hadn't met before. 

"Katie!" Amber shouted across the room.

She ran towards me and wrapped her arms around me in an enthusiastic hug. I hugged her back and pulled away, grinning at her as she said,

"This is Owen, he played bass for our band. Owen, Katie. Katie is a close friend of mine."

I shook his hand politely and returned the greeting. I heard Owen laugh and say,

"Nice to meet you, Katie."

I turned my attention back to Amber who now had her hands on my shoulders as she guided me towards the table. We set down our stuff on the table and sat opposite each other.

 We ordered some drinks. After a short while, we sat in comfortable silence.

The conversation was flowing smoothly between Amber and Owen, and I listened carefully, absorbing everything Amber said and laughing whenever Owen added a witty remark to the conversation. Soon, the waitress brought round our orders. Amber had a plate of pasta, Axel had fish, and I had some pasta with pesto. Once we finished eating, I thanked the trio for inviting me over.

Eventually, it was time for the show to begin, and the band walked onstage to an audience of cheers and claps. They took their positions behind their instruments, and Amber introduced them all. 

Soon the night was in full swing, and I felt an unusual feeling of pride watching Amber sing on that stage. Everyone's enthusiasm made me feel special. Around halfway through the night, I bumped into Audrey in the crowd and we chatted briefly before continuing dancing. About halfway through the second song, I suddenly felt dizzy, so I excused myself to the restroom. I walked into a stall and sat on the toilet seat, leaning my head back as I rested on the wall. I closed my eyes, trying to clear my thoughts.  The music was loud enough outside the restroom that I could hear it easily even with my head resting on the wall. Suddenly, as soon as I had calmed down, someone knocked on the door, making me jump violently.

"Come in," I called after calming my racing heart.

After a few moments, I heard the door open.

"Hey Katie, you okay?" I heard Audrey say. 

I opened my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, I guess." I said shakily as I walked out of the stall.

Audrey leaned over the sink next to me, looking me over, frowning sympathetically.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

She didn't reply for a moment, I turned on the faucet, splashing my face with cold water.

"You need any help getting home?"

"No, no. Don't worry. Thanks anyway."

"Okay then."

We both left the bathroom and sat at our table from earlier.

As soon as I sat down, my eyelids became heavy. I leaned my head against the table and slowly started drifting off to sleep. 

I woke up again when I felt someone shaking my shoulder. I glanced up and saw that it was Amber, and my cheeks instantly turned pink. I quickly wiped my eyes, then attempted to push myself away from the table and fell off my chair with a thud, only causing more embarrassment. She laughed lightly and helped me get up. The gig had finished ages ago

 and everyone was leaving. When I was finally standing properly, I turned and smiled gratefully at Amber who flashed me a quick wink as she passed me.

 I stood there staring after her for a little while until I finally snapped out of it and grabbed my belongings. I was still quite tired and I know she knew. 

As we reached her house, I told her goodbye. I was about to turn and walk away when I heard her call my name one last time. I turned to look at her. Her eyes twinkled in the light, she was holding onto my wrist and staring up at me. I looked back into her warm brown orbs.

"Hey, Katie," she whispered.

"Katie, I had fun today."

"Me too," I replied.

I wasn't entirely sure why she had decided to speak up, maybe because it was getting late? Or maybe she had something else to tell me? Whatever it may be, I really wanted to find out. She leaned in closer, her lips almost touching mine. My heart raced.

But then she pulled away suddenly.

"See you tomorrow, okay?" She grinned.

She stepped away and waved goodnight. I watched as she walked into her house and disappeared behind the door.

I got home around midnight. I shut the front door behind me quietly so as to not wake Mum up. I leaned up against it breathing heavily, trying hard to control my rapid heartbeat.  I took a couple of steps forward, but my feet got tangled in the hem of my dress. I fell sideways into the carpeted hallway, the sound of the crash probably could've been heard from upstairs.

Quickly, I stood upright again, brushing the dust off of my dress.

I sighed, hoping that Mum hadn't woken up. 

I tiptoed upstairs silently, hoping she would still be asleep. As I crept past her bedroom door, I caught sight of her lying sprawled out on top of the covers. She was snoring loudly. I chuckled to myself, glad that she was out. I went straight to the bathroom. 

Once I washed my face and brushed my teeth, I climbed into my bed, pulling the duvet up high over my head.

I stared blankly at the ceiling, letting my mind wander. I tried thinking of nothing, but the thought kept creeping its way back to the surface every time I closed my eyes.  It was annoying me, so I threw my pillow across my face, wanting it to block out all of my problems...for now.

I turned onto my side facing the wall, closing my eyes tightly. Sleep finally came to take me,  and I drifted off to sleep, thinking about what Amber had said.