Thread: LaLa Land ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Reaching home, Fiona was greeted by her younger brother who was sitting on the patio, putting on his shoes. Fiona scowled slightly. "Don't tell me you're going out again?" Her brother simply chuckled and patted her head before walking out the gate. "Be home before dinner!" She called out loudly before he disappeared from sight.

Upon entering her room, Fiona sat on her bed. She noticed a piece of paper on her bedside table and picked up the note. An address was neatly written at the top and a hasty scribble was written at the bottom, the penmanship she recognized as her mother's.

Your friend came over today. Said something about a new cafe.

Fiona smiled.

That must have been Katie, she thought. Taking out her phone, she typed out a short text to her friend, asking if she's free tomorrow. Then, she composed a new message.

Thank you again for today.
May I invite all of you for lunch tomorrow?
It's my treat to pay for the hospitality you've provided me.
-Fiona-

She typed in the address for the cafe and punched in the number Anna had given her this morning.

Send.

Fiona dialed another number. The receiver picked up after the third ring.

"Bianca? Hey, where are you? Can you come over today?"

"Stop drawing crap already, Binky! You're having a Math test tomorrow!" Bianca's mother roared from the kitchen.

Holy shit. She's mad again.

"If you keep ignoring me, I won't let you go shopping this whole week! And if you fail your Math test, I..."

"Sta zitto, mom!" Bianca could not bear her mothers preaching anymore. She angrily threw her paper and pencils into the bin and took her mathematics textbook out. But she was not in the mood of revising it at all.

Right at that moment, Fiona called.

Bianca yawned and grabbed her mobile, "Hulo? Oh Fiona..." she put her feet on the study desk. "What's up? Me? At home. Ya I can. Why?"

"Wonderful," she smiled, despite knowing that her friend couldn't see her. "I was thinking if you could help me with some cloth designs."

Her phone beeped, signalling a message had arrived.

"Oh, hold up."

Fiona read the text from Anna and typed a quick reply.

It's fine. Let me know once you asked. (>^-^<)

"Hello?" She greeted, returning to her call. "Come over at 7, okay? I'll invite Katie, too. And—oh! Why don't you guys sleep over instead?" she suggested brightly.

"I need someone to talk to, tonight," she added, her voice so low that her words were barely audible.

Katie sat in her room feeling bored.

BOOOOOORED.

She had tried to get a hold of Fiona earlier, but had failed. Now, she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling and waiting for her phone to ring. Every now and again she flipped it open to check for messages as if she had missed something from the last 20 seconds.

Flopping over onto her stomach, Katie stretched her arms off the bed. She set her phone back into the charging cradle and flopped back over again. She picked up her planner and flipped through the pages. It was filled with her notes on her current favorite band. It had notes on the members, the music and even as much of their schedule as she could glean from various websites and the fan network. According to her sources, they had practice this afternoon. Not like she would bother them during practice- but it was just something she kept track of.

Her current favorite was Roy. He was such an interesting one. Of course Ty was the bad boy so he held a certain fascination as well.

As the phone call ended, Bianca threw herself onto her bed. Looking at the white ceiling, she sighed. She of course preferred designing clothes to being stuck at home and doing some (shitty) revision. But her mother had just ruined all the fun.

I'm going out no matter what. she gave a bitter smile. There was not much time left. Trying hard to shake her laziness off, she went to open the wardrobe and had a look. It usually took her long to decide what to wear, but this time was not the case. She just picked two skirts, three tops and a couple of jackets out as the options. After trials and errors - you know what I mean - she got it settled.

"I'm going out, mom!"

Her mother immediately give a WTF expression. "Did you even hear me?!"

"Non si preoccupi, mom. I'm just going to do revision with my friends. I think I'm more into Maths when there are somebody else to discuss it with me." Bianca grinned and lied. There were always lots of reasons to hang out with friends.

"You'd better be true about that. You'll regret it if you fail your test." her mother rolled her eyes and sighed, focusing back on the chore she had been doing.

Bianca smirked.

Getting an okay from Bianca, Fiona immediately forwarded her invitation to Katie.

Kat. Sleep over at my place?
Bianca's coming at 7.
Then, we'll head to that cafe you found for lunch tomorrow.
('U')

-Fi-

Done, she thought to herself. Fiona walked out into the kitchen where her mom was preparing for dinner.

"I'll help!" She offered brightly, already reaching for the pan. Her mother turned to her with wide eyes.

"Fiona dear, I don't think—"

CRASH!

And out of nowhere, there were sauce splattered all over the floor. Fiona blinked. She reached up to touch her face and noticed that the sauce had covered her finger. Licking her upper lip, she giggled. "It's yummy, mom."

Her mother sighed. "Just go get the mop."

Closing the door behind her, Bianca took a deep breath. It felt so good outside. She wondered why her mother could make the whole house that tense. She merrily crossed the road and walked along the path.

After a ten minute walk she reached Fiona's house. With a sweet smiley face she pressed the door bell. A friendly woman - who was apparently her friend's mother - opened the door.

"Good evening, auntie. I'm Fiona's friend, Bianca," she greeted and introduced herself, "Or you can just call me Binky or Bee."

Fiona heard the sounds of the door bell ringing. She was setting the table and her mother went to welcome the guest instead.

Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?

Letting out a gasp, she placed the plates onto the table and dashed to the front hall, almost tripping on the carpet. "Mom!" she called, just as she registered Bianca's face at the front doors and her mother's questioning stare, an eyebrow raised. Fiona flashed a sheepish grin. "Did I mention my friends are sleeping over tonight?"

Her mother merely sighed."I'll prepare the futons. Go set out extra plates." The old woman smiled warmly to her guest. "Dinner will be ready in a moment, dear. Make yourself at home."

"Thanks auntie." she could not believe how sweet she sounded at that moment. Well, she didn't care much about it. She shook off the silly thought and stepped into the house, taking her ankle boots off.

Bianca turned to her friend, "You are my Lady Luck today, Fiona!" she dramatically exclaimed, "I was about to be suffocated by my mom's non-stop preaching." Since the atmosphere was relaxing at Fiona's place, Bianca allowed herself to rest on the sofa comfortably.

She liked being there.

Katie jumped up as her phone made its tell-tale pop sound that a text message had arrived. She sat up and bounced over to the charging cradle on the side table next to her bed. She picked up her phone and looked at it. It popped up under Fiona's name. Clicking the message open she grinned.

Will ask Parents. Should be fine. Want me to bring anything?

She got up and opened her door, venturing into the hall. Standing by the family room she spied her father sitting there. Her mother must still be at work. "Dad..? Can I stay at Fiona's tonight?"

He looked over the back of the couch at her. "Sure thing sweety. You finished your homework and chores?"

Like he needed to even ask. "Yes Dad. Hours ago."

"Need a ride over there?"

"Uh, I can walk. It's not that far." She dreaded the walk, but she needed to exercise more to keep up her health. At least that is what the doctor said at her last check up.

"Okay, just be home by dinner tomorrow."

"Thanks Dad." She said, going back to her room to pack a small bag. She picked up her phone and sent off another text before she picked out some clothes and assorted bits and bobs and medicines.

Fine with parents. Have to be home for dinner tomorrow. Cafe sounds good. Be over soon. Walking.

She grabbed her packed bag and headed out. "Be back tomorrow Dad," she said as she headed out the door and over to Fiona's house.

Fiona laughed softly at Bianca's dramatic woes.

"I should thank you for coming," she smiled. "There's something I need your help with, Bee. Could you possibly design five pairs of clothing tonight?" she inquired hopefully. "Ah, wait here!" Fiona scrambled to her room and pick out a notepad she had left on her bed, barely running over her mother who was pulling out futons from her cupboard. She returned to the living room and held out the notepad for her friend to see. "I've written down the approximate cuttings," she explained.

Fiona grinned. "Try imagining it was for the band."

Her cell phone beeped and flashed, revealing two unread messages. She giggled reading her friend's reply. Fiona always type full sentences and full spellings in her texts. But the straight to the point texts she had just received represents Katie so much.

Bianca studied the measurements. She felt that in order to create clothes fitting them, she had to know more about the band, her fingers landing on the written names on the piece of note.

"Any special requests about the outfits?"

Katie didn't want to admit it, but she was only half way to Fiona's house when she got winded. She should have accepted the ride from her dad. She stopped and leaned against a short wall in front of one of the many houses with a perfectly manicured lawn to catch her breath. It was warm out and she could feel every wicked sunbeam from above.

Heat and exertion- her despicable nemeses.

Once rested, she got up and began walking again. Her bag felt heavier than when she began, but she knew that was all in her mind. There wasn't that much in it. She would rather swallow glass than call someone for a ride now. Each step was torture. At least she had worn comfortable shoes.

Eventually, painstakingly, she arrived.

She took a moment in the shade in front of the door to take a few breaths before ringing the bell. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as she pressed the bell.

Fiona thought for a moment, just as she heard the sounds of a motorbike outside her house. "I'll fill you in with the details later," she said to her friend as she rushed out the door.

Opening the front door, she was faced to faced with her younger brother. "I made it for dinner, right?" he said, flashing a clumsy grin. His eyes noted Bianca slouched on the couch. "Your friend? Gee, sis, why don't you try getting hotter friends?" he whispered cheekily, earning a playful punch from his sister.

"'Sup." he greeted as he walked pass Bianca. Suddenly he stopped and turned to his sister. "By the way, I think I saw that snobbish friend of yours on my ride here. She's coming over too? She looked like she was about to pass out."

That caught Fiona's attention. "Katie?" she exclaimed loudly, panic in her tone. "Where—" she was cut off mid-sentence as the sound of the door bell was heard once again. Fiona immediately opened the door and was relieved—albeit concerned—when she saw a pale looking Katie at her front steps. "Oh, thank goodness," she gasped as she hugged her friend. "Come in and sit down right this instant!"

Fiona ushered her friend in and hurried towards the kitchen, pouring two glasses of watermelon juice from her fridge. Her brother was there, glugging down a glass himself. "Oh yeah, I saw this at the mall today," he said, offering her a poster.

TRIPLE L

OPEN SHOWCASE

MONDAY NIGHT
TIME : 8PM
VENUE : KJ STADIUM

Grinning, Fiona brought the poster along with the drinks back to the living room to her friends. "The band has a showcase tomorrow night," she smiled, showing them the poster. "Kat, I know you got to go back before dinner, but do you think you can come?"

Katie came in at the invitation. She dropped her backpack at the couch where she was ushered to sit. She was tired and happily enjoyed the air conditioning and comfy couch. It took her a moment to notice that Bianca was there as well. Katie fixed her eyes on the other girl, adjusting her glasses slightly. Pressing her lips together, she spoke curtly, "Hello Bianca."

Fiona pounced back into the room with watermelon juice and the poster. Katie accepted the juice gratefully and took a gulp of the refreshing liquid. She leaned over and pulled out her planner, opening it up to the Band's schedule. "Yes, I knew about the showcase," she said, tapping the schedule page impatiently as if it should be obvious that she knew about the showcase. She gave Fiona an impatient look that matched the tapping of her finger on the page. It was color coded and organized with removable pages so additional calendar pages could be slipped in or out. "Also, according to my notes, they should be at practice right now." She flipped to another section of the book. She read over it before continuing in her usual brisk and slightly curt tone. "According to my sources, Leon is in negotiations for a lead part in a movie." She let a grin creep over her features. "I heard it is pretty much a done deal and just needs to be formalized."

She snapped her book closed, focusing on Fiona. "I already have tickets to the showcase. That is why I have to be home for dinner tomorrow. Part of my agreement with my parents so I could stay out late on a weeknight." She opened a small zipper pocket on her planner and pulled out a pair of tickets.

She glanced to Bianca, "I only got two though. You'll have to get your own." She tossed her hair, unconcerned about this.

She leaned over and pulled a binder out of her backpack, handing it to Fiona. "Since I figured you hadn't done it yet I brought our homework for you to copy so you could go to the concert with me." She placed her planner on her lap. "The sooner you get this copied, the sooner I will share with you the other gossip I discovered."

"Yo, Katie," she greeted the other visitor casually. Katie looked really pale so Bianca immediately got to the edge of the coach, allowing the fainting girl to take a seat.

Bianca then quietly listened to the conversation between her friends, sipping the watermelon juice. According to Fiona there would be a showcase of the band tomorrow. It'll be nice, Bianca thought.

"Also, according to my notes, they should be at practice right now." Katie stated as she flipped her notebook. That really caught Bianca's attention. Compared to concerts, practices of bands are more attractive to Bianca. She enjoyed seeing the trails and errors, as well as the gradual improvement made during practices. Her eyes sparkled with interest.

She could hear Katie telling her that she had 2 tickets only, but she did not care much. The thing she wanted to see most, was the practice. "That's too bad. I'll try'ta get one." she pouted lightly and soon continued daydreaming about the scene of the band rehearsing.

An amused smile crossed Fiona's lips at Katie's immediate remarks. Taking one of the tickets from her friend, she beamed. "Thanks so much, Kat. I'll pay you back later," she grinned while she listened on the slight hostile note in Katie's voice as she was talking to Bianca. The latter shrugged it off easily and Fiona let out a soft sigh of relieve.

Fiona bit her lower lip when Katie had mentioned homework. Smiling sheepishly, she relieved the book from her hand. "Thanks," she said. "I'll do it later. So start your gossip."

Sitting in anticipation, she almost left her vibrating phone unnoticed. She expected it to be a confirmation from Anna about their promised lunch but the guitarist was inviting her out instead.

My mom had already prepared dinner. How about you join us? ^-^

She punched in her home address and pondered on the evening bus's schedule.

Are you at the McD near your building? There's a bus to here which will arrive in 5 minutes. Just hop in that one and walk out the third stop. You'll find your way there.

Katie snapped her notebook shut and put it away in her bag. "No gossip until you've finished the work. If you don't do it now, you'll be desperately trying to copy it in the five minutes before class begins." Katie adjusted her glasses, pushing them up her nose.

She narrowed her eyes as she watched Fiona text on her phone, her fingers moving quickly as she typed out her message. Her eyebrows slowly crept up her brow, "Who is that you're texting? Seemed important?" She leaned forward slightly, trying to catch a glimpse.

"Another friend's coming over," she answered simply.

With a slight pout, Fiona flipped open Katie's binder. As expected, Katie's familiar monogrammed penmanship stared back at her. She wasn't proud to admit that this wasn't the first time—and most probably not the last—she had copied from her friend's homework. It's not that she's not smart enough to do them herself. It's just that she prefers roaming out the streets than sitting in her room, suffocated by her crowded desk to actually sit down and do them. So her solution was to fumble her way through them in class. And, well, by that time there wasn't really enough time for her to do them herself, was there? Really, by actually giving in to her, Katie should be blamed for spoiling her too much.

3 pages. Front and back. Sighing, Fiona slumped back to her room to get her own notebook. She rummaged through the stacks of book sprawled on her desk. It was a mess. Come to think of it, she'd better clear things up before her friends comes in her room—which would lead to a long lecture by Katie which is never a fun occasion. "Oh dear," Fiona sighed.

She spent 10 minutes just to stack her books into a neat pile—for most of the minutes she just sat on her bad staring distractedly into space. "Well, it's better," she consoled herself, as she observed the result of her effort. "Close enough." Fiona was startled by the sound of the doorbell. Grabbing the notebook she had originally entered the room for, Fiona walked out to the front door. Surprisingly, her brother had already answered it. "Aid, who is it?"

When she saw Anna standing by the door, it took her a moment to realize why her new friend was there. "Oh, dinner! Yes. Anna, come right in," she welcome brightly, taking the role of a host.

Inside, she introduced her to her friends. "These are my friends; Katie and Bianca." Turning towards Aiden, she said, "And that's my younger brother, Aiden."

When the door was opened, Anna didn't expect to be greeted by a pretty little boy with a white hair. "Oh, I was looking for Fi—" she was cut mid-sentences when Fiona suddenly popped out of nowhere.

She smiled back at Fiona as she invited her inside. "Sorry for intruding." she muttered. The house was not that big, but it was definitely cosy with modern décor. "Such a pretty house, Fiona." she complimented. It reminded her of her home back then. Before she decided to bail her family.

She made herself comfortable on the sofa and realized there were other guests in the house. She grinned to both of the girls and Fiona's brother. "Hey guys. I'm Anna. Nice to meet you." she said, waving.

Fiona stopped her brother. "U-uh! It's time for dinner!"

She pulled Aiden's collar from behind and pulled him back from his room. She scowled when she realized how tall her baby brother was. "Since when did you get taller than me?" Pushing him forcefully to the kitchen, she ordered. "Now go in there and eat!"

Turning back towards her guests, she gave a sheepish smile. "So, who's hungry?"

She glanced at her untouched notebook and blinked hopefully at Katie. "Can I finish them tonight?"

Katie watched Fiona avoid doing any actual work as her friend tidied her desk instead. She sighed, "You'll never get anything done if you avoid doing work. Maybe I won't let you copy so you'll have to actually spend real time on it." Katie shrugged, taking back her the homework and slipping it into her bag so it didn't get lost until Fiona got to work on it. She watched her friend race off to the door to answer it.

Mildly curious, she followed after her, lingering behind her. At seeing who was at the door, Katie felt her eyebrows rise upward above the rims of her glasses. She hadn't expected this turn of events. Of course, it would give her a chance to probe for some more information. That might be interesting. "I know who you are. I am Katie. Nice to formally meet you," she said in a bit stiffer tone than she intended.

"What is for dinner?" Katie said, changing the subject. "You remember I can't eat a lot of dairy or fatty foods right?" She eyed her friend carefully as she made her way into the kitchen.

Mio dio... This is the guitarist of the band? Bianca's eyes glittered and she tried to match the visitor's face with the guitarist's. "Oh it's really Anna!" her head popped out from Fiona's back. She did not know Fiona was a close friend to the band member. Blood flushed to her head due to the excitement. When Katie was reminding Fiona about what food she could not eat, Bianca smiled at Anna, "Hi I'm Bianca. You may call me Bee or Binky."

Anna took a seat at the dinner table. She smiled sheepishly at everyone, bearing in her mind that she stopped by the house out of the blue. She didn't know that Fiona's friends were there.

When Katie introduced herself to her, she smiled at her and said, "Nice to meet you too, Katie." She was surprised a bit that Katie had already knew her. She never quite used to people knowing her.

Then, she turned to face Bianca as it was her turn to introduced herself. She gave her a friendly smile, "Hi, Binky. How do you do?"