I had this idea in mind and I had to start on it immediatly.
Don't know where it goes, don't know where I want it to go.
Actually I don't know anything at all. ;)

Thanks: to my beta, Isi. I learned a lot about hyphens today! ;)

Disclaimer: Not mine!

Have fun and please R+R!

Summary:
15 years old Claire McLeod as well as Nick and Alex Ryan are back from boarding school for their summer holidays. Some adventures are waiting for them. If there are couple, you will find out soon. ;)

Everlasting Friends

1. Back From School

Claire just came back from boarding school for the summer holidays. She could breathe, something she couldn't do at crowded places like her school. There were far too much people around her.

Claire's father, Jack, had met her at the bus station. Now she was back at Drovers Run sitting in her father's study on the opposite side of the table listening to her father. He just filled her in what had happened the last months while she was gone. She hadn't had a chance to change her clothes yet so she still wore her school uniform.

"Hello Jack." Harry greeted while he entered Jack's study.
"Harry." Jack replied.
"Hey Claire. Back from boarding school for the summer?" Harry asked.
"Yeah Mr Ryan, just an hour ago. Are Alex and Nick also back?" Claire asked back.
"Yes, they're outside. They are discharging the barley and have to finish that. Don't interrupt them."
"Ok, I will wait until they are finished?" Claire replied and went out of the study. She was happy to leave the room. She knew Harry Ryan as long as she remembered and she never liked him.

Claire went to the door where she watched the boys doing their work.
"Hey boys, what are you up to?" Claire asked a dazzled Alex and Nick.
"Oi, what happend to you, Claire McLeod? You're a girl, we finally have a proof." Alex answered and pointed to her breasts which started to grow a few months ago.
Nick just watched her when he started to speak. "Claire, you look nice." He said and flushed a little.
Alex didn't notice and started again to mock Claire. "You're a girly-girl now."
"I'm not. I will do the same work as you, only faster and better. I would already be finished with the barley there without the help of my little sister uhm, your little brother." She contered self-confident but hoped Alex and Nick hadn't notice her slip of. While she spoke she had thought about her little sister Tess. Tess moved back to Melbourne with her mother a few years ago because the marriage of Ruth and Jack hadn't worked. Claire still missed her little sister, especially when she saw Nick and Alex together. They weren't much different to Claire and Tess. Both were completly different to each other.
Alex got Claire out of her thoughts. "Proof that, Claire. Show me how fast you get that part of the barley from the ute. I will do the rest myself." Alex answered while he pointed at some bags.
"Nick, do you take the time?" Alex asked his little brother who just nodded.
"Alex Ryan, this will be embarrassing for you." Claire answered pugnaciously, put her working boots on and got up the ute.
Nick watched once more this two contestants. This was like a game to them. He got to know Claire together with his brother at a riding competition in the beginning of their last summer holidays. Claire was the only girl among the contestants. Nobody thought she had a chance but she was the second contestant who got over the finish line, after his brother Alex. Since that day a friendship grew between them and the competition went on and on. Mostly Alex and Claire were into it but lately Nick got into it too. He couldn't watch his brother getting closer and closer to Claire what left him out the picture. Nick felt excluded.
Claire finished her part. She just took the last bag of barley to the shed. "Done." She said to Alex who was slightly impressed by her speed. "It's your turn, Alex. Nick, please take the time."
Nick nodded and Alex got up the ute. He did the same as Claire and noticed how hard it must have been for her to keep up the speed. He knew she wanted revenge for last years riding competition. So he gave his best and ran as fast as he could with the bags of barley.
When he finished his part, Claire and Alex went to Nick who looked excusively at Claire. "Alex is the winner." Nick announced.
"Best man wins, girly-girl." Alex said to Claire with a big grin on his face.
Claire lost once more and beside of that her school uniform looked disgusting. That didn't bother her at all but she could imagine Meg's reaction to it and thought for a way out of her problem. First of all she should change so Meg wouldn't notice in the first place. "Sorry boys, I have to change. Meg will love this." She started. "We have to meet later. What are you up tonight?." Claire asked.
"Nothing special. We're just home from school like you and mom likes us to be around the first night but we can go camping. Mom will understand. We can't leave a girly-girl all by herself in the wild countryside." Alex suggested.
"Stop calling me girly-girl, Alex Ryan. But after all it's a good idea. We could camp in the northern paddock. There is no cattle at the moment. What do you think about it, Nick?" Claire asked Nick who hadn't talked much since Claire was there.
"Sure, I'm always up for an adventure with you."
"So it's a deal. Meet me at 6 p.m. at the gate." Claire told Alex and Nick and went back into the house to change her clothes.

Harry just got out of Jack's study into the hallway when Claire entered the house.
"What were you up to? Helped the boys?" Harry asked after he had noticed Claire's dirty clothes.
"Yeah. Without me it would have taken them far more time." Claire said self-confident although she had lost the competition.
Harry knew about the lasting competition between Alex and Claire. He encouraged his sons in things like that. They needed good contestants to learn out of the competitions. Claire was a very good contestant. "I know, Claire, I know." Harry replied and left the house.

Claire went upstairs to her room to change her clothes. After that she got down again into her father's study who was doing the paperwork of the farm.
"Dad, I'm going to camp with Nick and Alex in the northern paddock." Claire told her father.
"Sure, have fun but don't forget your duties." Jack answered distracted.

Meanwhile Alex and Nick sat in the ute of her father and drove back to Killarney.
"Dad, we want to camp with Claire tonigt." Alex started.
"Haven't you already spend enough time with that girl for today?" Harry asked. "You could learn a lot if you stayed at the farm and did your work."
"Dad, we are just back from school. Please, let us have this one night." Nick asked begging.
"Ok boys. But you don't get in trouble yourself, you don't get Claire in trouble and you stay on Jack's or my land." Harry gave in.
"Yeah dad, we promise we won't do anything wrong." Alex answerd the command.
"Be back at 9.a.m.. I need your hands on Killarney."
"Ok, but we have to go right away. We meet Claire at 6 p.m. So we will just grab our stuff, explain it to mum and then go back to Drovers." Nick explained.
Harry just nodded and went silent on the last k's of the drive.

To be continued ...