Disclaimer: I do not own the Beatles or anything else you might recognize.


Nowhere Girl

Chapter Three: I Feel Fine

John's POV

'And this one is called, I Wanna Hold Your Hand,' Paul announces into the mic. The crowd goes crazy. Girls scream, wail as though they'e physically pained to see us on stage. When Paul starts singing, they positively howl, tears running down their faces. Can they even hear us over that goddamn loud noise they're making? 'Yeah, I'll tell you something, I think you'll understand,' sings Paul. 'When I, say that something, I wanna hold your ha-and!' George and I join in - 'I wanna hold your ha-a-and, I wanna hold your hand.' Paul wags his head, grinning, and George bounces up and down happily. I can't see Ringo, but I'm sure that he's smiling goofily and nodding his head.

That's when I recognize a girl in the crowd - Auri. She's not screaming or howling. I can't hear her of course, but I can see her mouth moving as she sings with us - she knows every word. She sees me looking at her and grins. I grin back. The high of performing kicks into me again, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I try to look for Auri again, but she's disappeared.

'Alright boys, disguises on,' orders Brian.

'Aww but Brian, there's a party going on downstairs!' complains Paul. He's packing up his bass.

'If you want to get mobbed, you can go out there.'

'Yeah Macca, those fans'll eat you alive!' says George, shuddering.

Poor guy, the fans seriously freak him out. He puts on a huge bushy beard, sunglasses, and a hat pulled down over his forehead.

I put on an extra-curly moustache that Auri would find funny and a curly wig that belongs to Ringo. 'Hey, that's mine,' protests Ringo. He makes a grab for it, but I duck under his arm and go out onto the street, hunching my coat around myself.

I've just turned the corner of the street when someone prods my moustache-covered cheek. 'Agh!' I yell, preparing to arm myself against a mob of fans, but it's only Auri, giggling at my disguise. 'Nice moustache,' she says. 'Curly hair looks good on you.'

'Really?' I say eagerly.

'No!' she laughs. 'I was kidding, you look ridiculous.'

'Well let's see how you look in this!' I rip the wig off my head and jam it onto hers. 'Hey!' she yells indignantly, pulling the curly wig off. 'Do not touch my hair.'

'Oh really?' I say teasingly.
'Really,' she says, looking deadly serious.

'Okay,' I say. She nods and we continue walking. Then I grab her hair and put my hands all over it. 'Aaaaghhh!' Auri screams. 'This man is raping me! Get him offf!' She twists and pushes her fist into my stomach. It's not a hard blow but nobody hits John Lennon. I let go and clutch my stomach. 'No one,' I say through gritted teeth, and I'm about to finish by saying hits John Lennon but she exclaims, 'I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hit you! I just wanted to get you off my hair. I'm so sorry John, please forgive me, I didn't mean to hit you.'

Well, who can stay mad at those huge brown eyes?

'I think ... I can't ever talk to you again.' Her eyes widen. 'Why?' she asks piteously.

'Because that really hurt,' I say, struggling to keep a straight face.

She looks surprised and mildly self-satisfied. 'Really?'

'Really,' I say, my jaw twitching. She looks sad. I can't keep up my straight face straight anymore. 'Got you!' I crow, grinning. 'I'm not mad at you, love, of course you couldn't hurt me.'

'I could,' Auri says defensively. She looks at me concernedly, 'Are you sure you didn't get hurt?'

'Yes, positive,' I answer, laughing. 'You couldn't hurt anyone.'

'Yes, I could!' Auri say crossly. 'I haven't survived all these years on luck!'

'Hmm. I think you should buy me an ice cream to apologize,' I decide, as we pass an ice cream truck.

'Okay,' she says happily. She buys us two ice creams - a chocolate cone for me and an orange ice lolly for herself. Mmm, ice cream. I could live on that stuff. I grab Auri's ice cream and steal a lick.

I feel years younger when I hang out with Auri - literally. Right now, I feel like a kiddie. 'Let's go to the zoo,' I say. Auri glares at me. 'Zoos are horrible places, they lock up animals and don't treat them right!'
Dissatisfied that I haven't been able to please her, I quickly try to amend my statement and say, 'Oh, well, we don't have to go to the zoo then. Let's go ...'

'Beach!' says Auri excitedly, grabbing my arm.

'Just one problem, love ... there isn't a beach around here.' 'Oh right,' she says, looking disappointed. 'Well, it's one o'clock ...'

'One o'clock!' I repeat. I hadn't noticed the time passing. 'Well alright then, let's go home.'

'Home?' Auri gives me a pitying look. 'Already?'

'Hey, I'm a Beatle. It ain't easy, girl!' I down the last bit of my ice cream cone. She's barely licked half an inch off hers. 'Gotta get me beauty sleep!'

'Alright,' she laughs. 'But you're taking me out for lunch sometime, okay?'

'Okay!' I say eagerly. 'How about tomorrow?' We've got a press conference tomorrow, but it can go die.' Pffft. press conference? Brian might just kill me if I miss it, but screw that.

She scrunches her face, thinking. 'Nope, there's a protest march on the campus tomorrow,' she says. 'Day after?'

'Yes!' I say. The day after tomorrow seems a long way away.


Thanks for reading! :) Please review and tell me what you think. -Jen.