Shiny Side Down

Chapter 10

The fans weren't paying attention any more, but Charlotte had turned pink and was stuttering profusely.

"I, um, err…"

Her spiel of awkwardness was cut off when Sam and Nicole jumped on her.

"The fuck?" she spluttered, trying to wriggle out of their grasp.

"Honey," Hanna pulled a sharpie marker – bright red – out of her purse. "I don't know if you just realised, but Josh fuckin' Ramsay just kissed you."

And on Charlotte's lower cheek, just a bit above her jaw, she drew a big lip-shaped splotch.

"There," said Sam, unhanding the redhead. "Now you have evidence."

Charlotte glanced at her reflection in a shop window. "Um, I don't know if you'd noticed, but josh doesn't wear bright red lipstick."

Nicole smirked. "You would know."

"But – he – I –" Charlotte flailed helplessly, "Oh great…"

Now Matt, Mike and Ian were laughing.

"Ramsay, you pedo." chortled Matt. "You can't go around molesting thirteen-year olds."

"I – she – you – oh, fuck you." mumbled Josh, staring at his feet.

Hanna chuckled. "Okay, now stop mocking the love birds," she instructed, "Because our hostages need to answer a question."

The boys looked up at her.

"Are you going to stay?" she bit her lip, somewhat nervously. "Because, um, I'm sure you have better things to do then get mobbed by sexually frustrated Fangirls and kiss soulless gingers –" Josh's ears went pink "– So if you wanna leave, it's okay."

Josh looked at his band mates. "No." he smiled reassuringly. "We'll stay."

Mike chuckled. "Josh just wants to sexually assault more teenagers."

"Screw you, I do not!"

"Josh is a pedo, Josh is a pedo…"

"You are so fucking mature, Ayley, I'm so impressed –"

"Oh yeah? Come at me, bro!"

Mike backed away jokingly, arms open. Somehow in the process, he managed to fall over the safety barrier and land directly in the water. The other seven went into hysterics. A grumbling Mike pulled himself out of the lake, dripping wet.

When he'd regained the ability to speak, Josh grinned at Mike.

"Karma's a bitch, ain't it Mikey Mouse?"

"… Fuck you, man, fuck you."