Thursday 3rd April 2004

I was sat in the passenger seat in Joe Carr's car. Dad insisted Joe Carr to drive me into school as he didn't trust me.

"So," Joe Carr started to say as we left our drive. "I heard you got fired on your first day at Burger King because you got into a fight, am I wrong?"

"And that's what my dad told you, wasn't it?" I asked harshly.

"Well, to be honest, your father says a lot of things to me about you. You probably don't know half of the stuff he says." Joe Carr laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "It's not really that funny."

He stopped laughing and turned down the radio. There was a bit of silence between us before he asked,

"So, you've got any boys in your mind at the moment?"

"No." I replied bluntly.

And that was it. The both of us remained silent for the rest of the car journey.

Joe Carr dropped me off on the road where my school was. I opened the door and climbed out. I said thanks to him as he passed me my guitar and I started to walk up the pavement to the school field. I walked along the field towards the music room. I opened the door and walked up the stairs. Sam, Angie and Lisa were up there and they were already practicing. Sam was sat on a chair watching them. Mr Smallcombe stood up as soon as he saw me.

"Kayleigh, you're finally here!" He said gleefully.

"Sorry for being a bit late, sir." I said as I got my guitar out of its case.

"I've had permission from your teachers that you'll be missing the first two lessons due to rehearsing for the music show tomorrow night."

I shrugged. It wasn't too bad as I had Music first period and I would only be missing French.

"Angie wrote a song for us to perform tomorrow." Lisa said as she passed me a piece of paper which had the music and lyrics to a new song called Leave It All to Me. I read through it and nodded. I liked it.

"We've already sorted who will be singing what," Angie said. "Kayleigh, you'll be singing the first verse and the chorus and Lisa will sing the second verse." She went to sit behind the drums.

We rehearsed the song and I instantly fell in love with it. However, by the second run through, Lisa stopped us.

"I don't like the way the music is sounding. Feels like we're missing something."

"You need a bass to it. The music seems to be on one level. I think you need to mix it around a bit more. Experiment with it." Mr Smallcombe suggested.

Lisa looked at me. "Told you we needed a bass."

I looked up at Sam. "What about you?" I asked, ignoring Lisa. He looked at me a little bewildered. "You play the bass, don't you?"

"I did, but I haven't for a while …"

"Can you still read music?"

"Yeah but …"

"Then you'll be fine."

Mr Smallcombe looked at Sam. "Would you like to join their band?"

Sam looked pensive.

"Okay I will." Sam said after a while. He picked up the school's bass from the corner of the room, and we started to play the song once more. Mr Smallcombe nodded his head in approval. It sounded much better.

I was sat on my own in the canteen in the first break, waiting for Lisa and Angie to arrive. The three of us had a History lesson in the next period and for the past three weeks, the class had been preparing for a presentation we had to do about the French Revolution in pairs. I was put with Angie. I waited for the whole fifteen minute break, hoping that Angie would hurry up and bring the costumes and scripts, but she never arrived. Angie and I wanted to do a piece of drama, acting out the French Revolution.

The bell rang and I had completely lost my temper with Angie as she never turned up. I stood up and stormed out of the canteen and into the History classroom where the class had started to settle down in their seats. Lisa was sat at the front with her partner, Samantha, and Angie was sat at the back, already dressed in her costume. She was slouched back in the seat, her arms crossed tightly across her chest, looking somewhat irritated.

"Where the hell were you at break? I waited for you!" I hissed.

Angie said nothing as she took out my costume from a Tesco bag and chucked it lazily at me. I looked at it as it fell to the floor and raised my eyebrows.

"Well that was a little rude." I mumbled. Angie was in a bad mood.

"Are you going to sit down, Miss Slovenia?" Our History teacher asked impatiently.

"Sorry, sir." I said. I quickly put my costume over my school uniform and sat on the table next to Angie.

The lesson went by quicker than I thought it would. Angie stood up and stormed to the front of the classroom when it was our turn. I could hear some people in the class sniggering at our costumes. I could feel my cheeks flush pink a little but Angie still looked irritated.

There was a long pause of silence. I sighed and thought that it would be best if I started. So I started the presentation, talking about what the French Revolution was and how it started. I then started to say about all of the laws they had in the past.

"Okay, I have a rule that I found out at break time today. Similar to what they would have had back then," Angie said and then she looked at me. "One of the rules was, 'Never lie to your best friend pretending you know someone from a band when clearly you made it up because you just want to be somebody.'"

I froze, a little confused. I glanced down at Lisa who was glaring at her books, as if she was waiting for it to disintegrate in front of her. Then it hit me.

"Well maybe some people should have a little more faith in their friends instead of believing silly little rumours that they are told." I had instantly guessed that someone must have made Lisa and Angie believe that I wasn't becoming friends with McFly.

The class realised that we were starting an argument as they all went "Oooo." Lisa stood up.

"Another thing they said back then." She said. "Maybe people should stop being so stalker-ish and leave famous people alone instead of clinging onto them." She then looked at Angie. "And perhaps some people should stop getting jealous about their best friend having a boyfriend and bitching about them to others."

The class went "Oooo" again.

"Okay, Miss Levett, sit down now. You're not part of this presentation." The History ordered but Angie cut across him.

"Jealous? How am I jealous of you and Sam?" She snapped.

"Don't try to cover up. I was told everything you said about us at break time."

Just then, Angie picked up a custard pie which was on the desk behind us that the year seven's had baked, and chucked it at Lisa. The custard pie got her on the head and into her hair. The class laughed as Lisa gasped. She paused before storming to the desk and picked up another custard pie.

"Lisa, I wouldn't do that if I were you. You're gonna make it worse." I said calmly.

"Oh really?" Lisa said unsympathetically. "I was told that you were the one who was bitching about me the most!" Lisa then planted the pie onto my face. I felt the anger rush through me as I grabbed another pie and turned to Angie.

"And this is for making me wait all of break for you!" I shouted and shoved it in her face.

"That is enough!" The history teacher shouted and then everyone fell silent, until someone stood up and yelled, "FOOD FIGHT!"

The whole class stood up and started throwing their lunch at one another for a laugh. However, Lisa, Angie and I stopped to watch what everyone was doing till someone picked up three custards pies and chucked them at us. We were soaked with custard and pastry.

Without a word, I picked up a bottle of Ribena from someone's desk and poured it in Lisa's hair. She screamed and then picked up another pie and squished it into my hair.

"Let's not act out the French Revolution with custard pies!" The teacher said, being a little reluctant to stop us but then someone shoved a pie in his face.

Lisa, Angie and I were called to sit outside Mr Hobbs' office. Mum and dad were in his office. The three of us started to giggle at the sound of Mr Hobbs shouting. We then stopped abruptly and looked at one another.

"I'm sorry," Lisa eventually confessed. "I knew you wouldn't bitch about me like that, especially to someone like Jenny and Katy. They came up to me at break and told me that. I've learnt my lesson not to listen to them."

"Yeah, Kayleigh, I'm really sorry," Angie said. "It's just that Jess saw you with Dougie the other day and said how you're forcing him to be your friend and that he doesn't like you. In fact, that doesn't sound like you at all."

I sighed. "I'm sorry too."

"But there's nothing for you to be sorry about, Kayleigh. It was us." Lisa said. I smiled and then put my arms round them.

"I forgive you both. We were all being silly and one argument can never split our band apart. Besides, think about the funny side of it, we had a custard pie fight in history. That's something we don't get to do every day."

"But what will your parents say?" As soon as Lisa said that, the door swung open and mum and dad walked out. Dad looked more furious then mum did. Mum didn't look too bothered.

"We'll talk to you when you get home, young lady." Dad hissed as he walked past with mum. Lisa, Angie and I stood up and walked into Mr Hobbs' office. Angie closed the door behind her and we sat in the three seats in front of his desk.

"I'm not exactly surprised about you, Kayleigh, but Lisa and Angie; I am appalled by your behaviour! That was not like you to have the heart to take the pies that the year seven class did this morning to throw to other people in your class. It's absolutely disgraceful. You are year eleven students. You're supposed to set an example to the younger students!" Mr Hobbs shouted.

"Sir, none of the year seven's saw us do that." Angie muttered.

"Be quiet!" Mr Hobbs sighed and rubbed his forehead, looking exhausted and fed up. "The three of you are staying behind after school for detention tomorrow." He sighed again. "Now get out of my sight."

Ignoring what my parents said to me the night before, I walked to the pier with Lisa and Angie like we did every Thursday after school. All I cared about was meeting Danny. I knew mum and dad were at home waiting for me but I didn't care.

"Danny said that he might be seeing me after school." I said as we reached the pier.

Lisa smiled. "What's this thing about going swimming on Saturday?"

"Dougie said that he and the boys are going swimming at the Lido and he said that I could go with them and bring you two with me."

Lisa shook her head. "I already have plans with Sam."

I looked at Angie who looked down to the ground. We bought ourselves a corn dog each and walked up and down the pier. There were loads of people from school dotted around either outside or in the arcade. As we got further down, I felt my mobile phone vibrate in my pocket. I took it out and put it to my ear.

"Hello?" I said.

"Look to your left. I'll come over."

It was Danny. He must have got my number off Dougie.

Lisa, Angie and I turned to our left and saw Danny walking casually up to us. Some of the girls around watched him walk over to me. Angie squealed.

"Time to take the training wheels off, kiddo." Lisa said and pushed me forward.

Danny smiled broadly and he reached me.

"You alright?" He said as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into an embrace. Lisa and Angie walked off to buy some ice cream and Danny and I walked down to the end of the pier. The sky was grey and occasionally there would be a heavy gust of wind. There was so much running through my head: my band, McFly, mum and dad, Tracie, my brothers, James. I didn't know what to do.

"Can I just ask you something?" I asked as Danny nodded. "Why did you want to hang out with me?" I looked at the sea as we stopped at a rail. I could feel Danny's eyes on me. I wanted to know everything.

Danny smiled. "You're not like most girls I've met down here. There's something special about you. And I like your eyes …" Danny stopped and looked down at the sea. He then looked back at me. "Does a guy really have to explain as to why he likes a girl?"

"Pardon?" I said a little shocked. I wasn't too sure if I was hearing correctly.

Danny laughed as he took hold of both my hands and stroked them with his thumb.

"I know we've only just met, Kayleigh, but I would really like to get to know you more …"

"I think I'm gonna be sick." I heard someone say. I turned to my left and saw Jess, Jenny and Katy watching us. Jess was holding up my phone as if she was taking a photo of Danny and I. I paused, pulled my hand away from Danny and put it in my blazer pocket. My phone wasn't there. It must have fallen out.

"There you go," Jess said smugly. "A lovely photo to send to daddy to show what his precious daughter gets up to behind his back."

"NO!" I shouted and ran up to them. I snatched my phone out of Jess' hand. It started vibrating instantly; an incoming call from home. Jess smirked as she walked off with her girlfriends. Lisa and Angie ran up to me, Lisa occasionally looking over my shoulder at Danny who I had left by the rails.

"Hello?" I said as I answered the call.

"Yeah hi, where are you?" It was dad.

"Err, the school football field." I lied.

"Oh really? Then why have I received a photo on my mobile of you and a boy at the pier?" He paused, waiting for an answer but I said nothing. "I love what they've done to the place," Dad sighed. "I want you home in five minutes." He then hung up. Lisa and Angie looked at me sympathetically but I walked on. They followed.

"Hey wait!" Someone called and grabbed onto my arm. I turned round to see Danny. "Where're you going? We've just met up."

"Sorry, Danny, but I have to go home. My dad is furious with me as it is already. I'd love to stay but …"

"Okay before you go, I need to ask you something," Danny said. "On the day before I leave to go back to London; a Saturday; would you and your band sing with us on our last concert?"

I blinked a couple of times. Lisa and Angie gasped with excitement.

"What, you want us to perform at your concert?"

Danny smiled. "And perhaps in the meantime, we could go out sometime?"

"Are you asking me out?" That was the first thing that came to mind.

"Well what is there to make you sat no?" Danny winked.

"Of course. We will meet up!" And with that, Lisa, Angie and I ran off together with pure joy. We laughed all the way home.

"He so wants you to be his girlfriend!" Angie squealed.

I laughed, thinking about everything he said. I then frowned. "What about Jess?" I pondered. "I thought they were flirting with one another."

"Well obviously he doesn't care about her if he wants to meet up with you." Lisa said.

Once I got home, I found no one in the kitchen or the lounge. I heard a cough coming from the conservatory. I hesitated before walking to mum and dad who were sat together on the conservatory sofa, both leaning forward with their elbows resting on their knees. Dad looked up at me and gestured me to sit down. I swallowed hard and sat in a chair opposite them.

"We gave you one more chance, Kayleigh, and this is the last straw. We are grounding you for six weeks." Dad said harshly.

I jumped to my feet. "No!" I shouted. "No wait, dad, you don't understand. You can't ground me now!" Dad shook his head. "Dad, he is the hottest boy of one of the hottest bands ever, and he has asked me out!"

Dad picked up his phone and looked at the photo of Danny and I at the pier, holding hands. "Danny Jones, this was the eighteen year old lad who was groping you."

"Dad we are not bonding here." I hissed.

"Kayleigh, you said that he was sixteen." Mum snapped.

"Okay, I lied about that and I'm sorry."

"It's just to show that you never listen to us, so you're double grounded." Dad said and leaned back in his chair.

"Double grounded?"

"No, he meant triple." Mum said quickly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped, folding my arms.

"Well you started a custard pie in you lesson, resulting in Mr Hobbs calling us in, and you disobeyed me by going to the pier when I clearly told you not to. So, you can't go out, you can't use your phone and you can't watch TV." Dad paused and then carried on. "Oh, and you can't use the computer."

I narrowed my eyes. "That's four things."

"Shall we go for five?"

I shook my head and stormed upstairs.

Trapped in my own house as if I was in prison. I collapsed on my bed. Grounded for six weeks. I shut my eyes tightly. I was going to perform at their concert no matter what my parents did to me.