an: hi! lookit! I'm updating this only a little over a week after I last posted a chapter! woo, go me!

anyways, I would have had this up sooner, but I wanted to tweak things and then one thing led to another, and there's probably only about four lines (okay, that's an exaggeration) from what I started with. haha. and then I had some major tests this week.

thank you for reading the last one, too! I really like finding out who you think the mystery band member is. (I've got some for Dougie, a Danny, and 'I'm not fussy.')

anywhoo, here's the next one.

disclaimer: mcfly, those incredibly talented and beautiful boys, belong to themselves and themselves alone. however, the ideas of this are mine, all mine, I cooked them up in this mental head that sits on my shoulders. thank you.

SIX - PIXIE AND DIXIE AND THE CALLS

I remember a year ago
I was standing in the crowd
Waiting for my chance to break through
My chance to live again

Publication day meant a half day for the writers. Which was a good thing for me, seeing as I had never been published before and was insanely nervous about it – I might have worked at a few different magazines and newspapers before finally landing my current job, but I had never been able to get any of my work published in them.

It also meant that I got to bug Lauren while she worked.

"Do you have a copy of it, Pixie?" Lauren asked, barely glancing up from what she was working on. "So I can read your beautiful words, over and over and over again?"

Pixie was the name Lauren had given me when we were seven. That was when we decided that we were sick of our bland and boring names that everyone else used and decided we needed nicknames for each other. It was also around that time that we fell in love with Hanna-Barbra's "Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks" cartoon from the late 1950's. She fell in love with Dixie, and I with Pixie. She started calling me Pixie, and I called her Dixie in return.

"Hot off the press, Dixie," I replied, handing her one of the copies of the magazine I had been given earlier in the day.

"Ooh, ooh! This is so exciting! My bestie's been published in a real magazine for the first time!" As she said this, she did a dance, pulling me in to do a twirl with her. "What page? What page!"

"Forty-two."

Sticking her pencil in her hair, she flipped open the magazine, stopping only once she reached the page. She read it out loud, but even if she didn't, I would have known exactly what it said, word for word, having read it over countless times over the past few days.

I must have zoned out while she was reading, because, suddenly, she was talking to me again.

"Pixie! This is awesome!" she cried, throwing her arms around me.

"You really think so? You're not just saying that, are you?"

"Why would I lie about something like this?"

"I don't know…." I was just playing with her now.

"I wouldn't, Adara! And I'm serious, this is amazing! You mum would be so proud of you right now."

"Thanks Lauren, that means a lot to me," I replied, meaning for her praise and for what she said about my mum. Pulling her into a hug, I added, "Seriously, thank you. So what are you working on Dix?" I looked over her shoulder at what was spread out on her work surface.

"In all honesty, I was thinking of you and was trying to draw Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks. But you know how I can't draw cartoons."

"Are you kidding me? This is your best work yet!" I wasn't entirely serious, but, cartoon-wise, her drawings were better than anything I've ever seen her draw. They could have been on television, and you wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the actual show and her drawings – except, of course, that one was moving and the other was stationary.

"You're not serious, are you? Because I put a lot of work into that one I gave you for Christmas," she told me, a look of dread on her face.

"Cartoon-wise, I'm completely serious. And, believe me when I say this, that drawing you gave me? That's my favourite thing in that apartment of ours – besides you of course. I love and adore that drawing. Why do you think I have it framed on the wall?"

"I don't know."

"Seriously, Lauren. Believe me: I love it. And you are an amazing and super talented artist. You hear me?"

"I hear you," she replied with a smile.

I was just about to hug her again when my mobile started vibrating in my pocket. Fishing it out, I checked the screen to find out who was calling. Not recognizing the number, I gave the device a curious look.

"Who's calling?" Lauren asked, probably noticing my look.

"I don't know, actually."

"Maybe it's Sunglass Boy!" she proposed, sounding more excited than I felt.

I laughed. "Maybe." I flipped the top up, pressing it to my ear. "Hello?"

"OMIGOODIES!" was squealed into my ear, almost deafening me instantaneously.

"Oh, hey Sidney!" I had forgotten I had given her my number.

I looked at Lauren as her face turned from excited to confused, and laughed.

"Where are you?" Sidney asked.

"What do you mean, where am I?"

"I mean, we're at the magazine, and you're not."

"Oh. It's a half day for all us writer-types."

"Well! Hugh and I just read it!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! And we both say it's awesome!"

"Oh, thanks, Sid!"

"No, thank you! It was out first time really being in a magazine, and you made us sound super awesome and cool! And it's all awesome!" I could hear the smile in her voice.

"That's really cool. And I'm glad I could be the one to write your first interview. And I'm really glad you like it!"

"I'm glad that you're glad! Ooh! You should come out with us tonight! Hugh and the guys and I are going celebrating – being in the magazine and our album dropping next week!"

"Congrats, but I don't know, I've never gone out with a band before."

"C'mon! It'll be fun! And if you're not having fun – which I highly doubt – you can leave whenever you want – but you have to stay at least an hour, okay?"

"You know what? Sure, I'll be there!"

I talked with Sidney a while longer, getting all the details. When we hung up, I told Lauren she was coming, too, and told her the plan. She seemed even more excited than Sidney had been.

"I should get home. I mean, what if my boss was to call and I wasn't there? She said they'd be letting us know what we're working on this month sometime today."

"Alright, bye-bye!"

"See you in a bit, Dixie!" I called as headed back for the door.

Just as I was about to pull the door open, my purse started vibrating.

"Boy, Pix! You sure are popular today!" Lo called as I pulled my pulled my mobile back out.

Just as before, I didn't know the number being displayed.

song: in fate's hands by the red jumpsuit apparatus

an: there you have it. the title for the chapter as well as the girls' nicknames come from the show 'Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks,' like I wrote. I absolutely adore Hanna-Barbra cartoons, so I thought they should too. (Though, I don't think I've actually seen this one, but I just adored the names so I thought they should have them! :3)

thank you for reading and feel free to leave a review. :3

also, I just have one question for you:

who do you think is calling her this time?