Paul's POV

A month later, I went back to school. I walked to the bus stop as soon as I finished my breakfast, with Mike. He was talking about Eleanor, saying that he might see her in the bus on the way to school. The bus arrived when Mike and I were there. We walked in, and then he was invited by his friends to sit in the top deck. He couldn't say no, so he walked up with his friends. I sat on an empty seat, and looked out the window. The bus started moving, and I watched as the wheels of the bus spinning.

The bus stopped on another bus stop, and then a familiar girl walked in. I realized that it was Eleanor. She saw me looking at her, and her cheeks immediately turned red. She sat on the front row of the bus. Obviously, she was too shy and scared to sit next to me, or the seat next to mine. Don't worry, Eleanor, I don't bite.

The bus started moving once again, and stopped at George's bus stop. The moment I saw him going inside the bus, I raised my hand, and called him.

"Hey, George! Over here!" I said to him with a loud voice so he could hear.

He smiled at me, and sat beside me.

"Hi, Paul," he greeted me.

"Hi, George!" I greeted him back, and hit him on the back. "How's your holiday?"

"It's fine, thank you," he said. "And yours?"

"Great! Just great!" I said with a grin, and lowered my voice. "Did you see that dark-haired bird sitting on the front row of the bus?"

He looked up, and looked at Eleanor. He looked at me back, and nodded his head. "Yes, why?" he asked.

"Well, she's the daughter of my dad's friend," I said. "I met her last month, because my dad invited his friend and his friend's family over for dinner. Her dad is Liverpudlian, and so is her mother, but they lived in Manchester, but moved back here. What do you think about her?"

I saw the bright shade of red on his cheeks, and he started stammering. "Well, erm, I…think…I think…I think she's all right." He said, stammering.

"My brother is in love with her...do you think she and Mike are perfect for each other?" I asked with a chuckle.

"I don't think so."

"I don't think so, neither!"

"Well, are you in love with her?" he asked.

"No, I just like her." I said. "I didn't talk to her when she was in my house. I was too shy."

"That's not your usual self."

"I know! But I just like her. Nothing else, and nothing more." I said. "Do you think I should go over there, and talk to her? She looks awfully lonely."

"Sure, why not?" he said.

"Are you sure you'll be all right here by yourself?" I asked, worried about my little friend.

"I'll be all right, of course," he said with a chuckle. "Now, go over there, and talk to her. Don't forget to tell her about me."

I laughed heartily as I stood up from the seat. "How can I forget?" I asked. "You're my best mate, George."

He smiled at me. "Oh, thanks, Paul."

I walked slowly to Eleanor, and stood beside her seat as the bus moved. It was quite hard to stand there, because of the moving bus.

"Hey, Eleanor," I greeted her with a warm smile.

She looked at me, and her eyes lit up when our eyes met. Her cheeks immediately turned pink, and she smiled at me kindly.

"Hi, Paul," she greeted me back.

"Can I sit with you?" I asked her.

"Sure." She said, and put her bag on her laps so I could sit beside her.

"Are you excited for your first day in Liverpool Institute?" I asked her as I sat beside her, our arms touching, but she seemed she didn't mind at all.

"Yes…quite." She smiled. "Where's Mike?"

"He's up there with his school friends." I said, pointing at the ceiling of the bus.

"Oh. He's a nice lad."

"He is, isn't he?"

She shyly nodded her head, and looked out the window.

"Do you miss your old school?" I asked her.

"Not really," she answered, still looking out the window. "I have no friends there."

"But your dad said—"

"My father said my classmates are going to miss me, because they can't cheat whenever there's homework," she said. "And by cheat, I mean: they can't command me to do their homework's."

I looked at her. "Why do they do that?" I asked.

She sighed. "I'm sort of…bullied there." She said, and looked at me. "If I don't things they tell me to do, they will ruin my life."

"Didn't you tell your parents?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't want them to know." She said. "I kept praying every night for my dad to be promoted, and move to another city somewhere in Great Britain. And I was really glad that he came home one evening with great news! So, I'm really happy to move here, to Liverpool. And, hopefully, I will make friends here."

I smiled at her. "You have two friends, now, don't you?" I asked her.

She smiled at me widely. "Yes, I do." She said. "You and Mike. The McCartney Brothers."

I laughed heartily. "That's a nice name to call me and Mike! The McCartney Brothers! I really like it! Just like The Everly Brothers." I commented.

"Exactly! You and Mike can start a band!" she said with a grin.

"I'm already in a band." I said, with a little pride in my air.

"Oh, really?" she asked me with interest.

I nodded my head. "I'm in this band, called The Quarrymen. I joined the band during the summer break on July. Days before you and your parents came for dinner."

"I see. What do you play?"

"The guitar," I said. "And so is my friend. He's here, in the bus, back there."

"What's his name?" she asked me.

"His name is George Harrison," I said. "He plays the guitar awfully well! I have to admit, I'm sort of jealous of his guitar skills. His guitar skill is real boss!"

She chuckled. "I sure want to watch you and your band perform some time, but I know that my parents won't let me," she said.

"We perform in dance halls, not in clubs…not yet." I said.

"Yes, but still. They said I'm allowed go until I'm seventeen years old. I can watch you and your band perform in three years. It's such a drag." She said.

I smirked at her. "Maybe, John and I can make a private performance just for you." I said.

"What?"

"You know. Maybe, he and I can perform a few songs just for you at your or my house."

"Oh. That would be grand! Oh, who is John?"

"He's the leader of the band." I said. "He's quite rough, has great passion for rock and roll, witty, and, sort of, a playboy. Just be careful around him, okay?"

She nodded her head. The bus suddenly stopped, and we heard loud footsteps coming from above us.

"This is Mike's stop." I said.

And then boys and girls came to our way to exit the bus. Mike stopped, because he saw Eleanor sitting beside me.

"Oh, hi, Eleanor!" he greeted her.

"Hi, Mike." She greeted him back with a smile.

"Hurry up, Mike! We're going to be late!" called Mike's friend outside the bus.

Mike chuckled, still looking at her. "Goodbye, Eleanor."

"Bye, Mike."

He walked out of the bus, and started yelling at his friend. Eleanor and I laughed about it as the bus started to move again.

"Hello, goodbye," I remarked, and winked at her that made her blush.

We got off from the bus the next stop, and I introduced her to George. They were both really shy when they were introducing themselves, but they got along quite swell.

"Paul told me from you're Manchester," he said to her.

"Yes."

"Are you a big fan of soccer, then?"

"Sorry, I'm not a big fan of soccer. But I'm a big fan of Literature and rock and roll! Especially Elvis Presley." She said with a huge smile on her face.

"That's really gear! What's your favorite song by him?" he asked her.

"Love Me Tender," she said. "Such a beautiful, and romantic love song! What about yours?"

He smiled. "I have lots."

"Mention one, then."

He paused for a while to choose which is her favorite song by Elvis. "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," he said. "That's also Paul's favorite song."

We walked her to the opened front door of Liverpool Institute for Girls to wish her good luck, and all the girls were looking at George and I. I tried to flirt with one of them, but they were all walking in to the school so fast.

"Good luck on your first day at school, Eleanor," I wished her, my hands inside my pockets.

"Thanks, Paul," she thanked me. "So, I'll see you, lads, after school?"

"Of course." I said with a nod. "We'll go back to our homes together."

She chuckled heartily. "Bye, lads!" she said, and gave a wave at us as she walked in to the school building.

"Now, let's go out of here, before we're being attacked by girls, because of our good looks!" I exclaimed jokingly, and George laughed as we walked to our school, which was across the street.

Eleanor's POV

It was quite a hard day at school. I haven't made a single friend yet! Maybe, I'd end up being friendless in this school throughout the year, like before. I couldn't wait for dismissal, so I could see Paul and George, again. They're really nice to me—unlike the usual boys, who act like assholes and bastards to girls just to impress them. Thank God, Paul and George aren't like that.

My last class was English—my favorite subject. Why couldn't I have English in the morning? Then, my day would be better. The English teacher, Ms. Thompson, introduced me to the class shortly, and then told me to sit in the empty seat, which was in the back of the classroom. I made my way to the back of the classroom with all the girls' eyes on me, watching me as I awkwardly walked to the empty seat, which was sitting on the corner.

As I sat down on the seat, the blonde girl beside me greeted me.

"Hello, Eleanor," she greeted me kindly. "My name is Ramona Wood, but you can call me Ramona or Mona. I like Mona better, though."

"Hi, Ramona," I greeted her back with a friendly smile.

"So, you're from Manchester?" she asked me.

I nodded my head. "But I'm full Liverpudlian," I said.

"I can tell from your accent." She smiled. "I'll talk to you again, later, after this class is over. English is my favorite!"

"It's my favorite, too!" I said with a grin.

"We have one thing in common, Eleanor Walker," she said with a chuckle.

I paid attention to what Ms. Thompson was teaching, even though it was the last class for today. She was discussing about Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. We were going to start reading that book next week.

I was very relieved when the school bell rang. Everyone in the classroom started getting their books and bags, and walked out of the room. I walked out of the school building with Ramona, and talked together about things.

"Are you taking the bus ride home?" I asked her as we walked out of the building.

"No, my brother is picking me up," she said, and pointed at a sleek blue car parking on the driveway of the school. "There he is. I'll see you again tomorrow, Eleanor."

"Sure. Bye, Mona."

"Bye, Eleanor." She walked to the car, and got in. I watched the blue car drove off, and it was soon out of sight.

I heard Paul calling my name, and when I looked up, he and George were walking towards me with smiles on their faces. I smiled at them back, and stayed where I was standing until they were closer.

"Hello, lads," I greeted them.

"Hey, Eleanor," Paul greeted me warmly. "You're ready to go home?"

"Yes, of course." I said.

"It's in the other side of the street." He said. "Let's go there."

I nodded my head, and we carefully walked to the other bus stop, which was on the other side of the road. We talked while waiting for the bus to come.

"How was the first day of school?" George asked me with his cute Liverpudlian accent.

"It was fine," I said. "I made a new friend in English class. Her name is Mona Wood."

"Cool. It's good to now that you have a girl friend." Said Paul with a smile on his face. "Introduce me to her some times?" He winked at me.

I felt my cheeks blushing, and I burst out giggling. "Sure, why not?" I said, still giggling, and looked at George. He was looking at me with a smile, and I felt my cheeks blushing heavily.

"Oh, look! Here comes the bus!" I said, pointing at the approaching dark green double decker bus.

We walked in to the bus, and sat on the nearest empty seat. I was sitting between Paul and George, and we couldn't help laughing how silly it felt, squeezing in.

"Oh, dear!" I giggled.

"Eleanor, can you come to my house tomorrow?" Paul asked me.

"What for?" I answered.

"For helping me with my homework." He said.

"But we're not the same level."

"It doesn't matter. Maybe you could read a thing or two about my homework, and then help me out?" he suggested.

"I'll try. I've to ask both of my parents first."

"Of course. You can tell me tomorrow morning." He said, and gave me a friendly smile that made the hairs on my arms stand.

I was really glad to be back home. I immediately crawled to bed, ignoring my mother's question: "How was school, dear?", and quickly drifted to sleep when I rested my head on the pillow. I was really tired after quite a long and hard day at school. I wondered if I could survive the next day.