Festival Frenzy

by Emma Moss

  ‘You were a-amazing, Abs,’ said Lucy. ‘I d-don’t know how you d-do it.’

  ‘With loads of help from you!’ said Abby, grateful for Lucy’s support and encouragement. ‘Anyway, I’m sure you could do it too. But, Luce, I am DESPERATE for the loo. Can you see one?’

  They saw a long queue snaking outside a row of wooden huts.

  ‘Yikes,’ said Lucy,’ I d-don’t think these are as nice as the ones in the VIP z-zone.’

  ‘Yuck, I know . . . but it will have to do,’ Abby said, holding her breath. ‘Euch! It absolutely stinks!’ she said when she was next in line outside the toilet. ‘I should’ve brought some perfume to spray.’ When she finally opened the door, she shrieked, ‘OMG. It’s just a hole dropping to the ground! Luce! Help me!’

  ‘Maybe the unitard wasn’t such a g-good idea . . . p-practically speaking,’ observed Lucy after they had emerged a few minutes later.

  ‘No, I’ll mention that in my next festival fashion tips,’ conceded Abby sheepishly.

  They’d agreed to meet Charlie over by the food trucks in the hospitality area where Prankingstein were going to film an ice-cream eating challenge. Josh was there waiting.

  ‘Hey, sis!’ he waved. ‘How was camping? Bears didn’t get ya?’

  ‘Ha, ha, you idiot!’ Abby replied, and gave her brother a friendly punch on the arm.

  ‘What are you wearing? You look like a peacock!’ He laughed.

  ‘A gorgeous peacock,’ said Charlie, arriving and giving Abby a kiss. ‘OK, we need to get this challenge off the ground.’

  A small crowd of Prankingstein fans had gathered and were waiting for them to start. Abby watched with bated breath. She loved watching the guys film. They had so much energy.

  ‘So hi, guys!’ began Charlie once they’d set up their cameras and lights. ‘Welcome to Prankingstein at Chesterbury. Today’s challenge is to eat ten ice-cream cones in the shortest time.’

  ‘Before they melt!’ added Josh. ‘And to make this EXTRA exciting, we’d like to invite a couple of people from the crowd to join us in the challenge. Any volunteers?’

  ‘Not her!’ yelped Abby, catching sight of Dakota. Honestly, the girl was like a bad penny, always turning up where she wasn’t wanted.

  Dakota sneered at Abby. ‘I couldn’t possibly submit my body to such a punishment,’ she drawled. ‘My body is a temple.’

  ‘Looks more like a ruin to me,’ sniped Abby.

  ‘Abs!’ Lucy giggled, but Abby shrugged. If Dakota dished it out, she had to be able to take it too.

  Two volunteers stepped forward from the crowd to join Prankingstein. One of them was a very pretty redhead who giggled a lot, Abby noticed.

  Each contestant was brought a tray with ten ice creams, and then they were off! There was now quite a crowd watching and cheering them on as they stuffed the ice cream into their mouths as fast as they could. Soon the ice cream was melting, and their faces were covered in gunk. They looked a mess – even the redhead, Abby noted with satisfaction.

  ‘Argh! Brain freeze!’ shouted Charlie, and stopped to rub his temples. ‘I have to take a break.’

  ‘Come on, Charlie,’ Abby yelled. ‘You can do this!’ But he gave her an apologetic look as he shook his head.

  ‘Loser!’ shouted Josh, who was on his seventh cone and still going strong.

  ‘Are you OK?’ the pretty redhead asked Charlie in a concerned voice. She stretched her hand out to stroke his head. ‘I can’t eat any more, either.’

  Abby bristled, but Charlie responded by stuffing another cone into his mouth.

  The crowd did a countdown as Josh managed to ram the last ice-cream cone into his mouth. Everyone cheered.

  ‘I love ice cream, but that was d-disgusting!’ Lucy laughed.

  When the redhead pulled out a napkin and started to wipe Charlie’s mouth, Abby couldn’t stand it any longer. She lunged forward and snatched the napkin out of the girl’s hand.

  ‘Excuse me!’ she said, leaning over to give Charlie a kiss on the mouth.

  ‘Sor-ree!’ said the girl, taken aback.

  ‘Hungry are you?’ Charlie laughed, and gave Abby another kiss.

  Later Abby and Charlie wandered around the festival, holding hands.

  ‘I really missed you,’ said Charlie, ‘but it sounds like you had a super-cool time with the SUPing and everything.’

  ‘It was fun but a bit stressful to be honest,’ confessed Abby. ‘The whole Sassy episode was kind of a nightmare and made me realize a few things.’ She sighed. ‘I thought she was so perfect, and I kept putting her before the others, but maybe I got a little carried away.’

  ‘How?’ asked Charlie.

  ‘Well, maybe I forgot how the strength of GCV is the mix of personalities and our chemistry. And sometimes I think I can come across a bit harsh . . . even if I don’t mean it,’ Abby said, thinking of Jessie.

  ‘It’s not too late to fix any of that,’ observed Charlie, ‘and the girls know you have a heart of gold in there somewhere.’

  ‘I do?’ Abby giggled.

  ‘Well, if the rumours are true,’ said Charlie with a grin. ‘Now let’s go and find the others and see how Hermione got on with her vlog.’

  VLOG 8

  FADE IN: CHESTERBURY MUSIC FESTIVAL.

  HERMIONE standing with the main Chesterbury stage in the background.

  HERMIONE

  Hi, guys! So, as you know, we’re in Chesterbury, and we’re having the BEST time. I’ve been people-watching and it’s dawned on me how many different kinds of people come to festivals. So today I’m going to do a VIP versus Slumming It take on the festival experience.

  HERMIONE looks a bit anxious.

  HERMIONE (CONTINUED)

  This is meant to be a funny vlog, so everything is more exaggerated than in real life. If it’s not funny, then that’s just . . . awkward.

  (sighs)

  As you guys know, this kind of video isn’t really my area of expertise, but there aren’t many books or cupcake recipes around here so I figured I’d try something new! Anyway, here goes! Let’s begin with how you get to the festival.

  HERMIONE wearing sunglasses and looking FAB-U-LOUS, sashays down some steps looking very sophisticated.

  HERMIONE (CONTINUED)

  Hello, darlings! I’m relieved to be here at last. We had a tedious delay at the heliport, and then the pilot had trouble finding a place to land. There were hippies camped out all over the landing field . . . so inconsiderate!

  HERMIONE looking fed up, sitting in a car, hanging out of the window.

  HERMIONE (CONTINUED)

  OMG. How much longer can this drive take? We’ve been in a traffic jam for three hours, and we haven’t even reached Chesterbury. Traffic is at a standstill! We might have to get out and walk the rest of the way.

  (off camera)

  Once you reach the festival you need to sort out your accommodation . . .

  HERMIONE wearing sunglasses, outside a huge VIP yurt.

  HERMIONE (CONTINUED)

  Oh, darlings, I suppose I can agree to sleep in this air-conditioned luxury yurt, just for a few nights. Its bathroom is stuffed with luxurious shampoos and bath oils at least, and there’s a rather good sound system. There’s the hot tub too, of course, a fully stocked mini bar and even butler service, like at home!

  HERMIONE standing next to a tiny tent.

  HERMIONE (CONTINUED)

  We’ve just trudged a mile to the campsite that’s the furthest from the main action, carrying all our gear. I’m exhausted! We’ve pitched our tent on a slope as there was no other available space. So I hope it doesn’t rain and cause a mudslide! No showers or toilets here, by the way, so I hope everyone brought some deodorant!

  (off camera)

  Now it’s time for lunch . . .

  HERMIONE wearing sunglasses, fanning herself.

  HERMIONE (CONTINUED)

  There’s a most fabulous choice of food available and of course one doesn’t pay for it. There is ev
erything from seafood to stirfries to curries, all made to order by a top chef. There are special vegetarian and vegan options too. Something to tempt everyone. For dessert I see some homemade cookies and brownies, fresh from the oven, and a wonderful selection of ice cream. To drink there are some rather good smoothies and juices made to order. I’ve asked for fresh mango with ginger as a pick-me-up. My butler is bringing it over when it’s ready.

  Cheers!

  HERMIONE (CONTINUED)

  (miserably)

  So I’ve been waiting in this line for almost an hour to get a hamburger, and then I’ll have to queue up somewhere else to get a drink, by which time my hamburger will be cold! And it’s all going to cost a fortune and I’ll have to eat it standing up as there’s nowhere to sit down. Then I’ll spend the next twenty-four hours praying that it was cooked properly and I’m not going to come down with food poisoning.

  (off camera)

  And the biggest festival issue of them all . . . What about when you need a ‘comfort break’?

  HERMIONE wearing sunglasses.

  HERMIONE (CONTINUED)

  I’ll just pop into this luxury Portaloo. It’s spacious and the door locks. It’s scented with Chanel No. 5 and has an admirable range of hand lotions to apply after you’ve washed your hands. And a mirror so I can touch up my expensive Dior make-up.

  HERMIONE (CONTINUED)

  I’ve been queuing up for ages and I almost wet myself, but finally it’s my turn. Eeew! Practically retching here. The pong is horrendous, the stalls are disgusting – I won’t even try to describe them – and there is NO loo paper! Needless to say, there’s nowhere to wash your hands. Lucky I brought some hand sanitizer!

  CUT TO: HERMIONE standing outside the main entrance.

  HERMIONE (CONTINUED)

  OK, so that was just a taste of the real experience of attending a pop festival – from one extreme to another. Hope it made you laugh! Thanks to RedVelvet for allowing us access to the VIP area, even if we didn’t actually get to stay in a yurt. Give us a thumbs-up below if you enjoyed this video.

  FADE OUT.

  Views: 15,416

  Subscribers: 29,442

  Comments:

  PrankingsteinJosh: absolute lolz!

  pink_sparkles: Cold burger in the rain . . . we’ve all been there

  violets_space: I would never go to a festival cos of the toilet situation!!

  RedVelvet: loving your work, Hermione hahahaha

  billythekid:

  Leothelionking: You made me laugh! Congrats!

  (scroll down to see 29 more comments)

  After a busy morning of vlogging and checking out the scene, the gang regrouped in the VIP area. Lucy had enjoyed helping Abby out with her radio interviews, but now she was ready to enjoy some bands. She hadn’t seen any live music since coming to the UK.

  ‘There are s-so many different b-bands to choose from,’ she said, looking at her programme. ‘How are we going to d-decide? I mean apart from Ollie St-Storm.’

  ‘There’s this new girl band – the Daisy Deadheads,’ said Sassy. ‘They’re down on the western stage in about an hour.’

  ‘Cool,’ said Abby. ‘They might be wearing something amazing I could mention in my next fashion round-up. But all I really care about is seeing Ollie on the centre stage. Our VIP passes should get us up close.’

  ‘Er . . . should I be jealous?’ asked Charlie.

  ‘Probably!’ Abby laughed. ‘He’s gorgeous.’

  ‘I’m s-sooo excited to see him in real life!’ said Lucy. He’d had three UK top ten hits in the last year, and Lucy listened to his music all the time. She was obsessed with him on social media too – she followed him on Instagram and liked his photos almost immediately when he posted. He was sooo dreamy.

  Suddenly there was a loud growling noise. ‘Sorry, that was my stomach,’ said Hermione, and they all laughed. ‘What? I’m starving! Talking about all that nice food while I was filming made me hungry.’

  ‘I could kill a hamburger,’ said Jessie. ‘Let’s get some food while we’re still in the posh bit.’

  They headed for the VIP food trucks. Lucy had seen some delicious-looking tacos earlier and wandered off to find them.

  The Mexican food stall was half hidden behind the henna-tattoo parlour, and when Lucy reached it, there was only a short queue. In front of her stood a young man with his back to her, holding a Siberian Husky on a lead.

  ‘Oh, isn’t she b-beautiful!’ exclaimed Lucy, staring at the dog’s snow-white snout and pale blue eyes. ‘May I p-pet her?’ she asked, and looked up at the owner and into the face of Ollie Storm.

  She froze, trying to take this in. She – Lucy Lockwood – was standing next to the most famous pop star in the world. And he was smiling at her. And his smile was gorgeous.

  ‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Just talk to her first so she knows you’re a friend. Her name is Gigi.’

  Of course! Now she realized she knew Gigi from Ollie’s Instagram. Lucy could feel her heart beating really fast – could he hear it? She didn’t know what to do. She just stood there, paralysed.

  Ollie smiled at her again. ‘Here, Gigi, meet a new friend,’ he said, patting the dog.

  What is wrong with me? Lucy screamed inwardly. Pull yourself together, girl!

  Slowly she stretched her hand out towards the dog and whispered, ‘Gigi, you’re a b-beauty. You have the m-most amazing eyes.’ She stroked the dog for a few minutes while she composed herself, then she looked up. She knew her face was bright red, but there was nothing she could do about that.

  Ollie was ordering his tacos and not paying attention to her, so she felt a bit calmer.

  ‘Gigi seems to like you,’ said Ollie a few moments later. ‘You should feel honoured. She can be a bit picky about people. You must have a knack with animals.’

  ‘I-I-I . . . I-I v-v-volunteer at an a-a-animal sh-sh-shelter,’ Lucy stammered helplessly, her nerves overcoming her.

  OMG. Why does this have to happen to me now? she thought. Here I am with Ollie Storm, who is talking to me like I’m a normal person, and I’m behaving like a complete dork!

  ‘That sounds cool,’ Ollie replied kindly. ‘And what brings you here to Chesterbury? You’re not rescuing animals here, are you?’ He laughed.

  ‘N-no . . . I’m h-here—’ she started.

  Suddenly she heard a familiar shrill voice. ‘Lucy, darling!’

  Dakota.

  ‘Luce, I’ve been looking for you all over. Where did you get to?’ Dakota said sweetly. ‘I thought I’d lost you . . . my bestie.’ She gave Lucy a big hug (Lucy nearly choked from Dakota’s powerful vanilla perfume), then turned towards Ollie and gave him a radiant smile, while flicking her long, glossy hair.

  ‘You naughty thing, Luce, keeping him all to yourself! What a lovely dog,’ Dakota said, and lunged at Gigi, grabbing her fur. Gigi pulled back quickly and growled.

  ‘Hey! Take it easy!’ said Ollie to Dakota. ‘She obviously doesn’t feel comfortable with you. Or maybe it’s your perfume. It’s kind of . . . strong. Lucy, would you mind holding her while I get a drink?’ He handed Lucy Gigi’s lead and walked off, taco in hand.

  Lucy stared after him, still in a trance, then turned to Dakota and said, ‘What are you d-doing?’

  ‘Well, I saw you standing there making an utter fool of yourself, so I thought I’d step in. You should thank me. It was obvious you needed rescuing,’ Dakota sneered.

  Lucy was speechless. She couldn’t really argue with that last bit.

  Ollie returned. ‘Right, girls. I’ve got to head off for a sound check. Thanks, Lucy, for looking after Gigi. You’re a star. Hope you have a great day.’ He took a bite of his taco.

  ‘Wait!’ said Dakota, holding up her phone. ‘Would you mind if I took a selfie of us? It would be such an honour—’

  ‘Sure thing. Lucy, budge up close to me so you don’t get left out,’ he said.

  Lucy’s heart skipped a beat. Dakota gave Lucy a poisonous smile and took
a few selfies of the three of them.

  ‘That’s sooo kind!’ Dakota oozed. ‘I’m really looking forward to your set tonight. I’ve got a seat backstage.’ ‘Cool. OK, gotta split. See ya around,’ Ollie said, and headed off with Gigi trotting alongside him.

  ‘With a little editing, this is going up on my Insta,’ Dakota announced, looking at the photo on her phone. ‘Too bad you won’t be in it!’ She flounced off.

  Lucy stood silently digesting what had just happened, a lump forming in her throat. She had met a world-famous pop star, who was not only handsome but kind, not to mention his beautiful dog. It was a dream come true. He had tried to strike up a conversation with her and she had made a complete hash of it. She might even have asked him for a short interview for the channel. What a missed opportunity; Abby would be furious when she heard. She hated her shyness and her stammer. She was such a loser . . . For once, Dakota was right.

  ‘What took you so long?’ asked Jessie, who was tucking into her hamburger with gusto. ‘We thought we’d lost you. Hey, are you OK? You look kind of flushed.’

  ‘You’ll n-never b-believe it,’ said Lucy. Still stammering more than usual, she filled them in.

  ‘What?’ shrieked Abby. ‘The REAL Ollie Storm? Talked to you?’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Lucy quietly. ‘But I r-really messed up. I d-didn’t make the most of it, or even ask him if we could f-film him.’

  ‘That would have been PERFECT.’ Abby sighed.

  ‘Don’t worry, Lucy!’ said Hermione firmly. ‘Any one of us would have been dumbstruck in the circumstances – even you, Abby! Don’t sweat it. Just enjoy the fact that you actually met Ollie Storm in person.’