Crush: The Girls of Summer

by SR Silcox

  Lizzie said, “Come on, Tess. We’ve got a surprise for you.”

  “I don’t like surprises,” Tess said. She hid her grin with her pillow.

  Lizzie pulled the pillow off of Tess’s face and said, “If you don’t get up, I’m going to get a glass of water and wet you.”

  Tess rolled back over. “Really? You’d do that?”

  Lizzie nodded. Tess realised Lizzie could actually be serious. She sighed. “What?”

  “Look,” Lizzie said, pointing to Will, who unfurled the paper he was holding. It was a poster.

  Tess sat up and rubbed her eyes. “What is that?”

  Lizzie jumped up and down on the bed. “It’s a poster. For the new and improved Crush Festival. Well, the Crush Music Festival to be exact.”

  Tess motioned for Will to bring the poster closer so she could see it. ‘Crush’ was scrawled across the centre of the poster in graffiti type over a blurred picture of a stage with strobe lights flashing down from the top. Around ‘Crush’ were little graphics that said ‘band name here’ and in bigger type under the title it said ‘featuring Major Band’. Right at the bottom it said ‘details to be decided go here’.

  “Obviously it’s not finished because we don’t know who’s coming. But when we know for next year, we can fill in the blanks,” Lizzie said. “What do you think?”

  She was so excited that Tess found it hard not to be a little excited herself. “It sounds great,” Tess said. “I’m not sure Pop will—”

  “He’s already said yes,” Lizzie interrupted. “In fact,” she said, looking over to Will. “Will and I have a confession to make.”

  “About what?” Tess asked.

  Lizzie’s knee bounced up and down and she said, “We kind of, sort of—”

  “We asked Pop if we could do a trial this year,” Will finished.

  “This year, as in?”

  “Today,” Lizzie said. She looked at Tess expectantly. “The Crush Festival’s going ahead, Tess. As a music festival.”

  “How did you organise it all at short notice?” Tess asked.

  “We managed to talk to Pop before he cancelled the stages and equipment,” Will said.

  “And,” Lizzie said, her eyes widening with excitement, “Will asked a heap of bands to come and play and most of them said yes.”

  “And we have a special guest coming,” Will said.

  Lizzie spun around and said, “Shh, don’t tell her everything.”

  “What?” Will shrugged.

  “So, what do you think?” Lizzie asked. “Ready to hit the newest music festival around?”

  Tess considered just saying yes, but decided that giving Lizzie a hard time about it would get her back for being so secretive. She shrugged and said, “I was just thinking of going up to the dam today. Maybe into town, hang out at Piggies’. Music festivals aren't really my thing. You guys enjoy though.”

  Lizzie’s face dropped. “We did this for you,” she said.

  “Well, you should’ve asked me instead of going behind my back.”

  Lizzie looked stricken. “We just wanted it to be a surprise,” she said. “The festival’s been the best part of living in Chesterfield since forever, and we couldn’t just let it get cancelled.”

  Tess looked over to Will who was trying to hide a smile. He shook his head a little and Tess knew she should just put Lizzie out of her misery. “Fine,” she said. “But you have to promise not to go behind my back again.”

  Lizzie nodded excitedly. “And,” Tess said, “you have to let me help you next year.”

  “Deal,” Lizzie said. She hugged Tess so tightly she could hardly breathe. When she let Tess go she said, “Right. Will and I need to go out and help with the bands.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Tess asked.

  “Nothing,” Lizzie said. “We’ve got it sorted. Have some breakfast and come out whenever you want.”

  “Okay,” Tess said.

  Lizzie jumped off the bed and pushed Will out the door. She turned and said, “Oh, just so you know, stay away from the main gate in the Big Yard.”

  “Why?” Tess asked.

  “There are photographers and reporters everywhere asking about Maddie and the girl she was kissing,” Lizzie said, air quoting ‘girl she was kissing’.

  Tess’s heart sunk. “Oh.”

  “They don’t know it’s you,” Lizzie said.

  “Just stay away from them and you’ll be fine,” Will said. “See you outside.”

  Tess lay back on her bed. For just a moment, when Lizzie had been explaining about the festival, Tess hadn’t thought about Maddie. But now that Lizzie had mentioned her, she was all she could think about. She checked her phone again, but there were no messages.

  She decided to try Maddie one last time. She scrolled through to her number and pressed ‘call’. She let it ring and ring and just as she was about to hang up, someone answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, Tess.” It definitely didn’t sound like Maddie. The voice was too low. And what was that noise in the background? It sounded like they were on a race track.

  “Who’s this?” Tess asked.

  “It’s Jo.”

  “Oh. I, er, is Maddie there?”

  “She can’t talk right now,” Jo said in her clipped voice.

  “Right. Um, well, can you tell her I called? Please?”

  Jo sighed. “I’ll tell her.”

  Before Tess could say anything else, Jo had hung up. Tess had no idea whether Jo would deliver the message or not and she wasn’t sure whether to feel sad or happy that she finally managed to get through. On the one hand, at least she knew Maddie hadn’t lost her phone or broken it or something. On the other, Jo answering the phone meant that Maddie was ignoring her.

  Tess put her phone on the bedside table and headed out to get some breakfast. At least one thing was certain, and that was that Will and Lizzie were the best friends anyone could ask for. She really hoped today was a success for them all.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  “Everyone in?” Andy asked as he pulled his seatbelt across and buckled it.

  “Have we got everything?” Freya asked, turning from the front seat to look at Jo and Maddie who were in the back of Andy’s van. Squished behind them were their instruments and sound equipment. As much as Andy could fit in anyway. He figured they’d be able to borrow anything else they might need from the other bands when they got up there.

  “I think so,” Maddie said.

  “Right, let’s get this show on the road,” Andy said. He turned the key in the ignition and there was silence. Freya looked from Andy to Maddie and back again. Before Maddie could say anything, Andy tried again and the van spluttered to life. He laughed nervously and said, “Told you she’s still good.”

  Though they had enough money saved to hire a van, they couldn’t get one the size they needed at short notice. They decided that since they were going back to their roots, it would only be right to use Andy’s van, just like they used to when they first started gigging. Andy said it was still going well enough to make the six hour trip to Chesterfield, but Maddie was starting to have her doubts.

  She breathed in the old familiar scent of engine oil and cheap air fresheners and smiled. Being in the van brought back so many memories from just a few years ago when they had no idea where they were really heading with the band. She still remembered the day that Andy had turned up with Freya, their old second-hand equipment stacked in the back, and told Maddie he’d got them a gig at a country race day a few hours out of Sydney. They weren’t getting paid, except in free accommodation and food, but still, it was an exciting time to actually play in front of people who had no idea who they were yet. Except for having one of their old speakers blow up right in the middle of Andy’s guitar solo, the gig hadn’t gone too badly. They were asked to do a weekend a month at the local pub, which was a huge flop for the first few months because they were playing to mostly old guys who kept requesting Slim Dusty songs
. Even though it wasn’t their type of music, Andy loved learning and playing The Pub With No Beer for them whenever they went out.

  It was about six months after they started gigging that Freya hit on the idea to record themselves when they practiced and start a You Tube channel, just to see what would happen. If nothing else, they could see how they looked on camera and how they sounded together and make adjustments if they needed to. That had turned out to be what launched their name. For the first few months, they hovered around just ten followers, and had no-one following them they didn't know personally. Freya then entered one of their originals into a music competition that was held by a radio station, and though they didn’t win, they picked up almost a thousand new followers within a few weeks.

  They started receiving requests for covers from fans, which they played, and it was their acoustic cover of Cold Chisel’s ‘Forever Now’ that got them the attention of a record company. On Freya’s 18th birthday, they signed a deal with Cherry Studios for the record that would change their lives forever.

  Maddie looked out of the van window at the traffic and trees sliding by in a blur. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly where things started to change, but it had definitely become a lot harder when they agreed to her father becoming their manager. The first sign really should have been when he started booking them for shopping centre appearances and party gigs. He said they needed to take everything they could get. The more places they played, he’d said, the more people would hear their name. Though that sounded good at the time, Maddie knew they weren’t connecting with the people they wanted to with their music.

  The tour that Cherry had organised to promote their first record had been the best part of that first year. They played so many little music festivals all over the country it had made their heads spin. It had seemed back then that they were in a different town every day, without too much down time in between, but they’d all loved it. On reflection, Maddie couldn't help but wonder if that was because her father had stayed at home to ‘take care of business’.

  They’d arrived back in Sydney after eight months on the road, and after only a week off, Maddie’s father had them listening to and deciding on songs for their next album. Freya had written some of her best stuff while they were on the road, but he totally dismissed it. That was the point, Maddie decided, when it wasn’t fun anymore. Having her father dictate what they should sing based on business rather than their passion for their music had been the worst thing that could have happened. She’d been so angry at herself for letting him do that to her and to Andy and Freya that she’d finally snapped in Brisbane before they were due to kick off their latest tour.

  At the time, she knew she should never have let it go that far, but in the end, she knew it had turned out for the best. After all, she would never have gotten a break as long as she had, and she’d never have met Tess. Tess, who had shown her how to be normal again. Tess, who had helped her realise that friendship and passion and living your own life was what made her happiest.

  She wished she could call Tess, just to tell her she missed her, but she’d promised Lizzie she wouldn’t. Besides, if she’d heard Tess's voice, she would’ve crumbled and told her exactly what was happening, just so Tess knew she was coming back and that she couldn’t wait to see her.

  Maddie lay her head on the window and remembered the first time she and Tess were up at the tree house, when Tess was telling her about the secret societies and all the fun she’d had up there as a kid. She’d wanted to tell Tess everything then, and she'd so desperately wanted to kiss her, but she didn’t want to risk it. Apart from Freya and Andy, Tess and her friends had been the first real people Maddie had met for a long time. The first people to know her as Maddie first and Indiana Rose second.

  She thought back to her lunch date with Tess, and kissing her in the grand stand. The way the world stopped and how she had to will herself to breathe afterwards. How they laughed at tasting like chicken salt and mayonnaise. Snuggling up with Tess at Lizzie’s watching movies and forgetting her troubles, even if it was for a short while. Maybe one text wouldn’t hurt, she thought. She could just text Tess and say she missed her and that she wanted to see her. She wouldn’t give anything away. It would still be a surprise.

  She pulled her phone from her pocket, opened a message and began to type.

  Hey Tess Sorry I haven’t text you I wish I could tell you why but you’ll find out soon I promise.

  Maddie thought about what she should add next. I miss you too she typed. She read over the message and before she got a chance to send it, there was a loud bang and the van jerked violently sideways. She gripped her phone to stop it from flying out of her hand and grabbed the back of the seat in front her with her other hand. Andy somehow managed to pull the van over onto the side of the highway without too much more trouble, and they all piled out onto the grass.

  “Looks like a flat,” Andy said, shifting his cap back on his head and running his hand through his hair.

  “You think?” Freya said, pointing to the shredded back tyre. “You’ve got a spare, right?”

  “Of course,” Andy said. “But it’s under all the stuff in the back.”

  Maddie walked around to the back of the van and pulled open the doors. “Give me a hand,” she said. As she started pulling equipment from the back, her phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket and tossed it to Jo. “Can you deal with whoever that is please?”

  Jo caught the phone and headed away from the noise that Maddie, Freya and Andy were making unpacking the van.

  “It’s just like old times,” Andy said as he started pulling out equipment and placing it on the side of the road.

  Freya just huffed as she moved a guitar case over to the grass away from the road.

  ∞

  Maddie sat on the side of the road, her knees pulled up to her chest. “I can’t believe you didn’?t check the spare,” she said as Andy started piling equipment back into the van.

  “I haven’t had to use it in ages,” Andy said, grunting as he lifted a drum box into the back and pushed it into place.

  “Exactly,” Freya said. “God, men can be so bloody exasperating!” She threw her hands into the air and leaned back on the side of the van, her arms crossed on her chest.

  “I only checked it like, a couple of months ago,” Andy said, wiping his hands on his shorts. “No wait, it was only a few weeks ago. When I was on the coast.” He looked up to the sky and rubbed the back of his head. “Oh, yeah. That’s right. I got a flat on the way to Byron.” He shook his head and laughed. “I knew there was something I had to do when I got home.”

  Freya punched him on the arm. “I can’t believe you didn’t get it changed.”

  “I just forgot,” Andy said, looking sheepish.

  “Yeah well, we’re not going to make it to the festival now, idiot.” Freya dropped down onto the grass beside Maddie and sighed.

  “The mechanic’s on his way,” Jo said, coming from the front of the van and shoving her phone back into her pocket. “He’s bringing a spare with him and should be here in about half an hour.”

  Maddie sighed. “I’ll have to call Lizzie,” she said. “Just in case we’re late.”

  Jo checked her watch and said, “If we get going in the next hour, we should get there with some time to spare.”

  “I hope so,” Maddie said as she waited for Lizzie to answer. She really wanted to see Tess before they had to go on stage.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Tess had to push her way through a crowd to get to Gran’s baked goods stand. Will and Lizzie had certainly planned the festival out well. The stages were far enough away from the food tents that you didn’t have to yell too loud to ask for what you wanted and they'd managed to talk a ride company into setting up a side-show alley with games and rides to keep people entertained away from the music. Tess slipped under the rope at the back of Gran’s food tent and stood by the Esky. “How's it going?” she asked.

  Gran gave a woman he
r change and said, “Really good. The cupcakes are almost sold out. I had no idea they’d be so popular.” She turned back to serve another customer.

  “Do you want a hand?” Tess asked.

  “Lizzie and I have it covered,” Gran said. “And before I forget, I saved you a cupcake. It’s in the Esky.”

  “Thanks,” Tess said. She didn’t feel like eating though, because she’d just checked her phone for the millionth time, only to discover, yet again, that there were no messages from Maddie. “Are you sure I can’t give you a hand?”

  “You could go see if Will needs any help,” Lizzie suggested. “He’s over with the sound guys I think.”

  “I’ve already been to see him and there’s nothing I can do over there.”

  “What about Pop?” Gran asked. “Have you seen him?”

  “He’s gone into town to get some more frozen chips for the Lions van,” Tess said.

  “Why don’t you just go and enjoy yourself then,” Gran said. “Lizzie can finish up here in a few minutes and you two can go around and have some fun.”

  “Yeah,” Lizzie said. “I’ll meet you over at the clowns.”

  “Fine,” Tess said. She ducked back under the rope and headed over to the games area. On her way over to the clowns, she ran into Will.

  “Hey, Tess,” Will said. “Enjoying yourself?”

  “I guess,” she said. “Are you busy?”

  “Super busy,” he said. “It’s amazing how many people are here, isn't it?”

  “Any idea how many we’ve had come through?”

  “No idea, but we’ve had to open up Fitzy’s for campers.”

  “Campers?”

  “Yeah,” Will said. “There are heaps of people coming from out of town and the motels are booked out apparently. Lucky I mowed the block, hey?”

  “Yeah,” Tess said. “Very lucky.” She didn't think it was luck so much as pre-meditated planning.

  “Hey, Will,” Lizzie said when she joined them. “We’re heading over to Cow Pat Bingo to see who won. You want to come?”

  “Are we?” Tess said.

  “Yeah,” Lizzie said. “I have to take some photos for the paper.”