One Endless Summer

by Laurie Ellingham

  ‘But I really, really wanted to fall in love,’ Lizzie said as tears caught in her throat. ‘I knew it was crazy with Harrison and moving too quickly, but it was fun and I thought … after what we shared last summer, maybe he could look past the documentary, and all the other stuff, and see me. And if I just let myself be swept along with it, then maybe I’d get to see what love feels like.’ Lizzie paused, her throat aching with emotion.

  ‘I think most people have been in love by the time they reach thirty. But teenage romances, long-term boyfriends … it has passed me by. It’s not exactly easy to meet people when you spend so much time in hospital waiting rooms.

  ‘So, I’m not sad about Harrison, but I am a little sad about the broken heart I’ve never had, which is pretty dumb, I guess.’ Lizzie turned to Ben and smiled.

  Ben frowned. ‘Well, it’s—’

  Samantha’s voice spoke from behind them, ‘Pretty dumb? That’s about as dumb as it gets. I’m not supposed to cry about my best friend dying, but here you are snivelling away about never having a broken heart. Pah. Broken hearts suck. What you had with Harrison wasn’t love. Not even close. Love is finding someone who makes your heart soar and brightens your entire world. And for most people the gooey stuff fades and all you’re left with is someone who doesn’t compare to your best friends, who you love too.’

  She plonked down next to Lizzie and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. ‘Sorry for cutting you off there, Ben.’

  ‘No, it’s fine, you took the words right out of my mouth.’ Ben smiled.

  ‘So I should stop feeling sorry for myself, is what you’re saying?’ Lizzie dropped her head onto Samantha’s shoulder.

  ‘Yes. Now, come on, the bush tucker is almost ready and those bat wings look yummy.’

  ‘Bat wings?’

  ‘Or maybe they’re very crispy burgers, hard to say.’

  Lizzie laughed and switched off the camera.

  Samantha looped her arm through Lizzie’s as they stepped back towards the campsite.

  ‘Lizzie?’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Despite all the dramas we’ve had, I’m glad I’m here doing this with you,’ Samantha said.

  ‘I couldn’t have done this without you, Sam. Remember that, OK?’ she said with a pang of guilt. Fresh tears welled in Lizzie’s eyes.

  ‘Although,’ Samantha said, ‘maybe we could have a little less drama from now on.’

  ‘Good thinking,’ Lizzie said, pulling Samantha closer.

  PART III

  CHAPTER 42

  Day 47

  TV Picks

  The Girl with Three Months to Live, Saturday 8pm

  If you thought sparks were flying between Harrison and Lizzie in last week’s episode then prepare yourself for another exciting instalment of The Girl with Three Months to Live this Saturday. If the snippets uploaded to Channel 6’s website are anything to go by then, it’s not just sparks that will be flying in Saturday’s episode, but punches too as Harrison clashes with Jaddi during a three-day rainforest trek.

  Day 49

  The Vault – Your home for all the latest Gymnastics News

  Appleton injured

  British Juniors Champion, Aaron Appleton, pulls out of the Men’s competition over injury fears. Appleton (18) was due to compete in two events at the British Gymnastics Championship in Birmingham later this month. According to coach, Joel Watson, Appleton has ‘a minor wrist injury which will not impact the long and bright future ahead of him’.

  ‘We’re playing it safe and resting Aaron’s wrist,’ adds Watson. ‘It’s disappointing for everyone, especially Aaron, having missed out on gold in the championship last year, but Aaron has the Olympics to think about, and that’s what we’re focusing on right now.’

  Although after a date and time-stamped training video, showing Appleton performing on the pommel horse without any signs of injury, was uploaded onto YouTube yesterday, there is now speculation that his recent decision to pull out of the Championships has more to do with his sister, Lizzie Appleton, who after being diagnosed with a brain tumour is taking part in a Channel 6 documentary, The Girl with Three Months to Live.

  Day 56

  The Sun

  Lizzie: ‘I really wanted to fall in love.’

  The girl with three months to live admits her one regret is never being in love. In an emotional video diary Lizzie explains that love has passed her by, and with Harrison now out of the picture, love for Lizzie is looking even less likely.

  Ratings for the Channel 6 documentary continue to soar as Lizzie, along with friends, Jaddi and Samantha, land in America for the final leg of their journey.

  The Channel 6 website even crashed on Monday morning after the documentary production team uploaded a sneak preview of one of Lizzie’s video diaries, which went viral within minutes.

  Emotions have been running high in recent episodes as Lizzie temporarily lost her sight, and broke up with her Australian boyfriend, Harrison Kelly. Things look set to continue hotting up as the girls begin their US tour in Los Angeles with front row tickets for Guy Rawson’s sell-out tour.

  CHAPTER 43

  Day 58

  Lizzie

  ‘I hope this isn’t too much drama for you, Sam?’ Lizzie shouted, as the crowd roared behind them.

  ‘No way!’ Samantha shook her head and laughed.

  ‘This is AWESOME.’ Jaddi leaned over the metal barrier and touched the stage. ‘I just touched the stage that Guy Rawson is about to sing on!’

  Lizzie pulled the camera out from her bag and switched it on. She held it up above her head and twirled around, capturing the giant black stage in front of them and the thousands and thousands of cheering fans behind them.

  They were in their own barricaded area, just the three of them, at the very front. Three red, cushioned chairs sat to one side, unused. Instead of a gate or a rope, they had a tall woman dressed head to toe in black, who reminded Lizzie of the customs officer at Sydney airport. She had the same ‘don’t mess with me’ stance.

  Lizzie’s eyes scanned the crowd for Ben. She caught sight of him five rows back. The only man in a legion of screaming women. Lizzie snorted, recalling Ben’s flummoxed expression when they’d been led to the VIP area and he’d not been allowed in.

  ‘But I’m with them,’ he’d said.

  ‘Sorry, sir,’ the woman in black had replied. ‘I’ve got three names on this list; yours isn’t one of them.’ She’d said it with an air of authority, but still retained the cheery ‘have a nice day’ octaves they’d grown accustomed to since landing in Los Angeles. ‘Your ticket is for just over there. It’s still a very good seat, sir.’

  She’d waved the three of them through, before positioning herself across the gap.

  ‘But—’

  ‘Is that a video camera in your bag, sir?’ she’d cut in.

  ‘Yes. I’m filming a documentary.’

  ‘There is no professional filming of any kind allowed during the concert.’

  ‘So I’ll just go stand over there, by myself then, and watch the concert?’

  He’d looked at Lizzie as he’d spoken, but it was the woman who’d replied: ‘Thank you.’

  Lizzie waved at him. He lifted his hand in acknowledgment and raised his eyebrows as he smiled, as if to say, ‘you’ve got to be kidding me’.

  She laughed and without thinking blew him a kiss. Their friendship had settled back into an easy banter. He seemed to have a knack for drawing her out of herself, and sweeping away the darkness that was threatening her more and more.

  ‘Welcome to day fifty-eight!’ she shouted. ‘I know there’ll be people watching this that will think I’m crazy for caring about seeing Guy Rawson in concert, but this is seriously one of the best feelings ever. It means a lot to the three of us that we can see him in concert together. We’ve had his albums on repeat in our flat for years, and we’re all huge fans.’

  A chant soldiered across the arena. Samantha and Jaddi joined in. ‘Guy
,’ they shouted before clapping three times. ‘Guy.’

  She angled the camera at the stage as Guy appeared, striding to the centre of the floor in blue jeans and a tight black T-shirt. His arrival caused a frenzy of screaming women to jump up and down, Lizzie included.

  ‘Hey there, Los Angeles,’ he said into the microphone, before picking up the guitar beside him and lifting the strap over his head. ‘How are you doing tonight?’ The deep echo of his voice bounced through her. ‘How about those Rocket Boys?’ He winked at someone out of sight in the wings of the stage.

  The clamour of screams, whistles, stomps and claps pummelled Lizzie from every direction. She turned off the camera and wrapped her arms around Jaddi and Samantha. ‘You girls are the best!’ she shouted.

  ‘I just saw Guy Rawson wink!’ Jaddi shouted. ‘THIS IS AWESOME.’

  Guy plucked a string on his guitar, and then another. The chords vibrated out of the gigantic speaker next to them and continued reverberating into Lizzie’s body.

  As Guy launched into his set, Lizzie felt the familiarity of the songs wash over her. The volume of music allowed no room for thought in her head, which suited her just fine.

  A dark sadness had clouded her final weeks in Australia. Ayers Rock had been breathtaking, especially the sunsets, but she’d taken to pacing more and more. Up and down, back and forth, in long, deliberate strides whilst gnawing her bottom lip. Any time, day or night, it felt as if she’d had ten cups of coffee pinging around her body.

  Landing in Los Angeles had changed that. They’d gained a day in the time difference, leaving in the early afternoon, and arriving in the morning on the same day. The concept of time zones boggled her mind, but it also lifted her spirits. The weeks were flying by, time was running out. To gain an extra day felt like a lottery win. She didn’t want to count the days or to think about the world continuing to turn when she was no longer there to see it. She wanted to dance, to sing, to laugh, to forget.

  ‘So, Los Angeles, that’s it from me,’ Guy said with his famous lopsided smirk. ‘You’ve been a great audience tonight, thank you.’

  A tidal wave of protest crashed over the arena.

  ‘What’s that?’ Guy grinned. ‘You want another song?’ He picked up a bottle of water and downed it in three quick gulps. ‘Well, it just so happens that I’ve been tinkering with something new over the last few weeks. Perhaps you’d like to be the first to hear it?’

  The stadium cheered its agreement.

  ‘I thought you might.’ He laughed. ‘I wrote this song about someone very special and truly inspirational, and she’s here with us tonight. Shall we get her up on stage?’

  ‘Maybe it’s Taylor Swift,’ Lizzie said to Jaddi.

  ‘I don’t think so.’ Jaddi nudged her and pointed. ‘Look at the big screen.’

  ‘Holy crap.’ Samantha gasped.

  Lizzie followed Jaddi and Samantha’s gaze to one of the large screens on either side of the stage, which up until that moment had mirrored Guy’s every movement. She drew in a sharp intake of breath as their startled faces gawked back.

  ‘We love you, Guy!’ Samantha shouted, before hiding her face in her hands.

  ‘Now, my manager warned me that it might be a bit embarrassing to get Lizzie up on stage and sing her a song in front of all of you, but I’m going to ask her anyway, so what do you say we give her a big LA welcome. Lizzie, how about coming up here with me?’

  A new chant surged through the stadium. ‘Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie.’

  Jaddi took her bag and said something, but all Lizzie could hear was the ferocious beating of her heart drumming in her ears.

  The woman in black took her elbow and guided her towards a row of steps. Her feet moved forward as if someone else had gained control of her body. And then Guy Rawson, one of the sexiest men on the planet, stepped towards her and kissed her cheek.

  He covered the microphone with his hand. ‘Hey.’ He smiled.

  ‘Hey,’ she heard herself reply.

  ‘Is this OK?’

  She racked her brain for a witty retort but drew a blank and found herself nodding like the gimmicky bull dog with the bobbing head in the back of her dad’s Volvo.

  He moved his hand away from the microphone. ‘Lizzie Appleton, everyone.’

  Guy dropped his gaze to his guitar and checked the placement of his fingers. ‘Hopefully I’ll remember the chords,’ he said, sending a ripple of laughter over the arena.

  Suddenly he began strumming a fast, catchy melody. Guy’s gaze found hers as he started to sing.

  You set out to see the world, with two best friends

  Ninety sunsets, but what happens then?

  What happens then?

  You’re laughing every day, being so brave,

  But you can’t be saved …

  Can’t be saved

  I wanna buy you some time, have some of mine

  But life’s just so unkind …

  So unkind

  When you try and you try but you can’t stop the light

  When you try and you try but you can’t win the fight,

  At least we’ve got tonight

  Tonight … tonight

  At least we’ve got tonight

  When you try and you try but you can’t stop the light

  When you try and you try but you can’t win the fight,

  At least we’ve got tonight

  Tonight … tonight

  At least we’ve got tonight

  A droplet of water fell onto Lizzie’s hand. She looked down at it as another one dripped to the floor. They looked like tear drops. Her tear drops. A dizzying tornado spun around her head. Her fingers reached to her face and found her cheeks wet with tears. She drew in a breath and tried to steady her thoughts.

  Her eyes met Guy’s. In the intense lights of the stage his pupils looked almost black.

  He smiled. ‘Let’s give Lizzie a round of applause.’ He turned to face the cheering crowd. Lizzie’s eyes followed his gaze. She expected a sea of faces to be staring back, but all she could see was a darkness as black as the rainforest nights. Camera flashes of light blinkered across the stadium.

  Guy leant towards her. The bristle of his stubble grazed her cheek. ‘I hope I didn’t embarrass you too much, Lizzie,’ he said in her ear.

  She shook her head and took an unsteady step back. How could she explain? Lizzie spun on her heels and stumbled on shaky legs into the wings of the stage and immediately found herself in a large space, empty apart from a few clusters of people. She recognised the four boys from the warm-up act, sat on a large black box drinking bottled beer. Only then did she realise that she’d gone the wrong way. She should have gone down the steps and rejoined Jaddi and Samantha, not wandered back stage.

  A high-pitched whir rang in her ears as she continued forward. A moment later, she entered a long corridor with doors running down it on either side.

  ‘Lizzie,’ a voice called from behind her.

  She didn’t stop or turn to see who the voice belonged too. Instead, her hand reached for the nearest door handle. It opened easily and she tumbled into a windowless dressing room. Empty water bottles and white food cartons littered every surface. A large suitcase sat on the middle of the floor, its contents piled onto a red sofa in one large heap.

  The energy drained from her legs as she shut the door. Lizzie slid to the floor. Long gasping sobs took hold of her body. Every line of his song struck like a knife to her chest. When you try and you try, but you can’t win the fight. The lyric swam in her head but without the strumming of his guitar it had taken on a taunting intonation.

  ‘Are you all right?’

  Lizzie yelped as the pile of clothes on the sofa sat up. A woman with messy dark hair smiled at her, before drawing in a deep yawn and stretching her arms above her head. There was something familiar about the woman’s face.

  The woman squinted at her watch and groaned. ‘I’ve missed the whole concert, haven’t I? I only meant to rest my eyes for a f
ew minutes. This bloody jet lag is killing me,’ she said in a London accent. Her eyes moved to Lizzie and a spark of recognition crossed her face. ‘You’re Lizzie Appleton, aren’t you?’ She didn’t wait for a reply. ‘I’m guessing that Guy got you up on stage, then? He really doesn’t get it. Some people don’t want to stand up in front of thousands of people. Oh, I’m Debbie, by the way.’

  Lizzie wiped her hands across her face. ‘Hi.’

  ‘Do you want a bottle of water?’ Debbie stood up and opened a fridge in the corner of the room. She pulled out two bottles and handed one to Lizzie.

  ‘Thanks.’ Lizzie sniffed.

  ‘Was it a good concert?’

  A smile touched Lizzie’s face. ‘Fantastic. I … just wasn’t expecting to be part of it.’

  ‘Of course you weren’t. Which is what I told Guy, but as usual he didn’t listen.’

  ‘Are you his manager?’ Lizzie asked.

  Debbie laughed. ‘No, much worse than that; I’m his sister.’

  Lizzie saw it then, the reason Debbie looked familiar. She had the same dark eyes and high cheekbones as Guy.

  ‘I’m sorry for barging in here.’ Lizzie pulled herself to her feet and straightened her top.

  ‘Thank goodness you did. Otherwise I probably would’ve slept through the after-party too. Hide out for as long as you need.’

  ‘Thanks, but I’d better find my friends.’

  ‘Stay for a minute. I’ll make us a cup of tea. Your friends will come and find you, I’m sure.’

  Footsteps sounded from the other side of the door. Lizzie recoiled her hand and sucked her lower lip between her teeth.

  Guy’s voice continued to sing in her head as loud as if she was still standing on stage with him. A sickness spun in her stomach. What happens then?

  ‘Ten minutes,’ Debbie said. ‘I’ve even brought my own PG Tips, all the way from London. I’m not sure why, but tea bags in other countries never taste quite right.’

  Something mothering in Debbie’s voice made Lizzie turn around. ‘Thanks.’