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"A True Blue Aussie Summer" by Linda Tran

Prologue

It's a blazing early summer's evening in
Melbourne, Australia. The air is thick with the smell
of salt water, sweat and ice-cream. The temperature
soaring in the high 30's, tanned beach goers are 
slowly shuffling along the smeltering sidewalk
clutching bottles of luke warm water while kids are
running around, amusing themselves by proving
cool relief as they throw water balloons at each
other, in front of a dusty amber horizon as the sun
slowly sinks into the earth. The girls: Raven (18),
Marina (20), Jamie (21) and Zora (21) have been
told that their friends, the Blue boys will be
spending 1 month with them for an Australian
summer holiday. The girls are ecstatic and are
eagerly anticipating their arrival. Yet, for Jamie, it
will also be uneasy as it was around the same
time,  Duncan and her broke up due to his job. It
wasn't a horrible break up; it was on... good terms.
She understood why. His job meant that he was
never going to be around and it would have been
selfish for her to ask him to chose between her
and his dream. But...still. It was just difficult to
accept. It was because of their romance that they
all had become best  of friends. But nonetheless,
she, like the other girls, is still thrilled to be able to
spend a month with the boys.

Chpt 1

"OH MY GOD!!! JAMIE! IT'S 8:45 AND THE HOUSE
LOOKS LIKE VOMIT!!!! THERE'S WRAPPERS
EVERYWHERE! AND CLOTHES! AND DAMP
TOWELS! AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN DONE THE
ROOMS!!! THEY'RE GOING TO BE HOME SOON!!!!!
SHIT!!! WHAT WE GOING TO DO?!?!? WE HAD 2
DAYS TO CLEAN UP AND WE DO IT 2 HOURS
BEFORE THEY ARRIVE!!!" screams Raven as she
scrabbles to collect belongings off the floor,
tripping over the coffee table in an attempt to avoid
the mountain of  text books.
" Stop screaming! I've done the rooms already and
all we need to do now is just neaten the place a bit.
Zora and Marina said they will phone when they
pick up the guys from the airport. So, stress less.
Don't get your knickers in a twist." soothes Jamie
as she heads for the rooms upstairs.
" Neaten the place a bit. HA! Your a corker! So
who's room am I in?" Raven asks as she decides
how to pick up a damp towel that looks and smells
like a fungus coloney.
"Your in Zora's, me and Marina are sharing, and
the two other rooms will have to be decided by the
boys themselves." yells Jamie from upstairs.
"That's cool." replies Raven as she picks up the
towel with rubber gloves and tongs, and heads for
the bathroom upstairs.
Jamie is busierly putting all the washing away and
tidying the bathroom when suddenly, a wet towel is
waved in front of her face...
"YUCK!" screams Jamie as she sharply jerks her
head back.
"Who's towel is this?" laughs Raven holding the
mouldy towel at arms length.
"I don't know! Just chuck it in the machine."
mumbles Jamie with her left hand over her mouth
and her right hand gesturing towards downstairs.
" So, that's your answer...it must be... YOURS!!! You
go down!" grins Raven as she sticks the towel
closer to Jamie.
"Yuck! Don't point that grotty thing at me! You go
down. Besides, you're already equipped for the job."
replies Jamie, her face screwed up as though she
just sucked on 5 lemons.
"Fine. Maybe I should stick it in the front of the
house as a flag as a welcoming..."
"NO! " interrupts Jamie." Just shove it in the
machine and no one will have to..."
The sound of a care horn loudly blares  from the
front of the house

"SHIT! THEY'RE HERE!" screaming in sync as the
girls fly around the house grabbing the rest of the
mess, hiding it and then bolting down the stairs to
greet the boys.
"We're 'ere! Welcome us already!" announces
Zora, giggling from the car window.
"You said you were going to call!! What happen to
that!?" exclaims Raven, waving her hands above
her head madly as Marina steps out of the tarago.
"Oh, Yeah! Oops! Sorry babe. But everything's
alright, I hope." laughs Marina as she starts to help
Zora get some of the bags out of the back.
"Jamie! Rave! Wassup?!" yells Antony has he
steps out from the car and gives Jamie and Raven
a bear hug each.
"Hey! What about me?!" whines Lee, pouting as
the girls give him a big group hug.
"Hi, girls! " greets Simon as he emerges from the
car followed by Duncan, who's flashing his  cheeky
grin. They both give Raven a hug and a kiss. Jamie
gets the same treatment from Simon too, but when
Duncan comes to greet her...there's a bit of
hesitation...
"Hi." says a shy, quiet Duncan to Jamie as he
quickly glanced at her face.
"Hi." came the equally quiet reply from Jamie,
looking at her feet.
They both stand around, hands in pockets, unsure
of what to do next. Looking around as though
waiting for an autocue from the others when their
akward greeting is stopped by yelling originating
from Lee from the front gate.
" Come on, you two! I'm swimming in my own
sweat 'ere waiting for youse! Come on! Let's go
inside!" teases Lee as he and the rest of the group
drag the bags inside as night fall approaches.

 Chpt 2

Last night, they spent the time chatting ,catching
up on gossip and having a good old laugh. It was
great to hear how much success they had gotten
and where they had been in just under a year. But
they all had an early night, cos the boys were
jetlagged and weren't quite making sense. It's now
around 5:30 am the next day. As the sun finally
finishes his climb up into the sky, all is quiet in the
house. Not a single creature is stirring, not even a
mouse...
Jamie sat in front of the kitchen window, cupping
a glass of watermelon juice, gazing out towards
the crystal blue ocean, sparkling under the sun's
playful rays. It's another scorching summer's day,
with a blue sky that doesn't contain a wisp of a
cloud. A cool zephyr flows through the window,
tinkering with the wind chimes as it gently
embraces the house. She couldn't sleep; there
was too much running through her mind. As she
stared into the distance, Jamie's thoughts were of
Duncan. Thoughts of how...complete she felt
every time they were together. The way he made
her laugh. The way he knew what she was thinking
and feeling from her eyes. The way he grinned at
her when he was up to something.  Jamie smiled
to herself, as she pictured his face. The way his
hair did that flippy thing when she brushed it out of
his face. But that was the way they were. Now,
they're just friends. She should be happy. He's
living out his dream and he was still in her life, but
not in the same way. But he was, no, IS still in her
life. And she was glad. Come to think of it, she
thought it would be much more uncomfortable than
what it has been. Beside from the slightly akward
welcoming, they had talked comfortably last night,
and it almost seemed as though they were still
toget...
       Jamie's thoughts were interrupted by the
opening of the freezer door from behind her. She
turned to see it was Lee. Hair all scruffed, still in
his boxes, with a cheeky smirk stapled on his face,
rummaging through the freezer.
"Mornin', Lee. What you looking for?" questioned
Jamie, looking quite bemused.
Lee just smiles and starts to fill a bowl full of ice
cubes. When he has had his fill, he gentle closes
the freezer door ,winks at Jamie and totters off
back upstairs.
"That boy really worries  me sometimes." Jamie
giggles to herself.
Jamie turns back to the window to continue her
ponder about Duncan, when a loud squeal coming
from one of the bedrooms, screeches throughout
the house. As Jamie gets to her feet quickly to see
what has happened, suddenly, Lee is bolting down
the stairs sniggering madly, followed in quick
pursuit by Raven, who is screaming at Lee
furiously. Her pj pants and singlet are wet and
there are ice cubes falling from her as she chases
Lee round the house.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, LEE RYAN WHEN I GET
MY HANDS ON YOU!!! I'M GOING TO CUT YOU UP
AND FEED YOU TO THE RATS!!!!" yells Raven as
she trails a now, hysterical Lee who can no longer
contain himself, laughing and splattering all over
the place.
"THIS IS NOT FUNNY!!!! SHOVING ICE DOWN
SOMEONE'S BACK WHEN THEY'RE ASLEEP!!"
continues Raven as she grabs some cushions to
pelt Lee with.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH! YES IT IS!!!!!"
screams Lee as he dodges Zora who's coming
down the stairs.
"What's going, on?! I'm half asleep and then all of a
sudden, all my hairs stand on end as Rave is
screaming beside me!" says a sleepy Zora as she
heads towards Jamie in the kitchen.
" Yeah, I know! I thought the house was on fire or
something" says Antony, as he joins them.
"Why is there ice and tiny pools of water
everywhere?" quizzes Simon.
" What's with all the screaming?" asks Marina,
climbing down the stairs, rubbing her eyes.
"It's too early for screaming, now!" whinges a
sleepy Duncan, as he nearly collides with Raven
who is yelling violent threats of torture at Lee.
"Lee put a load of ice down Raven while she was
asleep. Poor thing! What a horrible way to wake up
in the morning!"  informs a laughing Jamie.
"You guys are 18, yet you both act 8!! Come on. It's
too early in the morning for this!" whines a half
asleep Duncan, as he tries positioning himself
comfortably on the couch, trying to fall asleep, but
gives up and goes to join the others.
The others are all chatting and laughing as they
make breakfast to a background of music from the
radio and screams produced by Lee and Raven.
"Are youse, going to eat? " yells Zora above all the
screams to Raven and Lee.
Lee opens his mouth to answer but slips on an ice
cubes and crashes onto the couch.
"owwwwww!" winces the group as Raven crashes
on top of Lee.
" Whoah! Look at the gorgeous beach! " exclaims
Antony looking out the window.
"Whoah! I see it!  Let's go there today!" says an
excited Simon.
"Yeah. We can do a bit of surfing, if you like."
Marina suggests.
" Yeah. haven't been surfing for yonks!" agrees
Jamie.
"You guys surf?!" screams Lee from the couch,
with Raven wrestling him for a spot on the couch
that's not wet from the ice.
"Nah! Why do you think they have all the surf gear
for?!" teases Antony.
" Ok. It's settled. We'll go!" cheers Zora ,punching
the air as she heads out back.
"Are you sure, you guys have enough equipment
for us?" enquires Duncan, staring out the window.
"Yep. We got you covered. No sweat." yells Raven
from the couch trying to keep her spot, at the same
time trying to get Antony's toast.
"Ok! We're goin' surfing!" cheers Lee,  almost
bouncing off the walls from excitement as he grabs
Antony's toast, stuffs it in his mouth and runs
before Antony can say anything.
" Hey! You little mug!" yells Antony realising Lee
had just nicked his toast.
Laughing, there's a fluster of excitement and
movement as they all gear up for the beach.

Chpt 3
" Move it, you Sunday driver!" screams a driver
from a nearby red Toyota.
"Get over yourself, you hot headed rev head!"
shouts another from a blue Holden.
" You cut me off, you prick!" yells a lady with a tan
station wagon full of kids.
"Go back to driving school and learn how to drive
properly, Lady!" yells a man, waving his hands
about in the air from a silver ford.
Horns are blaring everywhere and frustration is
boiling over as people make their way on the busy
Melbourne roads...
"Look at the people and all the excitement! " points
Simon as their car inches along the road, sardined
with other cars crammed with holiday goers. Each
car almost bursting out of its skin with holiday gear
of some sort or another, or crowds of people.
"How come we're not going to the beach near the
house?" asks Lee as he waves and pulls faces at
some kids in a nearby car, as the car slowly halts
at the lights.
" 'Cos we can't surf there. There's not enough wave
action. So we're just going to go further down."
states Zora,  casually keeping an eye on Raven's
driving.
"How much longer will it be until we get there?"
enquires Antony smiling out the window at a pretty
girl in one of the passing cars, nudging a dazed
Duncan to look.
"At the rate Ray's driving, we're going to be there in
minutes. But we're going to be peeling ourselves
from the rear window or the dashboard." teases
Jamie, making the others giggle.
"Shut up! I'm doing fine!" yells Raven as she
reaches to turn on the radio.
"Give the girl a break. She's just got her P's."
defends Marina.
Soon, everyone is singing and bouncing along to
Smash Mouth's "I'm a believer", blaring out the car
speakers.
"YEAH, I'M A BELIEVER! I COULDN'T LEAVE HER ,
IF I TRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIED!" sings the whole car, then
followed by a wave of air guitars being jammed
on.
Amidst all the loud singing and shimmying,
Duncan's thoughts drifted away towards Jamie as
he manages to catch a glimpse of her. "She hasn't
changed a bit." he thought to himself still looking at
her." Still beautiful as ever. Her autumn brown
velvety hair, shimmering as the sunlight kissed it.
Her water coloured blue eyes, glittering as she
gives her trademark smile." He turns to look away
from Jamie. He couldn't stand to look at her beauty
without feeling the pain he caused her, when he
told her what would happen to their relationship
once the band got recognised. Staring out the  the
car window, he starts to recollect the event of how
he and Jamie broke up. He remembers how he
had told her about Blue and how they were starting
to be recognised for their music world wide. And
that him and the boys will soon be jetting around
the world which will possibly mean that he may
not be around as often as he and her wanted. He
cringed as he felt the  same stabbing pain when
he visioned her azure eyes watering, as she
nodded and hugged him. "I understand" she
whispers into his ear, as they embraced. Her face,
laced with tears as they trickle down her creamy
complexion. His own blue eyes too, had started to
water, as he felt a deep sensation of losing
something he will never find again. She had
sacrificed so much to be with him; she had move to
England and with that, came other losses. He felt
so incredibly selfish what he had put her through.
But they had promised each other that they would
remain friends. Not long after, Jamie had returned
home to Australia, but as they promised, they still
kept in contact, with the help of the others. Duncan
looked up from his gaze and saw Simon looking at
him worried.
"You right, Dunk?" he whispers.
"Yeah. Just...daydreaming I guess." Duncan
replies.
" O.k.... For a second there, you looked as though
you going to be sick." replied Simon not too
convinced of Duncan's answer.
"Nah. I think the salty air has gotten to you! I'm fine."
assures Duncan.
"Oh, no! The salty air hasn't gotten to me! Look a
Lee!" came the reply from Simon as he gestures
vaguely at Lee, who's trying to burp in tune to
Madonna's "Hey Mr. D.J."
With the whole car now trying to air out the car as
well, as screaming at Lee to stop, Duncan laughed
and returned to his thoughts. He was glad that
Jamie and him are still friends, that she is still part
of his life, even if it is under a different
circumstance.  Duncan sighed and continued to be
mesmerised by his thoughts, as their rowdy car
races along the  melting tarmac towards the
beach. He couldn't imagine life without Jamie's
infectious giggles and warm hugs... and he didn't
want to.

Chpt4

"WE'RE 'ERE! EVERYONE OUT OF THE CAR!"
announces Marina , looking at her watch indicating
10 am, as everyone starts to spill out of the tarago.
Duncan and Simon are unhooking the surf boards
from the roof, chatting amongst themselves as
they head to where Raven is setting up. Antony is
helping Jamie with some of the bags, while Lee is
throwing the other half out of the car, so he can
watch Marina catch them...
"STOP IT, LEE! YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK
SOMETHING!!" yells Marina as she tries to catch all
the flying bags.
"Not if you don't drop them!" came a tongue in
cheek response from within the car.
"Come on Lee, PLEASE! Just carry the bags like a
sane individual would." pleads Marina.
"OOhhhhhhh, I wouldn't call me normal, would
you?!" poses Lee, pulling a face.
"Don't get me started on that!" Marina quips, hands
full of luggage.
"Ok.Ok. I'll be a good boy, and behave..."Lee
sooths " For only a minute!" as he grabs the lasts
of the bags and runs to where the rest are waiting.
"Everyone's here, yeah?" asks Jamie
"Yeah,  but I don't think Zora's all here." indicates
Antony, pointing to Zora who's staring at a surfer on
the sand.
"Hey! I heard that!" exclaimed Zora, spinning
around and lightly punching Antony in the arm.
"Ummm...you girls are going to give us a lesson,
on surfing right? You're not going to chuck us out
there unprepared, yeah?" asks Duncan as he
watches some of the other surfers manipulating
the waves with such ease.
" Who said anything about lessons?! Just strap
yourself to a board, dive in, and hope you float!!"
teases Raven, as the boys give her a variety of
startled looks.
"Don't listen to her! She's just messin' with ya."
laughs Marina. " Well, come on! Let's get started!" 
as she grabs a board, and heads onto the sand,
as the others follow suite.
In a quick hour lesson ,the girls have given the
Blue boy enough instructions for them to head onto
the water, although not without a bit of
encouragement...
"Ok! I think you guys are ready to hit the water with
minimal problems!" declares Zora.
"Yeah! Let's hit the surf!" shouts an enthusiastic
Raven, as the girls take of their t-shirts and shoes
and head for the surf.
"Well, come on, guys!" encourages Jamie "You're
all not going to just stand there! You're going to
have to take your shirts off, cos they're going to be
in your way. If you're worried 'bout anything, don't
be. The girls and I are going to be around, so,
come on!" as she reassures and urges the guys
as they finally join the others in the water.
After two hours of splattering sea water and
slipping off boards, Duncan, Simon, Lee and
Antony are able to  comfortably surf independently
with confidence. And they are thoroughly enjoying
themselves...
"Hey! You're getting really good, Simon! You can go
pro! " says an impressed Zora.
"I learn from the best." answers a smiling Simon.
"Hey! Loooooooook at me!" sings Jamie, almost
doing a full hand stand on her board as she
passes Duncan and Antony.
"Very impressive!" screams out Duncan as he
claps.
"Whoah! That's wicked!" yells Antony.
"Teach me how to do that!" demands Lee as he
sails by trying to mimic Jamie, but ends up falling
off his board, splashing into the water.
"Ha,ha!" teases Raven.
"Oh, I wouldn't laugh if I were you, Ray." warns
Marina.
"Why?" questions Raven,  cheekily sticking out her
tongue.
"Cos..." as Marina begins to explain, Raven
screams as a hand from beneath the water grips
onto her left ankle, startling her, causing her to
crash into the water.
"...Cos, Lee is surfing behind you and he's going to
freak you out." Marina finishing her sentence, as
she laughs ,shaking her head.
"Look who's laughing now!" giggles Lee, saddling
his board, watching Raven surface.
"ARGH!!!!! FREAK ME OUT, WHY DON'T YOU!" said
Raven, heaving herself onto her board.
 And as the sun travels slowly continues it's
quests west, the group surfs away the day, without
a care in the world.

Chpt 5

It's sunset at around 8:30 pm. The welkin is
decorated with long, silky flowing ribbons,  each
the colour of fresh honeycomb, ripe peaches and
vintage wine. The sand turning an aureate tinge,
as the temperature slightly cools, allowing for any
discomfort to fade away. The group have spent the
day surfing, playing beach volleyball with other
holidayers and a couple of fans too, that had come
to join in. They had a "band versus fan" match. It
definitely got the Blue boys scrabbling! They had
also buried Lee and Duncan in the sand, while
they were drifting off to sleep and checked out the
birds and guys. So, understandably, they are all
exhausted. Now, as the waves gradually die down,
the group are just chillin'. Raven and Lee, have
decided to go hunting for crabs at the rocks, further
down the beach, Antony, Marina, Simon and Zora
are lying on the beach, looking at the sky and are
just chatting and laughing amongst themselves,
about stupid and embarrassing accidents. Jamie is
sitting down by the water's edge, letting the foam
tickle her toes as Duncan approaches her...
"Hey, James." greets Duncan, smiling.
"Hey, Dunk." replies Jamie, looking up at Duncan,
who's standing, hair damp, with his hands in his
board shorts, studying the horizon.
" So, what ya doin'? Soaking in the scenery?" asks
Duncan, looking down at Jamie wriggling her toes.
"Yeah, I guess. Got nothing else to do."
" How come?"
" Well, I don't want to go looking for crabs, cos
knowing Lee and Rave, they're probably going to
end up chucking the crabs at each other for a
cheap thrill. And the others are talking about
embarrassing moments, and I think that's self
explanatory."
"Well, I'm going for a walk along the beach. Would
you like to join me?"
"Sure."

 Chpt 6

As Jamie and Duncan begin to leave foot prints
along the sand, the sky changes into a twilight
theatre backdrop, awashed with shades of pink
pastel blushes and orange sorbets. And as they
leisurely stroll along the beach,  Duncan tries to
break the ice by attempting to talk to Jamie...
".... It was such a great day, yeah?"Duncan quietly
expresses, glancing around.
"Yeah." replies a monotoned Jamie, staring down,
as they walk.
" ...And a beautiful evening to finish it off." replies a
hesitant Duncan, looking upwards at the sky.
"Definitely."
They walk further on in mutual silence. Jamie,
head down, shuffling a bit so that the sand covers
her toes, her loose damp hair, fluttering about her
and her hands fiddling with her fingers .Duncan
tensely walks, hands heavierly digging in his
pockets, slightly hunched over and hair ruffling
loosely as he moves, along side Jamie.  The
uncomfortable, quiet tension amounting between
them is becoming unbearable, that Jamie can take
it no longer...
"It seems we've walked a fair distance." Jamie
utters looking behind them.
"Yeah, we must have walked for quite a bit. I can't
hear Lee or Rave screaming at each other." jokes
Duncan.
Jamie laughs, and Duncan begins to smiles,
easing in his manner, as they continued on.
By now, night has arrived, inking the heavens a
deep purple, adorned with crystaling stars and
crowning it with an ivory 1/4 moon. As they walk a
little more, Jamie notices up ahead, a pier,
punctuated with lamps and a few fishermen. She
slows down and finally stops, with a dreamy smile.
Duncan stopping as well, bemused for a moment
wonders what on earth is the girl doing, but sees
the pier, as Jamie begins to talk...
"Remember when we use to sit down by the pier
on starry nights, just talking intimately?" Jamie
asks Duncan, with a nostalgic look sweeping over
her face.
Duncan smiles, with the same mood on his face."
Of course I do."
They both sigh. Then Duncan starts to snicker.
"What's so funny?" questions a lost Jamie.
"Do you remember the time when we were on the
pier walking, and I was really excited wanting to
show you something, so I grabbed a hand and
started to pull on it. And as I was getting closer to
what I wanted to show you, I was caressing and
squeezing it, but when I turned around, I realised
that I was holding another guy's hand, instead of
yours?" Duncan said, blushing.
"Oh, yeah!" Jamie answered giggling." The whole
pier was watching and started to laugh when they
saw your face!"
"Could you blame me?! I thought I was holding
YOUR hand, and to turn around to see it was a guy,
was a huge shock!" Duncan exclaimed, laughing.
" It's one of my favourite moments we had
together..." Jamie saying, trailing off.
They continue to walk again, and as they walk,
Duncan subtly takes Jamie's' hand and holds it, as
they continue along their sandy pathway. The
warmth and comfort from Duncan's hands gives
Jamie the courage and strength to speak her
mind...
"Dunk..." whispers Jamie.
"Yeah?"
" ...You remember when we use to..." asked Jamie
looking at Duncan's handsome face and drowning
in his ultramarine eyes.
Duncan looks into Jamie's sugary blue eyes,
smiles and gently twirls her around and takes her
into his embrace, as they begin to slow dance,
where the water kisses the sand.
" How did you know?" was what Jamie wanted to
ask Duncan as she danced on her toes. Her eyes,
gazing intensely into Duncan's, her arms wrapped
loosely around his neck, his arms loosely around
her waist. But before she could unearth an answer,
Duncan whispers into her ear...
" ...Because I love you." as he draws her closer.
Jamie smiled. She leaned her head onto his
chest, hugging him closer and tighter, sensing the
love radiating from his heart. "...Because I love you,
too." she whispered into his chest, as they dance
the night away, beneath the glittering celestial
body.
The night is warm, with a gentle cool breeze
prancing around. The tiny cobalt waves are rolling
towards the beach playfully. The moonlight, fades
behind a passing veil of clouds. The stars,
twinkling above are dimmed by the illuminating
romantic aura of the dancing couple below. And for
a moment in time, Jamie's life is perfect.