Festival Frenzy Page 2
LUCY rummages in her bag.
LUCY (CONTINUED)
My big splurge is this pair of awesome t-trainers. I love them so much, I’m gonna take them to bed with me tonight.
They laugh.
ABBY
Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain at Chesterbury – they won’t stay that lovely lilac for long if it’s muddy!
JOSH and CHARLIE enter the room, grab some snacks and slump down on the sofas.
JOSH
(looks around)
Did you leave anything in the shops?
ABBY
(defensive)
Honestly, I didn’t buy that much . . . It’s all essentials . . . and Chesterbury is ALL about fashion.
JOSH
Really? I thought it was about music. Silly me.
ABBY
Not funny! And don’t eat all the tortilla chips, Josh!
CHARLIE waves to the camera.
CHARLIE
Hi, GCV viewers! Me and Josh will be there too, doing some Prankingstein Live from the festival. We’ve come up with some really sick challenges to do there.
JOSH
Yeah, one idea is the Lipgloss Challenge, where you put on different flavoured lipgloss and the person you kiss has to guess the flavour.
ABBY
(looking alarmed)
And exactly who would you both be kissing?
CHARLIE
Well, girls in the audience, obviously.
ABBY
Okaaaay?
CHARLIE gives her a kiss.
CHARLIE
Don’t worry. We’re winding you up!
LUCY
Guys, that’s m-mean!
ABBY rolls her eyes.
ABBY
Moving on . . . If you’ve finished plugging your channel on our vlog, guys, I’ve prepared a fun idea for us to do today, since both Lucy and Charlie are here. It’s the Best Friend vs Boyfriend Challenge.
JOSH
Where do I fit in?
ABBY
This doesn’t involve you, Josh. You can sit there and look pretty.
JOSH rolls his eyes.
LUCY
(giggling)
Can we g-get started, guys?
ABBY
OK. So I have a list of questions on my phone that’ll show how well you really know me. The first person who gives the right answer gets a point. Are you ready?
CHARLIE
Don’t we need a buzzer or something?
ABBY
No, you both write your answers on these whiteboards.
ABBY hands each of them a whiteboard then consults her phone.
ABBY
First question, easy one to start . . . What’s my favourite chocolate bar?
LUCY writes ‘Twix’.
ABBY (CONTINUED)
Close! I do love them, but it’s not my absolute fave . . .
CHARLIE writes ‘Crunchie’.
ABBY (CONTINUED)
Yes!
The score comes up on the screen: 1 to Charlie, 0 to Lucy.
ABBY (CONTINUED)
One point to Charlie. Question two: What’s my star sign?
CHARLIE looks blank.
LUCY writes ‘Gemini’.
ABBY (CONTINUED)
Correct! One point to Lucy.
(to Charlie)
What kind of a boyfriend are you?
JOSH
Oh, nobody cares about star signs, sis!
ABBY
Josh, stay out of it. Three: Who was my first celebrity crush?
CHARLIE
No idea! I didn’t know you back then.
ABBY
Well, you should still know these things about me.
LUCY
I’ve only known you a year, but let me think . . .
CHARLIE writes ‘Harry Styles’.
ABBY
Nope . . . before that? I’ve definitely told both of you.
LUCY
I know!
LUCY writes ‘Justin Bieber’. JOSH pulls a face.
ABBY
Yes! Lucy has two points now. Next question . . . If I was feeling down and you wanted to make me some nice comfort food, what would it be?
CHARLIE
That’s a tough one.
LUCY writes furiously, then turns her board round. LUCY has written ‘Mac ’n’ cheese! Caesar salad! Cheesy dough balls!’
ABBY
Yummy! Yes please! Charlie?
CHARLIE
I’d go for something sweet . . .
CHARLIE turns his board round. He has written Caramel cheesecake and hot chocolate with marshmallows on top.
ABBY
That sounds delicious too . . . I’ll give you both a point! Between you, you’ve created my perfect meal. Next question: What’s my favourite TV show?
LUCY writes ‘Riverdale / Pretty Little Liars’.
CHARLIE writes ‘Stranger Things’.
ABBY
I like ’em all, but my new obsession?
LUCY
Oh! Oh! I know!
LUCY rubs out previous answer and writes Love Island.
ABBY
Yaaas! OK last question . . . What was my biggest fear when I was little?
CHARLIE
Josh, help me!
ABBY
No, Josh, don’t tell! Come on . . . I know I’ve confessed this to you guys.
LUCY writes ‘Afraid of the dark’.
ABBY
Everybody’s afraid of that! No, something else; something less common!
CHARLIE writes ‘Snakes/bats’.
ABBY
Weirder than that!
LUCY
(shouting)
I remember! You t-told me once.
LUCY starts writing furiously again: ‘Falling down the toilet’.
ABBY
Bingo! Another point to Lucy! And Lucy is the winner!
CHARLIE
Oh well . . . I guess I’ve got a lot to learn!
ABBY gives CHARLIE a hug.
ABBY
You’ll do better next time! Make it up to me with that cheesecake situation you described earlier?
(to camera)
That’s all for today!
ABBY, LUCY, CHARLIE and JOSH all wave.
FADE OUT.
Views: 8,437
Subscribers: 22,013
Comments:
ShyGirl1: CHABBY goals!
girlscanvlogfan: Chesterbury? You kept that quiet!
StephSaysHi: Yes please cheesy dough balls nom nom nom!
natalie_blogs: can’t wait for glitter tutorial xx
billythekid: I *live* for Stranger Things.
MagicMorgan: You’ll rock Chesterbury!
(scroll down to see 17 more comments)
Jessie sprang out of bed before the alarm went off. She’d hardly slept as today was the day of the trip, and she couldn’t wait to get going. She threw on her dressing gown, tiptoed past her little brother Max and went downstairs.
‘Girls can vlog . . . oh yeah . . . and girls can camp . . . !’ she sang to herself as she bounded down the stairs.
Jessie’s dad was in the kitchen cooking eggs. ‘Morning, camper! I thought you could use a bit of proper food before you hit all that junk you’re planning to scoff on the trip.’ He eyed the overflowing carrier bags full of crisps, energy drinks and chocolate stacked by the door. ‘Then I’ll give you a lift to Lucy’s.’
‘Thanks, you’re the best dad EV-AH!’ exclaimed Jessie, and gave him a hug. While it was tough on the family that her dad had lost his job, she loved seeing more of him than before. Although, with Jessie’s brothers and Gabriella – the lodger – around, it was rare to have some time alone with him.
‘Excited?’ Mr Dunbar asked as he dished up the eggs.
‘Hashtag YES!’ said Jessie, flinging herself on to a chair with a grin. ‘Sleeping outdoors will be so much fun, and I can’t wait to do some canoeing and mountain biking. We might even get a chance to try su
rfing one day. How cool is that?’
‘Sounds brilliant, Jess. And six days with your friends – as if you don’t see enough of them already,’ said her father with a wry smile.
‘Yeah, amazing! That’s the best bit,’ said Jessie, trying to hide the weird feeling bubbling up inside her. Despite her excitement about the trip, she had one nagging anxiety that she didn’t share with her dad. In fact, she hadn’t shared it with anyone.
She was worried about spending so much time with Abby. Things hadn’t really gone back to normal since the big blow-up that had happened when Jessie had missed the fashion shoot at Springdale City Farm, and Abby had publicly shot her down in flames on the vlog. Abby had since taken the vlog down after pressure from the rest of the group, but it still hurt. Abby could be quite scathing sometimes, and the fact that she was totally obsessed with Sassy didn’t help when Jessie was feeling insecure. The other day, Abby had basically implied that Sassy could have come on the trip instead of her!
‘Penny for your thoughts,’ said her dad, tugging her hair. ‘You seem to have zoned out a bit, and you’re doing that crazy leg jiggle you do when you’re nervous.’
‘Oh, just planning some camping pranks!’ Jessie laughed, pushing the unease to the back of her mind. She took a final enthusiastic forkful of eggs. ‘OK, finished! I’ll get dressed in my gear, then we’d better get going!’
They waited ages at Lucy’s house as Lucy’s parents tried to pack everything into the campervan. Her dad had a checklist that went from tents, sleeping bags, air mattresses and camping stools to torches, first-aid kit, stuff for the barbecue, fishing tackle, camping dishes, pots and pans, containers of food, the cooler with fresh stuff, rubbish bags, paper towels . . .
‘Don’t forget the loo paper,’ shouted Lucy’s mum. ‘Very important!’
‘That’s what I said in my festival vlog!’ said Abby. ‘Did you watch it, Mrs L? It went up last night.’
Mrs Lockwood smiled. ‘No . . . somehow I came up with that idea on my own.’
The girls added their own backpacks and got into the van. Jessie rushed in after Lucy to make sure she wouldn’t be sitting next to Abby.
‘OMG!’ exclaimed Lucy. ‘This is a t-tight squeeze. I can hardly breathe.’
Luckily Maggie, who had been running around getting overexcited, fell asleep as soon as she was in her car seat.
‘I hope nobody gets carsick,’ Lucy’s dad said cheerfully.
‘Luckily, Pu-kota isn’t with us!’ joked Jessie, remembering Dakota’s unfortunate explosion during the school ski trip in the winter. All the girls giggled, including Abby, which made Jessie feel better about being stuck in the van with her.
‘Well, it’s a long drive,’ said Lucy’s mum, ‘so I suggest you just sit back, listen to some music and chill.’
‘And eat,’ added Jessie, passing around a tube of salt-and-vinegar Pringles. She prided herself on always having snacks available in any given scenario.
Abby sat forward as they backed out of the driveway. ‘Mrs Lockwood, is it true you used to go to Coachella and Burning Man in America? That must have been sooo cool! I mean . . . all those great bands and celebrities!’ She beamed. ‘Oh, and Lucy said you might still have some outfits from then. Did you bring them along?’
Mrs Lockwood laughed. ‘I did pack a few for fun, but I’m not sure the short shorts and cowboy boots are really suitable for this occasion or weather! We’ll see!’
She continued, ‘More seriously, though, girls, we do need to agree to some ground rules for this trip. Because we’re responsible for you, we need to be sure that we always know where you are. You mustn’t wander off the campsite, and we’d like you to stay in pairs or a group if you go down to the lake or the woods.’
The woods . . . Jessie zoned out as she pictured herself building a campfire, maybe making a life raft from scratch, opening up the Swiss army knife she’d been dying to use . . . Hey, maybe she could learn how to skin a rabbit, like Katniss in The Hunger Games!
‘Just be sensible,’ added Mr Lockwood, turning round and raising an eyebrow.
‘We will, promise!’ said Lucy.
‘Promise,’ echoed a newly awake Maggie solemnly.
Jessie giggled.
The girls’ phones all pinged. Jessie looked at hers. It was a group message from Sassy:
09:02
Sassy: Have a great time guys! See you when you get back x
‘Aw. That’s really nice of her,’ said Hermione, unwrapping one of the lemon-drizzle cupcakes she’d brought with her.
‘Too bad she isn’t with us,’ said Abby with a sigh.
Jessie stiffened, her Hunger Games fantasy evaporating fast.
‘We’ll have to FaceTime her LOADS,’ continued Abby, typing out a reply.
09:02
Abby: We miss you soooooooo much already xxx
Jessie couldn’t help but feel upset as she glanced at Abby’s message on the screen. A few weeks ago, they hadn’t even met Sassy, and now the whole trip was ruined because she wasn’t here?
‘Actually, I was thinking perhaps you girls might want to have less screen time while you’re away,’ said Lucy’s mum. ‘Get back to nature, enjoy the peace and quiet. I know you’ll want to vlog, but you can cut down on other stuff . . . A digital detox, isn’t that what they call it?’
‘My mum said the same thing,’ said Hermione. ‘Apart from when I need to call home.’
Abby pouted. ‘Well, maybe we could FaceTime just once or twice, then. If we get a signal. It won’t be the same without her otherwise . . .’ She trailed off sadly.
‘Jeez, Abs! We get the message!’ snapped Jessie.
Lucy’s mum glanced round in surprise at her sharp tone. Jessie knew she was being dramatic, but, honestly, she was so fed up of this Sassy worship! She was pretty sure that half the time Abby was doing it to get to her – and it was working.
‘I was only saying . . .’ muttered Abby.
‘So, who’s for carpool karaoke?’ asked Lucy’s dad brightly after an awkward pause.
Jessie was still too hurt to speak and glared down at her phone.
‘Me! What’s the f-first song?’ said Lucy, and gave Jessie’s hand a squeeze, while Hermione chucked a cupcake in Jessie’s direction.
‘Wow, this is amazing,’ exclaimed Jessie five hours later as they pulled into their camping spot at Blackwater Lake Campsite. Her mood had improved massively – she was on a sugar high from cupcakes and pick-and-mix, and had successfully avoided any more run-ins with Abby. She looked out of the window at the hundreds of trees surrounding the campsite and the big, calm lake in the distance. ‘This place is enormous!’
‘Can we g-go exploring?’ asked Lucy.
‘First we need help unloading the van and setting up the tents,’ said Mr Lockwood. ‘After that, explore to your hearts’ content.’
They piled out of the van, and Jessie was soon helping Mr Lockwood lay down the ground sheets, drive in the pegs and put up the tents. There were two: a four-person one for Lucy’s parents and Maggie, and a six-person tent for the girls.
‘I can see you’ve done this before, Jessie,’ said Lucy’s dad. ‘Thank heavens there’s at least one practical person among you!’
‘Daa-ad!’ protested Lucy.
Jessie smiled gratefully. ‘Well, I’ve been camping before and, anyway, I build lots of construction kits, like LEGO and stuff, with my brothers, so I’m used to following instructions.’
‘You should consider engineering as a career. You’d be good at it,’ said Mr Lockwood.
‘Hmm, never really thought about it,’ said Jessie, pleased by the compliment.
Mr Lockwood handed her the final peg, and she used her boot to work it into the ground. The girls stuck their heads into the tent.
Snug but cosy, Jessie thought happily. They spread their sleeping bags and pillows on the air mattresses and stowed their bags.
‘I brought some fairy lights and candles to decorate the tent,’ said Abby, pulli
ng them out of her bag.
‘Fairy l-lights? You idiot! Where did you think you’d p-plug them in? There’s no electricity!’ said Lucy, giggling.
‘No candles allowed either, I’m afraid,’ said Lucy’s mum. ‘Fire hazard!’
Abby sighed. ‘Oh, I hadn’t thought of that . . . Such a shame, as this one smells amazing, sort of like a campfire.’
We’ll have an actual campfire, thought Jessie, suddenly irritated again. Why is nothing ever good enough for her? She told herself to calm down.
‘Mrs Lockwood, is there anywhere for me to hang my mosquito net?’ asked Hermione hesitantly. ‘I’ve also packed quite a few types of insect repellant, but my mum thought I should use a net for extra protection.’
Jessie sighed. She couldn’t believe what a fuss everyone was making – she didn’t care about lighting or insects. Why couldn’t they hurry up and get exploring?
‘I’m sure we’ll find a way of hanging it,’ Lucy’s mum told Hermione. ‘Of course, we can’t guarantee you won’t get bitten: this is the great outdoors after all!’ She glanced at Jessie who was chomping at the bit. ‘OK, girls, off you go . . . but be back by five so we can prepare our first campfire supper.’
‘Will do! See ya, Mrs L!’ said Jessie cheerfully. ‘Right, gang, where shall we go first? The lake?’
‘Let’s check out the loos first,’ said Abby. ‘I’m desperate!’
Jessie groaned.
‘I’ll g-go with her,’ said Lucy quickly. ‘We’ll m-meet you two down by the l-lake.’
Jessie smiled gratefully at Lucy as she and Abby hurried off, following the sign to the shower block.