Australia Day is as hot as the rest of the summer has been, the temperature hovering in the thirties with little breeze to cool us off.

"What are we doing first?" Dillon asks, climbing out of Luke's black truck at the same time as Kennedy, Luke and myself. "Rides or eating?"

Luke and I swapped numbers when he gave me a lift home, and we've been texting every day since. His texts are often funny, random, and I enjoy them. I am, in essence, doing my best to focus on Luke and not Ethan.

"I think we should eat after we go on all the rides," Kennedy says to him. "Unless you want me puking on you."

Dillon makes a face that causes me to giggle, and Luke chuckles and slings his arm around me as we walk into the Rockstar Bay festival. We pay the entry fees while we listen to the screams and shouts from the festival-goers riding the rollercoasters. As soon as our hands have been stamped, we head towards the noise.

"How about we go on High Voltage first?" Luke asks, motioning to the biggest and fastest rollercoaster.

Kennedy, who has never been a big fan of rollercoasters sighs. "Let's get it over with."

I don't care what rides we go on or what order we go on them in; it's just nice to be out of the house and on a date instead of stuck at home.

"Look who's here," Luke says to me as we stand in line.

Seeing the direction he's nodding in, I realize we've joined the same queue that Asher, Maddison, Ethan and Ainsley are in.

Ethan waves from his spot up the line and smiles solemnly, and I wave back, even as Ainsley gives me the stink-eye.

"There's no avoiding them, is there?" Kennedy asks.

I shake my head. "I knew we'd see them."

And I'd been prepared for it. Earlier today, Ethan came to my room to let me know he was about to pick up Ainsley, and I smiled when he left and told him to have a good time. I know he feels bad about us going separately, but I'm happy we're spending time apart.

Ethan and I have managed to hang out only a couple of times at home without any interruption from Asher. While Ethan seems annoyed every time Asher interrupts us, I'm almost always relieved when he does. Spending too much time with my ex won't help my heart heal.

Briefly, I make eye contact with Asher, and he studies me for a moment before looking at Maddison and going back to pretending I don't exist. Other than making sure Ethan and I are never left alone for too long, he's ignored me lately. He hasn't made any more comments about Luke, and he hadn't tried to interfere in my love-life the way he did when Kai and Jacob showed some interest, which I appreciate.

That said, I'm relieved when Ethan, Ainsley, Maddison and Asher move forward and take their turn on the rollercoaster. Because even when Asher isn't setting out to make my life hell on earth, his presence is always heavy and uncomfortable.

The line shuffles forward, and Luke puts his arm around me.

"You look hot today."

"It is hot."

"You know what I mean," he says, grinning as he slips his finger beneath the strap of my singlet top and strokes my shoulder.

The compliment makes me blush. "Thanks."

With it being such a stinking hot day, I'm wearing short denim shorts, Converse sneakers because we're planning to do plenty of walking, and a printed tank top. My long, strawberry blonde hair is back in a long ponytail, and I'm wearing a small amount of make-up. I don't look glamorous, but all the swimming and sitting in the sun while writing songs have left me toned and tanned.

The four of us make the most of our all-access pass, and we go on ride after ride, thankfully managing to avoid my stepbrothers. After taking turns on all the rides and walking around, our stomachs are rumbling so hard and so loudly that we have to stop for a break.

"How about Chucks?" Dillon suggests.

"I'm fine with that. Girls?" Luke asks, looking between Kennedy and myself.

As I nod, Kennedy asks, "Can we sit on the beach and eat?"

By the time we've ordered burgers, fries and drinks for all of us, the sun is setting, and everyone else seems to have the same idea as us. A huge crowd has made their way to the beach to eat and listen to the band playing outside the festival gates.

"Over there," I say, pointing to a spot a short distance away which isn't too crowded yet.

Aside from the few grains of sand that manage to make it into my meal, dinner is good. We sit there until it is dark, the screams of people riding the rollercoasters competing with the musicians. The crowd thins the longer we sit there, but none of us rush to get up and go. Eventually, the band stops, and the fireworks go off.

Luke puts his arm around my shoulders as we sit and watch the colourful display. I let him pull me a little closer, liking the fact that his aftershave is pleasant and his touch is nice, even if it doesn't give me tingles like Ethan's did when we dated. And when Luke leans in and brushes his lips over mine, I kiss him back, ignoring the way Kennedy and Dillon cheer us on.

For the first time in months, I'm kissing a guy. Not just a quick peck on the lips, but a decent pash with some tongue action. Luke is a good kisser, and as his tongue slides along mine, I remember what Ethan says about my date being a heartbreaker before I shove the thought from my head. Ethan broke my heart and now I want to move on, even if that is through kissing one of the biggest players Rockstar Bay has apparently ever seen.

After the fireworks have finished, we stay seated, watching some of the other smaller and larger groups going swimming until the cola I had with dinner makes its way through me.

"Where are you going?" Luke asks when I stand up.

"To find the bathroom."

"Want me to come with?" Kennedy asks.

"No, I'll be okay."

Kennedy went to the bathroom not all that long before we sat down to eat.

"You sure?" Luke asks me.

"Yeah. I'll be back in a minute."

It isn't until I start walking that I realise just how far away we are from the restrooms, and I shiver in the cooling air as the loud voices of drunk guys assaults my ears. No alcohol is sold at the festival, so a lot of people drink up beforehand, or they sneak it in with them. I look around, checking for any security guards and then hurry when I don't see any, breathing out a relieved sigh once I get to the lit-up bathroom block.

With the festival bringing in so much foot traffic, the place is relatively clean. Still, it takes a couple of goes to find a toilet that has toilet paper and is flushed clean.

Once I've finished my business, I wash my hands and walk out the door. A moment later, I wish that I waited just a little bit longer. At the exact moment that I exit, a mob of guys are walking past. Nerves overtake me as they turn their attention to me. There have to be at least ten of them. Unsure of myself but trying not to show it, I hold my head high and focus on my destination as I walk through the group.

Or at least I try to.

Despite the fact I'm not looking at them, they block my way.

"Hey there, beautiful," the guy directly blocking my path says. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

I point to close by somewhere. "My friends are waiting for me over there."

The guy in front of me has messy, dirty blond hair, and wears a muscle top with swearwords on it and a smile that sends a shiver down my spine.

"No need to rush off so quickly."

"Yeah, why don't you stay and talk with us for a while," another one adds.

"I'm good, thanks."

Muscle-top guy is probably a couple of years older than me, but I can't recall ever seeing him around. I don't recognise any of the guys surrounding me. My heartrate feels as if it doubles as he puts an arm around me. Of course, all of his mates laugh at his antics and the look on my face as he suddenly hugs me to him, encouraging him to continue.

"I'll see you later," I say, trying to shrug off his arm.

Instead of letting me go, his arm tightens around me, and the ball of anxiety in my stomach grows bigger.

"Forget your friends," he says. "We're much more fun."

There's so much noise around that I'm worried no one will hear me if I have to scream. I try not to panic as he begins ushering me in the opposite direction to my friends. Frantically, I try to look over my shoulder and wave to them, hoping to get Kennedy's attention or Luke's.

"Please, they'll worry about me."

I don't even know if my unwanted companions hear me over the top of their raucous laughter.

"Hey! Where the hell are you taking her?"

Before now, I never would have believed the sound of Asher's voice could fill me with gratitude and relief. But the sight of him, even though he is clearly pissed off, causes the giant ball of dread in my stomach to stop bouncing around.

The arm around me loosens as Asher stalks towards us.

Viewing my stepbrother through the eyes of my assailants, I breathe out a sigh of relief. His shirt is off, tucked into the waistband of his shorts, exposing his lean but muscular body and numerous tats. He might be younger than the mob amusing themselves at my expense, but Asher is taller, heavier, and I know he knows how to throw a punch. Even if he is my enemy, he won't let these guys walk away with me, will he?

"Take your hand off her," Asher demands when he stops in front of me and the guy who hasn't completely let me go.

There's so much authority in his voice and his stare that if he told me to drop down and give him twenty push-ups, I proably would.

Finally, the arm around my shoulders drops.

"Hey, Ash, man. How you doing?" the guy asks, recognizing my stepbrother for the Rockstar Bay royal that he is.

Asher ignores his question.

"I asked where the hell you were taking her?"

The guy backs away, putting his hands up. "Sorry, man. Didn't realize she belonged to you."

Asher's dark eyes burn as he stares the guys down. "She's my new stepsister. Touch her again, and I'll make sure you're too fucked up to touch anyone for a long time."

"Chill out, Ash. We were just having a little fun."

"Yeah, it's not like it would have gone any further," someone adds.

Asher shakes his head and then grabs my arm, leading me away. I swear I've never felt so relieved to have Asher beside me. I'm about to thank him for stepping in when he stops abruptly and looks down at me.

"What the fuck were thinking? Don't you know they're trouble? I know you're trying to get over Ethan, but hanging out with those idiots is just fucking stupid."

My relief and gratitude turn to anger faster than lightning hits the shore in Rockstar Bay.

"I wasn't hanging out with them. I went to the bathroom, and when I came out, they were there, and they wouldn't let me leave."

"Of all the stupid things to do. Do I really need to tell you that you should take someone to the toilet with you? Why the hell wasn't Kennedy with you? Isn't that what girls do? Go to the toilet together."

"They probably would have harassed both of us then."

"In that case, Morrow should have been with you. What kind of dipshit lets his date walk off in the dark?"

"I told him I was fine."

"Yeah, nice call on that one."

I glare at him, and he glares right back, the adrenaline that kicked in when I was mobbed by the guys mixing with my anger at Asher.

"Thanks for getting me out of there, Asher. Goodbye."

I turn on my heel and attempt to walk away, except before I take a step, Asher grabs my arm and swings me around.

He stares down at me. "Where are you going?"

"Back to Luke and Kennedy."

Asher blows out a frustrated sigh and looks behind him, probably to where Maddison, Ethan and Ainsley are waiting for him.

"Fuck," Asher mutters when he turns back to me. "I'll come with you."

"I don't need you to."

The condescending arse raises an eyebrow. "Don't you?"

"No." I point in the direction of our group. "They're only over there."

"Then let's get moving."

It's not until we both start walking that I feel the heat of his hand on my back. As soon as I send a sideways glance in his direction, he drops his hand immediately and scowls. At himself or me, I don't know. We continue walking, and when we close in on Kennedy, Dillon and Luke, he stops and motions for me to join my friends.

"Thanks," I mutter.

He glares at me. "Don't be an idiot next time. I don't want to explain to Dad and Cait that you never made it home because you're a moron."

And with that final insult left to rot in the air between us, I walk away from him before I can tell him I hate his guts, even if he did save me. 

________________________________

A/N: Hi everyone! As always, thanks for reading <333. If you're enjoying Rockstar Bay Academy - please vote. And if you're interested in faster updates because you want to see what happens next, please leave me a comment. It wasn't until I received a message requesting another chapter of this book that I realised someone was still interested.

Next chapter is the first day at school!

That's it from me for now. Sending out lots and lots of love and goodwill to all of you. 

Elle
XOXO