September 1981
"Dad?! Have you seen my shoes?" Alice calls downstairs while brushing her hair. Today is her first day as a Year 7, Roger cannot believe she's in high school already.
"On the shoe rack by the front door," He shouts back stood by the front door waiting for her. She races down the stairs with her new school uniform on minus her shoes.
"Thanks," She sits on the stairs to put them on.
"That skirt is a bit short," He raises an eyebrow.
Alice sighs, "Dad, it's the standard school skirt. What do you want me to do, wear trousers all my life?"
"Yes." He's not ready for his little girl to grow up.
"Dad!"
"Alright, alright." He holds his hands up in surrender changing the subject, "You ready to go?"
"Yep."
"Had breakfast?" During the six weeks, she's been a real teenager by skipping her breakfast and sleeping in late.
"Yep."
"Come on then," He ushers her out to the car, "We have to pick up, Hazel, Rami and Sami."
"Have a good day," Dominique calls after her, trying to feed Felix.
"Thanks, bye mum, bye Felix," Her little brother gives her a wave turning away from the spoon, "Bye Bisc..." She stops clearing the emotion from her throat. It still hurts her that Biscuit is gone, she keeps doing things like that.
Neither Roger nor Dominique says anything because they know it's best not to, in the car he tries to distract her, "You looking forward to your first day?" Roger asks.
She gives him an 'are you serious' look, "Does anyone look forward to school?"
"Point taken. Try and make some friends, yeah?"
"I have friends, Rami and Hazel."
"I know but it's a whole new school, a whole new group of people, there's nothing wrong with making new friends."
"Now you sound like uncle Brian." They pull up outside of Rami's house. Rami climbs into the car, "Morning, Ram Ram."
"Nope!" Rami shouts in protest, "That is not sticking through high school."
"Why?" She giggles, "It's your nickname."
"It makes me sound like a baby. Please just call me Rami," He half begs his best friend.
"I'll consider it." She turns back around realising they're still outside Rami's house, "Dad, you gonna drive? We'll be late"
"I believe we're missing a twin?" Roger points out that Sami is not in the car.
"Oh sorry, he's ill, Mr Taylor," Rami informs him.
"We'll start with that conversation next time shall we," The drummer rolls his eyes and drives for Hazel's.
After picking her up, they make for the school, "Dad, can you drop us around the corner?" Alice asks.
Roger understands that his daughter wants the independence of walking to school alone but because of the distance she has to be dropped off at school. Her words took him by surprise though, "You embarrassed to be seen with me?"
"No, of course not, but I don't want the entire school finding out on day one that my dad is Roger Taylor. It would go one of two ways. Either I'd end up miss popular which I don't want or I'd be bullied and I don't want that either."
He can see her point and stops around the corner from the school gates, "Thanks dad," She smiles grabbing her backpack from the footwell, "See you later, love you." The three climb out of the car, Rami and Hazel shouting a thank you as well.
------
All year 7s spent two hours in an induction assembly, being given their timetables and being told the rules and standards of the school.
They get a 15-minute break before they go to their tutor rooms. "Who's your tutor?" Alice found Rami and Hazel during the break to compare their timetable.
"We're not together," Rami points out. And he's right, they all have different tutors even Sami, Rami had to collect his brother's stuff too.
"We have lessons together though," Hazel looks them over, "I have Maths and Science with Alice. Rami, you have English and Languages with Alice then we all have, Performing arts, P.E and music together. Oh, I have history with you, Rami." The bell rings and they go their separate ways agreeing to meet at lunchtime.
Alice walks into her tutor room, taking a seat at one of the middle tables next to the window.
"Oh my gosh, your hair is gorgeous," A boy with dark brown hair, blue eyes stand beside her and with him is a girl with mousy brown hair and brown eyes, "Are you a natural blonde?"
"Yep, I have my dad to thank for that."
"I'm Adam," Adam sits beside Alice starting to playing with her hair and the girl sits with them, "this is my mate, Molly."
"Nice to meet you both, I'm Alice."
"Wait, your the Queen kid," Molly gasps.
"If that's the only reason you're over here then..."
"No, no," Molly interrupts, "Don't get your knickers in a twist, I was just curious. I'm not trying to make friends just because of who your family is, I couldn't give a stuff about that. It just means your cool."
Alice watches Molly intently that feeling from years ago pops up and this time it won't go away, she moves on to distract herself, "Did you two go to the same primary school?"
"Yes, we did," Adam starts to braid Alice's hair, "We live two streets away from each other too."
"Right," Their tutor enters the room quieting them, "Good morning Year 7. I am Mrs Cooper and I will be your tutor for the next five years until you leave in Year 11, so I suggest you don't annoy me in your first year. Where you are sat now is your seat for the year, talk amongst yourselves while I come round and hand everything out." The tutor is in her mid-30s, tall, slim and has light brown hair she started at the other end of the classroom so we have time to chat. She takes the register and hands out school planners, P.E kits and anything else they need.
------
Adam and Molly join Alice at lunch as she approaches the table, Rami and Hazel are sat at. Like Alice, they've made their own friends, "Hey guys, this is Adam and Molly."
"This is Joe," Rami points to the ginger hair boy.
"And this is Lucy," Hazel nods to the light-haired brunette next to her.
During the lunch break, they get to know each other but Alice notices Rami staring at Lucy, "You like her, don't you?" She whispers, pulling Rami away from the others as they had out to the school field.
"Who?" Rami frowns.
"Lucy, you like her?"
"I mean she's pretty," It's true Rami does think Lucy is beautiful, "but I have feelings for someone else and until I'm sure it's not going to go anywhere, I'm not going to try with Lucy."
"Wait, you have feelings for someone? Who?" How has she missed this, she's his best friend, she knows everything about him.
Rami sighs, wondering if she really hadn't picked up on it, "You, Alice."
"Oh," Is the only word to escape her lips. She had a feeling it was there but she always brushed it away, she pulls him further from the group where no one can overhear them, "Rami, I know what you want me to say but I'd be wrong to lead you on."
"It's not going to happen," His heart stinks but really, he already knew that was coming.
"Rami, your my best friend but my best friend in a brotherly sense. Maybe right at the beginning, I wondered about feelings for you but I have to tell you something and you must promise to keep it to yourself, no matter what?"
"I promise."
"I think, I think I'm a lesbian or bisexual, I'm not sure yet." She's never said it out loud, she's not even sure if she's right but she's sure of the feeling she keeps getting around Molly.
She knows just the person to talk to about this but she needs to get there without her dad finding out.
"Oh," Rami is taken back but it really wipes clear those feelings, he understands it's not that she doesn't like him it's just that she likes women instead, "You have my word, I'll never tell anyone. I understand now. Does your dad know?"
"Rami, this is the first time I've admitted it out loud to myself. I need your help with something," She explains the plan she has in mind.
"So when are we doing this?"
"Friday, I'll come to yours after I've done what I need to do..."
"Hey," Molly shouts, "You two lovebirds joining us?"
"Them two?" Hazel snorts, "They're not lovebirds, brother and sister more like. They bicker like brother and sister." They join the group forgetting about the plan for now.
------
"Hey Monkey," Roger smiles as she climbs in the car, "How was your first day? No Rami or Hazel?"
"It's was good and no they're getting the tube home. About that, um..."
"You want the same independence?" Roger states rather than asks, he remembers what it was like at that age.
Wanting to feel more grown-up, not wanting to depend on your parents, wanting to be cool like everyone else. He walked to and from school by himself when he was her age.
"Yeah, but there's the problem of living..."
"12 miles away," He once again finishes her sentence, concentrating on the road ahead. "Alice, I get it, every child wants more freedom at your age and I have no reason to stop you, you're a good girl. How about this, we get you a tube card and if me or your mum aren't going to London then we'll drop you at the nearest tube station to home, if we are in London for the day then we give you a lift how does that sound?"
"Yeah, I think that would work," She doesn't feel like a good girl with the lie she's about to tell, "Can I go to Rami's for tea on Friday."
"Yeah, I don't see why not. Did you make any other friends today?"
"Oh yeah, Adam, Molly, Joe and Lucy."
"Four new friends, wow. Slow down, Ally, you'll be miss popularity before you know it. Any of them more than a friend?"
"Dad!"
"What I'm just asking? I might not like the idea of you having a boyfriend but I know it's going to happen someday."
Alice rolls her eyes, her smile slipping, "There might be someone, but I'm not sure if they feel the same way."
"Hmm... well, it's their loss if they don't like you," The rest of the journey home is quiet though she joins in with the radio when Crazy Little Thing Call Love comes on.
So four new characters for this story, Adam is Adam Lambert
Lucy is Lucy Boynton
Joe is Joe Mazzello
And the last is my own character Molly Davis played by Millie Bobbie Brown. Molly is going to be a big part of the story going forward, the others will pop up from time to time.