Of Mix Tapes & Nike Kicks

This year was the year.

He was going to make Melinda Wood, the flaxen-haired Head Girl of St. Fabiola's Ladies' Catholic College, to fall in love with him. Him - Christian Pelosi, Italian stallion, and affable Mr. Popular. He was sure of it. He'd waited too long. That girl would be head over heels for him by year's end. Well, maybe falling in lust with him would be enough. He grinned at his reflection in the mirror and fixed his school tie. Looking mighty fine Pelosi. First day of his last year of formal schooling. He had it in the bag.

He leant over to the tallboy and grabbed a small stack of palm cards, absently scanning over the school address he had co-written. He still had to figure out who the hell had voted him Vice-Captain. He wondered how much of a ceremonial role it would be. Still, he thought, it would make for great resume fodder. Satisfied all the cards were in their order, he placed them in the inside pocket of his navy blazer and took one more look in the mirror.

Yes, this year would be a good one.

Angie Fisher pulled at her plaid skirt. It never seemed to sit right. She blamed it on her boyish frame. She adjusted her skirt to the side and sighed. God damn her non-existent hips. Giving up she tucked her blouse in her skirt, and attempted to loosen the tie around her neck; but unlucky with that, she tried to fix the tangle of red hair on her head instead... but to no avail. Gah! She gave up. She was so over this. She couldn't wait for the year to be over so she could finally get out and begin uni. She slung her school bag over her shoulder and exited her room, jogging down the stairs as her family rushed around her amidst their morning routine.

"Angie, are you driving today?"

She looked up to her mum as she entered the kitchen, and picked up an apple from the fruit basket on the counter. "Yeah, why?"

"Lisa needs a ride to school," Toni told her, putting on her pearl earrings, "she's running late and missed her train."

"Why can't you take her?"

"Because I still have to drop off your dad at the station, and Peter at mum and dad's - Kennington's too out of the way." She fixed her suit as she walked around the counter to pick up her handbag and keys from the counter top.

"Fine."

"Thanks, sweetie." Then she bent over and kissed her daughter on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight. And don't forget to take your medication." She pushed a small bottle of pills towards her daughter.

"I know, I know; bye."

But Toni had already left the kitchen, and was calling her passengers: "Eric, today please, and Peter, honey, turn that TV off." The gruff voice of her dad said something inaudible, then she heard her younger brother complaining his show wasn't finished yet. After some bickering between the three of them, Angie heard the TV click off and the front door shut, before the house grew still.

Training her ears she could vaguely hear the hairdryer upstairs. "Lisa, come on," she called out as she stared at her pill bottle, her prescription wrapped around it like a label. "I don't want to be late."

"I'll be there in a sec."

Angie groaned and stalked out of the kitchen to the bottom of the stairs, leaving her pills on the table, untouched. "Come on, quit being vain and get your ass in the car."

She heard the dryer go off, followed by a thunder of footsteps run across the floor above her. "I'm coming, hang on, I've got to fix my make-up."

"Lisa," she craned her body around the banister to try peer upstairs, "now!"

Her sister appeared at the top of the stairs, hair perfectly coiffed and face painted. She took each step leisurely as she fixed her uniform. "Sheesh, settle down, someone's on their rags."

"Oh shut up and get in the car. And you look like a victim of Homer's make-up gun."

Lisa met her at the foot of the steps and cocked her head to the side. "When was the last time you got laid?"

Angie only shook her head and pushed her in the direction of the front door. "If our parents only knew what a total slag you are."

"You only say that 'cause you're secretly jealous my chest doesn't look like an airport runway."

Angie couldn't help the small tug at her lips as they walked out the front door.

Christian pulled the front door shut behind him and walked towards his car, parked at the curb. Just before he opened the driver side door he saw the Fisher sisters walking out of their house. He smiled and waved. Lisa seemed to wave back enthusiastically, but Angie only sent him a polite smile before they entered her Barina. He entered his car and watched his neighbours pull out of the drive way on the rear-view mirror, before starting the engine and driving in the opposite direction. They were probably on their way to Kennington Girls, he presumed, where Lisa attended.

He wondered about Angie as he drove through the leafy, suburban streets of Kennington towards Dimitri's place. He and Angie had been close when they were young. Having lived next door to each other all their lives they had been inseparable as kids. When they separated to attend the local brother and sister, Catholic high schools, they had begun to drift apart, until finally they had ceased hanging out all together. They didn't run in the same circles, nor attend the same parties.

He pulled up to Dimitri's double storey, double brick house still thinking about Angie. He beeped the horn and left the engine running, and he realised that he didn't know Angie at all. He was pulled out of his thoughts when the passenger door opened and Dimitri lumped himself in the seat and shut the door.

"Yo."

"Sup dude?"

"Nothing much Christian," Dimitri told his friend, pulling the seatbelt across his body. "Nothing at all, only that we're so close to freedom I can smell it."

Christian grinned and began to drive off, slipping in his Franz Ferdinand CD. "I hear you. It still feels less exciting than it should, I mean, we started all the work last September."

"That's what's on your mind?"

"Huh?"

Dimitri shrugged and pulled at his collar, his tie seriously strangling him. "You just looked, I don't know, pensive when I got to the car. You didn't even notice me running down."

"Oh, yeah, I don't know. I saw Angie this morning."

Dimitri grinned and said, "That girl gets out?"

Christian shared his grin. "Apparently."

"Weren't you two like BFFs when you were 10?"

Christian turned to Dimitri briefly, before looking back ahead. "Yeah, I was just thinking about that actually. Funny how things change."

"You're not going to get all sentimental and shit on me are you?"

"Shut up, you know what I mean. I mean, we were like close, then next thing I know she's voted most likely to become Crazy Cat Lady."

Dimitri laughed and ran a hand through his dark blonde hair. "Nah, man, hormones kicked in and we became more interested in girls with boobs."

"True this."

"She's kinda cute, though."

"Yeah, grew out of her awkward phase."

"Didn't she used to date Mitchell McCauley?"

Christian thought about this for a moment and nodded. "I think so, yeah, which means she can't be that bad. He's a pretty cool guy."

"I also heard that when he broke up with her she slashed his tires, you know, because it came straight after that thing she went through." Dimitri paused then reiterated, "But she's still cute."

"Crazy ones always are."

"You know who is cute, though? Actually, total boner material and isn't crazy?"

"Who?"

Dimitri slipped him a sly look and said casually, "Melinda Wood. You still going to try tap that?"

"What's this 'try' business? You doubt my smooth skills?"

"Hey, all I'm saying is you won't break her. Word on the street is she's totally put-off by you. She goes for a type, mate, and you're not it."

"Tall, dark, and handsome isn't her type?" Christian grinned. "Well I'll be damned."

"I think 'manwhore' isn't her type." Dimitri slapped him on the back. "But good try."

Christian shrugged him off and said confidently, "You wait, she'll be taking me to her formal. I've just got to play my cards right."

"What cards are those?"

"Still figuring that out."

"You know what we've got to figure out?"

"What?"

"Band prac, none of us ever seem to be free."

Christian nodded, it had been difficult. He knew once they really got into the full swing of the HSC year they'd have limited time to study, socialise, work, and continue band. They were planning to enter the Marist College band comp that coming June, but he had a sinking feeling it would clash with all their other, more pressing commitments.

"We'll figure something out."

Angie crept into the Katherine Tanner Centre via the back entrance as stealthily as she could. She was late - thanks to her sister who had slept in and spent the morning primping and preening herself, rather than making the effort to catch her regular train. The entire school body were in the hall standing up, singing the school song. The first day of school mass, and the assembly that followed it, was always a complete snore-fest.

"You're late," Noa whispered, as Angie slipped into the seat next to hers.

"No shit Einstein."

Noa Kim was Angie's best friend. A slight Korean girl who had made it her duty to rebel against her strict and over-bearing parents. She encapsulated the Catholic school girl stereotype to a complete tee. They half-heartedly sung as they continued to converse.

"Lisa again?"

"I swear to god you have to wonder how she balances her nerd life with her vanity life."

"She got into one of the State's most competitive selective schools, so she must be doing something right."

"Yeah, going down on her teachers." Angie knew that for all her displays of teenage sexuality Lisa was actually very innocent. All she had ever done was kissed a few boys. Still, sometimes Angie worried for her sister and the way she seemed to expertly channel Lolita.

Noa snorted a little too loudly, which elicited a stern look from their Year Co-ordinator who was standing nearby. "Takes after her sister," Noa shot back, after Mr. Antollini turned back to the front.

"It was one time and he was only a student teacher at Marist, thank you very much."

"Sure," Noa nodded patronisingly.

"I didn't even know, at the time, either."

"We know the story Ange."

"I heard he still calls you," one of the girls in front of them leant back and whispered.

Noa bit back her chuckle as Angie replied, "He doesn't."

"Shame, he was cute," the girl beside Noa added.

"Girls!" Mr Antollini silenced them with a harsh whisper.

The foursome turned to him and mimed an apology before they sat down when the song finished. Their principal welcomed them to the school year and Angie began to tune out. Mrs. Jordan was a chain-smoking, middle-aged feminist, who Angie thought resembled Roseanne Barr.

"So, anyway, Harry and the crew wanted to know if we were free this Saturday," Noa said.

"Why?"

"His parents are out of town, we'll probably just listen to tunes, smoke pot, play board games. You in?"

"I don't know, I think I'm working."

"Then come afterwards."

"I don't know…"

"You're so boring. You're such a hermit, you hardly go out."

"Then why do you keep hanging out with me?"

Noa crossed her arms and told her matter-of-factly, "I'm your Asian sidekick. It's my job."

"I'll think about it."

Noa knew she wouldn't and said, "And I lied about the board games." Angie looked at her and raised a brow. "I thought if I made it boring enough it'd entice you to leave your hole for a night."

Angie shook her head and sighed. "Fine, I'll go."

They clapped absently as Mrs. Jordan finished her short speech and introduced their Head Girl to address the student body.

"Enter Miss plastic-fantastic," Noa muttered, looking up onstage.

"Melinda? She's okay, she's actually really nice."

"And bland." Angie watched Melinda deliver her speech, expertly speaking like the trained debater she was, as Noa continued, "A hot, bland, overachiever, who's nice and loved by all. I'm just bitter 'cause she's perfect and I'm jealous." Angie grinned and Noa turned to her with a wicked smile. "Hey, at least I'm honest."

Sydney summers were hot, even on the ass end. A total drawback to being back at school when the summer wasn't completely over was how stifling the uniforms got in the heat. Christian swore he was chafing on his thighs, and it was very uncomfortable. He rolled up his sleeves and stretched out on the grass under the shade of a tree.

"It's hot as balls out there," Dimitri said, dropping his body next to Christian's, sweat visible across his forehead. He wiped it away with his sleeve and grabbed the Gatorade next to Christian's body and took a drink from it.

"You going back out?"

"Hello no, it's way too hot and I think I stink."

"You do."

Dimitri threw the bottle of Gatorade at Christian, who grinned, and leant back on his elbows to watch the basketball game he had just left. "You done that essay Steggles wants us to do?"

"Yeah."

"Stupid question, sometimes I forget you're a square."

"I make it look sexy."

"This is true." Then Dimitri turned to Christian and added, "No homo."

"Did you hear about Mark's thing this Saturday?"

Dimitri nodded. "You going? I think I will if I get this damn essay done. Tell me again why I took up Modern?"

"Because Modern History helps you understand the world you live in and provides you with a framework to understand global current affairs." Christian shrugged, teasing him. "I don't know, just a guess. Or it could be because it scales so fucking high."

"You really are a square."

"And, yeah, I'll go, Melinda and her posse will be there." Christian sat up and stretched and yawned. "Phase one of my game plan."

"Stalking her? That's phase one?"

"I didn't say it was a particularly good game plan."

They watched the basketball game in silence, before Dimitri finally said, "I can't believe you're going to all this trouble just for some pussy."

"I actually want to date her. We're not all after easy screws like you, dude, because we can't all afford to hire hookers regularly."

Dimitri grinned, unaffected, "My system works."

Christian didn't doubt it - when it came to girls he liked to work his subtle charm, but Dimitri got attention on his looks alone. He wasn't necessarily conventionally 'hot', but he had a male model appeal that girls seemed to go crazy over. And while Christian had his fair share of admirers, Dimitri was the pretty boy out of the duo. He liked to settle for hot girls who often didn't have much going on in their head. All Dimitri needed was a pretty face, nice boobs, and long legs. Christian, on the other hand, liked his girls to be 'Top Shelf' material; and, as far as he was concerned, Melinda Wood was on the highest shelf there was.

A/N: Yes, this is Christian from Hey Lovely; and this is set a couple of years after that story. I know I still have that one to do, but this just came to me, and it's my first high school fic, and so I was really excited, and so I wanted to post it, and so yeah. But, doesn't matter, no spoilers for Hey Lovely. Just to clear up a few things for non-Australian readers:

The HSC is the equivalent to the American SATs or British A-Levels. It lasts for a year, and, I think, it's quite rigorous. In NSW (because testing is different in each state) it is important to do well in the HSC because, unlike in the States, university admission is based on your HSC score alone. University admission does not involve essays, interviews, extra-curricular activities, or your GPA, just your HSC mark, which is 50% internal assessment (essays, exams, etc.) and 50% external exam. Apparently an average of 2 or 3 students commit suicide every year because of it. But I think that's an urban myth. The crazy stories you hear about the HSC are just mind-boggling. Also the subjects that are offered are "scaled" based on how "difficult" the subject is perceived to be and how popular and competitive it is.

Steggles, if you haven't read my other story, is a brand that produces poultry here in Australia.

As always, please point out any mistakes, typos, etc. Critcisms, comments, questions, or have anything else to say, then just push that shiny button down there.