HOME | DD

Description
Crash…BOOM! Another pair of fireworks sounded off as Tessa and Natalie looked on. They had just finished the final production of Coil and were celebrating in Johnny’s backyard. The fire show was stunningly beautiful in their glowing red, white and blue colors against the twinkling, starlight sky.
Tessa looked at Austin silently as he continued to murmur things with his buddies. Like many other girls, Tessa had a huge crush on Johnny, the most popular GH. But lately, she had been developing some feelings for Austin.
He was sitting nearby Vince and Casey, playing some tick-tack-toe on his phone. Behind them, Echo, Brynn, Kate, and Jessie were busy jumping on the trampoline, springing up and down like the fireworks.
“I bet I can jump higher than the electro-girl can,” Jessie teased Echo, her spring golden hair dancing all over her face.
“Oh really?” Echo answered. “Well, we shall just see about that.” Then she turned towards Jessie and zapped her with one of her fingers, tiny spark of lightening seeping from her fingertips, tickling her.
“Echo!” Jess squealed, her eyes popped out of her sockets as her jaw dropped. With that, she managed to knock Echo over, both of them chortling loudly. Kate and Brynn giggled along with them, pulling them back up.
“Okay you two,” Kate shook her head at them. “I’m up for a drink. Is anyone willing to come with me?” She then eyed her friends deeply. Brynn giggled at her seriousness.
“I’ll go,” Jessie answered, pulling her hair into a ponytail.
“We’ll be here,” Brynn placed a hand over Echo’s shoulders. “That way,” she then eyed her suspiciously. “She can’t wake up any more guys.”
“Hey,” Echo pointed a finger at her, scowling. “The guys have to be electrifying.”
“My God!” Jessie burst out laughing. Soon they were all cackling again, embracing each other in a group, hugging before Jessie and Kate departed. A few minutes later, Brynn told Echo she needed to use the rest room and that she would be right back. Eventually, Echo, now alone, reclined on the grass, passing by some of the other GH’s (Guitar Heroes).
“Echo, would you care to join us?”
She turned around to see Austin looking up at her, a small smirk on his face, his eyes a little suspicious, but still affable. Overall, it looked like he was really offering something.
“Sure,” she slowly sat down, eyeing Vince and Casey. They all nodded at her, scooting away to make some room. “What are you guys doing?”
“We’re just doing an old favorite,” Casey handed her Austin’s phone, her hazel eyes sparkling and bright, welcoming her. On the phone was a tick-tack-toe setting, all drawn out.
She started out by drawing an X in the middle of the pound-figure, careful not to draw inside nay other squares, feeling Austin’s eyes on her. She looked up at him with a shrug. “Simple.”
He nodded with a smile. Then he quickly drew an O to the right.
Echo drew an X above it.
He followed through with an O on the lower left.
She frowned, thought for a moment, and then placed an X on the upper left.
He drew an O on the lower right and gave a wicked sneer.
“Oh come on!” She pretended to be upset by flouncing her hands, snapping up.
“We’re just too smart for this game,” he pretended to glare black at her.
She scribbled all over the phone, turning the pound figure completely black. She laughed with Casey and Vice as Austin did a double-take, his eyes popped out, before he made a deep growl in his throat.
“All right,” Echo crossed her arms. “Let’s do it again. We can do best two out of three or something. Is that a deal?” Then she held out her hand.
He gazed at her hand suspiciously before finally taking it. His gaze shifted up to her eyes. “It’s on.”
“May the best win,” Casey piped in sarcastically. “Though it’s hard to tell.”
“Pssssh,” Echo shook her head.
Austin started this time with an X on the top row, in the center square.
Echo followed through with an O to its right.
He continued with an X in the center of the pound symbol.
She looked up at him, narrowing her eyes. “Oh it’s on.”
He narrowed his own, crossing his arms.
She traced an O in the bottom center square.
He added an X on the lower right square.
She placed an O on the upper left square.
He drew an X on the lower left square…then he scribbled everything off.
Echo’s eyes popped as she gave a double-take, which caused him to chuckle. Pretty soon they were both laughing and lying down on their backs. “Okay,” she sighed, still laughing. “I give up. We’re both too astute for this.”
“Yeah. We’re quite a bit too punctilious, huh?” He agreed.
“Yep,” she replied. “But that means you are going to soar beyond this, Austin. You have no idea how amazing you are. And I’m not just talking about our battle against the Beast.”
“Thank you. But you’re not quite an ingénue yourself. You’re pretty smart.”
“Thanks,” she smiled.
“Now,” he pointed a finger at her, suddenly serious. “You’re going to come with us to the GH-Grammys, right?” He teased. “You promised me that this year.”
Echo laughed. “I have no other way. Of course.” Then she flicked him. “And what are you going to do? Are you going to run away to Mars or Venus? I heard the love goddess is willing to give you some tips.”
He snorted a little. “Okay. I see where you’re going with this.”
They both burst out laughing.
Tessa left her chair and headed inside, following Johnny, spying on him, for she had crossed Austin off her list. She stared through the window to see Charlotte chatting with her girlfriends on a picnic table.
She wished she had a boyfriend.
Meanwhile, Echo and Austin scrambled across the grass as Vince chased them, leaving Casey in a laughing fit, clapping her hands, hunched over, crying at the same time.

Description
Crash…BOOM! Another pair of fireworks sounded off as Tessa and Natalie looked on. They had just finished the final production of Coil and were celebrating in Johnny’s backyard. The fire show was stunningly beautiful in their glowing red, white and blue colors against the twinkling, starlight sky.
Tessa looked at Austin silently as he continued to murmur things with his buddies. Like many other girls, Tessa had a huge crush on Johnny, the most popular GH. But lately, she had been developing some feelings for Austin.
He was sitting nearby Vince and Casey, playing some tick-tack-toe on his phone. Behind them, Echo, Brynn, Kate, and Jessie were busy jumping on the trampoline, springing up and down like the fireworks.
“I bet I can jump higher than the electro-girl can,” Jessie teased Echo, her spring golden hair dancing all over her face.
“Oh really?” Echo answered. “Well, we shall just see about that.” Then she turned towards Jessie and zapped her with one of her fingers, tiny spark of lightening seeping from her fingertips, tickling her.
“Echo!” Jess squealed, her eyes popped out of her sockets as her jaw dropped. With that, she managed to knock Echo over, both of them chortling loudly. Kate and Brynn giggled along with them, pulling them back up.
“Okay you two,” Kate shook her head at them. “I’m up for a drink. Is anyone willing to come with me?” She then eyed her friends deeply. Brynn giggled at her seriousness.
“I’ll go,” Jessie answered, pulling her hair into a ponytail.
“We’ll be here,” Brynn placed a hand over Echo’s shoulders. “That way,” she then eyed her suspiciously. “She can’t wake up any more guys.”
“Hey,” Echo pointed a finger at her, scowling. “The guys have to be electrifying.”
“My God!” Jessie burst out laughing. Soon they were all cackling again, embracing each other in a group, hugging before Jessie and Kate departed. A few minutes later, Brynn told Echo she needed to use the rest room and that she would be right back. Eventually, Echo, now alone, reclined on the grass, passing by some of the other GH’s (Guitar Heroes).
“Echo, would you care to join us?”
She turned around to see Austin looking up at her, a small smirk on his face, his eyes a little suspicious, but still affable. Overall, it looked like he was really offering something.
“Sure,” she slowly sat down, eyeing Vince and Casey. They all nodded at her, scooting away to make some room. “What are you guys doing?”
“We’re just doing an old favorite,” Casey handed her Austin’s phone, her hazel eyes sparkling and bright, welcoming her. On the phone was a tick-tack-toe setting, all drawn out.
She started out by drawing an X in the middle of the pound-figure, careful not to draw inside nay other squares, feeling Austin’s eyes on her. She looked up at him with a shrug. “Simple.”
He nodded with a smile. Then he quickly drew an O to the right.
Echo drew an X above it.
He followed through with an O on the lower left.
She frowned, thought for a moment, and then placed an X on the upper left.
He drew an O on the lower right and gave a wicked sneer.
“Oh come on!” She pretended to be upset by flouncing her hands, snapping up.
“We’re just too smart for this game,” he pretended to glare black at her.
She scribbled all over the phone, turning the pound figure completely black. She laughed with Casey and Vice as Austin did a double-take, his eyes popped out, before he made a deep growl in his throat.
“All right,” Echo crossed her arms. “Let’s do it again. We can do best two out of three or something. Is that a deal?” Then she held out her hand.
He gazed at her hand suspiciously before finally taking it. His gaze shifted up to her eyes. “It’s on.”
“May the best win,” Casey piped in sarcastically. “Though it’s hard to tell.”
“Pssssh,” Echo shook her head.
Austin started this time with an X on the top row, in the center square.
Echo followed through with an O to its right.
He continued with an X in the center of the pound symbol.
She looked up at him, narrowing her eyes. “Oh it’s on.”
He narrowed his own, crossing his arms.
She traced an O in the bottom center square.
He added an X on the lower right square.
She placed an O on the upper left square.
He drew an X on the lower left square…then he scribbled everything off.
Echo’s eyes popped as she gave a double-take, which caused him to chuckle. Pretty soon they were both laughing and lying down on their backs. “Okay,” she sighed, still laughing. “I give up. We’re both too astute for this.”
“Yeah. We’re quite a bit too punctilious, huh?” He agreed.
“Yep,” she replied. “But that means you are going to soar beyond this, Austin. You have no idea how amazing you are. And I’m not just talking about our battle against the Beast.”
“Thank you. But you’re not quite an ingénue yourself. You’re pretty smart.”
“Thanks,” she smiled.
“Now,” he pointed a finger at her, suddenly serious. “You’re going to come with us to the GH-Grammys, right?” He teased. “You promised me that this year.”
Echo laughed. “I have no other way. Of course.” Then she flicked him. “And what are you going to do? Are you going to run away to Mars or Venus? I heard the love goddess is willing to give you some tips.”
He snorted a little. “Okay. I see where you’re going with this.”
They both burst out laughing.
Tessa left her chair and headed inside, following Johnny, spying on him, for she had crossed Austin off her list. She stared through the window to see Charlotte chatting with her girlfriends on a picnic table.
She wished she had a boyfriend.
Meanwhile, Echo and Austin scrambled across the grass as Vince chased them, leaving Casey in a laughing fit, clapping her hands, hunched over, crying at the same time.