Girl Online: On Tour Read Online Free PDF

inside the club—at the karaoke machine, dancing around with a pink cocktail in hand—than outside it, pulling fights apart.
    I’m imagining him belting out “I Will Always Love You” as I reply: “Hello! Yes, nice to meet you, Whitney.” I hold out myhand, but my face flushes red as I realize what I’ve just called him. This was not the introduction to Noah’s entourage that I had pictured! What ever happened to sophistication, intelligence, or even normal words? Straightaway I stammer out an apology, trying to rescue the situation, but Noah steps in.
    “You’re definitely not the first to call him that, Pen,” Noah says, laughing.
    Larry gives me a wink and a smirk. “Well, from now on, Penny, you can call me Whitney. Just don’t go expecting any sing-along sessions, unless you’re willing to join in.” Larry hops into the driver’s seat while I nervously laugh along with him.
    Although the drive to the Brighton Centre isn’t very long, it feels good to finally be with Noah. He slides over into the middle seat to sit beside me, his arm wrapped round my shoulders.
    “It feels so good to have you next to me!” he says, squeezing me close. “How did your exams go?”
    I shudder. “Don’t ask,” I say. “But they’re over now. I can’t believe it’s time already!”
    I lean into his chest and feel his heart beating; I can’t help but think this is way better than Skype. I stare up at his chiselled jaw, messy dark hair, and deep brown eyes. How did I get so lucky? I’m normally the unlucky girl who’s always caught in the rain without an umbrella, who never has her number drawn in the school raffle, and who always loses at Monopoly. Maybe life has been storing up all my wins just for this: so I can be with Noah.
    “Are you excited for tonight?” He squeezes my hand and I realize I’ve been staring at him in awe, like a complete weirdo.
    “Oh . . . Yes! I can’t believe it. You’re opening for a band so big that even I’ve heard of them!” Noah’s face goes a bit white, and I realize I must not be helping his nerves. “You’re going to be amazing, I know it. Are you nervous?”
    “I’d be lying if I said no, but I’m mostly just pumped. This has been my dream since I was twelve, and now I get to do it all, and with the best girlfriend on the planet.” He lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses it, and I blush a deep red. “I guess my only wish is that my parents were here to see it, you know?” Noah turns to look out of the rain-streaked window as we pass the seafront, dark and grey under the thick clouds, and I feel a deep pang of sadness for him.
    His parents died in a tragic skiing accident only a few years ago, and I knew the pain was still fresh for Noah. He and his younger sister, Bella, went to live with their grandmother, the wonderful Sadie Lee, but I knew there would always be a hole in his heart big enough to hold the ocean, a hole that only his music could help to fill.
    “They are incredibly proud of you, Noah, I’m sure of it.” I squeeze his hand back and he turns to look at me with a smile. “How are Sadie Lee and Bella?” I ask.
    “Oh, they’re great. Bella’s starting first grade this September, and G-ma has her hands full with her catering business. G-ma also gave me a box of chocolate-chip cookies for you that should have just survived the flight over—but you’ll have to eat them quick! I’ve got them in my dressing room.”
    “She’s so sweet!” I feel like drooling at simply the thought of Sadie Lee’s cookies—they are seriously the best I’ve ever tasted—then I quickly lift my hand to my mouth in case I actually am drooling. That’s just what Noah needs to see: hisgirlfriend as a drooling, unsexy mess. But Noah laughs. Then he reaches up and cups my chin, pulling me forward gently, and we kiss for the first time in three months. Oh my gosh, I have missed this boy so much that it almost kills me.
    “I’ve really missed you, my gorgeous,