The flight had seemed to take an eternity; going from London to Los Angeles certainly took some doing. Lauren hadn't even wanted to go to LA. She found she wrote songs better with grey clouds overhead, there was nothing like dreary old London to inspire her. Looking out of her plane window she sighed, there were no clouds in sight at all.

She lay her notebook down on her thigh and skipped a song on her iPod; who had put that Dak Zefron song on there, she wasn't one for vampires especially singing basketball playing ones. Lauren turned her head slightly to her right. Grace, her younger sister, was pouring over a script for her new film that started filming next week. It was this film that was the reason why they had left London. Lauren really couldn't complain considering the last two years had focussed completely on her musical career so it was time to let Grace have her dream. She had asked to stay with her father, Rufus but her mum wasn't really impressed with that idea. Probably because her dad spent more time in the studio than he did at his flat. Rufus' band from the eighties and nineties had reformed last year and they were in the middle of recording their new album. Her mum, Lindsay, had been an actress back in the day but now spent her time as a mother and a humanitarian, trying to heal the world wearing four inch Jimmy Choos.

Lauren did look like her mum, she supposed despite being more like her dad in personality. They shared the same blonde hair, blue eyes and long legs. Although her eyes tended to be hidden behind a choppy fringe. Grace looked more like Rufus with really dark hair and almond shaped and coloured eyes.

She reached into her bag and pulled out two packets of m'n'ms, one of which she tossed onto Grace's lap. Grace ripped them open graciously and soon her script would be covered in chocolaty fingerprints.

Looking back out of the window as she fed the sweets slowly into her mouth she saw many palm trees and swimming pools. So this was Californian life then. It was going to be hard to concentrate when the sun was shining so bright, rain had never distracted her as it felt so typical. Apparently everything was ready for Monday when they started recording the second half of her third album, she certainly hoped it was.

The inter-com came on, "We are now approaching LAX, please prepare to descend by switching off all electrical appliances and putting your seats in the upright position." Lauren pulled her headphones out of her ears and switched off her iPod, putting it back into her bag. Gazing out the window once more she saw a glimmer of shining blue. The sea. Smiling she whispered, "Maybe this won't be so bad."

Two hours later she was sitting on her bed in their new apartment, luckily her guitar had not been damaged in transit. As it was pretty old and exhausted, Rufus had given it to her for her tenth birthday and was her favourite to play all her new songs on. It had been Rufus' in the eighties and now it was hers. She loved to hold it and gently strum but now she laid it down on the floor as she was too tired to play.

She was about to lie down and sleep when her mother burst in, "Lauren. How about you go take Grace down to the pool?"

"Can't she go by herself?" Lindsay's raised eyebrows answered that question for her. "Give me five minutes."

Ten minutes later Lauren had managed to find and put on her Chloe bikini. She shoved a pair of denim shorts on top of it along with a white kaftan and a pair of gladiator sandals. She grabbed her songbook and joined her impatient sister in the living room. "What?" she asked. Grace rolled her eyes and opened the door. "Wait. Where are my shades?" Grace chucked them over to her elder sister. They walked down the stairs, through The PalmWoods reception towards the pool.

It had taken Grace approximately 30 seconds to make a friend who happened to be their next door neighbour so Lauren walked over alone by the pool to find a sun lounger that she could sit on and write on.

She had found one when four guys came running past knocking her into the pool. There was a splash about ten seconds after hers and she was soon joined by a tall sixteen year old looking boy who tried to take her over to the side. She shrugged his arm off her shoulders and dived down deeper into the pool. She had dropped her songbook. She was under for about two minutes before she found it lying on the pool floor. Grabbing it she rocketed up and joined the boy on the surface of the water. "What were you doing?" he asked.

"What was I doing? What the hell were you guys doing?" She shouted as she swam over to the edge and pushed herself out of the pool. "What if I couldn't swim? Do you know how many people can't swim in the world? A lot!" She was furious. Her hair was dripping all over the tiles surrounding the pool. The boy followed her out of the pool. In the midst of her shouting at them, they had been joined by Grace and her friend Katie.

"Lauren! What happened?" asked Grace.

"What do you think Gracie? That I decided to go for a swim fully clothed. I fell in. Or rather I was pushed in."

"Hey. We didn't mean to." said the equally wet boy who to give him justice had immediately jumped in after her.

Lauren turned to him and glared, "Does anyone have a towel?" she asked.

"I'm going." said two of the other boys.

"Thanks…"

"Carlos and Logan." replied the wet boy.

"Thanks." she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Kendall. Mum's gonna be mad when she hears you pushed our new neighbour in the pool." Kendall glared at Katie.

"I take it that's your brother then?" Katie nodded sadly.

Lauren passed Grace her notebook as she along Kendall took a towel off of Logan and Carlos. They both sat down next to each other on a sun lounger and began to towel off. "How mad is it?" she asked. Grace carefully pried open the notebook and her face fell. Lauren gulped, "Even the new one." Grace nodded. Lauren swore underneath her breath in Russian. Breathing deeply she handed a puzzled Katie her pen.

"What?" Katie asked Lauren although it was Grace that would answer.

"It's so she doesn't stab your brother with it. And believe me she would and she has." Lauren sat incredibly still staring peacefully into space, space being Kendall's face until the other boy spoke up.

"What's the big deal?" This made Lauren lose her cool; Kendall automatically grabbed her shoulder to hold her back.

"What's the big deal? I tell you what the big deal is pretty boy. That notebook has been my life for the last two years of my bloody life and now it's completely ruined." she raged.

"You think I'm pretty." he said before being hit by Logan. Katie and Grace rolled their eyes.

"Ignore James Lauren. We're really sorry we ruined your notebook." said Kendall as Lauren tried to regain her calm.

She turned to face him once more, "It's fine. I'll be okay just give me a minute."

Just then Lauren's mum came over. As usual she was dressed head to toe in designer gear. Although she hadn't changed since they'd arrived she looked gorgeous. Still in her travelling shirt and jeans. "Hello boys and girl." Noticing Katie. "Lauren? Why are you soaking wet?" Lindsay always had had an incredibly posh sounding British accent unlike her daughters' which were a lot subtler.

"Because Mum…" Kendall immediately dropped his arm. "I didn't believe the signs that said how deep the pool was so I decided to see for myself. Isn't it obvious people? I fell in!" Lauren rolled her eyes.

"Okay darling." said Lindsay sticking her hands up in defence. "Are you going to go get ready for dinner? Where's Grace?"

"I'm right here Mum. You know standing right next to you." Lauren and Grace both rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"Ah, come on Grace then. Bye bye people." said Lindsay as she waved to the boys and Katie. Grace followed her mum away after waving good bye as well.

Lauren dropped her towel next to Kendall and stood up. "Thanks for the towel." she picked up the soggy remains of her notebook and walked away from the pool. She was conscious as she made her way through the building that as her kaftan was soaked through that it clinged to her figure and that her bikini could be seen. She sighed, "Welcome to LA."

An hour later Lauren was perfectly dry; dressed in an appropriately black dress, as she was mourning for her songbook and ready to leave. Sadly her new song was lost completely. She sighed for what seemed the millionth time that day and made her way out of the apartment. She sat in silence in the car that was taking them to the restaurant. Thinking only of her new song that had become a blurry blue mess.

She didn't notice the name of the restaurant or even where in LA they were. She just walked slowly behind her family, oblivious to the silently flashes of the paparazzo's cameras. They approached a glass door and Grace grabbed her wrist to pull her on.

Their mother who was about six feet in front of them waited for the maitre 'd. "Hello." she sparkled, "We're meeting a Mr. Rocque."

"Right this way Madam." Grace smiled; her mother did love to pile on the charm.

The maitre'd led them through the room to a large table where eight people were already sat. Lauren hesitated for moment. She recognized those heads. Fate certainly had it in for her as there was Kendall and James sitting with a space between them. It was here that she ended up sitting and here that the drama continued. Not the drama that they knew was going on. Rather the drama that starts in glossy magazines and on the internet.