Nowhere Girl ~ John Lennon/The Beatles

Chapter Seven: The Cavern

Unlike when they rode to school together, there were plenty of spare seats on the bus that night, so Robin and John sat right at the back, John doing a mocking bow as he let Robin take the window seat, sitting down next to her and kicking his legs up on the seat in front of them. It was Robin's first time venturing to Liverpool town centre, and she seemed almost eager to get a window seat, watching the sights go by. Everything they passed, every street, building or statue, was so known to him it felt bizarre knowing she was seeing it all for the first time, and it all felt so new to her, so different from the streets of home that were practically ingrained into her. John watched her expressions closely, trying to read what she thought of his hometown as she kept her face clear of any overt emotions like usual, but by the time he was nudging her to tell her they had to get off, she flashed him a smile, and he couldn't help but notice that it was probably the biggest smile he'd seen her grace her face with, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. It made him want to smile back at her.

"It's not Sheff," Robin announced as the two of them got off the bus, and after she'd called a quick 'thank you' to the bus driver, she continued, "But I guess it's alright,"

"Good to know you approve, even if you're a steel city snob," John joked, elbowing her side as he slung his guitar over his shoulder, squinting slightly to read a street sign, not that he needed directions since he could walk to the Cavern blindfolded he'd been that many times. "Come on, Mathew Street's down this way,"

It felt strange to her, knowing that this new city was so well-known to him. He knew where to get off the bus, he knew the street names, and Robin couldn't help but wonder if she knew her home city so well. If he asked her for directions around Sheffield, would she be able to give them to him? Probably not, because even though she had spent many an afternoon wandering around town alone with just a sketchbook and pencil for company, she'd never committed to memory the street names. She could walk around town with her eyes closed, she knew exactly where everything was, but she couldn't name anything. She remembered things in town from how they made her feel, sentimentality giving her the directions, and as John began to lead her to a traffic light, the two of them crossing the road to what looked like a wide alley, she wondered if she would ever be like that for Liverpool. Would this place ever become so familiar to her? Would she bother this time to learn the names of things other than her flat building or address?

Surely it was worth a shot, she noted, as she looked up, realising what she thought was an alley was actually a street, marked with a sign nailed onto a red brick building reading 'Mathew Street'. It was cobbled, and looked a little rough and ready, but she immediately loved it. It felt cool, and the amount of teenagers milling about made her feel liked she'd finally pushed her way into real society, finally no longer a loner but someone who was actually a part of something.

"So, the rest of town might be a bit shit, or at least you might think it is compared to the magnificent steel city, but this is Mathew Street, and down here's the Cavern," John told her, as if he'd noticed her taking her surroundings in.

"What's this then, the epicentre of Liverpudlian youth culture?" she asked, admiring the enthusiasm in John's voice that he was trying to hide, like he didn't want her to know he actually cared about something.

"Big words, Roberta," he muttered with a small laugh, not able to fight a grin when he saw her glare at him for his use of her full name. "But yeah, only cause that's where me band plays,"

As he spoke, Robin couldn't help but smile, knowing that he took such pride in something. It was like he really loved being a part of a band, like it was a real symbol of power to him, like it gave him purpose. That was how she felt with her art, like it was something she was meant to do. For the last couple of weeks she'd seen John carry his guitar everywhere with him, but it was only now that Robin realised just what it meant to him, even if she'd not yet seen him perform.