Are You Happy Now? - Part 1 (COMPLETED)

Prologue: "Who Do You Think You Are?"

The race is on to get out of the bottom,
The top is so high so your roots are forgotten,
Giving is good as long as you're getting,
What's driving you is ambition and betting

---

July 5 1998

Atlanta, Georgia

The girls were practically giddy with anticipation. That evening, the two would be sitting on their seats in the Coca-Cola Lakewood Amphitheatre, watching their favorite band take the stage.

Well, technically, Hanson was Kate's favorite band. Natalie was more tagging along to keep Kate company. It wasn't that Natalie disliked Hanson - quite the opposite, in fact she thought the middle one, the lead singer, was about the cutest boy she'd ever seen - but it was Kate, her best friend, who was the real fan. Her room was plastered with centerfolds of the band. Since earlier that year, May to be exact, Kate spoke of barely anything else. It was Hanson this, and Hanson that. Sometimes it drove Natalie a bit crazy, actually. But Kate had always been the alpha in their friendship, so whatever Kate wanted Kate got. Natalie was more than willing to accompany her friend to the concert if if that's what it took to make Kate happy. Kate and Natalie had met in junior high, and had been inseparable ever since. They were both attended Northgate High School in Atlanta. They were currently age 15, and couldn't be more excited to move on to being sophomores in the fall.

That Sunday had started just like any other day. Natalie had slept over at Kate's as she often did on the weekends, and the two had slept in. Around noon they padded downstairs, bleary-eyed, rubbing their eyes and mumbled "hellos" as they sat down at the kitchen table.

"Good morning, girls. Did you sleep well?" Becky, Kate's mother, asked as she poured them each a glass of orange juice. Natalie pushed hers away.

"I'm on a diet." She announced. Becky frowned, and sat down herself.

"Now honey, you don't need to lose weight. You're too young to be on a diet."

Natalie didn't say anything, and picked at her toast.

Becky decided to change gears after seeing that Natalie was not going to answer.

"Kathryn, honey, did you tell Natalie she needed to go on a diet?"

"Of course not, Mom." Kate said, shoving a piece of toast in her mouth and washing it down with her glass of orange juice. "Why would I say that?" she mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Becky grimaced. "Shut your mouth when you chew, honey. I don't know. Girls your age...I know it can be rough out there."

Kate just shrugged. "Whatever, Mom. Natalie can do what she wants."

"I just worry, that's all."

Natalie rolled her eyes, not liking to be the center of attention. "Okay, look, see? I'm eating some eggs." She made a point of taking a big bite, chewed carefully, swallowed, then smiled lavishly. "See? I'm not like, anorexic or anything."

Sally smiled. "Okay, honey. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"ANYWAY," interrupted Kate, bored with discussing her best friend's eating habits. "Guess what today is, Mom?"

"What, honey?" Becky replied distractedly, already engrossed in the morning newspaper, her eyes narrowed at the latest bad news going on in the world. She shook her head and whistled.

Kate looked at her mother expectantly.

"Mom!" she whined. "Are you listening?"

"Yes, honey." Becky said, taking a sip of her coffee, not looking up from her newspaper.