Melody 5 - Rising Stars

10 (iv) - Kat

--- KAT ---

Kat perched on the bar stool and let out a tired sigh. She'd just pulled a double shift at the coffee shop she worked at around the corner and now her feet were killing her.

"What can I get you?" asked Lena.

"A lemonade," replied Kat.

"You can have something stronger," cajoled Lena. "Don't worry, you look 18, you know."

"No thanks," smiled Kat, aware she must seem like a total square, but she'd seen firsthand the effects of alcohol and had sworn never to drink the stuff.

"Okay," smiled Lena.

Kat was relieved that Lena headed to the bar without pressing her further. She'd been surprised, but pleased, when Lena had suggested that they get together for a 'private chat'.

Kat thought back to the day when Lena had heard Same Star for the first time and had said that Kat should call her if ever she wanted to talk. Kat had wanted to pick up the phone countless times - but hadn't ever had the guts to do it. For some reason, she wished she could hang out with Lena. The girls in the band were a great bunch and she loved working with Molly, Jadine and Rhian; Amy was still proving to be a trickier character. But something about Lena intrigued Kat.

She'd never met anyone like her before. Maybe it was because she was Californian and had a laid back yet assured aura about her. Or maybe it was because there wasn't any pressure with Lena. As much as the other girls tried to make her feel part of the group, Kat still felt as though she was playing 'catch up' - trying to make up for those lost weeks when she hadn't been part of the band.

Not that that was Kat's overriding concern at the moment - she'd become increasingly worried about the situation back home. Although in her daily calls to Dani, her sister assured her everything was fine, Kat had the feeling she was keeping something from her. Dani only wanted to chat for a few minutes at most and some days didn't answer Kat's calls at all. Kat wondered if she should risk a trip back to Ipswich, but was nervous that she'd make the situation worse. After leaving home her papa had left her one voicemail message which made it perfectly clear what he thought of her decision to abandon them and join the band.

"If you ever come back home, I'll kill you."

Kat shuddered at the memory of hearing him snarl those words and felt chilled to the bone that she'd left her family with such a man.

"One lemonade for a superstar in the making," smiled Lena, as she put Kat's drink on the table.

"Thanks," smiled Kat.

"You'll have to start drinking champagne once you guys hit the big time," she teased. "I couldn't believe you didn't even have a sip of that free bubbly at The Granite Rooms after your first gig."

Kat was surprised Lena had noticed. When the glasses of champagne had been handed round, Kat thought it would be rude to decline, so she'd pretended to have some and then quickly got rid of her glass when she thought no one was looking.

"I see more than you think," smiled Lena. "Which is why I know that some of you are wondering why the hell you haven't hit the bigtime yet!"

Kat felt like she'd been caught out. She fully supported Lena, but she knew some of the other girls were starting to question their decision to make her their manager.

"But even 'overnight' successes put in years of hard graft before they made it," added Lena, before taking a swig from her bottle of Sol.

"Years?" exclaimed Kat. She thought about leaving Dani and the boys with her carcrash of a papa for that long and blanched.

"But it won't take that long for you guys," Lena smiled confidently. "It's all about 'tipping point'. You've heard of it, right?"

Kat shook her head.

"It's when all the work you've put in starts to pay off. I've finally got a couple of music mags and influential music bloggers to review your stuff and they're gonna post about your mixtape this week. And I've got interviews lined for you all with JuiceOK and Rare Diva magazine. They're got a dedicated loyal following, so once they've got your back, trust me - your views are gonna soar."

"That's great," said Kat, relieved that things were moving in the right direction, especially as Jadine had recently starting making noises about getting a new manager.

"But I'll tell all of you about it at the band meeting tomorrow, plus some news about a couple of grade-A gigs I've got lined up for you."

"That's fantastic," enthused Kat. "But how come..."

"...I'm just telling you this?"

Kat nodded.

"Because I've got the feeling something might be pulling you away from the band and I wanted to reassure you - what you're doing here, will be worth it."

Kat took a sip of her lemonade trying to avoid the uncanny knack Lena had of casting a spotlight on her soul.

"I know all of you are feeling pretty low right now and have other shit that you're dealing with..."

"I just worry about my family back home," admitted Kat.

Kat expected Lena to offer some reassuring words of support, but instead Lena just looked at her.

"Kat," she eventually uttered. "Is there anything else you wanna talk about? Something you might not have told anyone else?"

Kat had no idea what Lena was going in about.

"About your sexuality?" added Lena delicately.

Kat felt an inexplicable flush of anger course through her. "Just because I don't go around shouting my business from the rooftops..."

"Hey, I'm not criticizing," reassured Lena. "Just observing."

Embarrassed about her uncharacteristic outburst, Kat took another sip of her drink.

"Look, if there's anything you wanna talk about, I'm here for you," said Lena "For all of you actually, but I get the feeling the other girls have each other, whereas you... well, let's just say, I recognise a kindred spirit when I see one."

Kindred spirit? What did Lena mean by that?

Just then a woman Kat had never seen before walked up to Lena and kissed her sensually on the lips.

Kat was so taken aback, she couldn't even look away. Who was this woman? And why wasn't Lena freaking out?

It took Kat a couple of seconds to work it out, but then it all clicked into place.

"Kat," smiled Lena. "Let me introduce you to Alice - my girlfriend."