The next five weeks went by so quickly that I barely had time to take it all in. I had seen Ste every weekend since I had been in LA, I would have a phone call a couple of days a week off my parents and I had somehow become even closer than ever with Katy. I didn’t even know that was possible.
The new school I was now at wasn’t actually as bad as I thought it would be. The teachers were fairly nice, pupil’s recognized me as ‘Katy Perry’s little sister’ straight away, but the fuss seems to have died down now. At first, every single lesson there was a different person asking me the same questions.
‘What’s is like being related to Katy Perry?’
‘What other famous people do you know?’
‘You live in the bit with all the mansions don’t you?’
I shouldn’t complain though, if Katy wasn’t my sister and I had just met someone who was related to say…Beyonce, I’d be pretty excited. We were all teenagers, this is what we do. We eat, sleep and get way too over the top about famous people.
My biggest fear of starting an entirely new school was being on my own. Sitting alone at lunch and not having any friends, but that wasn’t the case. I’d become close friends with a girl in my grade named Elenor, she gave me a tour of the school on my first day, walked me to all my lessons, stayed with me and lunch and break, she’s actually been pretty great to me. I wondered at first whether it was because I was the ‘sister’ of a famous person, but turns out she didn’t even know to start with. She just befriended me out of the kindness of her heart. Bless her.
We were in the canteen when a boy in the twelfth grade yelled over to me, “Gonna get it on with Katy Perry’s sister.”
I took no notice, it was probably a common thing to get things yelled at you when you were the ’new girl’.
Elenor seemed to ignore it too, probably because she didn’t know what the hell they were on about.
“Samantha Hudson, can I bang your sister?” I think his name was Tyler.
I rolled my eyes, typical teenage boy behaviour.
“Do they know your sister or something?” Elenor asked, slightly laughing at the boys eyeing us from behind. I was sick of the winks and looks I’d been getting off them since I had been here. I had a boyfriend, and I made it pretty damn clear to them that that was the case. I wasn’t interested.
“Um kinda.”
“The one you’re living with?”
Obviously mine and Katy’s secret would remain…mine and Katy’s secret. Meaning, I would not be telling Elenor about my mixed up mother-daughter-sisterly relationship with Katy. I hadn’t even told Alex about this, which I felt terrible about. I do trust her, it’s just in my mind, the less people that know the better. Nobody else needed to know, it’s between the two people. Me and Katy.
“Yup. Katy.”
At that point, the same boy yelled something else across the canteen. “Yo Perry. Get me an autograph.”
“It’s Hudson.” I mumbled, shaking my head and hoping this would stop.
“Autograph?” Elenor laughed.
Everyone who was sat on our table with us was now staring directly at me. Two of them I knew, Lily and Allie, but the others were new faces. I didn’t know what to say, or how to say it. If I just came out with ‘Oh my sister’s Katy Perry’ that might make me sound snobby… like I think I’m better than them because my sister’s famous, which isn’t the case. I would never see myself being any bigger or smaller than anyone else whether my sister was rich or poor, everyone’s equal in this world. That’s how I see it anyway.
“Her sister is Katy Perry.” I let out a sigh of relief as one of the other girls said it for me.
I just gave a small smile as once again, eyes landed straight back on me.
“Aw, I love her music.” Elenor said so casually. I loved how cool she was about it.
During the first week of being in LA, I had actually spent quite a bit of time with Oliver. He had come over to Katy’s once or twice in the first seven days, but now in the five weeks I have now been here, I know quite a lot about him.
I’ve learnt that he’s a huge Basketball fan, but he also has a very British side to him, since he loved soccer too and had been to quite a lot of LA Galaxy games. He took two sugars in his coffee, where as Katy took one. I was with her on that, two sugars is just too sweet for me. Oliver also told me a little bit about his marriage. He had been married for 4 years to his now ex-wife, Lindsay, he came home one day and found her in bed with somebody else. Not a nice thing to come home too I suppose, but he said that their relationship had been on the rocks for quite a while and it just needed something for them to call it quits. He told me he still cared about her, but in the two years they have been divorced he now doesn’t love her anymore. Katy seemed to go a bit quiet when the word ‘divorce’ came up, which both me and Oliver picked up on and didn’t bother to bring up Russell.
The time me, Katy and Oliver had spent together was quite nice actually. These two people were my parents, and I seemed to have a strong bond with the both of them. This was my world at the minute, I was learning new things about myself and letting new people into my life. No problems. Nothing to worry about.
***
A greeting by the blazing sun the moment I stepped out into Katy’s back garden was beautiful, even though it was such a common sight. Not even the condensation running down my of Lemonade glass could take away from the blaring sun that threatened to redden my skin. I laughed to myself as Katy and Shannon frolicked around, whilst Markus just sunbathed and giggled at his hyperactive friends.
We were all in our bikini’s, apart from Markus and Johnny of course, although it probably wouldn’t take much of a force to get Markus into one, and the scorching heat that was burning down onto LA was insane. Katy had her docking station plugged in outside and Kanye West’s Gold Digger was blaring through the speakers.
I felt the glass almost slip out of my hands, as Bonnie McKee came dancing over, throwing her arm over my shoulder and pulling me with her towards everybody else. I carefully managed to place my drink onto a glass table, before making my way over to Shannon. My hair was damp, having just come out of the shower, and I hadn’t bothered to dry it. If it was a nice day outside I would always leave it wet and let it dry its self. The sun bleached it as it dried and my hair would end up pretty much white by the end of summer.
I made sure Katy wasn’t near, before leaning over and tapping Shannon on the shoulder.
“I say on the count of three we run at Katy and throw her in the pool,” I whispered to her.
Shan willingly nodded her head and signalled for Markus to come over. He put down his latest edition of SHOUT Magazine and hopped on the hot floor over to us, in his bare feet.
“Katy. Pool. On three,” Shan told him, giving us both a wink and making evil eye contact with Katy.
She stood still, on the wet bit of the floor so the skin on the bottoms of her feet didn’t cook, looking back at us with a confused expression.
“One.” I began, looking up at Markus and cheekily grinning at him. “Two.”
“THREE!” Shannon screamed, making the heads of Johnny and Bonnie flip up to look at us.
As soon as Shannon yelled three, we charged at Katy like a pack of wolves. I could feel myself about to slip on the wet floor but I just carried on running anyway. Katy’s face at the minute was priceless.
“Shit!” She screamed, attempting to run away from us, but Johnny had now decided to get involved and was sprinting around the other side of the pool towards Katy. “Guys please.” She fake cried.
Eventually she gave up, knowing we would get to her anyway. She just stood still with her hands over her face and her eyes tightly shut. I wrapped my arms around her waist, Markus had hold of her left arm, Shannon had hold of her right arm, Johnny was grabbing her legs and Bonnie stood in the shade with her phone out, in fits of laughter whilst she attempted to take a picture.
“Oh my god, no!” Another plead laughed its way out of Katy.
As we reached the end of the pool, Johnny put her legs down on the floor so it didn’t hurt Katy too much when we threw her in. Katy had surrendered, that was until she seemed to fight back. She pulled one arm out of Markus’ grip and wrapped it firmly around my waist.
“Well done Markus, you fight like a girl,” Shannon stuck her tongue out at him.
My eyes bulged, I realized exactly what Katy was doing.
“If I’m going in, then you’re going in with me,” She smirked.
Before I could pull out of Katy’s tight grip, the forces of Shannon, Markus and Johnny pushed us both straight into the freezing cold water. This was my time to get revenge.
As soon as my head popped up on top of the water, I gasped for air and began kicking my legs making the water splash everywhere. Even though I couldn’t touch the floor I could still swim, but that wasn’t part of my plan. I began coughing dramatically and throwing my arms around in the air, making my head bob up and down into the water. I heard a laugh from behind me, which I instantly recognised at Shannon’s.
“Fuck!” Katy yelled, bringing my arms up so they were wrapped around her neck and holding me tightly so I could float without having to do it myself. “Baby you okay?” She panicked as she moved the hair out of my face with her hand.
“Fancy throwing her in the pool with you when she can’t swim Kate.” Johnny laughed.
Katy didn’t laugh, her facial expression just stayed the same. Serious and worried.
“She can swim…well I thought she could,”
I stopped the coughing and smiled at Katy, “I can.”
I pulled away from her and showed her how I could stay afloat on my own, she looked pretty confused.
“Then what happ-” I burst into laughter and flicked her with a bit of water. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, “I shit myself Sammie. That’s not funny.”
I swam over with my apologetic eyes and put both hands on her shoulders, “I’m sorry I scared you Katheryn.” I told her in my sarcastic tone, but she still wasn’t impressed. “I did have to get you back though for pushing me into the pool after I’ve just had a shower. Now I smell of chlorine.”
“You and me both.”
I splashed her once again with water, laughing at her attempt to be mad at me.
“I knew all along you were lying.” Shannon shouted, lifting her sun glasses up and shutting one eye from the sun. “You’re not a bad actress though I must say.”
“Thank you. Thank you very much.” I replied in a bold British accent.
“Bitch.” Katy butted in as she pulled herself up and out of the pool.
I played around for a couple more minutes in the pool, ducking myself under and seeing how long I could hold my breath, before grabbing a towel of the side and quickly drying myself off. It didn’t take long since the sun was pretty much doing it for me.
A couple of hours later and the adults were pretty much drunk, except for Katy. When I say drunk I don’t mean completely wasted, I just mean a little tipsy. For some strange reason Katy hadn’t touched one drop of alcohol. She wasn’t working tomorrow, we had a week off school, meaning she didn’t have to get up early in the morning, so I had no clue as to why she wasn’t drinking with the rest of them.
Shannon and Bonnie were in the kitchen pouring their drunks, we had all now reverted back into the house as the night time breeze kicked in.
Bonnie held up the Sourz bottle in her hand, “You havin one Katy?”
I eyed Katy as she shook her head and turned down the offer. She looked like she was enjoying herself, but it didn’t make sense. Bonnie just shrugged her shoulders and continued to pour the green liquid into every one else’s glasses.
I made my way over to Katy and sat down beside her, she turned to me and gave me a warm smile.
“You do know you’re not working tomorrow, right?” I told her, raising my eyebrows and kind of giving her the hint she was free to have a good night.
“Yeah…”
“Have a drink then, enjoy yourself.”
Katy furrowed her eye brows and quickly shook her head, “I am enjoying myself. I don’t need to drink.”
Is she serious? This is Katy were on about, she’s not a huge drinker but if her friends are all doing it she would never just sit back and watch them without getting involved.
“I know that, but everyone else is. I don’t see why you’re not.”
“Sammie, when you first moved in I told you I would take care of you and keep you safe. I can’t do that if I’m drunk can I?”
I felt guilty. I know I’m her daughter and all, but she should be able to have a good time without worrying about me. Then again, I kind of liked the fact she was doing what she needed to do to look after me.
“Don’t try to convince her,” Markus joined in, poking the side of Katy’s cheek. “She’s a stubborn little miss, just like you.”
That was true. Another thing I inherited from Katy.
“For once I’m being sensible.”
I nudged her with my arm, “You’re good you know?”
“I’m good?”
Katy turned my way a little bit and cocked her head, signalling for me to carry on.
“Yeah, you always put yourself down for being a ‘bad parent’, but you’re not. You should give yourself more credit.”
My smile turned into a frown as Katy gripped onto each of my cheeks, tugging at them and putting on her best immature baby voice. She was grinning from ear to ear.
“Aw aren’t you just the cutest little girl ever?” She cooed.
Shannon, Bonnie, Markus and Johnny were all watching us and laughing, but my cheeks were starting to hurt and I felt really embarrassed. I yanked my head back so she was forced to let go, and then crossed my arms whilst giving her a gruelling look.
“I’m not a little girl.” I reminded her, but she just pinched my cheeks again and put on the same voice.
“You’re my little girl, no matter how old you are.”
I turned to face Shannon, giving her a glare, hoping she would just be her drunken self and dive on Katy at any moment because I couldn’t.
“Shannon, would you kindly get your best friend off me?” I moaned, trying to shuffle away from Katy.
Everyone just laughed until Katy finally let go.
“She just loves you.” Shannon shrugged.
Katy nodded her head and replied with a silly voice. “I do.”
“As a matter of fact…we all love you.”
I know what you’re thinking, being told you’re loved is an amazing feeling, right? But when you’re in a room full of drunken people, excluding Katy, this meant everybody was about to become really annoying and I was not going to be left alone.
“Aw we do!” Markus yelled.
He reached over Katy’s lap, so that his whole body was stretched out on her knee, and pulled me forward so I was now the one laid on Katy’s knee. He began slowly stroking my now dried and wavy hair and making weird cackling noises. Yep, he was definitely a lot drunker than the others.
“Markus.” I said through laughs. “I’m going to murder you in a minute.”
The next thing I knew, Shannon had sprinted across the room and dived straight on top of me and Katy. This woman was quite heavy for such a short person.
“Eugh Shan!” Me and Katy grunted as the little brown haired woman burst out into fits of giggles.
I wiggled my way out from under Shannon and rolled onto the floor. Now was probably a good time to leave Katy with her friends and do my homework. I know she’d want me to stay down here with her, but I had loads of work that needed doing and I didn’t want to be worrying about it a couple of days before I went back. Simpler just to do it now.
“Where are you going?” Shannon asked, now sitting in the space I was sat in next to Katy.
“Homework.” I walked over to Shannon and pinched her cheeks like Katy did to me, “ Goodbye Shannon, I love you.” I mimicked her.
After making my way upstairs, I opened up my Apple Mac and began typing away for my essay next week.
[Katy’s POV]
“She’s really something special isn’t she?”
I was knocked out of a daze by Bonnie’s voice. A smile crossed my lips as I nodded. The past five weeks I had been trying my best to make everything perfect, show Samantha that I can be a good mom to her. It was my chance to prove to her that the job doesn’t come first, she does.
“I actually love your daughter so much Katheryn.” Shannon slurred.
God, when you’re the only sober person you actually notice how different everyone else is when they’re drunk.
“As do I!” Johnny swung his arms in the air, throwing one over Bonnie’s shoulder.
“You guys are so drunk.”
I reached over to the docking station and began scrolling through the songs on my Ipod. I settled on Scream & Shout by Will.I.Am and turned it up a little. Today had actually been a pretty good day.
“So are you now like her official mom then?” Bonnie asked over. She was pulling the cold ice out of her drink with her fingers.
I shrugged my shoulders and thought about it for a minute. My daughter is living with me now, I’m the one that gets to say goodnight, I’m the one that cooks her meals and cleans her clothes, I’m the one that tells her to ‘have a nice day’ before she goes to school. I don’t know if that means anything, but it means a hell of a lot to me.
I smiled and started sucking on an ice cube, “I guess so.”
Shannon started giggling, knowing her it was probably at nothing. “She might start calling me Aunt Shannon. Aw!”
“Well she doesn’t call me mom so don’t get your hopes up.”
“It’s only a matter of time Kate.”
As much as I wanted to believe that, I knew it wasn’t true. No matter how long me and Sammie spend together or for however long she lives with me, there will always be that woman on the other side of America that she calls mom. That sharp pain that rips through me, like someone stabbing a knife straight through my heart every time I hear her say mom and know it’s not to me, will just have to remain there forever. But I wont complain because maybe that’s just the way it’s supposed to be. In fact, that’s not the way it’s supposed to be, but I guess it’s the way it will have to be.
“I doubt that.” I muttered.
“You know, when me and Sammie went to the store yesterday I saw her buying a card.” Bonnie winked, everyone else smiled but I didn’t get it. Maybe it was Ste’s birthday or something.
My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to understand. “Your point?”
“It’s mother’s day tomorrow thicko!” Shannon practically yelled down me ear.
I elbowed her in the ribs for being an ass. “Shit yeah. I sent my mom a card off a couple of days ago.”
“Exactly!”
I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but to be fair I already was. Every year I would go down to Santa Barbara and me, Sammie and my mom would all hang out. We’d go for lunch then me and Sammie would give her our cards. That one day every year I would have to sit and listen to my mom read out her card from my daughter, telling her how she was ’the best mom in the world’ and then thanking her for everything, but the words that stung the most, which I remember very clearly were ‘Nobody could ask for a better mommy‘. I remember us being in a restaurant when my mom read out them seven words, she looked up at me straight away and noticed my face turn as white as a sheet. Crying was an option, but not right there, so I excused myself from the table and pretty much sprinted into the bathroom. Then once I knew I was alone the tears just flooded from my eyes. This was how it was each year. I would just grit my teeth and bare it, like the many other things I had to put up with. None of it was her fault though. She could never know how much it hurts, because it would only make her feel guilt and I don’t want that.
“Maybe she has, I don’t know.” I wasn’t able to hide my grin at the minute. “I hope so.”
[Samantha’s POV]
“Sammie, sweetheart?”
What the hell? I could hear this soothing voice right beside me, but everything was black and I couldn’t see. I knew the voice straight away yet I couldn’t seem to fix it with a face. I started being gently shaken until my eyes flickered open and I realized I had been asleep. Katy was knelt down in front of me with her hand on my back, I wasn’t in my bed I was somewhere else.
“Been working hard huh?” Katy chuckled softly, running her fingers through my hair.
I lifted up my head with a white piece of paper attached to the side of my face. When I looked around I remembered that I had been doing my homework on the laptop and clearly must have fallen to sleep while still sat here. Katy shut my Apple Mac and pulled open my covers.
“Come on sleepy head.”
I groggily walked over to my bed and became so much more tired as I felt my body sink into the comfy mattress. A warm pair of lips lightly kissed my cheek, then the most sweetest whispers entered my ear.
“Good night Angel. I love you.”
As tired as I was, I managed to whisper back the words I meant so much.
“I love you.”