#Katie’s excited about for Brian’s job prospects

[poemsforcowboys]

What a Feeling // Freddie Mercury

Chapter One  Chapter Two 

Pairing: Freddie Mercury and Katy Newton (OC)

Summary: Before she moved from London to New York at the age of thirteen, Katy Newton had always been friends with Brian May. He was the only one she knew who encouraged her creative side, especially her designs for fashion and makeup. So much so, that Katy is hired as Queen’s newest stylist. But what she doesn’t expect is her knew found friend, Freddie Mercury. Will their casual flirts lead to anything of substance? Or will their relationship just become another lost love as they both make their journey towards self acceptance.

Warnings: there will be smut eventually but not in this chapter, bisexuality (?), feels 

CHAPTER THREE 

“Newt?” Brian was proud of himself for coming up with the new nickname as he scanned the extensive menu of the small New York cafe he and his friend had met for breakfast in. It was adorable, with light yellow walls and peach undertones, they sat in comfy lime green large chairs, it was unlike any he was familiar with in England.

She looked up from her sketchbook and smiled, she rather liked that one.

“They don’t have tea here” he stated, a little flabbergasted, as he continued to search the menu in disbelief. Katy chuckled.

“Some places have it, Bri but some places don’t, it’s not as popular here as coffee” Katy used her now navy blue painted fingernail to direct his gaze to a large section of the menu, listing the different coffees served. He huffed and shook his head.

A short while later, they placed their orders and began to catch up. Katy showed him some of the designs she was working on, he had always encouraged her to make what she wanted, and soon the two were talking again like nothing had ever changed.

But things had changed. Things were constantly changing, Brian felt like every day was a new adventure, one that would take him farther from home. There was something that he saw in Katy,  it reminded him to take a break. That’s why he was ecstatic the entire time they were in that cafe, Katy just assumed it was because of the show and their reunion but she knew there was something else, she just didn’t want to push it.  

Finally, their tealess meal arrived and Brian knew it was time to “spilled the beans” (an American phrase he was extremely happy to have picked up from Jo).

“Katy” he took a cautious sip of his coffee and instead of her name, his funny reaction to its bitterness caused her to look up.

“Last night was fun, yeah?”  he asked, she smiled and nodded.

“Fun’s an understatement! Even when I fixed John’s pants” Brian just smiled, she had created the perfect way for him to tell her.

“Y’know, Debbie’s quit” he stated, taking another sip of the coffee, he didn’t like it but for some reason, he kinda liked it.

“Yeah, I heard Freddie screaming to your manager about it” she replied, not having the most sympathy in her voice. Debbie was the one who had originally sewn the pants John ripped last night and Katy could tell that she wasn’t the best at her job.

“Did ya also happen to hear what our manager said back to Freddie?” his smile grew larger every second. But Katy returned it with a confused look.

“No, I didn’t, what are you talkin-”

Brian interrupted her out of excitement.

“He saw what you were doin! Katy, he wanted me to ask ya if you were willin to come with us on our tour. Apparently Freddie talked you up” Brian was hesitant to relay the last part, but at the same time he was thankful that Freddie had helped to create an opportunity for Brian to see his friend maybe every day.

Katy’s eyes just widened, neither of the acts she had done last night were to insinuate this in any way, and she was in awe that their manager took notice to her. She was also a little confused. Freddie “talked her up?” What did that even mean? They had only met that night. She decided not to ask about it, she had a feeling that Brian wouldn’t be too keen on the idea of her becoming so interested in his cocky bandmate.

“I- I don’t know what to say, I mean, I’m-”

“Katy, we’d be paying you, you could show your parents that you can actually make a living off of what you want to do, not just that law shit” he egged her on. He had gotten his chance to do what he loved, and wanted nothing more than to let her have that same happiness.

Katy hadn’t thought about that. She felt her eyes beginning to well up, what if she actually showed them? Or, what if they never spoke to her again? In theory, her mother loved what Brian was doing, but would she let Katy bask in the same light? The proposition was overwhelming to her, and Brian got up to hug her, he didn’t care who was around.

“I mean, I don’t know Bri, I would be honored, but my mum, you know her” she hugged him back, her head only really reaching his mid chest.

“I know, but well um” there was a second piece of news that Brian had received since parting ways with Katy shortly after she had repaired John’s pants the night before.

“What is it?” Katy asked, it was now him who was struggling to speak, he didn’t know how she was going to react to what he was about to say.

“Your mum actually called me this morning” he started, and Katy groaned.

“She wanted to know if I wanted to come over for dinner tonight, and well, Freddie took the telephone from me and said he would love to. Your mum thought it was Roger who was speaking so she invited them all over too”

Katy stopped hugging him and just stared. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. She thought. Brian with her family was one thing, but everyone else? This might even hurt her chances of being able to work with them on their American tour.

“Bri, I-”

“I know, but your mum is so excited, I never remember her actually being excited. Maybe you can bring it up to her tonight after she is so impressed by our manners” Katy couldn’t tell if that last part was sarcastic or not, she only perceived this as being able to go in one way: an absolute nightmare.

- 

Katy was just as nervous several hours later as she fixed her hair in the mirror. She hated the fact that she had to be more reserved around her parents, tying her dark hair into a neat low bun. She put on a black turtleneck with sleeves that ended just above her elbows and white shorts, it was summer after all. She still couldn’t believe she had agreed to this. If it wasn’t for the prospect of a new and fulfilling job possibly starting tomorrow, she would never have found herself in this situation, more worried than ever.

She made her way down the stairs, wanting to see how the cooking that her mother had insisted on doing was going. She ran into her little brother, who was trying to figure out how many people to set the table for. James was way younger than Katy and now thirteen, he wasn’t even born when they had made the move.

“I think there’ll be eight of us, let me help you with that” but before Katy could fully extend her arms to take some silverware, the doorbell rang. She froze. They were here already? She looked at the clock, it was her who was running late, not them, she had no idea how time had slipped away so quickly.

Katy rushed for the door, but her mother beat her to it “Kathryn, make sure the chicken doesn’t burn, please” she said, shooing both Katy and James off to the dining room before opening the door.

“Brian, dearie! Oh, you’ve gotten so big!” all four of them were standing there, Freddie even holding a bottle of wine, but Clara Newton ran straight to hug Brian. Even standing on her toes to kiss his cheek, he hugged her back, not as hard as she was holding him, and managed to make out a “thank you” through the suffocation.

Roger coughed. “Why did no one tell me Katy had a sister? Freddie did you call dibs on her too?” he winked at Mrs. Newton. No one was sure how serious Roger was being, but it caused both Freddie’s face and Clara’s to turn bright red. Roger was an asshole, both Brian and Freddie could agree on that at the moment. Freddie hadn’t even told Roger anything and he was already making things worse.

Mrs. Newton’s eyes squinted at the last part Roger said, turning to Freddie and looking him up and down, causing him to become extremely uncomfortable and self conscious about the outfit he was wearing. Brian had told him to dress “appropriately” so he had chosen one of his “safer” outfits, a white button up (although he hadn’t exactly buttoned it up), a red velvet jacket, and very subtle eyeliner, more for him than anyone else. He extended the wine bottle and she took it, smiling politely but still cautious.

“I’m actually Kathryn’s mother, but you’re sweet, come in and make yourself comfortable” she laughed to Roger, taking the wine bottle but deciding not to comment on Freddie.

The Newton home was a modest one, decorated in earth tones and covered in art and houseplants. They’re small black lab, Rocky, was only a puppy and stumbled into the room, making his way towards Brian to lick his boots. Although it wasn’t the same dog that Katy had had in England, it was sweet that he approached Brian with the same curiosity Katy’s old dog Finn did, and Brian received this curiosity with the same slight wave of anxiety.

Freddie looked around the room, Katy was nowhere in sight. He was really hoping tonight would go well and she would be able to join them on their tour. He had only spoken to her for a little bit, but the conversations they had had were fascinating to him, and he couldn’t stop thinking about them, to be honest.

Instead, a young boy with curly dark brown hair entered the room, chasing after the small dog, who was now nipping at the hem of Roger’s bootcut jeans.

“Sorry ma’am, he’s only a couple months old” James apologized, taking the small dog into his arms. Freddie burst out laughing and came over to pet the small thing, gaining a new respect for who he suspected was Katy’s brother.

Roger huffed. “Why do people ALWAYS do that” he stated, punching Freddie in the arm lightly for laughing.

“Have- have you looked at yourself, Rog?” John was also laughing. Roger hit him too.

“Hey guys! Bri, it’s been like forever since I’ve seen you” Katy let out a chuckle as she walked out of the kitchen, James mentally thanked her for ending the conversation he had accidentally started.

“That it has” Brian hugged her again anyway. Freddie wanted to say something, but he wasn’t quite sure what. There weren’t many moments he felt like he was at a loss for words, but the way that Katy looked tonight made him feel like he had forgotten how to speak. Her outfit really was quite simple and modest but for some reason he couldn’t stop admiring her legs and curves. John lightly kicked his foot and muttered something like

“Stop staring, Freddie.” Freddie cleared his throat, turning his fascination to the ceiling, he had no idea what John could possibly be talking about, and the light fixtures suddenly were very interesting.

Katy’s mother entered the room again, happy to see that she was talking to Brian. She clapped her hands, instantly gaining the attention of everyone, Freddie made note of the tactic.

“It’s time for dinner, if you could make your way this way” “Lovely home, Mrs. Newton, truly”

“Why thank you, John” he was always the best at impressing parents, Brian came in a close second, and whether Roger or Freddie was last was a heavily argued debate.

They took their seats at the small table, it was kind of a tight squeeze as Brian was arguably twice the size as Katy, his knees hitting the top of the table every time he laughed. During their meal, James asked John what his favorite lyric he had ever written was, and each of them took their turn replying with heartfelt responses, taking a few moments to really think about it.

“I was really proud of-”

“You call me sweet like I’m some kind of cheese? That one truly moved me Bri, I swear it did” Katy smirked, interrupting him and causing him to scowl.

“Ha!” Freddie laughed before quickly closing his mouth “I thought I was the only one who loved it, it truly was your best work, dear” he and Katy shared the laugh, looking into each other’s brown eyes, eventually everyone else joined in when they realized the sarcasm radiating from the two. Brian just glared.

Dinner was interesting to say the least, the red wine that Freddie had so graciously brought made the conversations flow a little easier for everyone, a lot easier for Freddie.

“And so, what I’m saying is,” Freddie took another long sip, he was sitting next to a very confused James, who was also trying to avoid Roger’s eye contact, they were sitting right across from each other. Freddie was in the middle of telling a story, one that no one was quite sure what direction it was headed in.

Katy, nervous, continuously glanced over at her mother. She seemed to be enjoying herself, thank god, even though Roger making the usual flirty chit chat that he was best at. She only hoped that the happiness would continue into the night, long enough for her to ask about the tour.  

“Brian was going to be an astrophysicist, Roger a bloody dentist! But now? They’re part of a band with a chart topping song! Not to mention enough pounds to support our families, and if that” he took one more sip, James couldn’t stop staring at the singer’s heels. Katy made eye contact with Brian, hoping Freddie would stop.  

“doesn’t tell you to follow your dreams, I don’t know WHAT does” he smiled, winking at Katy, her mother choked on her water.

Katy froze, why would he say something like that.  

“Freddie, can we PLEASE just eat our food” said John.

“Well” her mother cleared her throat. “I am glad that your talents have taken you that far. You should consider yourself lucky” she said coldly. James stared at his plate, now too nervous to admire Freddie’s shoes any longer.  

“Clara, this has been a wonderful meal, thank you” Brian said suddenly, he couldn’t have been more angry at Freddie.

“It really has, the potatoes were delicious” John added in, also aware of the situation. Freddie didn’t regret what he had said. He knew Katy was talented and that that talent would take her places too, he didn’t deny she would prove her mother wrong one way or another.

“I wish we could stay for longer, but I think we must be going, we’ve got interviews early tomorrow morning, but Clara, you are truly a gem” even Roger piped in, his addition making her crack a smile. Katy had to admit she appreciated that.

“Alright, well thank you all for coming, it’s been a pleasure” “The pleasure is all mine Mrs. Newton.” Roger kissed her on the cheek.

One by one, they cleaned their plates and helped Katy and James clear the table. Although Freddie didn’t regret what he had said, he still tried to be extra polite to everyone since that remark.

Eventually they filed out, each saying their goodbyes to Katy’s mum and younger brother.

“Goodnight, Katy I hope it goes well, best of luck to you and hopefully I will see you tomorrow” Freddie shyly hugged Katy, this time being aware of how loud he was talking and making sure her mother couldn’t hear it.

“Thank you” she smiled, hugging him back, a little surprised at his actions. She hoped she would see him again too.

Eventually the house was quiet again, except for some faint barks from Rocky, and James, Katy, and her mother were left sitting alone on their brown leather couch.

“So Mum” Katy started, more nervous than ever.

“Are you dating Brian?” her mother asked excitedly, James also looked at her a little expectantly.

“No! Mum for the last time, I will never be dating Brian, that will never be what one of these conversations is about” Katy laughed nervously.

“One of these conversations, Kathryn is everything okay?” her mother asked, furrowing her eyebrows and starting to look worried.

“Yeah, mum, everything is great actually but um, you know how Freddie talked about following your dreams and actually becoming successful?”

Now, her mother’s eyebrow was raised in confusion. “I do remember that, yes” her voice grew a little colder.  

“Well, Queen’s manager has asked me to join them on their American tour. I’d be their designer and stylist, Mum, I’d be getting paid and working normal hours, and I would be doing what I loved” Katy was hesitant to start, but with every word she became more confident and sure of herself. James let out a squeal, the whole night not wanting to admit how much he had enjoyed being around the band. Her mother just stared at her, unsure of what exactly to say.

“They really asked you this?” Katy nodded, trying to search her mother’s eyes for any hint as to what she was going to say, but all she saw was brown.

“They did Mum, they’re a band in extremely high demand and they asked me, their tour manager Mum, not even Brian, asked me to work for them”

“Kathryn I,”

“Oh come on Mum she’s been waiting for this for ages” James interrupted her, his help was necessary as he always brought their mother back to reality.

“Well” she started sternly “as long as they will be paying you, and as long as you keep yourself out of trouble, and in America, I don’t see why not. You’d just better be sleeping in your own room every night unless it’s Brian’s and make sure he protects you I don’t want my Kathryn getting swept up in-” she was interrupted again, by Katy’s tight hug.

“Mum I promise I won’t let you down, I will write and call to you and James every week I promise I promise I promise” Katy could not stop smiling, she couldn’t really believe what was happening. She was actually doing it. She was going on tour with her best friend and some already amazing people, doing what she loved most in the world.

Katy could cry, and she did. Her brown eyes welled up and she thanked her mother again before running upstairs to call Brian, James quickly running after her.

“Katy” he hugged her “if you’re gonna call Brian, I think he’s still outside” he said laughing. They walked over to her window, to see all four members of Queen still at her house, sitting on the hood of their car. Freddie had asked for a cigarette break before they left, but at the same time he was hoping for one more chance to see Katy. He got that chance.

She smiled and excitedly opened her window, scaring John and causing him to stand up from his seat and look around, he spotted Katy and waved.

“Guess who’s your new stylist?” she called out, James giggled from behind her.

They all started to cheer.  

CHAPTER FOUR 

AN: thank you guys for reading! so, these updates came out fairly quickly but chapter four might not be done for another two or three days. I would expect something definitely by Tuesday night :) 

tagged: @come-with-me-and-imagine, @mimisfangirlfantasy, @runawayxwithme, @feministsatanworshipper, @axxl-rose  

[deanvannguyen]

All my 2017 writing

2017 was poisonous, corrosive and it consistently found new ways to chill my soul. I do, though, like some of the stuff I wrote in the last 12 months. Here's a list of everything published.

Smoke DZA & Pete Rock: Don’t Smoke Rock (Pitchfork)

Ain’t Nothin’ but a Paris Hit: PNL and the Art of French Hip-Hop (Passion of the Weiss)

The Power and the Peril: DOOM's albums ranked (Lactose and Lecithin)

Trump’s musical booking woes are unprecedented, even for a Republican (The Irish Times)

Diet Cig: “Tummy Ache” (Pitchfork)

Will the new festival from Glastonbury organisers be all that Bazaar? (The Irish Times)

Bay Area Boomin’: On Nef the Pharaoh’s Thrilling Career (Passion of the Weiss)

Sinkane: Life & Livin’ It (Pitchfork)

This Is A High: Blur’s Self-Titled LP Turns 20 (Headstuff)

Why Drake Matters (The Irish Times)

Searching For Sugar Man: How Nigeria’s Joe King Kologbo Lived The Highlife (Bandcamp Daily)

The bamboo ceiling: Hollywood’s problem with Asian actors (The Irish Times)

Burn the Soufflé: Hepburn and Holden’s Unjustly Forgotten Paris When It Sizzles (Headstuff)

How Much A Dollar Cost? On Prince's “Money Don't Matter 2 Night” (Forbes)

Mick Jenkins: “Pressed For Time (Crossed My Mind)” (Pitchfork)

The Meaning of Biggie: On Life After Death (Consequence of Sound)

Soul Control: Aretha Franklin’s ‘I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You’ Turns 50 (Vinyl Me, Please)

Lil Durk: Love Songs for the Streets (Pitchfork)

Real Estate: In Mind (Consequence of Sound)

Dippin’ Again: Juelz Santana’s Unlikely Comeback (Passion of the Weiss)

Raekwon’s 10 Favorite Hip-Hop Albums of All Time (Consequence of Sound)

Centre stage: The return of Craig David (Irish Examiner)

Rejjie Snow: “Flexin’” (Pitchfork)

Grooving Through 1980s Lagos and Livy Ekemezie’s “Friday Night” (Bandcamp Daily)

State of the Nation: On Kendrick Lamar's thrilling 'DAMN.' (Lactose & Lecithin)

Space Jam: the best soundtrack of them all? (The Irish Times)

The Undocumented review: “To me the Irish are not the criminals Trump talks about” (The Irish Times)

Loaded review: This IT crowd need to reboot their one liners (The Irish Times)

Is Rejjie Snow the rap game’s Conor McGregor? (The Irish Times)

‘Anne With an E’ is playful, quaint and undercut with darkness (The Irish Times)

Interview with Inua Ellams: “It was difficult settling in to Dublin, dealing with racism and ignorance” (The Irish Times)

Chris Cornell: the Greek god of grunge who blazed his own path (The Irish Times)

Ireland’s Interracial Couples: It’s a Daily Struggle (The Irish Times)

Top 50 Songs of 1997 (Consequence of Sound)

Album of the Day: Vincent Ahehehinnou, “Best Woman” (Bandcamp Daily)

Mafioso Monster: On Payroll Giovanni’s ‘Payface’ (Passion of the Weiss)

Why doesn’t the prospect of an ethnic taoiseach excite me? (The Irish Times)

The last of the great grungers (The Irish Times)

Arcade Fire at Malahide Castle: everything you need to know (The Irish Times)

Body & Soul: Six acts not to miss (The Irish Times)

Mach-Hommy and Knxwledge Team Up on ‘The Spook’ (Passion of the Weiss)

Puff Daddy’s ‘No Way Out’ Turns 20 (Passion of the Weiss)

Ooooooohh, on the S4U Tip: Britain’s Slickest New R&B Act (Passion of the Weiss)

Where the streets have no statues: why do the Irish hate U2? (The Guardian)

I have the Michael Jackson skin condition (The Irish Times)

Have you been listening to ‘fake music’ on Spotify? (The Irish Times)

Tyler the Catalyst (The Irish Times)

Lights, camera, contortion: the trailblazing work of Tim Saccenti (The Irish Times)

Neomadic review: 1990s east coast hip-hop with a Dublin flavour (The Irish Times)

England was theirs: the high point of The Smiths (The Irish Times)

The 12 best unsung cult films from the depths of Netflix (The Irish Times)

Mozzy – ‘1 Up Top Ahk’ review: Relentlessly tough and soulful journey (The Irish Times)

A Tribe Called Quest: one of hip hop's greatest ever journeys (The Irish Times)

Electric Picnic preview: A fortress of friends and curry cheese chips [partial] (The Irish Times)

A Guide to The Many Faces of Multi-Instrumentalist Charif Megarbane (Bandcamp Daily)

Electric Picnic – First impressions from a first timer (The Irish Times)

Electric Picnic – Rejjie Snow at EP2017: The homecoming of a new-age Dublin rap star (The Irish Times)

Electric Picnic – Orchestra’s take on 90s hits the hottest ticket in Stradbally (The Irish Times)

Electric Picnic – Bicep fails to show true EP muscle (The Irish Times)

Electric Picnic – Reviews from day two [partial: Katie Laffan, Jagwar Ma] (The Irish Times)

Electric Picnic – Review from day three [partial: Real Estate] (The Irish Times)

Electric Picnic – A Tribe Called Quest kick it at Electric Picnic (The Irish Times)

Electric Picnic – Father John Misty at Electric Picnic: ‘Where’d you get your hips?’ (The Irish Times)

Candice Gordon: Garden of Beasts – Gothic guitar-noir from Berlin-based Irish woman (The Irish Times)

Lee Ranaldo review: Proof that there’s life after Youth (The Irish Times)

The Best Post-Sonic Youth Songs (The Dowsers)

The 10 Best Curtis Mayfield Albums To Own On Vinyl (Vinyl Me, Please)

The cultural crimes and white privilege of Miley Cyrus (The Irish Times)

Kele Okereke review: The kitsch is all right – just about (The Irish Times)

King Krule - The OOZ album review: as classically cool as a round-neck tee (The Irish Times)

LeRoy Hutson: Anthology 1972-1984 – stepping out of Curtis Mayfield’s shoes (The Irish Times)

100 Round Goon: The Thrilling Rise of Q Da Fool (Passion of the Weiss)

Dublin’s Hip-Hop Scene: Can We Kick It? (Totally Dublin)

Looking for a job in Ireland? Don’t sound foreign (The Irish Times)

The new, hard-nosed Taylor Swift is a hard sell (The Irish Times)

Renaissance Man: The Story of Hermeto Pascoal’s Great Lost Album, “Viajando Com O Som” (Bandcamp Daily)

Best Two: NxWorries Re-Invent The Remix (Passion of the Weiss)

Slim chance: Why has Eminem’s music aged so badly? (The Irish Times)

Soul of a Woman: Sharon Jones’s final, funky masterwork, a year after her death (The Irish Times)

Talib Kweli: Radio Silence (Pitchfork)

On Danny Watts’ Deep-Thinking Debut “Black Boy Meets World” (Lactose and Lecithin) 

Tom Rogerson with Brian Eno: Finding Shore – music for lovestruck androids (The Irish Times)

G Perico: 2 Tha Left – LA rapper makes it look Eazy-E (The Irish Times)

‘Bout It, ‘Bout It: Cam’ron gets with ‘The Program’ (Passion of the Weiss)

The Best Albums of 2017: #80 – 61 [partial: #72. Pierre Kwenders – MAKANDA at the End of Space, the Beginning of Time, #68. Cosmic Analog Ensemble – Les Sourdes Oreilles] (Bandcamp Daily)

Statik Selektah: 8 (Pitchfork)

G-Eazy: The Beautiful & Damned – a grandiose hip-hop chronicle (The Irish Times)

Eminem: Revival review - gruelling, relentless and sterile (The Irish Times)

Best Albums of 2017 (50-26) [partial: #30 Serengeti – Jueles – Butterflies] (Passion of the Weiss)

The Best Rap Songs of 2017 [partial: #20 C Struggs – “Go To Jesus”, #14. Nef The Pharaoh – “Bling Blaow (Passion of the Weiss)

[poemsforcowboys]

What a Feeling // Freddie Mercury

1  2  3  4

Pairing: Freddie Mercury and Katy Newton (OC)

Summary: Before she moved from London to New York at the age of thirteen, Katy Newton had always been friends with Brian May. He was the only one she knew who encouraged her creative side, especially her designs for fashion and makeup. So much so, that Katy is hired as Queen’s newest stylist. But what she doesn’t expect is her knew found friend, Freddie Mercury. Will their casual flirts lead to anything of substance? Or will their relationship just become another lost love as they both make their journey towards self acceptance.

Warnings: there will be smut eventually but not in this chapter, bisexuality (?), feels, mentions of alcohol and drugs 

CHAPTER FIVE

Katy woke up the next morning with a horrible headache and one of the worst hangovers she had ever had to endure. She was lying face down into her pillow, drool slowly dripping onto her pink sheets and her dark blue hair was sticking out in all different directions. Her makeup was obviously ruined and she had passed out in the shirt that Roger had ruined the night before. She was lucky she even made it to bed, her drunken stupor had been something of a sight to see, she must have tried to make herself some food when she had first returned because there was a bowl of uncooked pasta on her nightstand with what looked like was cheese on top, the explanation for this escaped her. Today was going to be a hard day, and this was not the cutest start to it. She was going to have to say goodbye to her family and one of her best friends, but she knew she had to. The prospect of leaving one family to find her own was scary but exciting, bitter sweet.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on her door. Before she could respond, and the chances of her doing so were slim, the door peaked open a little bit and then fully when her dog came trotting in and started to lick her hand, which was hanging off the right side of her bed. James came in slowly after, he didn’t want to bother her, but at the same time he wanted to see his older sister as much as he could before her departure.

He was carrying a tray and set it down on her nightstand, moving the weird attempt at mac and cheese farther away. He had tried to make Katy a “hangover cure” breakfast, one with eggs and orange juice and everything the tv used to tell him was important. He didn’t know what she had been up to last night, but he wasn’t too naive either.

Katy got up slowly, stretching and yawning loudly before finally turning to James, when she did, her eyes widened and she smiled. She couldn’t ask for a better little brother. Her older brother, Daniel, still wasn’t aware of Katy’s sudden change in plans, but she knew that the tour stopped Chicago where he and his fiancé lived she could stop by.

“Thank you, J! And thank you too, Rocky!” She patted her dogs head, she would really miss him, and of course hugged her brother. After eating her breakfast and catching up about everything with James, (how he should talk to a girl he fancied, how his classes were going, the typical problems of a thirteen year old boy), she shooed him away and got up to get dressed. She put on a dark green flowing dress that had small white flowers on it and braided her hair.

Walking down the stairs felt different this time, better than ever before. Guessing that her mother would be reading the newspaper at the kitchen table and knowing that she wasn’t looking for job for Katy anymore. As she made her way down, her bare feet sinking into the fuzz dark purple carpet, she heard some familiar voices chatting with her mother. She smiled, Jo was talking to Mrs. Newton about how amazing an opportunity this was for Katy and that she deserved to go, Katy felt her face flushing, could not have a better friend. Downstairs, Mrs. Newton was nodding her head, but in her heart she was unsure about letting her daughter go, worried for her safety and financial security. But no matter where, when, or why, Jo was always the voice of reason and Katy was unbelievably thankful for that. She was going to miss Jo more than anything and promised her that she would call every day, even if it started to annoy Jo.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Newton. You know me, I’ll be doing Dan’s job for him, Katy can be and already is the annoying little sister I never realized I needed” there was a second voice talking now other from Jo’s, Brian must have also decided to come see Katy say goodbye. In reality, the two of them had arrived at the Newton’s apartment fairly early, forty five minutes before Katy had even started to stirr. They both wanted to be the one to drive her to the tour site and when they saw each other’s cars driving towards her building in the opposite directions of each other, it was a site to see but they both in the end still wanted to be the one to drive Katy.

They decided to talk for the first half hour, sitting on the hood of Brian’s car about how annoying Roger could be when he’s drunk. Brian eventually gave in to Jo’s stories about her friendship with Katy and agreed to let Katy ride with Jo and trail behind him as he lead them in his car to the studio. But that was forty five minutes ago, they had been taking turns trying to calm down Clara for the last fifteen.

When Katy peaked her head from around the banister, Brian smiled, extremely happy to see her, and Jo sighed, extremely happy to not have to make small talk with Mrs. Newton anymore, she had asked Jo a few times about any boys she was interested in. Jo had said “Never, well maybe Rog but” and Mrs. Newton just laughed, thinking Jo was shy.

“Morning Mum” Katy smiled and walked over, kissing her mother on the cheek and taking a seat next to her on the couch. She poured herself a cup of tea from the teapot on the coffee table and sipped slowly, noticing Brian had taken one as well.

“Morning Kathryn, or should I say afternoon” Mrs. Newton smiled softly, she fixed her graying brown hair and chuckled in an attempt to distract herself from her real emotions.

“When are you leaving?” her smile began to fade, as she took a look at the clock.

“Well, actually” Brian coughed a little awkwardly, not liking to be the bearer of bad news. “We’ve got to be leaving quite soon, we head out for Detroit tonight and we still have to get Katy’s paperwork sorted out.”  

“How soon is soon?” Jo asked, turning her head to face Brian, she was sitting next to him. “We should head over to the studio, like” Brian checked his watch “five minutes ago, shit” he said. When he realized he had cursed, his hand flew to his mouth, remembering when he was little how Clara would yell at him for swearing. She just laughed and shook her head “you’re an adult now, Brian, it’s okay, and a rock star at that. And Kathryn, I don’t want to make you any more late than you already are on your first day. If you are going to do this job, you are going to do it well” her mother tried to hold it together, but by the end of her speech there were tears forming in her eyes. Katy gave her mother the biggest hug she had in awhile, and then headed upstairs to collect her things.

“Brian, I hope you know I’m staying with you guys until the second you leave for the airport” Jo whispered while the two of them waited for Katy to return with her luggage.

“Oh, I figured” he shrugged “Rog will be happy to see you”

“I’m sure he will”

Katy returned, struggling to carry her bright red square suitcase; Brian got up quickly to help her before she stumbled, and Mrs. Newton put her hands over her heart and looked at Jo, who just rolled her eyes.

“Thanks, Bri. I’d say I could handle it, but there are a LOT of heels in there” Katy laughed, shaking her hands that were now free of the heavy weight.

“Yeah, I got that” Brian grunted, struggling a little bit himself as he headed out the front door that Jo held open for him, following behind him as he walked downstairs to go wait in the car.

Katy said her goodbyes to her mother, and James. They were sad of course, but also full of a new hope for the future, one different from any she had felt before. Her father had passed a few years back from cancer, he was a strong lawyer like her mother but he had a softer more artistic side that her mother lacked. He would have been proud of her, Katy and her mother knew that, they cried in the doorway, arms holding each other tightly, not wanting to let go.

Finally, she did, she ruffled James’ hair and then hugged him too.

“Promise to call me if Suzie says something to you, okay?” she whispered in his ear, causing his face to turn red. 

“James? Who is Suzie?” their mother asked, putting her hands on her hips. James shot her a look but at the end of the day, it had been the conversation point that ended her mother’s tears. She gave both of them one final hug goodbye and headed out the door, to see both Brian and Jo waiting in their cars but trying to talk to each other about directions by yelling from out their open windows. Katy just shook her head and laughed, running down her steps. She turned around and took one final look before hopping into Jo’s car, she could hear Rocky barking in the distance, and the sound of the tv turning on. She would miss them, she would miss New York, but she was beyond excited for her future.

During the car ride, Katy and Jo could not stop talking about everything.

“Who knows, you might even meet someone” Jo raised her eyebrows, she had just finished ranting about how beautiful Michelle had looked last night and realized it was making Katy quiet and look out the window.

“What about John, eh? You guys were talking a lot last night, or you know I’m sure you might run into the right type of girl more than once, who knows. Right?” Jo said haphazardly, her car following Brian’s slow one, he was unsure about driving in America and right now was really regretting it. He had hoped Katy would drive back. Katy’s face was red, she played with her hands. “I don’t know, I think John and I have a lot in common and I’d rather be his friend” Katy said, she chose to ignore the second part. For some reason she was unable to come to terms with her feelings and sexuality, it was confusing and she’d rather not think about it.

“You know,” Katy started, turning to Jo. “we’re doing a show in Milwaukee, maybe if you’re up for it” Jo started to grip the steering wheel a little. It was her turn to be uncomfortable. Jo had grown up in Milwaukee, where her family still was. Katy had first met her when she was kicked out of her house, she had a black eye and was trying to give herself stitches in the woman’s bathroom. The injuries were from her father, after during their family trip to New York City Jo had come out as lesbian. Her family left the city the next morning, but Jo had stayed there ever since.

“I don’t know, Katy. Maybe I’ll visit to see you but anything other than that is a different story. The flights there are always cheap” Jo sighed, and it had been years since she had seen anyone in her family.

“You don’t have to promise me anything, really I was just throwing it out there”

Jo just nodded.

They finally arrived at the tour site, it had all of the band’s trailers parked and because of the warm weather Katy was happy to be outside. She quickly spotted Freddie and Roger who were taking a smoke break, and John who was loading his luggage into the van. Freddie shot Katy a quick smile and wave, and Roger shot her a weaker one, still feeling bad about having ruined her shirt.

Jo parked and got out, running towards Roger to scare him from behind, it worked and he yelped before turning around to see her and slapping her on the shoulder. Katy headed over to Brian to help him move her stuff, although where she wanted to be was greeting Freddie.

“Newt, I just have to say it again, I couldn’t be happier that you’re coming with us” Brian smiled after they had successful packed the tour bus and were now standing inside of it feeling accomplished. The two of them hugged and let go just as the door swung open to reveal Freddie, John, their producer, and Roger and Jo trailing and bickering about something behind them. Freddie raised an eyebrow and looked at Brian, but Brian just scoffed “ew” he laughed, nudging Katy, who nudged him back harder, causing him to stumble and Freddie to burst into laughter.

“Katy Kat, I was disappointed I didn’t get a nicer greeting than just a wave” Freddie said, coming up and kissing her on the cheek. She turned red but quickly away, hoping Brian didn’t see (he did) and that he wasn’t annoyed (he stomped on Freddie’s foot when Katy wasn’t looking).

“Hi Fred” she smiled, turning back when her face had returned to its normal color. Jo shot her a confused look that quickly put two and two together, she kept her mouth quiet though.

“So your first name is Kathryn, but you go by Katy?” their manager finally spoke up, he had a contract out and was looking for a pen. “Yes, that’s Katy with a y” Katy said, she walked over to him and peaked over his shoulder, making sure it was spelt correctly.

“Why did you choose a y?” he asked out of curiosity more than anything else, handing her the pen, she took it and read the contract over.

“Y? Because she’s cute, that’s y” Freddie laughed, Jo did too but more out of amusement than anything else. Brian did not think that it was as funny as they did.

“Actually,” he said in a matter of fact tone “it’s because Kathryn is spelt with a y, but good try I guess” Roger dropped at Brian’s nonchalant manner, he just wanted to shut Freddie down, and Freddie didn’t know her at all.

“Okay Brian we get it” Jo said, she was also Katy’s best friend and not acting like this. But Brian knew the relationships that Freddie would have, and he knew how sensitive Katy was, he just was trying to look out for his best friend and prevent her heart from being broken, again. He had made the mistake of asking Katy about Harry, and after he found out the truth about him he had felt sorry for ever liking the prick. Katy hadn’t told many people, but when he left he confessed to having seen other girls before they broke up. She didn’t like the loneliness that distance made her feel and never wanted to endure it again, seldom speak about it.

After Katy signed the final papers, everyone cheered. She was officially a part of the team, and, it was time for them to start heading for JFK airport. Jo wanted to cry, but she held her tears back for the sake of her friend and her makeup. They hugged for a good five minutes before Roger finally and sadly had to pry Jo off of Katy, but they wouldn’t be able to handle it on their own.

“Promise me you’ll call?” Jo asked, her hands gripping Katy’s.

“Of course” Katy smiled and nodded her head aggressively, trying to convince Jo she would.

She sighed, as she watched from inside the van window as Jo finally got in her car sticking her hand out and waving it like a princess as she drove by.

Katy turned back to face everyone who were just chatting to each other again, this was the beginning of something new.

AN: Hi guys! I’m sorry if this chapter wasn’t the best, but now that we’ve established this story it can really get going! I am so excited to continue writing and honestly get more done during the week than I do the weekend so I hope to see chapter 6 soon! Have a lovely day :) - June 

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