Late.

Late.

Late.

She was going to be so late- again. What was this now? The fifth time? The fiftieth time? There was no way the were going to excuse her now. Not with the huge concert tonight.

Lammy pushed past door after door, Tourist after stage hand after Band manager, almost tripping half way over an exposed cord. She regained her balance and fully sprinted down the hall, running into some poor assistant holding coffee on the way. They both screamed, the hot mocha splashing on the floor and on themselves. Lammy didn't have time to worry about that, though. With a chorus of "S-sorry, sorry, sorry-" She scrambled to her feet and continued on. The hallway felt so long, like it was impossible to reach the end.

How long had she been running? Why were there so many obstacles in the way?

It felt like hours before she had reached the final door. There was a large green light above, and a sign that said 'CENTER STAGE'. That had to be it.

Lammy took a moment to catch her breath. There was a stabbing pain in her side from running for so long, her clothes felt sticky and wet, and she reeked of coffee. She swallowed, tugging at the strap of her guitar case. At least she still managed to have that.

Holding her breath and preparing for the worst, Lammy pushed open the door. Lights blinded her from every angle, and the cheers of the crowd were almost deafening. There was the distinct sound of music in the air- but that couldn't be Milkcan, could it? They were the only band on bill that night.

But there was no doubt about it. That was definitely Katy's voice. For some reason, Lammy couldn't identify the song she was singing- like it was something they'd never played before.

Lammy covered her eyes, trying to lower the glare. She was only behind the back stage curtain, so why was it so bright? She fought to push the thing open, but it was so heavy. She pushed with all her might, not getting any leeway, until-

Lammy fell through it and to the floor of the stage with a loud Thump, the music screeching to a halt. The wind was knocked out of her, and she could barely keep her head up. She groaned, raising her arm.

"I-I'm here."

"Oh, there you are, Lammy!" exclaimed a pleasant voice from the right of her. Katy's voice. Lammy felt a soft hand move to pull her to her feet, which she was grateful for.

There the vocalist stood, fully decked out in her costume for the concert, a cool jacket and jeans. She grinned wide at Lammy, like she was overjoyed at her being there. "You sure are late." Her hands were on her hips, her tail swishing from side to side impatiently. ...There was something off here.

Lammy blinked, then stuttered, trying to quickly come up with an excuse. "I-I'm so, so sorry Katy, I don't know what happened- I just- I g-guess my alarm didn't-" Katy hushed her, putting a finger to her lips.

"Hey, Lammy, don't worry about it." She pulled back her hand, then smiled. She gave a little shrug. "I learned a long time ago you don't care about this band."

It took a second to process her words. Lammy blinked again. She was doing that a lot. "W-wait, what? But- But I love Milkcan-"

"Yeah, that's why you're always late, right?" Snapped back Katy, but her voice was still as cheery as ever. She backed up on the stage, back to where her microphone stand was. Lammy instinctively followed her, not knowing what else to do. "Or why you never seem to want to play when I work so hard to set these concerts up?"

"K-Katy, I-" Lammy stammered, reaching out a hand to her friend, but Katy only stepped away. "Y-you know that's not why I-"

Katy huffed, grabbing her mic and hitching up the strap of her bass. "Look, Lammy. Save it, okay? It's fine. We found someone else to play your part. You don't have to bother yourself with this any more."

Lammy's eyes widened, not believing what she'd heard. As Katy turned her back to her, she slip to her knees, her breath hitching, almost turning into sobs. Her face felt hot, and her head throbbed.

"K-Katy, please... I can do it, I just..."

They replaced her? But this band was her life- They couldn't- She-

She...

"Hey, chump."

She rose her head, a dark shadow of a figure looming over her. And she looked familiar... As familiar as looking in a mirror. Lammy rubbed her eyes, not really being able to put together what she was seeing. It was her, but wrong- like all the color had been drained out of her.

"Looks like I really was the better guitarist after all, huh?" Her doppleganger's voice was smug as she swung her guitar side to side, almost threateningly. Lammy scrambled backwards, her voice caught in her throat, her head spinning. This all felt so familiar...

"You should just go home so we can finish this set, Lammy," Katy spoke into the mic, and it amplified her voice over the speakers. "You don't need to be here." Her words echoed in Lammy's brain non-stop.

Almost on cue, Ma-san, who had been quiet the entire time, climbed down from her drum set and made her way over to Lammy. It didn't take much for her to lift her over her head and walk to the edge of the stage, where the crowd still cheered below. Lammy wailed, struggling to get away, but Ma-san was too strong. She didn't want to be thrown to them- there were so many.

But Ma-san threw her anyway.

The crowd was thick, and loud, and Lammy was choking, their hands grasping at her and pulling her under until she could hardly breathe. She gasped for air but there was none. They pulled her under until she could no longer see the light overhead. The music had started up again, and it was deafening.

And then, Lammy woke up.

She sat up like a bolt of lightning had struck her and gasped, a hand to her head. She was drenched from head to toe in sweat. Lammy let her breath even out as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, a headache already starting to build in the back of her head.

"Ohh... What a nightmare..."

There was loud music playing from somewhere beside her. It was her ringtone- her phone was ringing. Lammy fumbled with the device for a second before flipping it open. "H... Hello?"

"Lammy!" Came the voice from the other end, chipper and full of energy. It was Katy. Of course it was Katy. Lammy breathed out a sigh as she pulled the covers off of herself. Usually she'd be happy to hear her voice, but that dream...

"H-hey, Katy... what's up?" Lammy said anyway, leaning her head against the phone.

"Boy, you sure sound tired. Rough night?" Katy had lowered her voice a little, concerned. She always had a knack for noticing things like that.

Lammy looked at her clock. The time showed 2:53pm. Rough afternoon, more like... "Y-you could say that..."

There was a small thump against the receiver. "Well hey, I was wondering- If you're feeling up to it- I was hoping you and Ma-san could stop by the diner here in an hour, when I get off?" Katy sounded excited, and Lammy couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "I already called Ma-san- It'll be really groovy. Promise!"

Lammy snorted at her use of the word groovy, and nodded. "Y-yeah, okay. I'll be there."

She could hear Katy whisper an ecstatic 'yes!' over the phone, and she put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling. She felt a little stupid for even dreaming up such a negative version of this girl. "Okay, I'll see you then! I gotta move- My breaks almost over, or I'd chat you up for a few more minutes. Later, Lammy!" Katy sounded rushed, and Lammy could imagine she was hurriedly putting her apron back on.

"Later, Katy," She replied, flopping backwards onto her bed with a small smile. There was a small beep, the sound of Katy hanging up. Lammy let out a long breath, staring at the ceiling. She wished she could find the energy to be as chipper as Katy always seemed to be. She never failed to make her smile. Why couldn't she be like that?

The ceiling didn't seem to have an answer for her.

"Now, you must be wondering why I called you all here today."

Katy paced around the diner table, her tail swaying too and fro. She looked serious, her face set into a concentrated expression. Lammy, who was idly sipping on her milkshake, threw a glance at Ma-san from across the table.

The drummer didn't seem too concerned as she flipped through her Occult Physics book, and stayed silent. It looked like Lammy had to be the one to speak up.

"Um... B-because..." She struggled to remember if there were any important dates that had slipped her mind. Nobody's birthday was this month, and it definitely wasn't a holiday... Was she forgetting something? It wouldn't be the first time. "You... Like having a good time with friends?" She hesitated a guess, giving Katy a sheepish grin.

Katy visibly softened. "... Well, that's true, but not exactly why. I actually called you here because-" She dug in her pants pocket for a hot moment before fishing out a tightly folded piece of paper. "Someone left a whole stack of these at the diner." She hurriedly unfolded it and smacked it onto the table for her band mates to read. Ma-san flicked her ears upwards, finally paying attention, and craned her head over her book.

"What's that?" She mumbled, in her odd little voice. Katy frowned.

"Why don't you read it and find out?" She snipped back, patience obviously growing short.

Lammy decided to follow Katy's instruction and scanned the page, which turned out to be a flier, and read the bold printed words aloud.

"R-Rodney State Battle of the Bands... Rock bands encouraged to enter, and will compete for a chance at a Grand Prize of-"

"Ten thousand dollars?" Ma-san interrupted, incredulous. She had closed her book and was now standing on the table to get a better look at the flier. Lammy noticed one of the waitresses giving her a dirty look from across the room.

"That's not all," added Katy with a grin, and she leaned forward to tap the next part. "The winner also gets a contract with Soul Sister Productions- you know, that big record company?-to produce an album. With that sort of promotion we'd hit it big for sure!"

As Katy spoke, Lammy felt as if a rock was sinking to the very bottom of her stomach. This was a lot of information to process at once. "O-oh, wow... that seems like a pretty big deal..."

"It's more than a 'big deal'," affirmed Katy, who moved to put a hand on Lammy's shoulder. The guitarist swallowed, looking up at her. She had a hard determination in her eyes; like the decision had already been made in her head. "This is the push we need, Lammy! We just have to sign up for this battle of the bands thing and that record deal is ours." She squeezed her shoulder a little for emphasis, which Lammy assumed was meant to encourage her. The rock, however, only sunk deeper.

"We have to win the battle of the bands, too," interjected Ma-san, folding her arms, as if she'd read Lammy's mind. "For that much money, there's no way everybody and their dog isn't going to sign up for it."

Katy huffed in response, fixing a strand of hair that had fallen out of place during her excitement. "Ma-san, have you heard our band? We'll blow the competition out of the water."

"B-but what if we don't? What- What if they don't like us?" stammered Lammy, finally. The possibilities of failure had already begun to stack in her mind, and she nervously balled her fists into the fabric of her shirt.

Katy simply smiled her toothy little smile. She didn't seem concerned in the slightest. "They'll like us! What's not to like? We've got killer vocals, a groovy rhythm, and the best guitarist around." She gave Lammy a wink as she said that, joined by a playful little nudge on the shoulder. Lammy's heart almost skipped a beat. She didn't want to disagree, with Katy looking at her like that. She didn't want to disappoint her. But there was still a nagging in Lammy's mind that somehow, she'd mess this up for all of them if she took any part in it. That was enough to keep her glued to her chair.

There was an audible sigh from Ma-san, who had gotten back into her seat. "Well, I'm not saying no. If I turned down a shot like that my dad wouldn't let me hear the end of it." Katy snorted at that.

"Glad to hear you're on board. What about you, Lammy?" She have a curious look to the girl in question, tilting her head. "You haven't sounded too enthusiastic so far..."

Lammy sheepishly shrugged her shoulders and had to look away from Katy. "I-I dunno, I just..." She was having a hard time coming up with an excuse better than 'I don't want you to be upset if I screw it all up.' Instead, she changed the subject. "W-where's it being held at?"

Katy furrowed her brow at the sudden question, and Lammy was worried she would press her further. She didn't. Instead, she turned her gaze to the flier still on the table. "Uh... Actually, that's a good question." She traced a claw underneath the words until she found her answer, ears perking up. Lammy raised a brow, surprised that Katy hadn't seemed to have reviewed the flier more thoroughly. "Says here it's in Greenville, at the Fall Flats Festival..."

"Greenville?" Piped up Ma-san, "That's like two days away by car! How are we gonna get there?" Katy paused, and seemed to curse under her breath. Lammy could only assume it had to be about how unreasonably big Rodney state was.

Katy put a hand to her head, brow furrowed as she thought. "Well, after last time, I don't trust us to take a plane." Lammy sunk a little in her seat, feeling Ma-san's eyes on her. "And it would be too much money anyway..." Katy paced in a circle around the diner table, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "... I'll think of something. I want us all to ride together. We'll like... Hitch a trailer on Lammy's motorcycle if we have to." Katy stopped pacing and sighed again. "I'll have to look into this a little more. It's still a week and a half away, though. We have time to make up our minds and get something together! I can check their website tonight." She looked to her band mates, a little more relaxed. "Does that sound good with you guys?"

Ma-san shrugged, giving her a non-committal "Yeah, sure."

Satisfied with that, Katy turned her eyes to Lammy and rose a brow. Lammy blinked, realizing Katy expected an answer from her, and rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Uh, I-I mean... I guess...?"

"... Are you sure?" Katy caught on to Lammy's reluctance and leaned over the table, putting a hand on her shoulder. Lammy really wished she hadn't. "What's the matter?"

Lammy's mouth felt dry. She swirled her milkshake around with her straw to distract herself. By this point it was melted, and all of the candy bits inside had fallen to the bottom. Fruitlessly she sipped at it, until a hunk of chocolate got stuck inside of her straw and she had to stop. "I-I don't know." She muttered, finally. "I d-don't know if I'm ready for something like that."

Katy pursed her lips. She was definitely trying to hide the disappointment on her face. 'You never seem to want to play when I work so hard to set these concerts up.' Katy's voice repeated Lammy's mind, and she tried to swallow it down, but it was still there. "Well... We've still got a few weeks. You can just- Just think about it. We can't do it if there's only two of us, ya know."

"I know," said Lammy, looking at her shoes. The guilt was already starting to fester in her stomach. Why couldn't she just say yes without being such a baby about it? They couldn't do it if there was only two of them, which means if Lammy said no, Katy would find a replacement. Someone who didn't mind failing. Or someone who wouldn't fail at all.

"Jeeze, what happened to all of that 'The guitar is in my mind!' stuff?" mumbled Ma-san, waving a hand in the air. Katy quickly gave her chair leg a sharp kick under the table in response, making her yelp. "Hey-! What? I'm just saying-"

Katy was curt. She was angry. She was angry at Lammy. "Hush. It's fine." Which was something someone who was angry would say, "She can take her time. I haven't even organized this yet!"

"I'm sorry," said Lammy, quietly. "Ma-San's right. I'm being stupid-" Katy hushed her, too, putting a finger to her lips. Surprised, Lammy clammed up, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Hey now, cut that out! I know I sprung this on you really fast. I understand." Katy stated, matter-of-factly, "It was just an idea, anyway. I don't even know If we'll go through with it." Lammy melted, nodding her head. Katy's voice was confident, but soothing. It made her feel less bad- if only a little.

Katy smiled and stood up straight. "We can go home, get some rest. I'll look into this website, and call you guys tomorrow after work, okay?" After a moment, a realization hit her, and she pressed a hand to her head. "Oh god, I'm going to have to call out of work... And move poetry class, and..." She sunk against the dining table, trailing off.

"Sounds like you've got your hands full," Said Ma-san, who then checked her wrist as if she was wearing a watch, even though she obviously wasn't, "It's almost 5, so I have to go meet up with my dad at the pharmacy. I'll see you guys later."

Katy gave her a weak thumbs up from her spot at the table. "I'll keep you posted, okay?"

Ma-san didn't reply, but the ringing of the door bell indicated she had left. Lammy watched her go, then turned her head to her friend, sitting with her head propped up on her chin. It was her turn to put her hand on Katy's shoulder.

"H-hey... You want a ride home? I brought my motorcycle." It was a weak offer, but she figured she'd give Katy something other than disappointment tonight. Katy lifted her head up, giving her a smile.

"That'd be awesome, Lammy." Katy gave a tired grunt as Lammy helped her to her feet, and she stretched, yawning wide. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt to sleep on this for a bit. I'm beat."

Lammy smiled, but she dreaded the conversation she knew they'd have tomorrow. Still- it was something for future Lammy to deal with. For now, she could enjoy the cool afternoon air on her face and the feeling of Katy's arms wrapped around her waist as she drove her home.