Let's learn about Louise!
Louise Kane made the decision to move to Manchester when she was a mere eighteen years old. It was a tough decision to make and one that caused her family much upset when she told them only months after finishing college but it was the best she had ever made. She explained how there were teenagers who left home at sixteen. Heck some moved aboard. She only moved four hours away up north.
Throughout college, Louise worked tirelessly juggling coursework with a part-time job at a local cafe and driving lessons. Luckily, she took to driving like a duck to water. She had spent years watching her parents cruise and asking and questioning them about what they were doing so when she finally got behind the wheel, she knew what she was doing and sailed through her lessons with only a few minor hiccups. It took her two attempts to pass her test, though. A stupid roundabout that had a stupid corner that was hard to see round. A lorry came out of nowhere just as she started moving forward; thinking it was clear and safe to go, causing her instructor to slam down on the brake—instant fail. Louise avoided that corner since.
She was never the golden pupil at school but she worked hard enough to get fair, decent grades. Since she was a little girl, Louise had a passion for dance and music. She'd never competed in anything serious—she was too shy of rejection or being told she wasn't good enough. It was more of a hobby than anything. So when it came to choosing a course at college, she had to choose between her two loves. It was like a mother picking her favourite child but after years of going to discos and parties, she chose to study music. She knew she was never going to be a music producer or become the female David Guetta but it gave her a sense of freedom. She could remix tapes, make her own and listen to people sing for a qualification and receive constructive criticism unlike if she had chosen dance, she would have felt like she was the worst there and that all the other girls were judging her, who were clearly better and fitter, thinner, looking like they had been doing it for years.
As a child she was what doctors would class as overweight. Not obese but not the healthy weight for her age, either. It caused years of bullying which caused her to comfort eat, making her bigger and shy, avoiding all social interaction and she was suffered from it throughout primary school and secondary school. Changing rooms were her biggest fear and PE was her least favourite subject. Not to mention by the time she was in year eight there were rumours flying about that she fancied girls, being in a small area with at least twenty other girls who all identified as heterosexual didn't help in the slightest. After constant whispering and sniggering from the other girls about her weight when she got changed in a corner of the room, she decided to change in the toilets every lesson. So when the rumours started, Louise never made it to the door before her supposed classmates started picking on her.
"Is that why you get changed in there then? Not only because you're fat but because you're a dyke, too? You like to sit in the corner and stare at us while we get changed? Perv," they would say, surrounding her in a circle. Always, Louise would tear up and push past them and take her stuff into the toilet and change slowly then sit in the corner stall, reading a book until the teacher came in to start the lesson. She would have stayed in the bathroom until Mrs Robinson came in if she could but it was against the rules in case there was a fire. There was only ten minutes in the hour period to change as well. She read a book so the girls didn't think she was looking at them and she never did, not that they believed her.
Aged twelve and self esteem issues were what got the better of her doing her passion for the rest of her life.
Louise had had enough of it by the time she was sixteen so leaving school and starting college had been a breath of fresh air. Those six weeks off in the summer, she changed her ways. She had come out to her parents. They were more supportive and loving than she ever imagined. Her whole family were, she had never felt more accepted. It inspired her to do something about her weight. She didn't want to make herself look like those bullies, just a healthier weight. She started with her diet. She signed up to a gym and they gave her advice on how to improve and in those six weeks, she saw it. She began going to the gym at least three times a week. It went down to only one day a week when she started college but she still saw a change happen and after six months of the routine, she was beyond happy with the results.
It gave her a new found confidence. The confidence to get a girlfriend and go places she never had before. It was going to Manchester Pride that following summer that gave her the idea that she one day would move away from the capital to the northern city. It also got her, her first tattoo. The equal sign, to represent pride. She saw a series of photographs online of paint splattered tattoos and decided it was that design using rainbow colours that she wanted for it on her rib cage, to the side of her heart. She loved it.
With no desire to go to University, she packed her bags and went. The relationship with her first girlfriend was over and she wanted a fresh start somewhere new. It was the best decision she ever made and still, three years later, she didn't regret a thing. It also gave her the idea behind her second tattoo—a quote on the inside of her forearm. It read "she believe she could... so she did," by R.S Grey; along with three little birds, in reference to the Bob Marley song. His lyrics got her through the darkest days and she found the symbols a brilliant touch to her collection.
She found a job quickly in Hurricanes, a small gay bar just off Princess Court in Canal Street, home of the gays, according to history. The job gave her the chance to be around three things she loved: music, dance and girls. She also met the man who would be her best friend for life, Tyler. He was bubbly, fun, camp as you like and an all around good person with a heart of gold. He took Louise under his wing when she was first employed and now, they live together in a flat just around the corner to work.
Life couldn't be any better for Louise Kane.
As usual on her days off, Louise caught up with any housework that had been dismissed. There was a long list of pros about having your own place but there was also a list of cons, cleaning up was one of them. All that stuff as a child, her parents did for her was now her job. It was like being at Uni, just without the learning and the stress.
Louise let out a deep breath as she pushed the dishwater door closed. She stood with her hands on her hips as she inspected the kitchen. Clean. Just how she liked it.
"Hiya!" a voice sounded through the flat. Tyler, after throwing his coat over the arm of their sofa and putting his keys on the coffee table, walked into the kitchen.
"Oh, you would not believe the amount of cute guys who walked into the bar as I left. I'm fuming," Tyler waved his hands in front of his face. "I envy Scott and Dustin who get to serve those fine pieces of meat tonight. And can you believe it, it's Theme Night Thursday and there's going to be drag queens! Lou, we're missing the drag queens!"
Louise laughed as Tyler jumped in a annoyance, whining. "Hi, Tyler. My day's been great, cleaning up your mess. Thank you for asking."
"Oh, yeah," Tyler realised the state he'd left their place in this morning, his eyes avoiding all contact with her and rubbing the back of his neck. "I forgot about that, sorry."
"Don't worry about it, it gave me something to do," she said. "What do you want to do tonight then?"
"We could order in a pizza," he wiggled his eyebrows.
Louise shook her head. "No."
"Oh, why not?" Tyler whined again. "Are you seriously keeping up this health thing for as long as possible?"
"Yes! I'm only having bad food once a month. We had pizza last week," Louise reminded him. "And I've been avoiding the gym lately; I don't want to get behind now when I only have six months to go until I've stuck at it for five years. Then we'll eat all the bad food we want, in moderation."
"Fine!" Tyler accepted it. He was so proud of his best friend, he couldn't believe how committed she was. "We'll cook something then."
"And watch RuPaul to make you feel better," Louise smiled. Walking over to him, she tapped him lightly on the cheek. "I love you, gay-pal."
"I love you, too, lezzy bezzy."
Louise threw her head back laughing as she went into their living room. She didn't even think their nicknames for each other where at all original but still made her chuckle as much as it did when they first said it to each other.
"Hey, speaking of lezzies," Tyler skipped in behind her. "Who was that girl I saw you talking to the other night who I think it is?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Louise perched herself on the sofa, throwing Tyler's coat at him when she was sat. There was a coat hanger at the door, why did he need to take off in the front room? He didn't. He gave her a look to say he was going to hang it up...later. "If you're talking about who I think you are, then yep," she smirked.
"Get in there, girl!" he clapped his hands together excitedly. "How did you manage to pull her? She was well hot!"
"I don't know, but oh my God, Tyler. She was so amazing."
Since moving to Manchester and working at Hurricanes, Louise with her confidence, got her what she always dreamed of. She was always careful and smart about the girls she saw and brought home. She had rules and boundaries that she never broke.
There have been girls who have waited for her to finish her shift to get to know her and there have been girls she's been with who she's got to know and loved and there have been girls who she's only known for the night. Sophie Webster was one of the few girls she wanted to know beyond that.
Louise went on to tell Tyler all about their night together. They were in an open and honest friendship. Tyler had told her from day one if ever there was a time she needed advice, he was there for her. They were both twenty-one, but Tyler had grown up with gay role models and had more experience than Ali so he loved giving her any information she needed.
"She's from Weatherfield, Ty," Louise mentioned.
"What, the same place as Sean?" Tyler asked. He had known Sean Tully since he was eighteen; they'd seen each other in all the gay bars in Manchester.
"Yeah," she nodded.
"You should give him a call, meet up with in the Rovers or something."
Also, thanks for the reviews so far! Much appreciated! 3
