2003.
Being thirteen years old you'd think Chloe would have been nervous on the flight to Melbourne, but like the fiery teenager she was, she flew in the face of danger.
Extreme things like flying and roller coasters excited her and she even begged her parents to take her whitewater rafting.
Frank and Catherine Beale, thankfully, talked her down.
Perhaps when Chloe and her sister Clara were a little older then maybe, but for now they're going to settle into their spacious hotel suite.
The Beales were there on their annual family vacation.
Last year was London, and the Beales visited all of the classic sites: Big Ben, the Royal Palaces, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Paul McCartney's childhood home in Liverpool, and even Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross Station.
This year the family of four was in Melbourne to do the same thing.
Well, and to see KISS in concert.
The event made headlines across the globe. The band billed it as their big comeback; the farewell tour wasn't farewell after all. Absent Ace Frehley, the band re-branded with Tommy Thayer on lead guitar.
Peter Criss was still performing with the band and that was the piece de resistance! A detail most remarkable, even with the draw of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra backing the legendary band.
Chloe always felt left out when her parents, huge metal and rock junkies, would occasionally leave their daughters with family while they spent their time living it up and seeing some of the greatest acts to grace the stage. Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Metallica, Heart, Joni Mitchell, and even Paul Simon.
Frank and Catherine always promised their daughters that when they were a little older they'd happily take them to a concert of their choosing.
When Chloe and her younger sister saw a magazine with a quartet in goofy face paint they told their parents that was the band they'd wanted to see.
KISS.
Catherine and Frank felt a swell of pride in their children's taste in music.
Chloe could take it or leave it. No way was she going to pass up the opportunity to visit Australia and see the sights with her folks. If a little concert was the price she paid then so be it.
Besides the band looked cool and that was it.
Chloe could live with KISS being her first concert.
When night ended Chloe no longer felt that way. The band did things the teen, up until that point, believed bands simply could not do.
From the moment the lights went out and a steely, gravelly voice roared out "Alright Melbourne! You wanted the best you got the best, the hottest band in the world…KISS!" and the curtain dropped to a chain of fireworks, she knew she was hooked.
Musicians weren't supposed to breathe fire or spit blood, or fly into the audience, or over the stage. Chloe felt like she was witnessing something straight out of a comic book or a movie; these four guys were larger than life.
They were gods among men, women, and children.
This wasn't a concert. It was a rock and roll party.
A kingdom being conquered and a young girl's future set in stone on a cool February night.
For the rest of the year, Chloe begged her parents to buy her a guitar, and finally, on Christmas Day in a peaceful Tampa suburb, the teenager was over the moon when she unwrapped an acoustic guitar.
By age fourteen Chloe begged her parents to let her see KISS again on their Rock The Nation Tour. Frank and Catherine were all too happy to oblige, they even helped their daughter apply the Starchild makeup.
Age 16.
"What is it you wanted to show us, sweetheart?" Catherine asked while she, her husband, and Clara gathered in Chloe's bedroom.
"I've got it. It took me a couple of weeks but I've finally got it," Chloe professed. She brought her Epiphone Les Paul over to her bed so she could face her sister and parents who eagerly awaited Chloe's next move.
The ginger set her guitar pick and performed a nearly flawless imitation of Nancy Wilson's opening riff to Barracuda. It was met with supportive cheers and claps.
Age 18
"Hey Chlobear," Catherine Beale poked her head into her daughter's bedroom. "Can we talk?"
Chloe was pretty sure she knew what this "talk" would entail. It wasn't the sex talk because she and her mother had that conversation years ago; it was going to be the "future" talk which her parents had been hinting at for a while.
Chloe huffed. "I suppose."
Catherine Beale entered the room and right behind her was Chloe's father.
Yup, it was the "future" talk.
"Sweetheart," Frank began once he and his wife were sitting down, "You know that your mother and I have always supported your dream to be a musician."
Chloe let out an annoyed sigh. "There's a 'but' coming up isn't there?"
"We just think that you should really consider going to college," Frank said.
Chloe planted her hands on her hips, firmly. "No," she bit. "I'm not going to college. I'm going to be in a rock band."
It was non-negotiable. Sure her parents and sister were always supportive of her dream, but they were wrong about this. College would be a waste of her time.
Chloe made a habit of practicing her guitar for two hours straight four days out of the week. She even began writing her own songs, the sure-to-be chart-topping hits: Wally The Goose - written about an annoying boy in her class, All I Want in Heaven is Momma's Pot Roast, and Phineas and Ferb Can Suck It!
Her parents had a sinking suspicion that Chloe wrote the last song to annoy her sister, and they wouldn't be wrong but it was beside the point. Chloe was a good kid; she wasn't irresponsible. So why were her parents being unreasonable?
"Honey. College might end up being the best years of your life," her father said.
"Listen, you could even get a degree that could help you sell yourself as a musician. Like business or marketing," her mom added.
Hmmm, she has a point. Chloe thought, she also realized that while Tampa will forever be her home, there wasn't much of a scene there. A change of location might make a world of a difference.
"I'll think about it," Chloe said.
"Excellent," Frank Beale stood up, satisfied with his daughter's answer. He walked towards and then exited through Chloe's bedroom door.
"Why don't you join us Chlobear?" her mom said. "Your favorite movie will be playing in a few minutes," Catherine kissed her daughter on the top of her head, which was met with an approving nod from Chloe.
Once her bedroom door closed Chloe sat back in her chair. She looked up at the various posters of bands and performers littering her bedroom wall, the ginger wondered what their advice would be?
Nancy Wilson attended college.
Joan Jett didn't.
Nancy and Joan grew up in a different time, though. A time when you didn't need a college degree, a time when there wasn't a Great Recession. A time when it might have been easier to secure a recording contract.
Chloe sighed. It was a big decision to make and certainly not one to be made hunkered down at her desk.
She would mull it over later. Chloe's finger grazed the light switch, turning it off then closing her door to go and watch Field of Dreams with her parents.
Fall 2008
Barden University.
Chloe stared down the main building of what was to become her new home for the next four years. The first college to respond with an acceptance letter.
With home being close to five-hundred miles away, Chloe took a deep breath. The taxi had driven away and she was left standing on the sidewalk with a few suitcases, one of her guitars, and a burning desire to call her parents or Clara, or whoever answered and bawl her eyes out while they listened and reassured her to grab life by the horns and then remind her there was nothing she couldn't accomplish.
A degree in communications would be a walk in the park
A week later the homesickness hadn't disappeared.
Chloe gritted her teeth and reminded herself why she was there. Her roommate was kind, outgoing much like herself. Chloe knew they would be friends in no time, still, the ginger wanted some time to herself.
Some fresh air.
A walk on the quad.
A flier with a quirky design drew her attention to the bulletin board, Chloe was so caught up in it she didn't even register the other person she bumped into until she heard the thud of books dropping onto the ground.
"I'm so sorry," Chloe said. She squatted down to help the girl pick up the books. Chloe noticed the other girl was shy, and she seemed to be mumbling softly, the contents of which Chloe could not make out, but the girl's body language was soft and forgiving.
Once the two girls gathered the last of the items, Chloe leaned in for a closer look at the freshman's name tag.
"Once again. I'm so sorry. I got distracted," Chloe laughed, playing it off like clumsiness was a regular occurrence.
The other woman nodded. Chloe admired her dark brown hair, which was straightened perfectly.
"Maybe I'll see you around…Lilly?" Chloe hoped referring to the stranger by name would make her come off as friendly and approachable.
Lilly smiled then went her separate ways.
Chloe strolled over to the flier which caught her attention.
Guitarist wanted with flash and balls.
Temporary but will include paid gigs.
Auditions Friday at …
Chloe squeed in delight. Now this she could vibe with. She whipped out her phone and typed the address into her notes app and then took a picture of the advertisement in case her hyper ass accidentally deleted the note.