Thanks to all who reviewed and who sent in characters for the casting call. I now have the five main characters, but everyone else that sent something in will have a few small cameos here and there, so watch out for....yourself. uh, yeah, anyway, not every character is coming in during this chapter, so read on if you don't appear.
Which reminds me... everyone now cast realizes that this is soon to become a rated R story, right? I hope so... R for language, sex and drug use in later chapters. I'm truly sorry I forgot to warn earlier.
Thanks to you all.
Disclaimer: I do not own the newsies, any of the music in this story, or any other copyrighted thing.
The phone rang three times before a tired voice answered,
"Kat? It's sooo early."
"No, it's not! Wake up Kaya, you're helping me dye my hair today, remember?" Kat asked, secretly happy she'd be able to show off her new look at the show tonight.
"Oh yeah...did you buy the dye already? You know I don't have eight dollars to loan right now..."
"Of course I bought it." Kat said quickly, cutting her off in the excitement of telling her about the show. "Look, are you doing anything tonight?"
Kaya paused for a second before responding with a slow, "No... why?"
"Newsboys playing a show... with some other bands that I don't recognize, but they should all be good, right?"
"Are you serious? The Newsboys? God, the lead singer is so hot." Kaya seemed to wake up a significant amount more. "Sounds like it'll be awesome. Who are we getting a ride with?"
Kat suddenly remembered that she hadn't yet asked her mom, but she was almost positive her mom would let her go. Her single mother was barely ever home for her only daughter, but knowing her schedule, she'd be able to give them a lift before going back to work.
"We're getting a ride with my mom." Kat answered simply, playing on her faith in her mother. "Can you come over now to dye my hair?"
"It's over ten blocks to walk to your house... I just woke up."
"An hour?"
"Sure. See you."
Kat shut her flip phone with satisfaction, happy to know that Kaya was going to go. Kaya was laid back, easy to talk to, and never afraid of meeting new people. She was a regular at shows and especially loved The Newsboys because of her crush on Jack Kelly, who was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist.
Knowing who she was going to call next, Kat flipped open her phone again and deftly punched in the number. Saiorse Callan was her favorite friend to party with and Kat loved the fun, daring girl.
"Hey Kat." Saiorse answered in her bright voice.
"Wanna go to a show tonight? Live rock music... many hot punk rocker guys." Kat said, as if dangling bait to entice her into going. She knew Saiorse's weaknesses, because they were almost identical to hers: partying and guys. Taking her excited squeal for a yes, Kat continued, "Be at my house at six thirty if you're going to get ready with us."
"I'll be there!"
Kat smiled again as she shut her phone and but it in her handbag. Pulling out her house key and walking the stairs to her second-story apartment, she let herself in and flopped onto the couch, considering whether or not to call Bailey and invite her. Kat really wanted her to go, but she knew that rock shows and meeting a bunch of strangers was not Bailey's idea of a fun Friday night. Often shy and quiet, Bailey hated being around people she didn't know very well and much less would like the atmosphere of a rock show, seeing as drugs and drinking wouldn't be out of place at the venue. Hoping she would decide to go, Kat called her in spite of her reasoning.
The answering machine picked up, and Kat knew that Bailey was screening her calls. So she started of her message with a mock sinister voice, saying "Hello, Clarice..." the phone clicked as Bailey quickly picked it up.
"Hey girl. What's up?"
"I know it's not really your thing, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to a rock show with me. Just a regular venue thing." Kat asked tentatively.
"I dunno, Kat. Those shows never seem like fun to me."
"I Just figured I'd try anyway."
"Promise you'll call me and tell me how it goes, ok?" Bailey sounded truly sorry that she couldn't go with her, but Kat knew that Bailey wouldn't have much fun.
"Alright, talk to you later."
Kat and Bailey were extreme opposites of each other. Kat cherished the freedom that an absent parent and open attitude bought her, and pushed the limit at every turn. She never liked to think of danger or consequences, but lived for the moment and chose her own path, her own mistakes, and her own happiness. Disregard for caution, rules, and her own set of morals regarding drinking and sex bought the girl a 'rebel' reputation. Kat also possessed an insatiable wild streak, and an unshakable nerve.
Her two accomplices that went to her school were Saiorse and Kaya, and both had a similar label of 'bad girl', both for different reasons. was bold and daring, and completely unafraid of anything. Saiorse lived life fast and fun, and never halfway did anything. She was a true 'now or never' type. Saiorse was just out of a serious six-month relationship, which she had ended on good terms. Saiorse had a short temper sometimes, but Kat and Kaya knew how to handle it. Kaya was laid back, and often was the voice of reason to the other girls. She had a knack for getting out of trouble because she could very easily persuade adults to think how she wanted them to. Kaya knew how to have fun and seemed to always make friends instantly wherever she went.
Shaking off the disappointment about Bailey not going to the show, Kat walked down the hallway to her room. Pulling out one of her unlabeled mixed cds, she popped it into her player and pressed play. Turning the volume knob up until she could feel the base vibrations in the floor of her room, Kat circled in place slowly, swaying to the beat that flooded the small apartment.
Take me down, six underground
The ground beneath your feet
Laid out low, nothing to go
No where or when to meet
I've got a head full of drought down here
So far off from losing out down here
Over ground, watch this space
I'm open to falling from grace
Even though she loved rock music a lot, Kat listened to every kind of music she liked. It just depended on her mood. The lack of a breeze today made her family's upstairs apartment extremely hot, and like almost always, she had the place to herself. She walked back out to her living room and locked the door. She peeled off her shirt, preferring to walk around in her lacy black push-up bra from Victoria's Secret than with her damp shirt sticking to her back.
Kat stood at the end of the hall looking at her reflection in the full length mirror in her hallway. She had always been relatively happy with her body, even though she was always slightly envious of tall, curvier girls. Kat was 5'3, and at a size somewhere between a three and a one, and had a small build. Her waist was small, and her hips were narrow, and she barely fit into a 32 b bra. She was one of those girls that remained naturally petite. But lack of curves never seemed to stop her very much.
Kat was always secretly happy when guys told her she was hot or sexy. And it was not all just flattery, Kat had smooth golden-toned skin, a long neck, high cheekbones and small, bow-shaped lips. Her eyes were a hazel, large and almond shaped, encircled by a fringe of dark eyelashes. Her hair was thick, dark and cut into long layers that had a slight natural barrel-wave. She looked down at her hands. Her black nail polish was chipped, so she got up to search the bathroom cabinet for nail polish remover and cotton balls.
While removing the remainder of the cheap drugstore nail color, the doorbell rang. Checking the peephole to make sure she didn't open the door shirtless to a neighbor complaining about the music volume, Kat unlocked the two locks that bolted the door shut and let Kaya inside.
"What are all the locks for?" Joked Kaya, while taking off her shoes, "You expecting attack by a herd of zombies?" Kat smiled a sheepish sideways smile; Kaya and had seen 28 Days Later with her, which scared Kat to hysterics.
"Har Har, very funny." Said Kat while picking up the Rite-Aid bag to show Kaya the color.
"Ooh, I love it!"
Kat's Apartment; 5:50 p.m. Friday
Kat tossed her hair in front of the mirror above her piano. The coppery streaks glinted in the sun and brought out the warmth of her skin. Not being able to hold back a smile, Kat turned to her 'hairstylist' and hugged her.
"Kaya, you're a genius!!!" Kat turned back to the mirror and ran her hand through her hair.
"It does look good, doesn't it?" She stood next to Kat in the mirror. Kaya Williams was an inch taller than Kat. Kaya had wavy black hair that reached her shoulder, tanned skin, and brown almond shaped eyes. "Do you want to see my outfit? I brought what I'm wearing tonight 'cause I'm too lazy to go all the way back home!"
Kat nodded eagerly, because she always loved Kaya's style, and wanted to see the jeans she'd been working on. Running to the front door where she'd left a grocery bag of her stuff, Kaya pulled out a pair of light colored jeans, now completely decorated with metal studs down one side and patches for various punk rock bands.
"Oh...these are so awesome." Said Kat, holding out her hands to see the jeans. Turning them over, she gasped, "Is that a patch for The Newsboys? How'd you get it?"
"At the last show of theirs I went to, Jack was manning their merchandise table... I had to buy something..." Kaya smiled mischievously, "I'm just going to wear that with my grey Ramones shirt. What are you going to wear?"
Kat had absolutely no idea, but it was apparent that she couldn't just go in her push up bra.
"What do I wear?" Kat looked at Kaya imploringly. She looked thoughtful for a moment while sitting on the couch, then got up and marched into Kat's room, gesturing for Kat to follow. Opening up the third drawer of her white dresser, Kaya fished through the unfolded clothes and pulled out a crumpled black shirt, tossing it to Kat. Kat held it out in front of her. It was a black spaghetti strapped top, the front laced down with ribbon.
Kat said, raising her eyebrows at her friend. It was a tiny, extremely low cut shirt that would barely cover her belly button. Kaya said nothing, only opening the top drawer and rummaging through the underwear, fishnets and bras. Even though she bought every bra she owned at Victoria's Secret, Kat refused to spend a ton of money on underwear. Instead, she owned dozens of the type of thongs that, to find, her and Saiorse would have to dig through a bin at Charlotte Russe.
"I don't know how you manage to find the flashiest g-strings." Said Kaya, as she picked up a bright neon green one that fell to the floor. "If I knew all day that I was wearing this under my jeans, I couldn't concentrate- here it is!"
Kaya pulled out one of the thigh-high fishnets that Kat had worn - and torn – the previous Halloween. Grabbing a pair of scissors, Kaya cut the end off it and cut a small hole an inch away on the side. "Switch your shirt and put this fishnet over your arm." She instructed.
Kat complied and changed her shirt and put the fishnet, and finding no clean jeans, pulled out a pair of dark wash, low cut jeans out of her dirty laundry pile and pulled them on over her black thong. Looking in the mirror Kat smiled at her reflection.
Kat's apartment; 6:50 pm
The doorbell rang, reverberating through the small apartment. Kat dashed to the door and opened it, and Saiorse stepped in, looking at Kat's outfit and smiling.
"You look so wild... this show's gonna rock. Like my outfit?" Saiorse indicated to her tight camouflage-patterned pants and her strategically slashed black shirt."
"Inventive as usual." Said Kaya, walking out from the hall, "Isn't that my bracelet?" She asked, pointing out the thick, studded strap of leather around the girl's wrist.
"Watcha gonna do about it, shortie?" Laughed Saiorse, pulling her black hair into a ponytail. It was true, compared to Saiorse's 5'10 stature, Kaya was a good deal shorter. "I love your hair, Kat!" She said as she finally noticed the streaks in Kat's long hair.
"Thanks!" said Kat, brightening at the compliment. "Should we all start to get ready now?"
The girls all raced to the bathroom to get a good spot in the mirror.
Mrs. Kaylor's SUV; 7:30 pm
"Thanks for driving us, Mrs. Kaylor!" Saiorse and Kaya chimed from the backseat.
"Yeah, thanks Mom." Said Kat. "Can I turn up the music? I love this song!"
"Oh, go ahead Kathryn." Said her mother, as the car full of excited girls rode down the freeway on the way to the show.
Take me down to the paradise city
Where the grass is green
And the girls are pretty
Oh won't you please take me home!
As the wailing guitar and loose drumbeats of Guns N Roses rang through the open windows of the car, the girls couldn't help but sing along. They were all extremely nervous and happy, and each one had carefully dolled up for the night. Kaya kept the makeup to a minimum as usual, but she straightened her wavy hair, so it looked beautiful and shiny. Saiorse had her hair pulled back, but she lined her blue/purple eyes with electric green eyeliner. Kat had her long hair teased and messy, and had put a ton of black eyeliner to encircle her entire eye, winging out the slightest amount for the cat eye effect.
Noticing the massive amount of cars parked everywhere and the amount of people wearing band shirts, black clothing and dyed hair, they realized they were already there. The show was going to be held in the spacious, but beat-up area above a small indie coffee shop. Mrs. Kaylor dropped them off around the corner, and the three girls walked up to the shop.
"So I guess this is it." Said Saiorse, smiling her pre-partying smile.
But Kat barely noticed what Saiorse said. She was too busy checking out the hot guy unloading a drum set out of a dented green SUV. The guy had tall, thin, yet muscular stature, medium length light brown hair, and the bluest eyes Kat had ever seen in a guy. He looked up at her, and she looked away. Reminding herself that she looked hot, Kat straightened up a little teller and flipped her messy hair over her shoulder. She snuck another look at the blue-eyed drummer: he was still looking at her.