*AN* ITALICS- KATIE, BOLD= CARLOS

"What? I never quit DBS per say, more like got to busy for it. I'm always forming ideas and such its just the task about getting everyone together. We did all those videos in middle school and high school, now that we have graduated its difficult to get together as often to learn lines and routines. I have simple ones as well but its still just finding the time or a place. Even I have trouble finding time in college and with work, how can I edit videos? I've made a few Q&A videos, deleted scene vids and more to keep it active plus we all open mail and talk to viewers so we are very much alive still." Katie explained with a smile.

"Why didn't you tell us? I mean Logan said you looked familiar and we just couldn't place you."

"I wasn't really thinking clearly, I mean I was hanging out with celebrities, would you be able to think straight if your star idol was around?: she chuckled.

"You have a point. Would you ever want to get back into it?"

"Sure. I had fun doing all that stuff with my friends and it got me outside and active unlike now. I may run around for classes, but I'm not getting nearly as much exercise as I used to and my diet is pretty bad too. I've gained weight for sure, and I'm just not as strong or fit a I used to be. Like I said, its just a matter of finding a time and place to get together. Plus, those were happier times than right now, how I miss those days. "

"What if we helped you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not promising miracles or anything but what if we found a way to get you back up and running? You're a talented singer and actor and it'd be a shame to let that go to waste. I'm serious, and I mean it, I'm going to help you. I'll do all I can and the guys will help to, I'm sure of it. Just think about it and let me know what you think. You don't have to say yes and you don't have to answer right now. Just think about it is all I ask. I got to go for now though, I'll talk to you later." he said hanging up the phone.

Katie sat in silence holding the receiver a little dazed from his proposition. It'd be nice to get away from everything and even nicer to be famous, and be recognized for once but was she ready to take the risk?

She didn't have much to risk as far as financially, although she ran the school, she didn't own it and it would run fine without her for months as she demonstrated when she left for school during the year. But what about the risk to her image? For all she knew if she got to Hollywood, she could become this big rock star or pop star but she wouldn't be her. She didn't want to really stand out from the crowd, she got enough of that here. She wanted to be noticed but not for something flamboyant, crazy, or stupid. And what would happen if she failed? Could her self esteem really take being called a failure and useless more than she already was getting now?

Carlos got to work creating a bio page for Katie and making sure everything was worded perfectly. He hoped the poll and the petition would go over well and get a big response regardless of whether it was positive or negative, of course he hoped is was positive. Logan came in and saw him hard at work and when he saw Katie's picture he recognized her right away as the lead girl in the videos Carlos showed him a while back. Logan was behind him and asked if he could help in any way.

Kendall and James got involved in the project as well once they learned she was into it. The poll wouldn't take long to create or get everyone to mark their opinion. To be fair it was going to require the use of face book, twitter or tumblr so people would only be able to vote once per account. It would stay open for about a month, enough time to contact Gustavo, Griffin, another label or maybe, if it had to come down to it although they really hoped it didn't, even Hawk and get someone to sign her either by persuasion or by the numbers. They had it all planned out and all they could do now was wait.

Soon the month had passed although to Katie nothing had changed. She had barely heard from Carlos or any of the guys since Carlos had called her with his 'news' she thought about it a little bit but never came up with an answer and eventually it was pushed to the back of her mind. She had made a lot of progress with Bullet in the mean time. He was no longer cage aggressive and would sleep quietly in a cage at any time of day. His pushy behavior was really just a personality trait of his and it would be hard to stop however his dominance was nearly erased. He was turning into the perfect companion although he really wasn't suitable for tour life. The bus was too small and there just wasn't enough time in the day for Carlos to be able to give him the walks he needed in upwards of an hour. She made notes and other instructions as she found things and kept track of what she already did and Carlos would be getting a full copy of his register which was getting longer by the day.

She was busy with classes for most of the day as finals were getting closer. Back to back she taught classes with only 10 minutes between that she used to rearrange the arena or class room depending on what the class was. For whatever reason, the classes weren't scheduled in order from difficulty or category. She'd teach an agility course in the arena then have to run to the class room to teach breed identification and back to the arena for showmanship. In the midst of her running around she left her phone in her office so when someone tried to reach her, she was interrupted in the arena, which was only allowed for an emergency so her heart was racing as thoughts ran through thinking what was wrong.

"Hello!" she said

"Katie! Oh my god, I'm glad I got a hold of you, listen I'm really sorry I'm interrupting your class session but this really is an emergency!" Carlos' voice rang out on the other end

"Carlos? What's going on?" she asked getting her breath back

"We had a poll a while back and our record producer agreed to sign you! You got a bunch of positive feedback and you're taking Hollywood by storm as the newest pop sensation and you arent even here yet! You wouldn't believe the magazines, TV, and internet is blowing up with your videos, havent you been online?" he explained

"I havent, I've been too busy with work and school. Finals here at ACS are within the next few weeks and then I start school in September. I thought you were going to fill me in on the details and get my answer? I thought about it but I couldn't come to a conclusion. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm glad I have this and all but I'm risking my reputation here. I don't know what to do, I need more time not only to think but even if I did accept this offer, I cant leave now. You understand right?" she replied

"Absolutely. There is more work to be done on our end anyway regardless if you sign or not, in fact you have to make a demo first before you sign. We'll work out the kinks and if he has too, our producer will buy you out of your school contract." Carlos said

"Well that's one thing off my mind, thanks Carlos!" she replied with a smile

"No problem! Talk to you soon!" he said, hanging up.

She really wasn't sure what to make of all this, it'd be an exciting opportunity but was she ready for this? She had enough enemies out there to make her fall, rumors spread like wildfire even with proof contradicting the lies, what was to say it wouldn't happen again, even with all the journalists and info out there? She was quiet the rest of the day, not focusing on teaching, more or less just being in a slump or out of sorts. Her students worried and rather than explaining herself she sent them on her way, she really didn't want to think about this anymore and it was going to stop anytime soon. She gave out extra homework to make up for it, giving an extended deadline as well. She made her way to her office and tried to make sense of things but ultimately sat in a slump for a few hours doing nothing productive or anything in particular. She kept finding herself daydreaming about her possible future but also thought about the negatives. She was scared of her future, she was scared of change. She was in a nice spot right now and if she could go forward with this whole pop star thing and come back to ACS like nothing happened then she wouldn't give it a second thought.

Soon enough it was time to head home, she was quiet walking in the door, parents pretty much ignoring her for the newest episode of their favorite show. They had a DVR so they could pause it and acknowledge her existence but they preferred to shut her up and tell her she was making too much noise by blasting the TV. Katie was the only one who used the DVR for anything but she got yelled at for that too. She went upstairs to chill out but soon after their show was over she was called rude and selfish for not saying hi when she came home.

"Did you not just shut me up and blast the TV when I walked in? Don't try to freaking deny it Damnit!" she immediately yelled.

"I couldn't hear it, you were making too much noise!" her mom said.

"I was coming home! I made the same amount of noise as always, and greeted you like you wanted only to be told I was making too much noise. Don't try to pin this on me! You're the one who is being a damn hypocrite!" she yelled back. Her mom left and Katie just sat in her room, mad as could be at what was normal in her house. Double standards, hypocrite statements and actions and just verbal abuse. There was no way she could tell anyone, who would believe her? There was no case without physical proof.

She was in a bad mood so she loaded up one of her favorite play lists from all sorts of artists. The songs really related to her life and her emotions and she always felt better after listening to them, knowing she wasn't the only one dealing with these frustrations or the pain. She really got into it and started singing along. With her headphones in she didn't hear her parents making noise at the bottom of the stairs, listening in. For whatever reason, they liked to listen to her sing. She had been put in school plays, most of which were against her will, and sang and dance in them. She never had fun doing all the work and was only happy when the damn thing was over but her parents took it as fun and made her do more plays. Katie had since graduated kids songs and songs about Christmas miracles to today's music.

The lyrics were deep, meaningful and downright amazing. She tried not to sing swears if she could help it, except when she was recording or singing alone. She had often listened to herself singing and thought it was alright but when she played back a recording she thought her ears would bleed. She tried using filters and all sorts of other magic but she gave up and posted near raw recordings, trying her best to just grin and bear it but to her surprise many people liked it and encouraged her to continue which is how the channel began to grow.

She finished her song on a good note and felt better and took a break, doing something else to pass the time before calling it a night. Her dad came up later and told her it was nice, as he often did. She really didn't like hearing it just because she thought she sounded awfully. It was embarrassing and she felt patronized by his words, that he was saying it just to be nice. It was one of her trust issues, she had been hurt so many times that it was difficult to believe anyone anymore.

"So if I was offered the chance to be a famous singer, what would you say?" she asked trying to sound like it was just a random 'what-if' question

"Why no? You sing good. But school first."

"You know, school can wait or I could do it at the same time. Stardom isn't going to wait for me to finish school. I'd have to take it when I got the chance otherwise it'll pass me by. That's how show business works, there is always someone else to take your place. Whether or not they are just as good, better or worse is up for debate but Hollywood waits for no one." she lectured. She was beginning to sound defensive so she backed off with a smile and joked around trying to get him to see her side and play along but not raise the alarm. She eventually went back to her room and she fell asleep, content with the day so far. She wondered what life would be like in all aspects of her current life if she did become a super star. Who would she make friends with? Would she lose the friends she had? What would her parents really think?

Her phone rang early the next morning and she was to tired to be bothered so she shut it off, rolled back over and went back to sleep. She woke up a few hours later and turned on her phone to check the number that had called her before. As the phone warmed up she received a few texts from unknown numbers who turned out to be Carlos and James. They needed to talk to her ASAP and she called them back. Before she could say hello or ask what was up Carlos greeted her with relief in his voice and excitement hearing Kendall in the background.
"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! Slow down! What on earth are you talking about?"

"Our producer's boss, the CEO of the place that owns Roque Records saw your you tube channel and he's pleased with everything he saw! He also said there was no need to make a demo since the comments and feedback are mostly positive. The poll we took was enough to win him over with ease as well. Short story is you're going to be a star! He wants to meet you as soon as possible. The only thing is, you havent answered if you want this or not, so…?" Carlos trailed off. There was silence on Katie's end as her confusion turned to excitement and then faded. What was her answer? Even she didn't know yet. "Katie?"

"Sorry, I was thinking. I don't know what my answer is. I was playing around with the idea and I figured I have nothing to lose but even still, I'm afraid."

"Don't be, we'll be here every step of the way." Kendall assured.

"I like singing and dancing and just being creative but I love my animals, my job. It'll do fine with out me as I test out this new chapter of my life but I still cant help but wonder what would happen to my old life that I leave behind. My parents like it when I sing but only on their terms, I want to do this, to prove myself to this world but I'm just so afraid to take that first step forward. I've never had anyone to lean on in my entire life and this is just such a big change. I don't want to fall flat on my face before I get anywhere." she said.

"You can do this. Don't think of being alone, you wont be, you'll have us right by your side. We believe in you, your parents will be there too, every step of the way, even if you don't feel it or they cant be physically there, they will be there in spirit. You can lean on us as long as it takes before you're sure you can stand on your own 2 feet." Kendall said. Carlos agreed. They heard Katie sigh on the other end of the line.

"Alright then. I'll do it…" she began softly. "I'll do it!"