CHAPTER eight

People in the comments have given me the inspiration to continue. I don't usually write on this site anymore so it might end up that this story moves to Wattpad.

"So George asked you out really?" Kristy asked. Sarah nodded as they walked side by side through the streets of Liverpool. It had been weeks since that night at The Cavern, and weeks since she'd seen any of the Beatles.

"Yeah! We've been on four dates!" Sarah giggled and Kristy smiled. She was glad George found someone as nice as Sarah, even if she was a silly teenage girl. He needed someone nice.

"That's really great." She said. And she meant it.

"What about you and Ringo?" Sarah asked out of the blue. Kristy didn't remember telling her about her feelings for Ringo, but she ignored it.

"Oh he doesn't feel the same way I do." She said shrugging, "Anyway I haven't seen him since the Cavern. Doesn't really matter."

"Of course it matters, Kris." She said frowning. "I don't think it's true that Ringo doesn't like you, and George doesn't think so either." Kristy laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Is that so?" Sarah nodded as they walked into a thrift shop. They were both really quiet for a while. They were the type to shop in silence and then talk about everything they bought on their way to the next place. Sarah went toward the back of the shop and Kristy went to the left, keeping toward the front.

There was lots of jewelry on a table near the window. It was pretty and she thought maybe she wanted some of it, but the thought disappeared when she saw an old guitar sitting inside an open case propped up against the leg of the table. It was dusty and really beat up, but it was still the most beautiful guitar she'd ever seen. Not that she'd seen many guitars. She was a solo drummer after all.

"Hey, Kris, you ready to go. I didn't see anything in here worth having." Sarah asked. Kristy jumped and shook her head. She felt like she had just been shaken awake from a dream.

"Yeah, let's go." She said following her mate out of the shop. On the way to the next shop, Sarah attempted to move on with their previous conversation.

"So I was thinking we could go on a double date and you and Ringo could go together." She said, obviously trying to help, but Kristy didn't really want help. She didn't really think Ringo would go for it either.

"I think I want to start a band." Kristy said. It was completely out of the blue, but she couldn't stop thinking about that guitar.

"What?" Sarah frowned at her like she'd grown a third eye.

"A band." She said slowly, "I want to start one."

"Why?" Kristy was having a hard time figuring out of Sarah was against this idea.

"I dunno." She said shrugging defensively, "I drum and everything and I got some pretty good money playing for the Beatles so I think if I can get a good group of people together I get a pretty good living off of it."

"Honey, being a musician isn't a career." Sarah said sympathetically. It was at that moment that Kristy realized she and George weren't going to last long as a couple. George was dedicated to his music and he wasn't going to give that up for some girl, nice or not.

Kristy didn't say anything else about a band the rest of the day. Sarah went on to talk about the things she bought at the next shop. Kristy didn't stop thinking about that guitar.

Weeks later, Kristy was walking through the park alone. She was thinking a song she had heard her brother singing that morning. She didn't know the words, but the tune was stuck on a loop in her head. She was humming it as she walked, looking at the trees and birds around her as she went along.

"Oi! Kristy!"

Her name brought her out of the trance like state she was walking in. She turned on her heel and looked to see Paul hurrying toward her. She smiled and stopped walking so he could catch up.

"Hello Paul." She said smiling at him, "What are you doing here?" Paul smiled back and shrugged at her.

"Just goin' for a walk." He said breathing harder than normal was rushing over, "You?"

"Same." She said starting to walk with him. "How are you?"

"Great! You know the band got a deal with EMI in London." He said proudly. Kristy was shocked and so excited at the same time.

"Really? Paul that's amazing!" She said growing her arms around him. "I can't believe it! So are you guys all moving to London?"

"Well that's the plan eventually." He said unsure, "I mean Geo is having some relationship problems about it and John has to talk to Cynthia about what they're going to do. I have to tell my dad about it all. It's all happening so quickly now." Kristy laughed and nodded.

"I can't even imagine what that's like." She laughed.

"Yeah me either." He joked. Kristy shoved his shoulder before she realized the time.

"It sounds amazing." She said seriously, "But who knows? Maybe you guys will become world famous!"

"I don't know about world famous." He said shaking his head. "Maybe universal sure enough." Kristy laughed and shook her head at him.

"It was really great talking to you, Paul," she said shoving her hands in her pockets, "but I have to go meet my brother and dad for dinner." Paul laughed and nodded.

"Alright well I'll see you around." He said waving.

"Oh wait!" Kristy stopped and moved back in front of him. "A few weeks ago, I saw this really old guitar in a thrift shop. I wanted to get it, but Sarah kind of discouraged it. Well she didn't know she did, but I've been thinking about starting a band and I think I need that guitar."

Paul blinked at her. He had no idea what she wanted from him. "Okay?" She sighed and scratched her head.

"Do you think I should get it and start the band or do you think it would be a waist of time?" She was struggling a lot with this. It was a fifty fifty shot really. She could start the band and it could crash and burn. On the other hand the Beatles were doing pretty well, and a crazy person would give up the chance to be a popular music group.

"I think you should do whatever you like doing." He said seriously, "Don't worry about what everybody thinks of it. If you want to start a band and be world fans then do it. Forget what everyone else thinks. The people who really care about you will stand behind you."

He made a lot of sense, and she hadn't expected him to be so heart-to-heart about it. "Thanks a lot Paul." She said seriously. "That helps a lot." He smiled and she hugged him.

"Hey I'll see you around, okay?" He said. He sounded more like it was a promise.

"Yeah sure! Come see me before you head off to London, okay?" She said grinning, "Might want to hitch a ride or something." They laughed and Paul promised to visit and they parted ways.

On her way to the restaurant, Kristy stopped at the thrift shop and went looking for the guitar. Only it wasn't there. She searched the entire store, but it had been weeks. Everything from that day was sold or junked.

Kristy went up to the counter and the woman standing there smiled at her. "How can I help you?"

"Uh, I was in here a few weeks ago, and there was a guitar, do you happen to know what happened to it?" Kristy hoped it hadn't been thrown out. She had to have it.

"Some guy was in here the other day. He bought it." She said making a face that Kristy guessed was some kind of apology.

"Oh, well do you happen to know where he lives? Or how I could reach him?" She asked, really hoping. The woman shook her head and Kristy sighed. "Thanks anyway." She left the shop in a bit of a funk. Maybe she didn't need that guitar to start her band. She could get any old guitar she wanted. She just wanted to learn to play it and get see people together. She would start with some people from her school in the morning.

For now, she and a dinner to get to. She was already late, and her father was going to be furious.