Chapter Fourteen

"You didn't know?" Stephanie asked with some amusement the next day.

"How could I?" Emma defended herself. "It's not like anyone told me! Not even when you guys all saw me wearing those pajamas," she added with a grumble.

Casey smirked, but not meanly. "I guess we thought you were wearing them because you knew the Holograms were all Starlight girls once. Before our time," she added. "Back when Emmett Benton was still alive. Okay, Kimber was his daughter too," she added, "and Raya only joined up when it looked like Shana was going to quit to be a full-time fashion designer… But Aja and Shana were totally Starlight girls!"

"What about Jem?" Emma asked.

Casey and Stephanie exchanged a look.

"Nobody really knows," Stephanie admitted. "According to the older girls—Joellen and Deirdre, I mean—she showed up to win Starlight Music's first Battle of the Bands and Kimber, Aja, and Shana were her backup. They were together ever since. At least until they broke up."

"Aside from that time when Shana left," Casey put in.

"Well, yeah, but that didn't last too long."

"I guess one of the Holograms must've known her," Casey said, looking puzzled. "I mean, it makes sense."

Emma nodded slowly. "So, after they broke up, what happened? I know Kimber and Aja are in Kaleidoscope Haze."

"Shana's a full-time costume designer," Casey said. "Like in theater."

"Raya went to college and she also works in her father's store," Stephanie said.

"What about Jem?"

Instead of answering Emma's question, both girls looked at each other and shrugged. "I dunno…" Stephanie said slowly. "She just… dropped off the scene after the breakup."

Emma frowned. "So she came out of nowhere, started a band, and then dropped off the face of the earth again?"

Casey shrugged again. "This is LA. That kind of thing happens a lot around here."

Emma's frown deepened. She couldn't quite explain it, but something just didn't feel right about the whole thing.

"Emma?" Stephanie asked. "Everything okay?"

Emma made herself smile. "Sure."

Stormer took a sip of strawberry milkshake and closed her eyes blissfully. "All the tours we did, all the cities we visited, and I still can't find another place that makes shakes like this."

Phyllis smiled back. "Hana May likes it too," she said. "She always gets the Elvis special."

Stormer looked down at the description on the menu. "I'm not big on bananas," she said, sounding apologetic. "Peanut butter's good, though."

"You always liked the simpler things," Phyllis said, a lot less nastily than she might have once.

"I never had the fancier things until I became a Misfit," Stormer laughed. Then, more seriously, she continued, "but fancier isn't always better."

The old Pizzazz might have cackled or jeered at that, but Phyllis just nodded. "Wish Roxy'd figure that out," she said.

Stormer sighed. "No luck convincing her to change her mind?"

"I'm not going to beg," Phyllis snapped, with a hint of her old attitude. "If she doesn't want to do the benefit, then the show goes on without her." She exhaled. "Honestly, I'd be less pissed if she showed the slightest interest in her daughter. Don't say it," she warned.

Stormer blinked. "Say what. Oh," she said softly. "Your moth—"

"I told you not to say it," Phyllis snarled. "I already said it first," she added in a more subdued tone. She exhaled. "One of my newest cases involves a girl whose parents chucked her on the side of the highway at birth. At least my mother waited until I was Hana May's age before she split," she added bitterly. "I guess thinking about that girl, seeing Hana May hurting—and she's hurting," she went on, "even if she's doing what I used to do and pretending she doesn't care—if Roxy can put her daughter through that, then I don't know who she is anymore."

"Maybe she just… got overwhelmed," Stormer suggested, bracing for a verbal blow.

Instead, Pizzazz just shook her head. "You don't think I told her there were resources she could draw on for help?" she asked. "I'm a social worker; I know what's out there. I even checked into what's available in Vegas, to make sure that there were programs. There are," she added. "Hell, I even offered to spring for a live-in nanny. She told me that if I couldn't look after Hana May, she'd have to get her into the system. I think when Jerrica brought up the benefit, part of me was even thinking that if Roxy came back here, if she spent a little time with her daughter, then maybe she'd at least try to get to a point where she thought she could be a mother again." She snorted. "That's what I get for being buddies with a do-gooder like Jerrica," she said, smiling thinly. "A bad case of optimism."

"It could still happen," Stormer said. "Maybe not this time, but this won't be the last time the Misfits reunite on stage."

"No, but assuming our newest guitarist can keep up with us and wants to continue, going forward? The Misfits will be performing with Deirdre Baxter instead of Roxanne Pellegrini, and I think we'll be just fine." She lifted her own nearly-drained milkshake up, clamped her lips firmly around the straw, and noisily sucked up the dregs.

Stormer winced.

Aja's eyebrows shot up. "So, Deirdre's going to be a Misfit?"

Jerrica smiled ruefully. "There was a time when we probably would've seen that as a problem," she remarked, "instead of the big break she needs."

"So, you weren't going to offer her a contract with Starlight?"

Jerrica looked embarrassed. "I should have. She's been right under our noses. But… I guess that was the problem. I got so used to hearing her practicing that I somehow didn't notice how good she'd gotten. Pizzazz—Phyllis—did." She shook her head. "I don't think the Misfits are getting back together permanently. It's my understanding that Deirdre's just replacing Roxy for the one benefit. But if Phyllis decides to start up a new band and Deirdre's part of it, then great. And if not," she added, "I am going to look at signing her. She's not ready to be a solo act, not yet, but we have a few up-and-comers who could use a solid backup artist." She smiled at Aja. "I know I needed a couple or three back in the day."

Aja smiled back. "Always happy to help."

"That's you," Jerrica said seriously. "Kimber…"

"She'll come around," Aja said. "She always felt like she was in your shadow and now she's afraid she'll be stepping back into it."

"She was never that," Jerrica murmured. "I've tried to tell her that so many times."

"But you called the band Jem and the Holograms," Aja replied, still smiling. "Jem," she repeated. Then, slightly more softly, "And the Holograms." She exhaled. "She felt lost in the shuffle, even if you didn't mean it that way."

"Did you ever feel that?" Jerrica asked.

Aja shook her head. "I would've said something if I did. Maybe it would've cleared the air early if Kimber had, but she didn't. She'll come around," she repeated, reaching out to squeeze her foster sister's shoulder.

Jerrica sighed. "I hope so."

Kimber looked at the agreement carefully, even though she didn't believe for a moment that her sister was trying to cheat her or lock her into unfair terms. Jerrica could be a pain, and she often was, though not as often as it had felt like when they'd been kids. Or even in the early days of Jem and the Holograms. All the same, she'd never resorted to the kind of smarmy, underhanded tactics that Eric Raymond had. There were never any hidden clauses or sneaky loopholes in her contracts.

Kimber felt a pang when she remembered how she'd nearly lost her half of Starlight Music to Eric's maneuverings. If Jerrica hadn't bailed her out… And here came the resentment at needing her older sister to clean up her messes, yet again. Kimber winced. Somehow, around Jerrica, she always ended up feeling like an inept teenager once more. She knew it wasn't Jerrica's fault. She didn't think it was her fault either. It was just… a thing, like they were locked into a pattern that neither one was sure how to break.

Kimber picked up the contract again. Why was she putting off signing it? Was it because Jerrica had agreed to it without consulting her? Because joining her sister on stage as one of the Holograms felt like a step backwards, even if it was just for one performance? Because she was afraid that more time with Jerrica would mean questions about whether she was seriously dating anyone that she didn't want to answer? "All of the above," she muttered under her breath. She picked up the phone and punched in a number from memory.

"Heyyy!" Stormer's voice greeted her. "Miss me already?"

"You know it," Kimber replied. "Just going over the contract for the benefit."

"Right," Stormer said. "I gave mine to my lawyer. She said he'll give me a call back within twenty-four hours."

"You've got a lawyer?" Kimber asked.

Stormer laughed. "You know how many times Eric tried to burn me? Yes, I have a lawyer. Hired her after we released our first single together," she added. "So, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay," Kimber said, smiling a bit on the phone. 'I'm Okay' had been the title of that single.

Stormer laughed again. "Just okay?"

Kimber sighed. "Just… Jerrica gets under my skin sometimes, even when she's not trying to."

"Uh-huh, I was noticing that last night."

"That bad?" Kimber groaned.

"Afraid so. I mean, I used to feel that way with the other Misfits. We may not be siblings, but we did spend a lot of time in close quarters, and I always felt like they just let me hang around because I could write songs, but otherwise, I would've been the mousy kid with horn-rimmed glasses that everyone ignores or started mean rumors about in those movies that are supposed to be about high school kids."

"Not my high school," Kimber retorted. "And I've never seen a blue-haired mouse."

"Eric made me dye it before he introduced me to Pizzazz," Stormer replied. "And before you ask, he made me ditch the glasses, too. They were cat-eye, not horn-rim, but why quibble? I've been wearing contacts ever since." A pause. "Craig was already dying his hair blue by then, and I thought it looked," she giggled, "outrageous. And even a little dangerous—"

"Craig? Dangerous?" Kimber snorted. "He's more teddy bear than grizzly, if you ask me."

"I know! But here, Eric was making me over and I guess maybe I felt if I couldn't be me, maybe I could be Craig. Or like him. Or… I don't even know. I was terrified and excited and I felt like a fake and I was afraid the other girls wouldn't like me and the fans would hate me and I just… wanted to grab onto something that still made me feel… like a Phillips, I guess. Even if I was trying to be a Misfit, too."

"You were a Misfit, Mary Phillips," Kimber said. "And I mean that in a better way than I probably would have when we first met."

"Hooboy," Stormer exhaled. "Talk about getting under each other's skin, back then!"

"Yeah." Kimber hesitated. "Uh, Stormer? Do you think your lawyer has time to look my contract over too? Maybe I'd feel less… whatever, if somebody not Jerrica just gave it a quick scan and said, 'Yes, this is a good deal. Yes, it's fair. Yes, it's industry standard'. Sorry if this sounds paranoid," she added with a sigh. "It's a charity benefit, so it's not like I'd be getting paid less than anybody else or anything; we're all working for free. I don't know why I'm so… so…" She took another breath. "Could she?"

"I'll ask," Stormer said at once. "If she hasn't got time to get it back to you right away, is it okay if she refers you to someone else at the firm?"

"Sure. Uh… how much will it cost?"

"They'll tell you that before you sign, don't worry. I'll call Myrna as soon as we hang up."

"Love you."

"Love you, too."

Kimber hung up feeling a good deal more relaxed than she had when she'd started the conversation. Maybe all she really needed to feel comfortable with the contract was another pair of eyes and an unbiased opinion.

Aja laughed when Emma hesitantly held out the pajama top, fresh from the laundry. "Sure," she said. Then she took a good look at the writing implement Emma was handing her. "Uh… that's a washable marker. Hang on; I know where the permanent ones are. Unless Joellen decided to reorganize," she added. "She used to do that a lot."

"Sorry," Emma said, feeling her face grow even warmer. Aja was nice. And real. She and Kimber both were. Not at all like Emma would have expected glamorous rock stars to be.

Right. And just how many rock stars—glamorous or otherwise—did she know? Emma shook her head slightly, as she followed Aja into the art room. "Here we go," Aja's blue pony-tail bounced a bit, as the young woman clambered up on a step stool and took down a box from a high shelf. She looked at the picture on the top. "Hooboy. That… I can't believe I was that young."

"You're not old," Emma said. "I-I mean, you're older than me, but you're older than me here," her finger stabbed the image on the top, "too."

"You're not helping," Aja said in a stage whisper, smiling broadly. "Here you go," she signed her name across the image.

Emma beamed. "Thanks!"

"So, how are you settling in?" Aja asked, sounding as though she was really interested in the answer.

Emma shrugged. "Okay, I guess. I mean, everyone's really… great."

"But?" Aja probed.

Emma shrugged again. "Nothing. I'm behind in my classes, but my friends are helping. I'm starting to find my way around the house." She paused for a moment. "And I put my own lyrics in a song once and somebody heard me and now I'm supposed to write a new song for Ashley and the Starlights and I can't even read music, much less write it…"

Aja clasped her shoulder. "You write lyrics?"

"Uh… once. But it was just one verse and it probably wasn't very good."

"If it wasn't very good, then they wouldn't want you to write more, would they?" Aja pointed out. She smiled apologetically. "I can't write music or lyrics, so you're one up on me, but Kimber does. If you want me to," her expression grew a bit more serious, "but only if you want me to," I can talk to her. She might have some pointers."

"I don't want to bother her," Emma hedged.

"That's why I'm volunteering to do it. Or, if you're stubborn like her and you want to do it all yourself, that's fine too."

"I'm not stubborn!" Emma protested. "Not very," she added a little more softly. "Um… if she really has time and she's really okay with it, then… yeah. Sure. Okay. But what if she hates it and thinks I have no talent?"

Aja shrugged. "Well then, I guess you'll just have to choose between taking that criticism to heart, or proving her wrong. Just like any other critic you'll run into."

Emma cautiously returned Aja's smile with one of her own.

Ashley stared at her academic advisor in horror. "That can't be right. I have to have done better than that!"

The bespectacled man with the comb-over regarded her sadly. "I'm sorry, Ashley, but I'm afraid that these grades appear to be accurate. If you'd like to appeal them, I can go over the process with you. In that case, your revised marks will replace your existing ones, but I should warn you that this will hold true whether they find that your professor graded you too harshly or too generously." He let that sink in. "It's encouraging that your work this past year has shown a marked improvement. However…"

Ashley winced. "Do I have any chance at all of getting into a reputable grad school with a 2.7 GPA?"

Her advisor paused for a moment. "UC Northridge would be a possibility. Were you considering out of state options?"

"I wasn't considering out of Los Angeles options!" Ashley exclaimed. "I… Northridge would be great; it was on my list already, but if that's my only choice and they turn me down, then I'm screwed!"

"Well, there's still time for you to raise your marks next semester, and if you do, it'll definitely put you in a better light as a student who showed steady progress after a rocky start—"

"And I'll be fighting solid 4.0s for a spot."

"You could also take some classes over the summer. Either to take some of the pressure off in your final year, or for extra credit. Either way, it would help, assuming you do well."

Ashley nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

"And if your main reason for turning down out-of-town schools is financial, there are a number of scholarships available with qualifying criteria other than academic. You might want to explore those as well."

Ashley nodded again and managed a shaky smile. "Thanks again," she said. "It looks like I have some thinking to do."

"Here," Kimber dropped the contract on her sister's desk.

Jerrica looked up with a smile. "Thanks."

"I would've had it back sooner, but I wanted to show it to my lawyer first," Kimber announced.

Jerrica nodded. "Good idea," she approved, her voice just as warm as it had been a moment ago. "Will you be back at the house for dinner, or did you make other plans?"

Kimber blinked. "Uh… the house, I guess," she replied. "So, my lawyer. Stormer found her for me."

"Oh, are you working with Myrna, now, too?" Jerrica brightened. "She's great." Jerrica looked down at the pile of papers on her desk. "Anyway, thanks for signing. I was thinking of tacos for tonight, if that's okay?"

"Yeah," Kimber said, sounding a bit distracted. "Yeah, that's fine. Catch you later."

"Kimber?" Jerrica asked. "Is everything okay?"

Apart from my flex not being what I thought it would be, me still feeling like the baby sister, not knowing how to tell you about me and Stormer, and wondering why I just… feel like I'm going to blow up or fly apart or I don't even know what? She smiled at her sister. "Sure," she beamed. "See you at dinner."

"Oh, wow," Deirdre shook her head sympathetically and took another sip of her coffee. "That really bites."

"I know," Ashley said. "I mean, I admit I was a bit… Look, I told Phyllis you performing with the Misfits was fine. And it is," she said. "But I guess it bugged me a little. You getting your shot with the big leagues before I did." She smiled. "I won't pretend I didn't have some hopes. The benefit's going to be on TV probably, and even if it's not, there'll be publicity. I… thought maybe even if Jerrica didn't want to sign the Starlights, some other label would. Silly, huh?"

Deirdre laughed. "Last month, if you told me I'd be jamming with a professional rock band, I would've laughed in your face, so who am I to say it couldn't happen?"

Ashley managed a smile. "Yeah, well, unfortunately," she said, cutting into her chocolate molten lava cake and watching as the filling oozed out, "if I'm going to have any chance at going to a decent grad school next year, I need to get my marks up. And the only way I can do that… is if I drop Ashley and the Starlights and take a few summer courses." She heaved a sigh. "I feel awful; I know the girls must be getting excited about performing, but I guess that's not happening now." She stuck her fork into the cake, took a mouthful and chewed savagely. "I guess I'll have to swing by the house and tell the girls the bad news."