Water Under the Bridge ›› n.h. mature

Twenty-Six

Kate Marshall

Henry! Henry is the label's newest attorney.

Henry, who I hooked up with a few months ago. I had just seen Niall in Mullingar at my parents' benefit for the hospital. That night that even Niall thought it would be wrong to sleep with someone so sad and pathetic.

I had pissed my parents off by heading back to London a day early, I had met Henry at the bar the next night, and I rashly decided to go home with him.

A thing I really don't even do that often. Or I guess didn't used to do that often. And now I'm probably going to pay for it.

"We need to discuss the next leg of the tour," Henry started explaining. "Specifically if Kate Marshall will continue to be the opening act or if we need to mix things up."

"Mix things up?" Niall asked.

"I want to stay," I said immediately. This is the best exposure I could possibly get.

"It's been discussed that you might be able to sustain your own tour. They would be much smaller venues of course, but our market testing indicates tickets would sell. The label would put another up and coming artist on this tour, which would boost him or her." He had gathered his thoughts since our bumbling reintroduction. He had the confidence of an attorney back. "One Direction tickets would sell out even if the Wiggles opened. So if we need a nobody who wouldn't sell anything on their own to gain some exposure, that's what we'll do. It's just numbers."

So I was the nobody and my repayment for gaining some exposure is potentially getting removed from this tour?

"Are you our attorney or are you our account?" I asked. I was probably being sassier than I should.

"Both. Well I'm not an accountant but I am a numbers guy and was hired partially for that reason. I majored in finance in undergrad."

"I don't know how your numbers could possibly tell you that someone who has toured with us for a few weeks is ready to sell tickets for her own tour," Louis said. "No offense, Kate."

"It does seem fast to force her to move on," Harry said in agreement.

I took no offense. My head was spinning. It totally didn't add up that I could sell enough tickets for my own tour. Unless they're sending me to venues that hold no more than 2,000 people. Is the label trying to get rid of me?

I hate this. I hate everything about this. They brought in a suit to make sure they don't breach my contract at all when they shove me aside. Worse even, I've sucked the dick of the guy making it happen.

Okay we did more than that. But that's the thing in particular I'm really wishing I hadn't done with him. I feel so small sitting across the table from this guy, my career in his hands.

I didn't used to have these problems. But I have nobody to blame but myself for that.

God damn it, I wish I could go back to that night and take it all back because now I will never have the upper hand with this guy.

"Kate really should stay," Liam said. "Didn't you guys want her here because you thought more guys would bring their girlfriends and sisters and stuff to our shows if we had a hot girl opening?"

I looked at him gratefully, a little surprised at the way they were all coming to my defense. He suddenly looked embarrassed for speaking up.

"We did think that," Will agreed. "That was the plan."

"And it failed or?" I asked.

"Okay I underestimated how you all would react to this," Henry said. "I know you guys need to get to soundcheck. How about everyone think on it and we will regroup soon?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "Great. Right now I would like to talk to you alone, Kate."