Oxygen (Catfish And The Bottlemen/1975)

Kitty

"uhuh," i hummed into the telephone leaning up against the wall outside the house, it was one of those bitingly cold nights and i desperately wanted to rejoin my friends who were cosy inside with their White Russians and their ciggarettes, but since Alice had left it had been my job to talk band stuff with Alex and tonight he had an offer we supposedly "couldn't refuse,"

It felt like he'd been talking to me for hours, rambling at light speed in his usual excitable tone, but when i looked at the call time it had only been 10 minutes and so i let out a sigh and cut him off.

"come on then hunnybun whats the dealeo," with my words he stopped dead, let out a smirk and said,

"right, I'll tell you but you've got to promise me you'll never say that ever again..."

"which bit in particular?" i smirked drawing the sentence out. "come? Hunnybun? Whats? Deal-ee-oh?"

"right right hanging up now. Yous can all just guess who you're touring with next..."

"touring with? Alex fuck we haven't even got a proper band together? Who is it? Shit what have you shown them? What do they think theyre getting here?" i was panicking, dramatisizing maybe, and i could hear him holding back a chuckle at the end of the line.

"Katie calm down darlin don't worry about it, its all fine, they know exactly what they're getting and, well, they asked for you specifically, they must like you..."

"wait," i bit my lip, "who is it?"

"the 1975 hunnybun who else,"

"oh for... Alex!?! They haven't heard us since Alice left. We sound totally fuckin different now! Their fans will fucking hate us i cant play to them jesus christ!" i could barely breath as i hissed down the phone to him. Inside the girls were jumping on the furniture to the Cribs but outside my heart was racing and my fingers wrre freezing.

"hey, hey, hey Katie, Kitty Kat. I wouldnt have okayed it if i didnt think you could do it... They wouldn't have asked for you if they didnt think you could do it!"

"but Alex we don't sound anything lile we used to!"

"Kitty you've got ages the tour isnt till spring, you'll be sound, relax darlin,"

"Spring?" i sighed finally trying to force myself to reason. We could manage if it wasn't until spring. "okay, okay i mean, I'll run it by the girls,"

"oh and have you spoken to Jazz today?" he asked and my heart sunk because i was certain i knew what he was about to say.

"he's coming over tonight," i said, "have you?"

"not today no, but i know the situations tense right now hun, you just, will you let me know whats going on okay, it was hard enough with ally but if Jazz goes too,"

"i know i know, im sorry Alex," i sighed and i really was. I really felt like it was our fault we were losing them, even if i did talk it up in front of the others, that was only really for Fliss, because i couldn't stand for her to blame herself when I'd have been exactly the same in her situation. "America was a shitstorm Alex, not just for Ally,"

"i know love but your home now ey, happy families from here on out," and that line in particular left a wry smile on my lips as i repeated it back to him.

"happy families," i said, i felt like doing a sallute.

The wind picked up as i put down the phone, ice stinging my knuckles as i fought with the front door to get back inside.

It was freezing out on the front step but the moment i shut the door behind me the humidity of a crowded house hit me and i felt myself shrugging Bens leather jacket off and abandoning it by the door in favour of my Smiths tshirt and a bottle of tequila.

It was a sunglasses indoors sort of party, everyone i passed trying to look like they were somebody and as i sat down beside Saffron and Rudy i felt like perhaps i should have kept the jacket. It was afterall the only rock and roll thing about me.

"whats the craic then sunbeam?" grinned Saffron, her smile was white, bright white and when she tilted her sunglasses down her nose to look me in the eye, the whites of her eyes caught the light just like the golden hoops in her ears and for a moment i was blinded by her. But only for a moment.

"fuck sake saffy," i smirked leaning forward to brush away the remnants of a line which was caught on the curve between her lips and her nose. "you're a mess sunshine, a mess,"

"you're a mess," she pouted back, leaning into me, head on my shoulder as she shuffled along to make room for Fliss and Gerren. If Alice had been there we'd have had the whole gang back together. "what did Alex say anyway, whats the deal with Cardiff?"

I swallowed hard then, Id forgotten that was what id been supposed to be asking about.

"oh um, i dont know he was too excited about somet else," i sighed dramatically biting back a smile despite how hesitant i felt about breaking the news. I wasn't entirely sure how theyd take the news.

"for fuck sake see you are the mess!" grinned Saff but before she could giggle her way through another half strung sentence Fliss interrupted.

"what else?" she asked watching me a little more intensely. She'd sounded a little on edge. Full of anticipation.

"The 1975 have asked for us support them in the Spring..." i said slowly almost quietly. It was strange but i felt shy. I felt like i was sort of shying away from it.

"What?" when i looked at Saffron she was grinning. That amused, bemused sort of grin. I couldn't tell whether she was about to laugh or pick a fight and for a second i thought she was about to confirm my intial fear.

"why?" smirked Fliss, "we're not exactly their sorta thing..."

"Saffy is," coughed out Rudy earning a snort from Gez and a slap round the back of the head from Saffy herself.

"don't be a jerk off Rudy," she grinned and he grinned too, his cheeks flushed pink, a childish sort of glee lighting hin up.

"he didn't really explain it and i told him about you know, how we're hardly even a band at the moment but he didn't seem phased. Says they asked for us, and you know, we always said we'd say yes to everything like..."

"I mean we have to say yes," shrugged Saff, "thats a given but..." and then she trailed off into a little giggle, "theyve asked for us? Really?" she chewed her cheek to try and contain her laughter, "we're gonna get bottled off stage by 14 year olds aren't we," her eyes were glistening all lit up apparently delighted by the idea and all i could fo was grin back and shrug them off.

The thought had occurred to me too i suppose.

"well," sighed Fliss dramatically shifting to stand on the arm of the sofa as the song changed, Dexys Midnight Runners, Jackie Wilson Said. "i suppose we'd better start acting like a band again huh," and with that she took my tequila bottle from my hands, unscrewed the cap and demanded Saffy tilt her head back. "i don't know why you're laughing Kit Kat, its your turn next,"