15 Seconds Of Fame

Prologue

PROLOGUE

Kai sat quietly in the basement while her bandmates talked and laughed. She both dreaded and looked forward to their tri-weekly band practice. 15 Seconds Of Fame was one of the three interesting things she had going on in her life, the other two being Evan Thomas and her job at Café Joie. She wasn't even sure if she still had Evan or how long she'd be able to put up with the three girls she had sworn she'd resist strangling with an E-string.

Zoey was sat on the sofa in the spare room that they used for band practise, typing away on her new smartphone. Jade and MacKenzie did the same but would occasionally show each other their screens and giggle.

"I have an idea, " Zoey suggested, standing up and coming closer to where Kai sat on a recliner playing improvised tunes on her guitar, "You could put that employee discount to use and grab us a few coffees."

It was awful, the way Zoey, the self-proclaimed ringleader of the band, treated Kai. MacKenzie and Jade merely watched quietly. Zoey would justify her treatment of Kai by comparing their ages as if Kai were a pre-teen being condemned to the kids' table at a family gathering. They finished school three years before Kai, but she knew they'd been horrible classmates.

Being in a band was something that Kai had always wanted, and two years ago it was exactly what she got. Unfortunately, it was Zoey's band and Kai and Zoey had a long-standing rivalry due to a major conflict they'd gotten into three years ago. Kai, having started playing the guitar when she was 7, was an excellent musician, and frankly, she was the best audition they had seen. The only thing they could do was try to get along and work together. MacKenzie and Jade had voted towards Kai joining after Evan persuaded Kai to audition.

"Yeah, I'm dying for an energy boost right now," Jade nagged, suddenly acting as if she was about to pass out.

"I'll go, but when I get back we have to practice. That is only if you want us to get somewhere with our music."

"Promise." Zoey fake-smiled and shooed Kai away.

"You're too hard on her," MacKenzie pointed out once Kai was no longer in the room.

"She has to earn her place in this group," Zoey scoffed.

"She's been 'earning her place' for the last two years, Zoey."

"Yet she hasn't shown me how much she wants to be part of this band," Zoey said, rolling her eyes. She flipped her blond her over her shoulder in a sassy manner. It was no secret to Jade and MacKenzie that Zoey could be a class A bitch, "You're 21-years-old, Zoey, I think it's time to retire the 'mean girl' act."

"What act?" Zoey replied, acting as if she'd just been falsely-accused of something.

"She's right, Zo," Jade chimed in, "You weren't always this person. What did she do to make you hate her this much?"

"I don't hate her."

"I'm done watching you treat her like crap," MacKenzie declared, "The girl lets us use her spare room for band practice."

"Oh, come on, there are, like, ten spare rooms in this massive house." They'd simply rolled their eyes at the drama-queen. It was a big house, but there were only two spare rooms, three if you count the room that was once occupied by her brother, "You just don't see past her 'nice girl' act."

"What act?"

"Exactly," Zoey rested her absurd case.

As she drove to the café, Kai pondered on her options if she were to leave the band, but considering she's always dreamed of being in a band, she had none. Kai envied her brother, Keanu. He had his life figured out, living in London and studying towards becoming a doctor. She loved him but hated his habit of unintentionally upstaging her. She hadn't applied for university and was still working the same job she had been working since she was sixteen, despite having the grades.