The New Normal (Closed)

[ArcticAvenue]

“Game 7, after coming back from three games down,” Charlie exclaimed as he carried one end of a sofa. “The kid in net again. The Mad Russian comin’ back from injury. Anyone gets a two goal lead you know there will be a fuckin’ fight. Quite possibly the best hockey game you will ever see in your life. Tell me why you are missing it, again.”

Jack’s sigh of exhaustion walked the line between sarcasm and actual fatigue. “Let’s just get this job done, alright?”

Charlie, his sturdy but aging face smiling, continued his attack. “No, no, I wanna hear this from ya, right? Cause I love this explanation. You are missing the hockey game because …”

Jack shook his head as they slid the sofa onto the truck. “I am going to a concert.”

“But Whoooooo’s concert,” Charlie teased.

Jack sighed and just got it over with. “Katy Kat”

“Yes yes, Katy Kat. The bubblegum fairy. The sugar and sweet girly of music. That’s worth missing the hockey game.”

Jack rolled his eyes and headed back into the house while rotating his aching shoulder. A mover is a tough job, but when he took it right out of high school it was the best money he could find. Being eighteen, having a two-year-old, and trying to support his young wife’s college aspirations necessitated this job. Eleven years later, and the wear-and-tear is catching up to him.

“Did you hear that Jimmie?” Charlie shouted out to the third on their team. “Did you hear that Jacky-boy is going to a girly concert?”

Jimmie was strapping tape over a box with an unlit cigarette in hi slips. “Only the first fifteen times you fucking told him to say it.”

Charlie just continued. “It ain’t like you can’t watch her on The VH1 can’t ya?”

“‘The VH1’ makes you sound like you haven’t seen music since the 90s.” Jack mocked.

“Who’s this girly concert?” Jimmy asked.

Before Charlie could answer, Jack responded. “Katy Kat. She made it big a few years ago. Did that song that all the kids were doing the sing-along videos for a couple summers ago”

“Yeah, I know her,” Jimmy exclaimed. “My boy had her poster on the wall.”

Charlie jumped on that comment. “You’re boy hanging girly posters on the wall, you worried about him there Jimmy?”

Jimmy shook his head. “Not at all, caught him wacking it while staring at the damn thing. Come to find out he got this folder on his computer with fake porn that uses her face on a naked girl. Only thing I worry about my boy going blind.”

Charlie gritted his teeth. “Is that why you’re going, Jacky-boy? To wack it.”

Jack shook his head with a laugh.

Jimmy figure it out. “Summer a fan then?” He lit the cigarette and asked in a way that suggested he knew the answer and knew more about why the answer mattered.

Jack smiled and nodded. Most wouldn’t think that, Jack, a handsome dark hair, naturally tanned skinned fit fellow was even a day over legal drinking age. Let alone think that he would have a thirteen year old daughter. That’s just not a normal thing you would see in people. Then again, when you become a father at an age when most are worried about asking a girl to prom, there are a lot of things that aren’t normal about your life. For Jack though, this was his normal.

Charlie shook his head. “Tell me again, why are you missing a hockey game for this concert.”

Jack, his smile staying stoic, looked at his coworker. “Because I love my daughter.”

 

[heartofcourage]

The concert was a madhouse of young preteens scurrying everywhere while parents tried to corral them. Summer stuck close to her dad in the middle of the crowd, staring down at her new prized purchase that they had gotten the moment that they had arrived. A pair of black patent leather cat ears, just like the ones that Katy Kat wore in her videos. Summer had scrimped and saved, doing any odd job that her dad had let her do in order to save enough money to get them.

"You didn't have to help me pay for them." She said, looking up at him as they walked at a leisurely pace towards the arena entrance. "Just the tickets are good enough for me. I had enough money for them."

Looking up at her dad was like looking into a mirror. She certainly favored him with curled dark hair, slightly tanned skin, and the same slender build. In fact, it was harder and harder to see her mother in the mirror when she looked every morning. It didn't bother Summer in the least. She hardly thought about the woman anymore.

"You're going to love it, Dad. She has really good music and there's always pyrotechnics. Then, during some of the later songs, she'll pull people up on stage to help her sing." Summer explained, having watched every single YouTube video that she could of Katy Kat concerts to see what was in store for the both of them. "Then, if we get out of there soon enough, we can get in line to meet her. She always makes time for the fans."

Summer was babbling on, her dark eyes excited as could be as they got into line to enter the arena with the rest of the slow moving crowd.

************************

“45 minutes to stage. First call for all backup dancers, stage crew, vocal warmups, and Miss Sudowski.” The voice of the arena manager sounded over Katy’s intercom, a sigh issuing from her lips as she took another bite of her dinner.

Hearing her real last name was always jarring. People early called her Katy Sudowski anymore. Her first manager had said her name was too confusing, too difficult for small children to pronounce. If she wanted to be a pop star, it was Katy Kat or nothing. Of course, being so young, she had instantly agreed.

Pushing away the last of her salad, Katy stood and reapplied her red lipstick, looking herself over in the mirror. Her honey blonde hair was glossy and perfectly styled, falling in waves to her shoulders and beyond. Her blue eyes were smoked to within an inch of their lives and the fake eyelashes made her eyelids feel so incredibly heavy. Her makeup was her armor. That was what Carlos, her makeup designer always said. He was good at making her look younger, especially now that she had crossed into the mythical land of her mid twenties. It was ancient for a pop star like her and she was definitely feeling every single moment of the pressure.

Straightening up, Katy adjusted her first costume, a custom made latex catsuit. Complete with heels and a tail, she definitely was the teenage dream that many of the young boys that were in the audience had paid good money to see. It hugged every single curve of her body from her breasts to her hips, feeding into that image that management had so carefully cultivated.

“30 minutes to stage. Second call for Miss Sudowski.”

Katy pushed back from the makeup mirror, adjusting her patent leather cat ears before grabbing her water bottle and leaving the dressing room. Her security manager met her st the door, ushering her down the hallway to the booth where the sound check would be finalized and she would be hooked up with ear piece and microphone. Then, she would take the stage to see thousands of screaming fans, so her two hour set, meet a few hundred of them, and then be on her bus to the next town.

She was looking forward to rest and relaxation. A vacation she had been planning for almost a year now. The end of the tour was a month away, and it couldn’t come soon enough.

 

[ArcticAvenue]

“Remind me why we had to get here so early?”

Summer gave a soft punch to her father shoulder. “To get a good seat dummy.”

Jack looked down at his ticket, looked at his seat, down at this ticket, quicker and more animated each time. “Funny, mine has a seat number on it.”

“Not that … for when she starts. Like down front.”

“Oh,” he nodded. “In the mosh pit.”

“This ain’t the old days, they don’t have mosh pits anymore. Not for Katy Kat.”

“So what do fans of Katy Kat call that down there? The Litter box?”

Summer’s cute smile sent him the message it has sent him for years. He knew what it meant, even if she didn’t have to speak the words anymore. It said, “I love you dad, but please shut up.” Instead Summer replied, “you’re coming down there with me right?”

“Yeah, a grown up man, mixing it up with a bunch of screaming teenage girls. I would be the kind of guy that I warned you about all these years.” Jack settled back in his chair and propped his feet up on the chair in front of him. “Why couldn’t you bring your friends with you to this, so you can dance around with them.”

“Oh, they’ll be there. They just are coming later.”

“So, we arrived early to save them a spot in the litter box.”

Summer rolled her eyes so hard they nearly sprung out of her head. “I’m gonna go get a soda.”

“Need money?”

She shook her head and sprung off.

Jack pulled his phone out, and started searching for the score of hte game. Of course, a stadium full of selfie takers and mobile uploaders meant there was practically no bandwidth to spare. Still, he plugged around, tried to keep his hands busy, and killed time. Jack, for all his good intention of doing this for his daughter had actually little interest in the show. He heard some of the music, how could he miss it blaring through the walls of the apartment. He’s seen pictures. Heard from Summer details of Katy Kat that he would never remember. At the end fo the day, Jack wasn’t that much into music … and he liked to think that if he was into music, it wouldn’t be this kind of music.

He was brought back to reality when someone sat down a couple seats over, a man slightly older than him. “Looks like we got the section reserved for embarrassing parents.”

Jack laughed and nodded. “Got one heading up front too?”

“Three,” the man said. “At least they want to throw some goofy ass ears on and not hang out with boys yet. Right?”

“Oh, they’re getting there,” Jack replied. “My girl told me last week she … and I quote … ‘liked a boy.’ I damned near went on a killing spree.”

The man laughed, “just got the one then?”

Jack nodded.

“Lucky you. You get to play man-on-man defence. The three of them have me playing zone.”

“More power to you,” Jack laughed just as his phone beeped. He looked and saw the boys scored a goal and were leading.

“That the Icebreaker Game?” the man asked.

Jack nodded. “One nothing, still early though.”

“Nice,” the man said. “I was gonna get tickets to it but this thing came first.”

“I know the pain.”

“Worse yet, they have back stage passes for after words. So, I ain’t getting out of here until well after the game is over.”

“Holy crap, back stage? How’d you score that.” Jack asked.

“Meh .. was easy,” the man said. “They give out tons of them to sponsors, and a friend of a friend … you know the deal. If it’s just the two of you, I got a couple extra.”

“What?” Jack smiled “Really.”

“Big fan of Katy Kat are you? Can’t wait to meet her in the flesh?” the man teased.

“Well, I will officially become dad of the year - that’s all I care about.”

The man nodded. “Just keep me in the loop on the score, and that award is yours.”

Just then the lights dimmed, the drums grew, and what will be a constant stream of teenage screams erupted. The concert was beginning.

Jack prepared for the grind of getting through this thing. Just as fireworks, lights, smoke blew through the stage, he turned his attention to the woman moving through it all to the front.

One look at that costume & the woman inside, and Jack threw a fair bit more attention to the concert.

 

[heartofcourage]

The lights of the arena dimmed as an assistant was messing with her hair. Katy hated the amount of people that were constantly primping and prepping her, touching her when she least expected it. It was something that she had put up with her entire career, but she was a woman who liked accomplishment and the satisfaction of doing things on her own.

The driving beat of the drums started, her drummer, Mike, getting out his aggression of missing out on that night's hockey game for a concert. He told her that he had his phone hidden behind his kit with a constant update of the score if she wanted to know. Katy had simply grinned and shook her head, promising not to tell the tour manager what he was up to.

Katy was given the thumbs up from the sound assistant that her mic was live and as the fog machines started to bathe the stage in thick mist, she took her first step out into the arena. The driving beat of the song, one of the many off her new album, filled the stage around her. Back up singers sang their part as she strutted to the front. The fog swirled around her, revealing her little by little, until she was suddenly illuminated by a spotlight being controlled by one of the crew suspended up on the arena rig. Up there was probably another ten people, operating lights and cameras, all depending on her for their job that night. It was a lot of pressure.

The moment that those in the arena saw her in person, everything erupted into a wall of screaming noise. The young people in the arena pit, held back by yellow shirted security, scurried forward to get that first glimpse of their idol. In a few months, it would be someone else, but in that moment it was Katy Kat.

Katy launched into the song as her part approached. Her voice was strong and clear, all natural without the benefit of auto tuning. She wasn't like the other pop stars in that she didn't rely on anyone else to give her the sultry, smokey sound. It had won her all kinds of critical praise along the way, but never a major award. Maybe after she changed gears with her career that could happen. In that moment, however, she was prowling the stage in her catsuit, singing her heart out to all of the young fans that had paid so much money to come that evening.

 

[ArcticAvenue]

Summer bounced up to his seats, her party dress with all their beads and sparkles spinning around her. “Daddy!! I Got you these!”. She jumped up next to him and slapped a pair of patent leather cat ears on his head.

“Hey hey, watch it. Where’d you get that from.”

She was giggling with the power of the show behind and her arms wrapped around his waist. “I bought them for you. That way you can always remember this night as much as I did.”

“So you had a good time?” Jack asked,

She nodded quickly like she had one too many sugary sodas. “But let’s go.”

“What’s the rush?”

“Hockey game,” she blurted.

“Since when do you care about hockey?”

She shrugged. “I ditched my friends cause I know you wanted to watch it. They said it was still got a half or a period or something.”

“Yeah, but it will be over when we get home. I mean, it’s going to take hours to get out of here if we are lucky.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Not if we leave now.”

“Leave now? Are you sure?”

Summer smirked as if she knew something was up.

“I guess I will have to give these backstage passes to ....”

The next ten minutes were a blur. A blur with a lot of teenage screaming. And jumping. And screaming. And once they were in line to go backstage, the screaming & jumping was shared by other random screaming and jumping. As they waited for the doors to open, for the next group to go back, the group just kept jumping, screaming, jumping, screaming, and occasionally jumping and screaming.

Jack did his best to not get fed up by the chaos. He stood there, black cat hears on his dark hair; black t-shirt advertising a local band ‘Shallow Gravy’, and blue jeans - mixed in with dozens of fluorescent colored bubble gum pop fans; like the box of raisins throw in in with Halloween candy. Maybe not his favorite way to meet an actual big time musician.

Summer was happy though.

 

[heartofcourage]

The aftermath of the concert was always organized chaos. Katy would be ushered off stage, her makeup touched up while the rest of the band and backup dancers scattered to other things. Mike and her guitarist, Bones, rushed back to the dressing rooms to catch the end of the hockey game. She wished she could join them and eat the pizza that had been delivered by the last song, but she had a duty to her fans.

Still dressed in her last costume, a black low cut maxi dress with neon pink cats printed on it, Katy entered the meet and greet room. Then came the waves of fans, some screaming and some crying, others stunned into silence upon seeing her in the flesh. It was all such a blur that sometimes Katy had a hard time focusing. She would focus on each person, ask them their name and if they enjoyed the concert, accepted gifts with grace, and took a photo with each.

The crowd was starting to dwindle, her stomach growling so loudly that she feared everyone in the arena could hear it. “Can I please get some of that food from the green room? I’m so hungry I could eat a horse. At least before the rest of them eat it all again. And a beer too, if there’s one in this place.”

She thought she was alone with the staff, the last of the crowd having gone, but as soon as she said those words, she caught a flash of color in her side vision, and she saw the young girl standing there with her father. Both were wearing her cat ears, the girl looking like she were about to burst.

“I thought I was done.” Katy said by way of apology to the duo. “But I’m glad to see that I’m not.”

 

[ArcticAvenue]

“I don’t know what to say,” Summer whined.

“Well, I am not going to stand here in the back of the room all night.”

“But … but what if …”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Just say ‘I’m your biggest fan’.”

“Noooooo … everyone says that.”

“Well, say you’re her second biggest fan.”

That didn’t even get a punch in the side he would normally get. Summer was obviously in full freak out.

“We’re just about the last ones left, Sum, so either we go up and say hi at least, or you will be all mad about not saying anything.” Jack slid his hand into hers and they slowly stepped forward. It seemed as they did, all that was left linger around were staff of some type. Well, at least they weren’t fans -- because they definitely weren’t teenage girls. Suddenly Jack was starting to feel a bit silly with the cat ears on his head. Still, he guided Summer through the group until they were nearly behind Katy.

When Katy turned their way, Jack could feel Summer tighten her grip on his hand. They Katy talked to them, and that grip became epic. Like, strong enough that Summer may have a future in Mixed Martial Arts.

Jack looked over at Summer, she had gone lockjaw. So to save the moment he spoke up.

“Hello, it’s very nice to meet you. This is Summer. She didn’t want to tell you she was your biggest fan because she thinks everyone probably tells you that but …”

“DAD!”

That’s all that was needed. Jack knew that Summer was rarely shy, but the best way to get her free would get her embarrassed of him. One little blurt at him, and she’ll be able to talk to her idol.

Jack was actually surprised with how close they were able to get to Katy Kat. A mega super star, greeting them like they were just normal folks, like she is a normal folk. Katy, was clearly not a normal folk though. Standing this close to her, he could see what the guys were talking about. There was nothing ‘girl next door’ about Katy - because if she lived next door to Jack growing up, he would be blind by the age of eighteen. Her honey like hair, her blue eyes, her glowing skin - she was a pure beauty. It took a fair bit of willpower to not check out the rest of the curves on the girl that were in it’s own way magnificent. Yet this close, he saw something else - she wasn’t as much of a girl as he wasn’t much as a guy. Sure, he had a teenage kid, but she didn’t seem that much younger than he. If that was true, and if she had lived next door, he would have gone blind by age fourteen.

As he let Katy and Summer talk, he found himself watching the singer more than his daughter. Fetching. Intoxicating, maybe. No wonder why she was so loved around the world.

 

[heartofcourage]

Katy thought it was sweet that an older brother was taking his sister to her concert. She usually saw mothers bringing young girls, dads escorting gaggles of children, and the elusive grandparents with grandchildren that were growing up too quickly. Brothers weren't something she typically ran into.

The girl looked absolutely terrified as she squeezed his hand tightly, eyes wide as they approached her. She smiled warmly, trying her hardest to make her relax and at ease. Then, he spoke. His voice was smooth, slightly husky, completely sexy. Katy had to shake herself back to reality, less she start thinking inappropriate things about a young man.

The word 'Dad' made her pause, looking from the man to Summer and then back again. He was her father. He definitely didn't look old enough to be a father, let alone the father of a teenager. Katy, however, was the consummate professional and shook Summer's hand, a warm smile on her face as she welcomed her.

"It's nice to meet you, Summer." Katy said, grinning as Summer started to talk her ear off about everything that she had loved about the concert.

Katy kept glancing to Summer's dad, watching as he kept an eye on Summer but let her be her own woman. It was the way parenting ought to be. Let a young woman explore on her own, be an adult for a moment, but be there to catch her if she fell or became too scared.

"Listen, I don't want to cut this short because I know you waited a long time to meet me, but I am absolutely starving." Katy said, cutting Summer off and glancing over towards Jack. "If you didn't mind, you can come with me backstage. I'm sure the rest of the band is still watching the hockey game and devouring all of the pizza."

Not to mention, Katy's feet hurt from her heels and she wanted to change into something more comfortable. "Think Dad will let you come?"

 

[ArcticAvenue]

“Can we!” Summer practically screamed.

The list of sarcastic comments flashed through his head fast than he could pick one. Of Course he was going to say yes, but he also had the greater fatherly instinct to tease his daughter.

“Come on, you can watch the hockey game,” Summer begged impatiently.

Jack looked at Katy and smirked. “An international megastar and Summer’s favorite musician asks us if want to come back stage. What do you think am I going to say?”

“Probably something embarrassing,” Summer spat with a smile.

He laughed, “yeah, probably,” not quite taking his eye off the singer. Closer than before, she seemed to have this glow about her. A mix of youthful tones and simple beauty. Not like a sex idol you would think a start of this caliber would have; but something infectious. “I’m Jack by the way; and all seriousness … I can’t thank you enough for this. For her.”

 

[heartofcourage]

“Don’t thank me. It’s purely selfish on my part.” Katy insisted as she motioned to her assistant and her head of security to lead the way for the trip backstage. “You can’t dance around and sing like that without working up an appetite.”

The unglamorous side of the arena was soon around them as they were escorted through a side door and suddenly surrounded by ugly brick walls and pipes leading off in every direction. Katy followed behind her security as he cut a path through the hustle of the backstage. Roadies were packing up equipment to make sure that it got to the next location in one piece. That evening, the entire arena would be taken down and packed away, shipped off for the next usage.

As they stepped from one of the many back passages into the dressing area, Katy was struck by how quiet things were. It seemed that the game had long ended and the band had scattered back to their hotel. No doubt the bar would be loud and rowdy, but she always avoided it while on the road. She didn't want one drunken night to mean that her face was plastered all over the gossip rags the next morning.

"Make yourselves at home." Katy said, waving at hand towards the sofa that had been placed inside of her dressing room. "I'm sure there's all kinds of leftovers in that fridge if you're hungry. Drinks. Whatever you want."

Katy moved towards her dressing table where an assistant was waiting to take her ears and the more valuable parts of her costume. Katy kicked off her shoes then, sighing in relief as she sank into a plush rug let the moment last for a while.

"This is Summer and her father, Jack. Seems like she's my biggest fan." Katy said with a smile towards her assistant as the young woman nodded and gave Summer a grin. "If you guys would give me a moment, I'll be right back."

With that, she entered her bathroom and shut the door behind her, changing into jeans and a t-shirt and enjoying the moment for what it was worth. She could simply be herself right then. No more Katy Kat. She was Katy Sudowski for the rest of the evening.

 

[ArcticAvenue]

The assistants were nice. Like Katy Kat, they offered more food - sandwiches and drinks and the like. Jack pulled Summer that way, if for no other reason to let those assistants get back to whatever they were doing. You don’t pass up an invitation from a super mega start to hang out backstage; but he didn’t want to be a burden either.

“So,” Jack said, “kinda cool, ey Sum?”

Her eyes were as wide as saucers. Her nod of agreement like rapid fire.

“She’s a lot prettier up close, isn’t she?”

“She’s awesome,” Summer replied.

“A lot cuter.”

“Dad …” Summer was about to say something, but the mega singer came back into the room.

Jack waved to the Katy, who was considerably dressed down now, and was taken aback. Gone were the cat ears, the crazy costumes, the glitter and lasers. Now, this woman was just … normal. He could tell Summer noticed the transformation as well. The ball of energy next to him cooled, and the tension she seemed from meeting her hero dropped. Not in a bad way - but in a way that it seemed Summer was going to be more comfortable.

Thats the thing about normal. Katy was different now … but without all those things that were supposed to make her cute, she seemed now … cuter.

 

[heartofcourage]

The layer of makeup had been scraped off her face, leaving her skin bare save for the lip gloss she had swiped on before she left the bathroom. Her hair was a mess, swiped back in a ponytail to keep it out of her face until she could shower. A graphic band t-shirt from a vintage store with an Aerosmith logo on the front, a pair of faded jeans, and her old red Converse were all that she needed to be ready to tackle the rest of the evening.

"Sorry." She said as soon as she was through the door, glancing towards Jack and Summer. "Sometimes you just have to get comfortable."

Looking at Summer, the hope and light still in her eyes, Katy suddenly felt so old. She had been around Summer's age when she had been "discovered". It had been incredibly hard work from that point on until she had stumbled into her first big break. Her mother had used it as an excuse to sleep her way around the music industry, furthering her daughter's music career until she had bagged a multimillionaire and moved to New York. She hadn't spoken to her in nearly two years at that point, but it didn't seem as if she really cared.

"So, Summer..." Katy started, moving towards her fridge to get a plate of leftovers and a beer, something to kill the gnawing hunger in her belly. "Tell me how you ended up with such a cool dad."

She glanced over her shoulder at Jack and gave him a wink, grinning as she turned her attentions back towards the young girl who finally seemed to be relaxing.

 

[ArcticAvenue]

Summer raised an eyebrow, and that sarcastic girl that made Jack so proud came out in spades. “Him? Cool? Have you seen his shoes?”

“They’re work books,” he responded. “I need them for work.”

“They are not cool.”

“Says the expert of cool.”

“In our family,” Summer said, “I am the expert. I’ve always been cool, you’ve never been cool.”

“Please,” he laughed. “I was cool before you knew what cool was.”

She served it right back quickly, “being old doesn’t make you cool.”

Jack smirked and turned to Katy, “Did you know that Summer here, when she was little, wore diapers?”

“DAAAAAAD,” Summer screamed.

“Like from day she was born until she was potty trained. No joke.”

Summer looked at Katy, “see what I mean? Not cool, Dad, not cool at all.”

 

[heartofcourage]

“That’s his mission in life, Summer. He’s here to embarrass the hell out of you.” Katy said with a grin as she sat down across from the both of them, her plate piled high and her beer balanced between her knees. “One day when you’re famous and traveling the world, you’ll miss moments like this. Don’t be in too big of a hurry to grow up.”

Katy glanced over at Jack as she said that, a slight shrug of her shoulders saying that she was trying to do her best as they teased one another. Katy would have killed to have moments like that with her own father. However, it wasn’t to be. A broken home was her life, which is why she was insanely private when it came to matters of her own family.

“So, besides having a cool dad and being a cool kid, what else are you into?” Katy was trying her best to make the most of the moment. “Sports? Music? Boys?”