Chapter 21

“Wow,” breathed Alice when they finally petered out.

“Faye,” smiled Kimie, “you can drum. I mean, you’re a natural!”

“I don’t know,” said Faye, but with a thrill in her voice.

“Band hug,” said Alice, pulling Faye off her stool and into the middle of the room.

The four girls hugged, together. They were together in that particular way that playing music creates. But also, I was thinking about Alice’s ambition.

“What are you grinning about?” she asked me.

“How lucky you are,” I stuck my tongue out at her, while also thinking she had a gang now, that would behave like a gang, and not necessarily like the individuals would behave on their own. I’d seen it often enough; but with Alice...

“I know. Three like this in one place.”

“We’re the lucky ones,” said Kimie. “You can be as great a musician as you like you’ll just be a session musician or something unless you get into a band with a star. And Faye - where did you come from?”

“Yeah,” agreed Sienna. “But you’re a star too Kims.”

“And a manager,” murmured Faye.

“We’re going to be stars together,” said Alice. “Mick Jagger said the first thing to have in a band is a great rhythm section. We just have to practice and practice and practice, hours every day, so when the chance comes we make sure we take it. We can bring your phone arm down from the Kitchen Faye, so you can do all the drumming lessons on Youtube - there are loads. And yeah, I reckon we can count on our headmaster to sell us.”

“I don’t think you’ll be too hard to sell,” I smiled, “with being the world’s first bi band and your looks. Wassername had a huge hit just singing about a girl kissing a girl.”

“Katy Perry,” said Kimie. “I don’t know why it’s such a big deal. And she even says now she did more than kiss.”

“That’s good,” said Alice, “cos we all have to be bi, obviously.” She pulled Faye in to her and kissed her on the mouth. Faye automatically opened her mouth and the two kissed deeply. It was so natural, and it was right next to Sienna and Kimie.

Kimie sniggered. “We have to have a rule.” If Alice was Jagger, Kimie was Keith Richards.

“What?” asked Sienna.

“We have to be nude down here,” Kimie announced. “We have to practice in the nude and make playing sexy, so when we’re on stage and we’re playing we’re feeling sexy, cos we’ve built up the connection. Cos we’ve proved it gives us a better sound haven’t we? So if we’ve practised like that some of it will carry over even when we’re dressed.”

Alice broke off the kiss with Faye. Kimie was opposite her, and nine inches below. “Yeah you’re right.”

Kimie reached up and pulled Alice’s head down, with a big grin, and kissed her on the lips. Alice returned the kiss. She ran her slender fingers through Kimie’s ultra-long, straight, black hair, all the way down to her slim little ass. Alice gripped the tiny girl under her ass and lifted her, sliding her up her own body till their faces were level.

“Don’t handle me,” said Kimie definitely. Alice looked at her in surprise, seeing a serious face three inches from her own. “Put me down. Don’t lift me, pull me, haul me around or give me any of that ‘I’m bigger than you’ shit, alright? I don’t like it.”

Alice put her down. Alice didn’t say ‘sorry’ and the two faced off from their very different heights. I stood up. I took the four paces over, slid between them and put my face in Alice’s. “Tune in,” I said, looking directly into the belligerent dark-green eyes. “Think about it.” I moved my head forwards a touch, so hers had to retreat, but it didn’t really and our noses touched.

She shifted her weight onto her left leg.

“You’ll cut off your nose to spite your face?” I asked, leaving my balls in harm’s way and trying to appear unafraid.

Alice took a long breath, and her eyes changed. “Headmaster, you cool bastard,” she smiled. I moved back to the arm of the sofa, so she could talk to Kimie, who showed no sign of backing down or offering an olive branch. Alice smiled down at her: “Sorry Kimie, I know what you mean.”

“Cool,” Kimie smiled back. I was expecting her to justify herself with some kind of explanation, but she was satisfied that now we all knew not to treat her as little; and that when she doesn’t like something, it counts. “That’s quite big.”

Sienna and Faye had stood while the brief tussle between their leaders had played to some kind of respectful draw. Now Faye reached and stroked one broad, kind hand down Kimie’s arm, and one down Alice’s; appealing for peace. Kimie smiled, appreciating the gesture, and the offer.

“Are you going to show Kimie about bi?” Alice asked Faye.

“If you like?” Faye nodded. Kimie nodded too, with her familiar grin restored.

“You’re up for it aren’t you Senz?” Alice asked Sienna next, and of course Sienna could only smile and nod too. The world’s first bi band was about to cement its sexy identity, and she wasn’t going to be left out.

“Let’s go up and get the cushions from the living room,” I said, before anyone could upset Faye by suggesting turfing the dogs off the sofa, “and a quilt cover to put over them.”

So a few minutes later the kitchen chairs were draped with clothes and I was tingling in anticipation, in a dungeon with four naked girls, standing round our big improvised bed in the middle.