Free Strings by Kat Green Page A

She didn't need to give any more explanation – he was delighted that she’d done it. ‘Thank you. We’ll make sure we do it justice, and make you proud of us.’
                  ‘Can I come with you?’ 
                  ‘You’re definitely coming with us! That is not up for discussion. We need our girls with us, you know, for protection.’ Her big blue eyes gazed into his, and her smile lit up her face. She admitted that she’d thought he wouldn't want her there, in case she was a distraction. He told her that was ridiculous.
                  Luke called the guys, and they rushed round to see them. They couldn’t believe that they’d been asked to compete, and they were equally amazed that Melissa had made it happen for them. As an aspiring band, they’d had to struggle for every small break they’d got so far, and nobody had ever done something like this for them before.
                  ‘Melissa, you little beauty!’ Toby ruffled her hair before giving her a huge hug and lifting her off her feet. Hair ruffling seemed to be his trademark way of saying ‘Hi’ to people, and she now always made sure she had a hair brush in her bag, to tidy herself up after Toby had arrived.
                  Melissa watched quietly as they stood in her kitchen, talking and laughing excitedly, and making plans for the big event. She felt a warm satisfaction that she’d made her friends so happy. Her gamble had certainly paid off. They were like children, boisterous and animated, debating which songs to use in their set and listing the things they’d need for the big road trip to London. The first thing on the agenda was a trip to ‘Leo’s Guitar Heaven’ in Fratton. They needed to update some of their smaller bits of equipment, which they’d been putting off due to lack of money. But simply making do‌ wasn’t an option any more though, everything needed to be perfect.
                  Melissa noticed that Beth was standing behind Dale, quieter than usual and maybe looking a little annoyed. She was actually feeling left out – Melissa was the hero of the hour and Beth didn’t like to be anything other than the centre of attention. To push Beth aside had never been Melissa’s intention, but Beth needed to feel important – it was one of the scars left behind by her difficult childhood, a past she was still trying to heal from.
                  Dale looked up at her and took her hand. He knew her full story – she had trusted him so much that she had told him everything after just over a week together. It was a calculated risk in Beth’s mind because he could have run a mile. But she had a feeling he wouldn’t, and she felt that to be honest from the start was the right thing to do. She was right, because it had made them stronger. From Dale’s point of view, he got to know the real Bethany Watkins that day, and he was pleased that she trusted him enough to confide in him. It also made him understand a lot more about the bond between the girls.
                  ‘Why didn't you tell me what you were up to?’ Beth asked Melissa as they both moved to one side of the room. She’d been sulking, but trying not to show it. As well as feeling a bit left out, she was nervous that Dale would think she didn’t care as much about him as Melissa did about Luke. She was completely in love with him, and she was just as proud of her man. If she was completely honest, she wished she’d thought of the idea rather than Melissa, or at least that it had been a joint venture between them.
                  ‘Sorry, babe – I just sort of did it and then forgot about it.’ She felt a sudden pang of guilt and realised she needed to make her friend feel better. ‘If it wasn’t for you playing Cupid and making me talk to Luke, we wouldn’t have met them, and none of this would have happened. So you played a part too, a much