Free Strings by Kat Green Page B

more important one than me in fact.’ This went down well, and Beth’s mini strop was averted. Looking back, it had probably been the boys’ play fighting that had broken the ice that first night, but that didn’t matter.
                  Dale looked over at Melissa, smiled and winked as if to say, ‘Nicely done.’
                  ‘Liss, have you seen the date of the competition?’ Beth suddenly started jumping excitedly on the spot. Her mood had clearly improved, and she felt part of things again.
                  Melissa grabbed the paper Beth was waving around and checked the date. In all the excitement she hadn’t even thought about her birthday. ‘Oh my god, I hadn't even noticed that!’
                  Luke looked up at her as he scribbled in the little notebook he always carried. He frowned and said he hoped that she didn’t have other plans. He really wanted her to be there as their good luck charm.
                  ‘It's the weekend of my birthday, October 26th - it’ll be a perfect way to celebrate!’ The boys cheered at another reason to get, as Toby put it, ‘absolutely fucking mullered!’
                  Luke realised that they’d never discussed birthdays, and it gave him another reason to panic. He was already planning to use every penny he had for Amplified, but he couldn’t just ignore her birthday. After a bit of frantic brainstorming, one idea for a present came to mind. He thought it could work and wouldn’t cost much, but he cursed himself because he wanted to be able to splash out and buy her a special present. He hated the fact that he couldn’t spoil her as he wanted to. Then, to make him feel even more useless, she kneeled down next to him and whispered in his ear, ‘I can help out with money if you want. I’ll pay for our room in London and I know you need new guitar strings.’
                  She had a bit of money put away for a rainy day. She always saved a little each month – it was something she’d done since she got her first job. Her dad was a partner in an accountancy firm, and he had always taught her to be sensible with money. As a family they had always been comfortable financially, and as she grew up she looked back and was grateful for the security her parents had given her in her formative years. Her mum worked part time in a flower shop, not because the family needed the money, but because she enjoyed it and it was important to her to feel that she was making a contribution. She used her wages to buy little luxuries for the family, and she still helped Melissa out from time to time, even now that she was grown-up. She had paid for their tickets for the gig on the night they met the boys, as a treat, so Melissa gave her mum some of the credit for her having met Luke, as well as Beth.
                  Melissa had about a thousand pounds in a savings account, and it had taken about two years to save, but she decided she would use it for Luke if he needed it. He shook his head as he kissed her forehead, but she insisted that she wanted to help, so he reluctantly agreed, temporarily at least. ‘I shouldn’t be taking your money,’ he whispered, feeling embarrassed. The others were chatting loudly in the living room, so their conversation couldn’t be overheard.
                  ‘Why not? It’s the twenty-first century – we’re supposed to be equals, aren’t we? I want to help, and I don’t want you to be stressing about money on top of getting ready for the competition – you need to be fully prepared and focused. I know I don’t really understand all the ins and outs of your equipment, but I know it doesn’t come cheap if you want the best.’
                  Luke appreciated her generosity, but knew he would feel terrible if she had to dip into her savings to pay for their competition. ‘I’ll get what we can afford, if that