Look at that, more Carole & Tuesday! This time, Angela and Katy because, yes, rarepair, but they have potential. Don’t believe me? Allow me to convince you.
“By the way,” Angela asks Katy one night as they sit together watching an old movie. “Why did you come back to be my manager?”
Katy looks up, the movie temporarily forgotten. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I fired you.” Angela adjusts herself on the couch. “For something you didn’t do. So why?”
Katy thinks back.
---
“So that’s what happened,” Katy says into the phone, unsure what to think.
On the other end of the line is Dahlia. Not Angela; of course someone as cool and famous wouldn’t bother getting back to her personally. Then again it wasn’t Angela who hired her in the first place. She just fired her.
“And you’ll keep being her manager for the time being?” Katy repeats the explanation. Deep down she’s a little disappointed. Even if it all ended in a mess, she still got to be close to her idol, at least for a little bit.
“Yes,” Dahlia answers. “For now. But probably not forever. And when that time comes, I’ll enlist your help again.”
“I see,” says Katy. “Thank you.”
She doesn’t have the courage to ask if Angela is happy with any of this.
---
Katy doesn’t expect to hear back from Dahlia at all. Not even when she hears of Angela’s sole parent and manager ending up in the hospital, in critical condition. Not that she cares about the job. She has seen Angela’s face on the news: tired, sad, afraid, not a celebrity but a normal teenage girl, uprooted, terrified for the life of her only family. How can she care about a management job when all she worries about if Angela?
Although, part of her thinks, if she were her manager, at least she could be there for her. Comfort her, somehow. Even if she has no idea if Angela would let her.
Then the call arrives. First, that Dahlia is dead. Second, that they left behind all the paperwork to make Katy Angela’s manager again, if she’ll take the job. And if she’d still like to do it?
It’s a no-brainer.
---
For days and days she tries to speak to Angela in the hospital. For days she calls her name, talks to her about the world outside, asks if she can hear her. No response. Angela Carpenter, the same girl who looked dazzling and happy mere weeks ago, is a shadow of herself.
It’s almost enough to make her give up. But just when she seriously considers quitting, Angela speaks.
“I can’t sing anymore.”
Katy turns around. Relief washes over her, joy to hear her speak again. It’s quickly replaced by surprise, worry, heartbreaking sympathy.
She doesn’t expect Angela to say anything else. She doesn’t expect her to open up. Why should she? Angela is Angela, and Katy is just a fan. Just a face in the crowd, accidentally promoted to her manager.
But Angela does speak. She pours her heart out, tears streaming down her face, and Katy doesn’t know what to say. She never knew someone who’s loved by so many people, someone so beautiful and radiant, could feel so alone in the world.
“You’re not alone,” she tries. “All your fans are out there waiting for you.”
It physically feels like she said the wrong thing. Angela sinks back into the pillows. “They’ll forget about me,” she says. “They don’t really care. Give it a bit of time, and I’ll be forgotten.”
Katy wishes she could hug her, but she doesn’t feel like that is her place.
---
Mother has been broadcast out into the world. And Katy sits in the crowd, shamelessly sobbing with joy.
On the stage Angela is finally smiling again, pulling Carole and Tuesday into a group hug. Katy feels like a giant weight has fallen off her shoulders. She’s so glad these two are here. Without them, Angela might never have recovered the way she did.
Then the girls pull away, and Angela steps off the stage. Briefly her eyes meet with Katy’s. Katy looks down. She wonders what will happen now. Will Angela talk to her? What will she say? Despite their heart-to-heart at the hospital, she’s still a manager hired against her will. Will Angela fire her again?
A shadow falls on her. Katy lifts her gaze, afraid of what she will find.
Angela’s expression is hard to read. Their gazes meet again, then they both look away. There’s an awkward silence.
“Aren’t you coming to the stage?”
Katy jumps in her seat. Out of all the things Angela could’ve said, she didn’t expect that one at all. “Huh?”
“It’s crammed with celebrities.” Angela points over her shoulder. “If you want any autographs, you should use your chance.”
Still sniffling, Katy shakes her head. “It’s fine,” she says. “I’d just look stupid right now.”
Another pause. Angela doesn’t sit down beside her, but she makes no signs of leaving either.
“...You need a tissue?”
A sob shakes her that turns into a laugh. “Don’t mind me,” she says. “I’m just so happy you’re doing okay again...”
And suddenly Katy is crying again. Before her Angela remains standing, suddenly looking very doubtful and very small.
---
It’s almost morning by the time they head back to Angela’s place. They haven’t spoken much since, though Katy has talked quite a bit with Carole and Tuesday. She’s still a little intimidated by their stardom, but they’re both so sweet that she almost forgets about it when she speaks to them. They’re good girls. Exactly what Angela needs right now.
Angela herself, meanwhile, she still doesn’t understand.
The cab stops in front of Angela’s house. Angela begins to step out, then stops when she finds Katy not moving.
“What’s wrong?”
“Huh? Oh, well, there’s no reason for me to get off here, right?” Katy smiles sheepishly. “I’ll just head on to my place.”
Angela drops her gaze.
“...You’re not staying at mine?”
She sounds...disappointed. Why is she disappointed? Katy is just her manager, of course she won’t invite herself.
“It’s just, the house is so empty.” Angela wraps her arms around herself, as if cold. “Can’t you at least stay for tonight?”
Katy nearly trips over herself scrambling out of the car. Her heart drums in her ears as she follows Angela into the villa. Their footsteps echo off the walls. The house is gigantic and completely deserted.
“You can sleep wherever,” Angela says. “I can get you one of the guest rooms or something.”
But Katy shakes her head. “I’ll just sleep on the couch.”
Angela’s face falls.
---
When she wakes up in the afternoon, Katy finds Angela sitting on her bed in her pajamas, watching an old movie she recognizes at once.
“Whoa!” she bursts out before she can control herself. “Is that Kill Bill?”
Angela turns around, pausing the movie. “You know it?”
“Yeah! I love action movies,” Katy gushes. “I didn’t know you knew it!”
For the first time in any of their interactions, a slight smile crosses Angela’s face. “I like action stuff too,” she says. “Especially martial arts stuff. You know how I watch pro wrestling?”
Katy nods excitedly. “Of course! I read the interview,” she answers. Angela’s smile falters, and Katy adds, “I checked it out after that, but I still prefer action movies.”
Angela smiles again. She pats the spot beside her on the bed. “Wanna keep watching together?”
Carefully, cautiously, Katy sits down. At first she feels out of place, but as the movie continues, she quickly forgets about everything around her. For a few precious hours she and Angela aren’t a star and a manager; they’re just two girls in their pajamas sitting on the bed, laughing and gasping and cheering at all the same scenes.
“Wow, I wonder what people would say if they knew I watch this stuff,” Angela says when the movie is over. “It’s so wild.”
“But so fun!” Katy answers.
They both burst into laughter. “Let’s watch another one,” says Angela. Suddenly her expression turns wistful. “I’ve never really done that before,” she mutters. “Watching movies with someone.”
Katy smiles. Again she has to fight off the urge to hug her. “It’s been some time for me too.”
“This is like a girls’ movie night,” Angela remarks and sounds surprised at her own words: how normal they are, maybe. “Wait, don’t they normally have food? We should order some food.”
“Maybe popcorn,” Katy jokes.
“Great idea! And something solid, too.” Angela has already pulled out her phone. “What do you say about pizza?”
---
After that day, staying over becomes a regular occurrence for Katy.
There are, after all, plenty of movies to watch and rewatch, and it doesn’t look like they’ll run out anytime soon. Sometimes it ends with them staying up all night and struggling to stay awake at work the next day, but neither of them has any regrets. Sometimes Carole and Tuesday join them too. But most of the time it’s just the two of them, enjoying their girls’ night in and having the time of their lives.
“Hey,” Angela says one evening in between installments of The Fast and the Furious, “don’t people also...do other things at sleepovers?” She looks awkward about her own question. “Like makeup and painting nails, and all that stuff?”
Katy blinks in surprise. “Well, yeah,” she says. “But you’re a model, so...I don’t know...”
“That’s work,” Angela says dismissively, sounding slightly disappointed again. “This is different. And I don’t see you ever wearing much makeup.”
Katy looks down. “Well...”
“Care to try some of mine?”
She nearly jumps off the bed. “What?” she splutters. “But—No way—But yours is so expensive!”
“It also dries up before I can use all of it. I don’t mind.”
“But...” Katy curls up where she sits. “But I’m so plain...Ow?”
Angela has flicked a finger against her forehead. “Relax,” she says. “Would you like to try it? Aside from all that not-pretty-enough-to-pull-it-off crap?”
Katy’s insides feel warm. “Yeah...thank you.”
Excited like a preteen girl at her first sleepover, Angela rummages through her drawers, whipping out palettes of eyeshadow, eyeliners, lipsticks, and an endless assortment of nail polish. She purses her lips, as if trying to determine which colors would suit Katy. Finally she picks out a shade of red that’s more flashy than the entirety of Katy’s wardrobe.
“Hold still,” she says.
And Katy does. Angela sits before her, breathtakingly close, cupping her face and holding it in place. Her fingers are soft. Her hand is warm. Katy can see every single detail of her face, her bright eyes, the long lashes, the smooth skin and the full, soft-looking lips. How she wishes she could touch those lips. How she wishes she...
Have their faces always been this close?
Angela’s breath tickles her face. It smells faintly of mint. Katy closes her eyes, tries not to think about it as those slender, flawless hands work their way across her face, her lips, her eyelids, her lashes, her cheeks.
Her hands are shaking.
Finally Angela pulls away, and Katy tentatively opens her eyes. She turns towards the mirror and barely recognizes herself. The magic of Angela’s hands has transformed her into a girl she has never seen before...one that radiates glamour and confidence, one that’s almost cool enough to deserve her place at Angela’s side.
Angela smirks appraisingly, proud of her work. “Now you do mine,” she says.
Katy nearly has a heart attack, but she complies. She has no idea what she’s doing. So she just goes with the color she has always associated with Angela: vivid purple, like her eyes, like the aura that seems to surround her wherever she goes.
Her hands are still shaking. It takes all her willpower to keep them steady enough to not mess up the makeup, but she must, it’s so expensive. Angela holds expertly still under her hands, a celebrity at work, though the corners of her mouth twitch whenever Katy’s fingertips accidentally brush her cheek.
Finally she’s done, and Katy can breathe again.
Jumping in front of the mirror, Angela inspects herself, her eyes widening as she turns this way and that. Katy wonders if she has gone overboard with the lip gloss or the touch of glitter on her cheekbones. But Angela’s face lights up, and she turns back towards her beaming.
“Now let’s take a picture like this!”
They huddle close together for the selfie. Well, Angela does, whereas Katy is still busy keeping her feelings in check. She’s so beautiful, and so close. And she’s here. Right beside her. So close the warmth of her body seeps into Katy’s skin.
If she had even an inch of spine, she might turn her head now and kiss her. She knows she wants to. Every part of her body and mind wants to kiss her. Not the idol Angela, but the girl sitting beside her in her PJs, warm and enchanting and smiling from ear to ear.
But she’s still just her manager, and so she restrains herself.
---
“...Katy?”
Katy snaps out of her thoughts. Right, the question. Why she came back, or maybe the real question would be why she stayed.
“Well,” she says. “Dahlia explained everything, and then—”
“Not that, stupid.” Angela nudges her in the ribs, not meeting her gaze. “I mean, why did you want to? I never even really apologized for firing you.”
“What? Oh no, that’s okay!” Katy lifts up her hands. “It was a misunderstanding, and it’s nice that you cared so much about your rivals. And, well, I didn’t think someone like you would bother to apologize in person anyway, so I assumed—”
“Katy. Cut that out.”
She closes her mouth. Suddenly Angela looks angry.
“You’re still treating me like some kind of idol,” she says. “Just quit it, okay? I’m just Angela.” She crosses her arms. “And if you can’t get that into your head, I’m firing you for real.”
Something about her tone tells Katy she means it.
“Sorry,” she bursts out, suddenly feeling like crying. “It’s just...it’s not like I don’t see you as a friend or anything. But you...you’re so cool, and so beautiful, and so mature, and you’re just...you’re so perfect.” Her voice cracks. “How can I feel like an equal next to someone like that? I’d just feel arrogant!”
Something in Angela’s expression softens and melts away.
“Can’t you at least try?”
Leaning forward, she buries her face in Katy’s shoulder, her voice as choked up as Katy herself feels. “I’m so tired of just being the person people look up to,” she says. “It’s so stupid. We’re both just girls.” She drapes an arm over Katy’s body. “So what if I’m famous? I don’t want you to look up to me. I want you to be the girl I watch action movies and have sleepovers with...the friend I never had when everybody else did that stuff.” She shifts closer. “So can’t you just try to treat me like a normal friend?” She swallows. “For me?”
Katy’s defenses shatter.
With a muffled sob she pulls Angela in, hugging her so close she almost sits in her lap. “You have no idea how much I wanted to do that,” she says. “It’s just...I was so scared...”
Angela pulls away just enough to look her in the eyes. Their faces are inches away from each other. They both look a little messy, but Angela is still beautiful.
Not the celebrity, Katy thinks again. Just Angela. Her friend.
“Hey,” she says, suddenly feeling brave, “can I do something else I’ve been really wanting to do?” She swallows hard. “Something really selfish?”
Angela’s smile is encouragement enough.
Katy takes a deep breath and kisses her.
It’s just supposed to be a brief, careful kiss. But Angela responds. Cupping her face like she did that night, she deepens the kiss until they both pull apart again, blushing and breathless.
On the screen the movie continues, unheeded.
On the couch, two girls form the silent decision to not go anywhere else tonight.
