door swung open and Will walked in. ‘Got another Boot Camper,’ he said to Andy. ‘Can you take her to room ten, please.’
‘Yep. Follow me,’ Andy said and then realised that the girl standing behind him was Catherine.
‘Hi!’ Andy said, happy to see a familiar face.
‘Oh, hi. How are you?’ Catherine asked.
‘Good. Great. Yeah. Oh sorry, this is Jesse.’
Jesse stuck out his hand. ‘Pleased to meet you.’
‘You too.’ Catherine took his hand.
‘Let me get your bags,’ Jesse offered.
‘Oh yeah, your bags,’ Andy said, but Jesse had already made a grab for them.
Andy felt awkward. It had been a month since he had seen Catherine and he didn’t really know what to say. ‘So, how’ve you been?’
‘Good, yeah. You?’
‘Yeah, good. Just living here in a broom cupboard with Jesse.’
‘Oh, is your room small?’
‘No. Not small,’ Jesse stopped and put Catherine’s bags down to give his hand gestures maximum effect. ‘It is tiny. Like this,’ he said, making the shape of a small box. ‘And me and Andy like each other but we didn’t expect to end up having a little cuddle every night, did we, And?’
Andy laughed. ‘No.’
‘So, Catherine, what are you going to sing for us?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Don’t look so surprised. You’ve got to sing for us when you get to your room, it’s a
Star Maker
initiation. Everyone does it.’
Catherine looked wide-eyed at Andy. ‘Is he serious?’
Jesse nodded behind her back.
‘Er, yes.’
‘He’s not. I can tell by your face,’ Catherine said smiling.
‘OK, he’s winding you up,’ Andy admitted.
‘You are rubbish, mate!’ Jesse said.
Yes, Andy thought, I am. This happened every time they showed anyone female to their room – even old ladies who had got through on the strength of a bad Gracie Fields impression – Jesse went into full flirt mode and Andy ended up standing there like his lanky, less impressive sidekick.
Jesse bantered his way up to the room and Catherine seemed to relax into her surroundings.
‘How’s the family?’ Andy asked.
‘What, you know each other from home?’ Jesse said, confused.
‘No.’
‘No.’ Catherine and Andy spoke at the same time and then both laughed, embarrassed.
‘My family came into my audition and made a show of themselves.’
Andy was about to put her mind at ease and say that it happens all the time when Jesse piped up, ‘Are you the one with the mad dad?’
Catherine seemed to think about it for a moment. ‘Erm, yes. That would be me.’
‘Good effort,’ Jesse said, impressed.
They arrived outside the room that Catherine would be staying in for the week. There was a huge bed in the middle of the room, that had obviously been there for years and then there were five other temporary beds dotted around.
‘Sorry, everyone has to share.’
‘No problem. I totally expected that to be the case,’ Catherine said, throwing her bag down on one of the makeshift beds. The toilet flushed in the en-suite bathroom, the door swung open and a statuesque, finely featured redhead stormed into the room.
‘You were expecting to share? I wasn’t.’ She clicked her fingers at Catherine. ‘And don’t even think about the big bed, it’s taken.’
Catherine spun round and pulled a
What the hell?
face at Andy and Jesse.
‘This is Star,’ Andy said, with a knowing nod to Catherine.
‘Star?’
‘Changed her name by deed poll,’ Jesse whispered in Catherine’s ear.
Star clearly overheard. ‘Yes, I did change my name, so what?’
Jesse shrugged, ‘Yeah, so what, who cares? Right?’ ‘Right.’
Jesse winked at Andy and then asked, ‘What was your name before it was Star?’
‘It’s a secret.’
‘Was it Beryl?’
‘Shut up.’
‘You look like a Beryl.’
‘And you look like a twat.’
Jesse creased over laughing and then put his hand out for Andy to high-five. Andy did, but he always felt a bit limp when he high-fived anyone. It wasn’t really in his
‘Yep. Follow me,’ Andy said and then realised that the girl standing behind him was Catherine.
‘Hi!’ Andy said, happy to see a familiar face.
‘Oh, hi. How are you?’ Catherine asked.
‘Good. Great. Yeah. Oh sorry, this is Jesse.’
Jesse stuck out his hand. ‘Pleased to meet you.’
‘You too.’ Catherine took his hand.
‘Let me get your bags,’ Jesse offered.
‘Oh yeah, your bags,’ Andy said, but Jesse had already made a grab for them.
Andy felt awkward. It had been a month since he had seen Catherine and he didn’t really know what to say. ‘So, how’ve you been?’
‘Good, yeah. You?’
‘Yeah, good. Just living here in a broom cupboard with Jesse.’
‘Oh, is your room small?’
‘No. Not small,’ Jesse stopped and put Catherine’s bags down to give his hand gestures maximum effect. ‘It is tiny. Like this,’ he said, making the shape of a small box. ‘And me and Andy like each other but we didn’t expect to end up having a little cuddle every night, did we, And?’
Andy laughed. ‘No.’
‘So, Catherine, what are you going to sing for us?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Don’t look so surprised. You’ve got to sing for us when you get to your room, it’s a
Star Maker
initiation. Everyone does it.’
Catherine looked wide-eyed at Andy. ‘Is he serious?’
Jesse nodded behind her back.
‘Er, yes.’
‘He’s not. I can tell by your face,’ Catherine said smiling.
‘OK, he’s winding you up,’ Andy admitted.
‘You are rubbish, mate!’ Jesse said.
Yes, Andy thought, I am. This happened every time they showed anyone female to their room – even old ladies who had got through on the strength of a bad Gracie Fields impression – Jesse went into full flirt mode and Andy ended up standing there like his lanky, less impressive sidekick.
Jesse bantered his way up to the room and Catherine seemed to relax into her surroundings.
‘How’s the family?’ Andy asked.
‘What, you know each other from home?’ Jesse said, confused.
‘No.’
‘No.’ Catherine and Andy spoke at the same time and then both laughed, embarrassed.
‘My family came into my audition and made a show of themselves.’
Andy was about to put her mind at ease and say that it happens all the time when Jesse piped up, ‘Are you the one with the mad dad?’
Catherine seemed to think about it for a moment. ‘Erm, yes. That would be me.’
‘Good effort,’ Jesse said, impressed.
They arrived outside the room that Catherine would be staying in for the week. There was a huge bed in the middle of the room, that had obviously been there for years and then there were five other temporary beds dotted around.
‘Sorry, everyone has to share.’
‘No problem. I totally expected that to be the case,’ Catherine said, throwing her bag down on one of the makeshift beds. The toilet flushed in the en-suite bathroom, the door swung open and a statuesque, finely featured redhead stormed into the room.
‘You were expecting to share? I wasn’t.’ She clicked her fingers at Catherine. ‘And don’t even think about the big bed, it’s taken.’
Catherine spun round and pulled a
What the hell?
face at Andy and Jesse.
‘This is Star,’ Andy said, with a knowing nod to Catherine.
‘Star?’
‘Changed her name by deed poll,’ Jesse whispered in Catherine’s ear.
Star clearly overheard. ‘Yes, I did change my name, so what?’
Jesse shrugged, ‘Yeah, so what, who cares? Right?’ ‘Right.’
Jesse winked at Andy and then asked, ‘What was your name before it was Star?’
‘It’s a secret.’
‘Was it Beryl?’
‘Shut up.’
‘You look like a Beryl.’
‘And you look like a twat.’
Jesse creased over laughing and then put his hand out for Andy to high-five. Andy did, but he always felt a bit limp when he high-fived anyone. It wasn’t really in his
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