the river | e. roundtree

0 2

SEVENEIGHTNINE
—
Kathryn Summers: I was starting to hate Tom, but I couldn't bring myself to break up with him. I feared him.
I don't think Tom truly realised how much control he had over me.

Interviewer: How did it feel going on tour without him?

Kathryn Summers: Like relief. I felt free for the first time in a while.
—

Kathryn didn't realise just how much Tom scared her until she was on that bus, driving towards the first stop on their tour. She let out a breath she didn't even realise she had been holding in, her heart felt at ease the second he disappeared from her vision.

Kathryn closed her eyes, she fell asleep for the first time in a while without feeling an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Whether it was anxiety of Tom breaking into her house or anxiety of the things he could do to her while she was fast asleep next to him. Kathryn hadn't slept peacefully in days.

Everyone knew something wasn't right. No one dared to mention the bruises Kathryn wore on her arms and legs. No one mentioned the tear stained cheeks and blood shot eyes they'd see when she got out of the shower and walked back her room.

—
Interviewer: Do you think the band knew?

Kathryn Summers: It was so blatantly obvious that Tom was hitting me. It was embarrassing.
Warren tried to bring it up once and I shut him down, no one mentioned it again.
I was thankful for that. I didn't want to talk about it.
—

Kathryn felt more and more like herself as the days went by. The longer she was away from Tom the warmer she felt. Kathryn would stay up all night partying with the band, drinking and doing drugs. Talking to the groupies that Billy would accumulate.

While she was feeling guilty because Billy was cheating on Camila, Kathryn didn't have it in her to confess the truth. Kathryn was happy again, she didn't want to even risk the tour ending, so she kept her mouth shut. Minding her own business.

"Sound check, let's go," Graham said, guitar in his hands as he stood in front of Kathryn, who was smoking a cigarette outside of her motel room.

Kathryn stood up, squashing her cigarette under her foot and grabbing her guitar from beside her, following after Graham.

Eddie opened his motel door right as Kathryn was walking past, barging straight into her. They both shot each other a glare.

"Watch it, Roundtree," Kathryn sneered, walking away from him.

"Shut up," Eddie rolled his eyes, slamming his motel door shut.

Sound check went fine, it took a few hours and Kathryn returned to her motel room to get ready for tonight's show. She put on her makeup, change into the outfit she had picked out the night before and headed off with the rest of the band to perform her heart out.

The crowd was cheering. Kathryn felt in her element when she was on that stage, her fingers dancing along her guitar. Blowing a kiss to the crowd after their final song before they headed back to the motel to party.

Kathryn stole a joint from Warren, snorted some of the cocaine a fan had given to Karen. She drank whatever alcohol she could find, getting herself entirely intoxicated so she could forget about real life for a few hours.