“Does someone want to get that?” chimed Olivia.

“Kate, get the phone! I’m busy,” yelled Natalia from the porch where she was sculpting a bust of Ben Affleck.

“Fine. I’m coming!” hollered Kate as she ran down the stairs of their L.A. apartment. “You guys, we really should get a secretary or something.”

“Why do you we need a secretary? We have you, Kate,” smiled Sara.

“Oh! Oh! You’re killing me Sara, stop it,” answered Kate in a monotone voice. “Hello, this is Kate speaking, can I help you?

“I hope you can,” answered a familiar voice.

“It’s Donna!” yelled Kate to the other members of Nine Lives.

“Put her on speaker!” Natalia shouted.

Kate pressed the little red button and the voice of Donna, their manager, rang through.

“I have some great news, you guys won’t believe it,” Donna said with excitement.

“Please tell me we aren’t going to meet the Backstreet Boys,” whined Olivia, who was coming out of the bathroom.

“Sorry, but Kate’s dream is not coming true. But first get everyone down here to listen.”

“Sara! Natalia! Get your asses over here! Donna’s got supposedly ‘important’ news,” said Kate with boredom.

“Kate! Watch your mouth,” said Olivia with mock shock.

“Oh poor baby. Did Kate scar you for life again?” Natalia whimpered sarcastically as she walked in the house with her hands covered in clay.

Sara nonchalantly walked into the kitchen sighing heavily. “What is it this time? I was almost finished writing a new song. But now I lost it, so thanks.”

“Ok, is everyone here now? As I told Kate, I have very important news. The summer is coming up and I know you will all be looking forward to promoting Nine Lives even further,” said Donna with significance.

“Yeah, I am just jumping for joy at the thought of turbulent planes and crappy mall spots every day! Oh please tell me it’s true!” uttered Natalia with sarcasm.

“Well, I’m sure you will all be happy to know that none of that will be happening this summer,” answered their manager with annoyance.

“Then what will we be doing? We can’t afford to take the summer off,” worried Sara.

“No, of course not. You four have a very special opportunity on your hands,” responded Donna. “I’m sure you all have heard of the hot new band The Moffatts?”

“Oh my god, oh my god, say you didn’t, Donna. Because if you did I will surely die,” shrieked Olivia.

“No, she couldn’t have booked us with the Moffatts. They are way too big of a band. We are local scum. Too low down on the feeding chain to open for them,” mumbled Natalia.

“Yup, that’s us. Bottom of the food chain. Right down there with the amoebas and fungi. Glad we can all count on Natalia to bring us back down to earth,” grumbled Sara.

“Alright, if that’s what your choice is, then I will just have to call back Frank Moffatt with the bad news,” sighed Donna.

“No! Don’t do that! Give us five minutes, ok Donna?” Kate compromised.

“Ciao darlings, talk to you soon,” clicked the phone.

Olivia turned to the rest of the group with a shocked face. “We…are…opening…for…the…MOFFATTS!”

“Well, nothing’s final yet, Liv,” said Sara.

“I will beat you all to a bloody pulp if you do not take this chance to meet..meet…”

“The Moffatts, honey,” chimed Kate.

“Right, them. We can’t let this go! We’ve got to take it!” shrieked Olivia.

“Think of it guys. The Moffatts. Even if we bomb at the concerts, we always have eye candy to keep us in reality,” Natalia smiled.

“Oh, well that’s always a plus. It’s not a real concert until there’s some booty-watching, huh Natalia?” Kate teased.

“Well, at least I’m not catatonic like Olivia. With the mere mention of The Moffatts, she faints. I wonder how she will live with them just a few feet away from us,” replied Natalia.

“I don’t know, but nothing is stopping ME from saying no. Let’s do it,” cried Sara.

Kate hit the speed dial for Donna’s number. “We really want to do this?”

Olivia’s head shook yes until it looked like it was going to fall off. “Uh huh, yes.”

The other line picked up. “Hello?”

“Donna? Call up Frank Moffatt. We’ll do it,” said Kate.

“Great! I’ll talk to him and then call your parents and square it off with them. Then in a week or so we will be opening for the Moffatts! Good luck. We’ll be in touch. Ciao!” exclaimed Donna.

Liv hit the speaker button and turned it off.

The phone rang.

“Hello, Moffatt’s residence,” said a deep voice.

“Hello, this is Donna Caravat, the manager of the Nine Lives. We spoke earlier about Nine Lives opening for the Moffatts.”

“Oh yes! So have the girls come to a decision? Will they be joining us?” asked Frank Moffatt briskly.

“They have agreed to open. I’ve just gotten off the phone with their parents and it’s final. The girls will be on the tour bus in one week,” She said importantly.

“That’s great. I’ll let the boys know,” Exclaimed Frank Moffatt.

“Wonderful. Well, I have a lot of phone calls to make. We’ll be in touch. Ciao!” the other line clicked.

Frank Moffatt hung up the phone “Ciao. Huh. I hate that lady. So smug,” He said mockingly. Frank walked into the living room of his spacious house. It was cluttered with sneakers, video games, papers, drumsticks, and picks. There were dirty dishes in the sink. Frank called out to his sons. “ Dave! Isn’t it your week to do the dishes?”

A spiky haired demon peeked down the stairs. “No, dad. My turn was last week. It’s Bob’s turn.”

Frank called to Bob. “Bob! Where are you?” He turned to Dave. “Have you seen Bob?”

Dave hid a smile “No…. But he’s around here somewhere.”

Frank Moffatt slowly crept up the stairs and down the hallway into a bedroom. He looked at Scott, who was reading a magazine. “ Scott, have you seen Bob? It’s his turn to do the dishes.”

Scott put his magazine down and tried not to laugh. “ No. I haven’t seen Bob. Clint, have you seen Bob?

A buff little boy wearing a wifebeater walked out of the bathroom. “No. You should check downstairs.”

“I just did. He wasn’t down there.” Frank Moffatt looked at his sons with suspicion. “Now tell me what have you done with Bob?”

Just then, a banging came from the closet. “What was that?” said Scott with mock curiosity.

“Cut the crap Scott,” Mr. Moffatt said as he opened the closet door. His sons burst with laughter. The closet door opened to reveal Bob with his hands tied behind his back and gagged. Mr. Moffatt untied him and then turned to face his three other sons still roaring with laughter. Clint was rolling on the carpet, holding his stomach. Scott had his head buried under his pillow trying to muffle his hysteria. Dave was crying with laughter.

“You really should just come out of the closet Bob!” gasped Clint, “ Closets are for clothes, darling!”

“You guys are horrible. I don’t know how you can live with yourselves for doing such a mean thing to Bob. Apologize to him. Now. And mean it,” reprimanded their father.

“Sorry Bob,” Grumbled the three brothers. “It was just a joke.”

“Well it wasn’t very funny,” Bob whined.

“ Ok, enough of all of this. I’ve got news for you,” Frank Moffatt went on while his sons tuned him out. Scott was intently reading a magazine article on a group in the states that was starting to make a name for itself. He called over his brothers and showed them the article.

“Hey guys look at this group! An all girl band, and damn fine, if I say so myself,” Drooled Scott.

“Where? Let me see!” Clint lunged at the magazine.

Dave calmly plopped down on Scott’s bed and looked at the article. “It says they are from the Massachusetts area. Have we done any concerts there?”

“I don’t remember. All my brain cells have withered away.” Said Clint. “All I know is that these girls have quite a future…”

“Right…” Scott mumbled under his breath. “I know something else these girls have.”

“Do we need to hose you off Scott? It’s a magazine article,” Said Dave sarcastically.

“This’ll make for a couple of wet dreams for Scott tonight. Just don’t wake me up when you climax,” Joked Clint.

Bob wandered over to the horny group. “What the hell are you ogling over now? Porno magazine you swiped from cousin Paul?”

“You wish. We’re looking at this band from the states. They’re pretty hot,” Clint bantered.

“Really? Let me see!” Bob climbed over his brothers to see the article.

Scott looked up to see his father. He whispered to his brothers. “What is dad rambling on about?”

Dave shrugged. “All I heard is that we got someone to open for us. Something about a cat,” He glanced back at the article. “What’s the name of the band again?”

“Nine Lives.” His father answered for them. The four boys looked up at their father. “Have you been listening to me at all?”

“Well…not really? But what did you just say?” asked Clint.

“The new band that will be opening for you is called Nine Lives. They are a states band, Massachusetts actually. An all girl band, which I’m sure will keep you happy for the summer,” Answered Frank Moffatt.

“Wait- we were just reading about them in Scott’s magazine,” Dave tore the magazine out of Bob’s hands and showed it to his father. “Is this them?”

Frank Moffatt studied the picture and article. “Yeah, I think so. I haven’t seen much of them, but from what I’ve heard they are pretty good.”

Scott got up from his bed and dropped to his knees. “Thank you God, for bestowing this upon us.” Dave and Clint chuckled.