Not Your Average Teen Pop Star [MsBloom x DarkDreamer9110]

[MsBloom]

It was after midnight and Ellie was starting to feel tired. She had been in the studio most of the day trying to piece together what would hopefully become Cassie's next hit single while Cassie was off doing an interview for A Little Late with Lilly Singh. She had listened through the tracks and the various versions of a song they had written years ago called Not Your Average Teen Girl and was in many ways autobiographical as it dealt with trans issues and about proudly stepping out of the closet. Over the last two days the song had made quite a journey itself, from a dance-friendly but rather generic upbeat pop tune, to a lengthy piano ballad, to a powerhouse rocker and back to something you could dance to but much more electronic and a fuzzy wah wah riff that Ellie was quite fond of. She had listened, mixed and even added new track so much that she could have thrown up all over the mixing table.
"Why not add parts of the riff you like so much to the piano ballad, like a bridge before finishing the song powerhouse style," suggested Andi Willows who was doubling as producer and recording engineer.
"It should all fit together with a bit of creative mixing," she said and leaned over the table to find the tracks she would need to piece it all together.
Ellie rubbed her temples and nodded.
"I need some air, and probably some sugar too," she said and got up.
"You do that," Andi agreed without looking up at the seventeen year old girl who was probably taking on too much responsibility being as involved in the production of what might prove to be the pop album on the year, next year that was.
"And if Billy asks you if you need something to pick you up ask for coffee unless you want to be up all night and tomorrow as well."

Ellie nodded and walked out of the control room and down the corridor. She bought a bag of chips, two energy bars and a Coca Cola Energy from the vending machine and stepped out onto the fire escape at the back of the studio. It was kind of chilly and in just jeans and a checked flannel shirt she was certainly not dressed for it but the cool air was invigorating. She ate one of the energy bars and then picked up her phone. It was late but she hoped Cassie would be up. She really needed to hear her voice and just talk about anything but their music.
"Hey," she said when Cassie picked up.
"How'd the interview go?"

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

Cassie still sometimes had a hard time believing their luck. Not long before, she and Ellie had just been local talent chasing a dream. And now they were basically the next big thing in pop music. The fame was taking some getting used to. The talk show appearances, the promo work, the crowds of fans ... the paparazzi ...

The truth would have gotten out eventually. Better to let it out on their terms, play it to their advantage. And so, on one of the first interviews she did, she had revealed that she was transfemale. Yeah, there had been backlash, but also an outpouring of support. And she could never have done it without Ellie. Ellie had been her best friend since basically forever, had always been supportive of Cassie even before she had really understood she was a girl, had been there every step of the way and, outside of some of Cassie's family, had been the most supportive person.

It was still worth everything. Being on that stage, performing ... Cassie loved the spotlight. She had always been a good singer, had always taken the chance to sing at family gatherings, karaoke parties, the occasional open-mic night. And when she and Ellie had started a duet band their first year of high school, they had dreamed of making it big. And they were.

It was past midnight, and she was relaxing after the interview. It had gone well, mostly the same questions as always. When her phone rang, she smiled as she saw that it was Ellie.

"Hey, girl!" She answered cheerfully. "Yeah, the interview went good. Same stuff as usual. How're you doing?"

 

[MsBloom]

"Got a bit of a headache from trying to figure out Not Your Average Teen Girl," Ellie said and explained how she had listened to each version of it they had recorded so many times it had become a blur of all of them.
"Which is exactly what Andi eventually suggested. She's mixing and working her magic on it now so we don't have to re-record it all over again though it might perhaps need a new vocal track flow better."
Despite the energy drink and the chill air Ellie was starting to feel tired and there was little she wanted more in that moment than to curl up in Cassie's arms, put her head in her best friend's lap and just relax, maybe fall asleep watching a rerun of some old sit com. She rubbed her left temple and there was a moment of silence between the two friends who had basically grown up together since they were in diapers. They had always stuck together no matter what and at times they had been a world unto themselves, a world to which no one else ever had access.

Ellie had been the first Cassie told about being a girl and not a boy, regardless of what her anatomy seemed to suggest and in all honesty Ellie hadn't been all that surprised. On some level she had always known her friend was different but not been able to put it into words.
"It will probably be too long for a single when she's done though. I mean the piano version alone is past the five minute mark and well when adding parts of the other versions it might end up well over seven. Maybe we can convince the suits to let us release Down on Me as a single instead. Just be as convincing as we can in explaining that it is Not about oral sex, and we might just get away with it."
Ellie shivered and decided it was time to go back inside.

It had happened almost as naturally as the sun rising when their friendship had evolved into romance shortly after they had formed Funhouse and from there had been no return. What the two teen girls felt for each other was far beyond a simple high-school romance. They had slept together almost the first chance they got, which was not long after their first real kiss. Living only two houses from each other they had frequent sleepovers, every weekend and at least one or two school nights.

When Cassie got her first royalty checks she had gotten an apartment of her own and Ellie spent most of her time there as well. And both their mum's checked in on them at least once a day to make sure they ate properly, kept the apartment tidy and didn't fall behind on their school work with everything else that was suddenly going on in their lives.
"I miss you and just wanted to hear your voice. I hate it when we're apart like this and I can't kiss you goodnight, and the bed just feels empty without you."

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

Cassie chuckled as Ellie spoke about the song. It was definitely one of their babies, and deserved the best work they could do on it. And Andi was one of the best.

"Sounds good. I'll set up a time to swing by and listen to it, lay down some new vocals." She agreed.

A chuckle. "Speaking of empty beds, I couldn't help but notice when I got home that you weren't in ours. A damn shame, because I was really looking forward to snuggling. So I asked myself, where could she be? Ah, of course, the studio! Because my lovely girlfriend doesn't know that past midnight is too late to be working. So I decided to do something. You've got maybe five minutes to wrap up there before I show up to kidnap you and take you home."

 

[MsBloom]

Ellie had expected Cassie to stay overnight in LA due to the late hour the show was aired rather than make the two hour drive back to San Diego but this was indeed a nice surprise. Cassie was home and home was basically just around the corner from the studio. Ellie chuckled too and nodded as if Cassie could hear her nodding.
"Don't worry. I'll be ready for you. Love ya, MWAH."
Ellie ended the call and made her way back to the control room where she found Andi immersed in mixing the three versions of Not Your Average Teen Girl into one. She yawned and stretched before tapping Andi softly on the shoulder.
"I'm really beat," she said and she was despite the midnight snack..
"That's alright. You go on home and get some rest. I'll probably be here another hour and hopefully I will have something for the two of you tomorrow. Why don't we meet up in the cafeteria for lunch tomorrow around noon."

Elli gave Andi the thumbs up and put on her purple leather jacket before heading towards the entrance and checking her watch as she took the stairs down the five minutes, Cassie had given her to wrap up and get ready to be kidnapped, was almost up when she opened the glass door to the lobby with her key card. She knew Cassie had some crazy ideas from time to time and she was curious and excited to find out what her girlfriend was up to this time.

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

The plan had been to stay overnight in LA, but after the interview, Cassie had gone to the hotel and suddenly been hit by a pang of loneliness. She and Ellie hadn't seen each other much outside the studio lately. So she'd made a call, cashed in a favor, and set off to get home for the surprise.

As she pulled up to the studio, she smiled as she saw Ellie emerge, and on a whim got out of the car and ran forward to embrace the other girl, kissing her passionately. "Oh, babe, I missed you." She murmured, holding her close. "Anyways, come on, we need to get going! Private romantic midnight dinner at a classy restaurant is not cheap!" She said excitedly.

 

[MsBloom]

Ellie barely had time to notice Cassie's car coming around the corner and coming to a halt before she was attacked with kisses and a tackle hug that almost knocked her over. It felt wonderful though to have Cassie's body close to her own and her lips pressed against her lips. Ellie closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around Ellie and just savoured the moment. Between television appearances, the studio and occasional concerts up and down the west coast there wasn't much time for them to just be themselves together. There were days when they's said goodbye after breakfast and one of them had already been asleep when the other got home.
"I missed you like crazy too," Ellie said and with her arms around Cassie's shoulders wrapped her legs around her girlfriend's waist.
"But why are we wasting time talking when we could be kissing," she added with a quick giggle and resumed the kiss.

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

"Oh, you gorgeous little minx." Cassie said, taking the weight of Ellie easily; the physical workout of dancing while singing and endless hours of practice had left her toned and fit. She carried Ellie to the car, kissing her all the while, then depositing her on the hood before reluctantly letting her go and opening the doors. "Unfortunately, we really do need to get going; I had to pay a lot to make this happen on short notice and at great inconvenience to the staff, and I'm paying them by the hour on top of that." She said, sliding into the driver's seat.

Once they were on their way, she smiled at Ellie. "Were you at the studio the whole time I was gone? When was the last time you slept? Have you been taking care of yourself?"

 

[MsBloom]

Ellie enjoyed the passion of Cassie's kisses and the ease with which she carried her to the car, and it was not without a hint of disappointment that she reluctantly unwrapped her legs and slipped off the hood of the car when Cassie said there was no time for making out under the stars and the full moon. She got into the car and put the seat belt o.
"More or less," she said in response to the first of Cassie's concerned questions.
"Andi took me out to lunch downtown and made me promise we wouldn't talk about studio stuff until we were back in the control room. Did you know she used to know Beyoncé like back when she was in Destiny's Child? And she knows Pink."
Ellie tried to not sound too starstruck but the fact was that in a way she was.

She rolled down the window and took a deep breath. She loved feeling the wind in her hair even if it was of course better in a convertible with the top down. When was the last time she had slept a whole night and not just taken naps. It was two days since Cassie and her had shared a bed and that was probably the last time she had really slept. She did nod though to the last of the questions even if it wasn't entirely true. She was working almost every waking hour and lived off of energy bars and energy drinks when Cassie was away doing promotion for the two singles they already had out and dropping teasing hints about the album they were working on. She did go for a run every morning though and she had actually managed a full hour at the gym the day before.
"I just get restless when you're not around," she said and ran the fingers of her left hand over Cassie's thigh.
"You know how it is."

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

Cassie chuckled as Ellie spoke about some of the people Andi knew. "Maybe you should see if she can get you a meeting." She joked, grinning playfully.

A sigh. "Babe, I know it's hard. I get the same way. There's a reason I drove two hours in the middle of the night to get back here to see you. But you need to take care of yourself. I'm always gonna come back to you, you know that, right?"

A pause as she thought. "Look, once the album's done, and after we get that big tour the studio wants us to do set up, how about we take a vacation when school lets out? A week or two somewhere romantic, probably out of the country where we're less likely to be mobbed? Just you and me?"

 

[MsBloom]

Of course Ellie knew that Cassie would always come back to her but at the same time she was like a puppy being left home alone for the first time whenever her girlfriend wasn't there with her. If she didn't have something to do she'd be chewing up her shoes, or at least clawing the walls, or well ... find herself rearranging the kitchen drawers, sorting through her wardrobe or cooking up a storm so they had the freezer full of casseroles, stews and soups.

She rolled up the window again and leaned the other way, resting her head on Cassie's shoulder.
"That sounds absolutely wonderful. Just the two of us in a cabin in the Carribbean far from phones and emails."

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

Cassie smiled. "No obligations, just nice, relaxing fun on the beach." She agreed.

As they pulled up to the restaurant, it became clear that Cassie had indeed chosen well, and that the expense would be worth it. The restaurant was one of the best in town, a very classy establishment. And it was all theirs tonight.

Cassie parked and nodded. "I hope you enjoy tonight. I really shelled out for this. And I had to promise the owner tickets to my next few concerts for his daughters. But worth it, to have a midnight romantic dinner with the girl I love."

 

[MsBloom]

Ellie nodded and sat down. Tickets to concerts had become something of a currency even if so far all they had were two singles, both of which had hit the billboard's top ten within two weeks of their release, out. The second of those singles, Heart of a Dreamer, had also topped several streaming services' most played songs lists. Ellie remembered just browsing through every streaming service she could find somewhat unable to process the fact that it was their song everyone was listening too, and the video they had made for it was the most watched music video on YouTube for two consecutive weeks.
"You think they'll be terribly offended it I order a burger with fries and a chocolate milkshake?" she asked Cassie as she sat down at the only table in the restaurant that was set, with lite candles and a small vase with two red roses in.

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

Cassie smirked as Ellie spoke, chuckling as she finished. "Baby, I know you really well. I actually took the liberty of preordering when I made this happen, and that's what I figured you'd want." She said, that smirk growing.

A man walked over, and Cassie smiled. "Hey, Antonio." She greeted him.

"Hello, ladies, and thank you for choosing my humble restaurant as your romantic midnight dinner location." Antonio said with a nod. "And thank you, Cassie, for the tickets. My girls have been wanting to see you perform basically since you started."

"You're welcome. Always happy to make my fans happy. How is everyone?"

"Good, good. Although, if you don't mind, the girls may have tagged along tonight and want to, well ..."

"Autographs? Maybe a little meet and greet?"

"Yes."

Cassie sighed. "I was really hoping for just a quiet romantic dinner with my girlfriend."

"That's what I told them, and they promised to be quick."

Cassie glanced at Ellie. "Sorry, babe, I'll make this quick."

Antonio smiled, then whistled. "Girls, come on out!"

Two teenagers came running out of the back of the restaurant. Both had long hair and looked to be about the same age, around 15.

"These are my daughters, Alessandra and Beatrice." Antonio said, pointing to each in turn.

"Well, hello, girls!" Cassie said brightly, smiling.

Alessandra stepped forward, holding out a poster. Cassie smiled, taking it and the pen.

"Can you write something specific, please?" Alessandra asked quietly.

"Certainly! What do you want it to say?"

Alessandra took a deep breath. "Can it say, 'to Alessandra, a girl like me'?"

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "That's a rather ... oh. I see."

She looked at Antonio, who nodded. "Alessandra came out to us a few days after seeing the interview you came out in. We've been letting her live that way after we talked to a therapist."

Cassie nodded, signing the poster as requested and adding a little, "all my love and best wishes, Cassie Clayton."

Beatrice was next, and Cassie signed that one with a generic "to Beatrice. Love, Cassie Clayton."

A few quick questions later, the girls were on their way, and Antonio nodded. "Thank you, Cassie. It means a lot to them. Especially Alessandra."

Cassie nodded. "My pleasure."

"Anywaus, your food should be about ready. Can I perhaps get you girls some wine?"

Cassie looked at Ellie. "What do you think, babe?"

 

[MsBloom]

Ellie just smiled at Antonio's rather expected coup. At the same time, the man had after all kept his restaurant open for just the two of them so in a way it was only fair that thee two starry eyed fans would get autographs to go along with tickets to the concert they were booked to do at the troubadour in two weeks time. It would be a relatively small and intimate concert where they would premiere their next single. This was another reason why Ellie had pushed herself to working late, because of the deadline on said single.

This kind of situation was also a mixed bag of emotions for Ellie, because even though she knew and Cassie knew that ultimately they were still a duo they were being promoted as a solo act in Cassie's name. There was a mix of jealousy that Cassie was the one getting all the attention and relief that she herself didn't have to be in the spotlight. In the end Ellie was happier taking a less public role and focus on the music rather than having to be everywhere at once to do promotion.

The two girls that came running out of the kitchen when Cassie agreed to meet them were no more than a few years younger than they were and in a way it boggled her mind that only two years ago they could have been those two starstruck girls holding out posters to get them autographed. She did raise an eyebrow and her smile widened when one of the girls requested Cassie to sign the poster to a girl like me, and the ensuing story from her father about how it was Cassie's public coming out that had given Alessandra the courage to come out, and about how her parents had accepted her for who she was without question. There were still stories like that popping up on social media from all over the country, and some from the rest of the world. Cassie had become a role model for awkward boys who were in fact not boys at all. Ellie remembered how nervous Cassie had been before that interview but as Ellie had said, and her manager had agreed, it was better that she broke the news herself than dealing with rumours and eventually getting outed by the music press. Not that Cassie's gender status had ever been a big secret and it would of course have come out sooner or later, especially when Not You Average Teen Girl was released, whether it would be as their third single or as the longest track on the album.

Once the autographs were signed and a few questions asked, mostly by Alessandra about being a special kind of girl, and answered openly and honestly by Cassie, the girls disappeared back towards the kitchen with a skip in their step and giggling.
"Sure," she said at the mention of some wine even if she was a bit surprised that Antonio was offering despite neither of them being of legal age to drink alcohol.
"Red please," she added and then took Cassie's hands when Antonio went back to the kitchen to prepared their food.
"You are absolutely amazing Cass, you know that right?"

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

Cassie enjoyed the rare informal interactions with fans, the ones where it was just a chance to be herself and have a chance to get to talk personally. It was especially nice to see the fans who were trans, who had felt inspired by her to come out. She had happily and openly talked to Alessandra, and once that was done and the wine ordered, she smiled as Ellie took her hand.

"Only because you repeatedly tell me so." She teased, glancing back to the kitchen. "I'm glad I can help girls like Alessandra." She added, then smirked.

"I think he's gonna charge me for the wine." She mused, then shook her head. "So, you and Andi have almost got Not Your Average Teen Girl done? Took long enough. But I get it. That's like our baby. I mean, we started on it when we were what, ten? So I get that it deserves as much effort and quality as possible. All the love. Thanks for handling all that work."

 

[MsBloom]

"Hopefully by tomorrow Andi will have a final mix of it ready for you to add new vocals to it combing all three versions into one," Ellis confirmed as a woman that Ellie assumed was Antonio's wife came out with a bottle of wine and two glasses.
She filled the glasses about half way and left the bottle on the table while explaining it was the best wine in the house.
"Anything for the girl who inspired my boy to become the girl he always knew he was," the woman said and then with a nod left the brightest new star on the pop scene alone with her girlfriend.

"Twelve, I think," Ellie said after the woman had left and took a sip of the wine.
"I think we were twelve when you first showed me the first draft of the words for it and I think it was another year before I began putting music to it."
Back then the song had been called Coming Out and had not had the catchy chorus it now had with the title at the end. From there it had undergone a long journey.
Not Your Average Teen Girl was the first song they had started recording for the album. The earliest versions were from the same sessions as Be My Baby and My Best Friend, the only other early song they still played and had recorded, from there they had changed Not Another Teen Girl, reworked it and at times almost re-written it, every chance they got and then after Cassie's coming out interview it had been decided to put it out as their third single but it was the oldest song they had recorded.

My Best Friend had become the additional track to their first single, a cover The Ronettes' Be My Baby, a song older than even their parents but there was no doubt it was an awesome song and when they recorded it Cassie had sung it to Ellie which probably had given her vocals a slightly seductive tone. It was only one of two songs they had recorded that they had not at least been part of writing, the other was Right Through Me which Andi had written a few years earlier. The rest of the songs were all Cassie's words and Ellie's music except a few where Andi had helped Ellie with the music.

It had been hard work and over the last four months Ellie had spent most of her time in the studio with Andi, and of course with Cassie whenever she wasn't being sent all over the country to do promotion which had become increasingly often after Heart of a Dreamer was released. Elli had done most of the instruments, except for drums and horns, when such were used, with Andi adding a few bits and pieces here and there. It had been four months of hard work but now that it was finished it had been well worth it.
"Yea, it has been hard work but also a lot of fun and I've learned so much from Andi," Ellie said and took another sip of wine just as Antonio's two daughters entered with their food.
Both girls acted very professional and there was no hint of the starstruck fans that had asked for autographs a few moments before but Ellie could easily imagining them nagging their parents in the kitchen to let them serve their idol and her girlfriend. She could also imagine the two girls bragging about it in school come Monday morning.
"And with all the new stuff I've been working on you've got your work cut out for you putting words to it."

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

Cassie knew the woman likely didn't mean any harm, especially as she seemed supportive of her daughter, but it still nagged at her to hear the young woman get misgendered. But that was a common mistake, especially for people who had known the trans person long before they came out, and Cassie resolved to have a quiet word about it with the woman before leaving.

The wine was indeed excellent, and Cassie nodded as Ellie spoke about the work she had putting words to the music Ellie was creating. "I'm sure we can do it." She said simply as she took a bite of her food.

"So, on the subject of our music, I have an idea, kind of, but I need some help, and going ahead with this idea is contingent on how Not Your Average Teen Girl performs. I was thinking we do a concept album, sort of. Have trans people send us their stories, build songs around common themes in those stories, basically do a whole pro-trans album about the issues trans people face. I'm a rising star, and I have a platform I can use to benefit the trans community by adding my voice." She said.

 

[MsBloom]

Having not eaten properly since lunch Ellie took a big bite out of the medium rare quarter pound burger with two thick slices of cheese, Pepper Jack underneath the burger, still firm and Red Cheddar on top once the burger had been flipped, all melted and gooey, thinly sliced onions, watercress, a smear of Dijon mustard on the bottom half of the bu and garlic mayo on top. Cassie sure knew how Ellie liked her burgers. It was perfect down to the last detail. Just the way she used to make them herself. She chewed carefully and nodded as Cassie presented her idea. A concept album about trans people was like the best idea she had heard.
"That sounds awesome," he said once she had swallowed and washed down the burger with some more wine.
She picked up one of the sweet potato fries from the plate, dipped it the spicy ketchup, took a bite, chewed and swallowed before continuing.
"Like you said though. It will depend on how Not Your Average Teen Girl is received. If it falls flat then I doubt the suits will finance such a project. If it becomes the hit I honestly believe it will be, they'll turn their pockets inside out and try to convince us that it was their idea."
She dipped the other half of the fry and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Here's an additional idea though. Not sure the suits will go for it but if Andi backs it they just might let us release Not You Average Teen Girl as a single but keep it off the album, so that we can open the concept album with it, or close with it. Making your own coming out story part of the project."
She smiled at Cassie and then started giggling.
"Listen to us talking huh," she said.
"Like two pros planning ahead when six months ago we were still lugging around our own equipment and playing small venues for a handful of loyal fans. It's like ... I half expect to wake up one morning and realise it has all been a dream."

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

Cassie hadn't doubted Ellie would be enthusiastic about the idea, and she smiled warmly. Ellie's suggestion to see if they could hold off on including Not Your Average Teen Girl on their first album so they could use it for the concept album got a bright look, and she nodded. "That's brilliant, babe." She said with a grin.

She nodded again. "It's been crazy, yeah, and I have the same fear. That one day I'll wake up and was all just a dream. Because I belong up there, onstage. I love it. The rush of performing, that's my drug."

She smiled again. "So, I've started thinking about the official music video for Not Your Average Teen Girl. I think it needs to be kind of a montage, maybe some dialogue for story purposes, showing that journey of self discovery from a young age. Find some trans kids to play the different ages, have the song and music playing over the scenes, have me play the final version of, well, myself and singing. Would it be too on the nose to have that final bit be me literally coming out of a closet?"

 

[MsBloom]

"Something in the vein of MJ's Thriller?" Ellie asked and tilted her head.
The referenced video was a classic by any standard. It was like a miniature movie with an elaborate group choreography in the middle and acted parts with dialogue cut in to the song. If Andi's latest mix came out the way Ellie imagined it there would be parts of the song that would make for some good dance sequences. She also imagined herself and Cassie doing something similar to the walk through the dark from Thriller with Cassie singing the piano ballad parts to her. The ideas were literally tumbling head over heels in her head the more she thought about Cassie's suggestions.

Instead of herself and Cassie she now imagined that walk being taken by the trans kids, changing as the song progressed to and through the first chorus and then at the end of the chorus, just after Cassie sang the title she would step out of an actual closet. She also imagined the changes from kid to kid happening while brief images of a caterpillar's transformation into a butterfly, with the cocoon representing the proverbial closet Cassie would then step out of. All the kids and a few other trans people would then be involved in the dance sequence.

"It would definitely be a major artistic statement to do something elaborate for the official video to Not Your Average Teen Girl, and at the same time almost like a kind of ... I dunno. She wanted to say either manifesto or agenda but neither word seemed to fit.
She took another bite of her burger and chewed it slowly while thinking about Cassie's more specific suggestions and it was absolutely great.
"I think you might already have a great candidate to play the early stages of your transformation in Alessandra. She'd be perfect if you think about it."
She emptied her glass and refilled it about half way, popped a fry into her mouth after dipping it and continued once she had swallowed.
"Gathering the trans kids for the video would also be a good start to gather inspirational stories for the concept album. I mean we could even get some of those kids to actually record their stories in the studio for us to use later on the album."

The more she talked the more Ellie started to feel that no matter how their next single was received they simply had to make that album, funded by the record company or not. It was like Cassie had sort of hinted, their duty to do so. Cassie had a platform that could reach millions of people all over the country and in the end world wide and she was a role model for many confused kids with gender identity issues, many of who didn't live in surroundings where they would be accepted coming out as trans. An album like the one Cassie had suggested would in the end be more than just a concept album. It would also need to be a lot more unrestricted musically, braking the framework of the traditional pop format.

After a few more fries Ellie shared her visions for the video with Cassie and concluded that it would in no way be too on the nose for Cassie to step out of an actual closet when she made her first appearance in the video.
"I mean isn't the coming out of the closet really a less mystical version of a butterfly breaking out of its cocoon? And isn't that really what coming out is all about, to finally become who you've always been, a beautiful woman, or man if you were assigned female at birth."
She took another bite of her burger and looked at her beautiful girlfriend realising how lucky she was to have fallen in love with her best friend and have her best friend fall in love with her. She also realised that she was probably the envy of many fans with a crush on Cassie.

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

Cassie shrugged at the comparison. "Sort of, I guess." She acknowledged.

The way Ellie trailed off talking about what the music video would be besides artistic statement, Cassie realized where Ellie was heading, and smiled. "It's a statement of human rights." She said bluntly.

The mention of casting Alessandra to play one of the younger versions of her made Cassie pause, and she thought for a moment. "Yeah, that would be cool." She said at last. "But let's make sure that, one, this idea for the video gets approved, and two, the concept album gets approved before we ask her." She said.

Using the stories of the kids they got to play in the video as a good starting point was a solid idea, getting a nod and smile. "That would be a great place to start." She agreed.

Ellie's ideas were fantastic, and a part of Cassie's mind was already visualizing how it would look. She nodded. "We have to make that album happen. If I have to pay out of my pocket to get it made, I will."

She gazed at Ellie as they ate, marveling at how lucky they were to have each other and to be on their way to fame and fortune.

"So, babe, this album, it's going need to have something besides the standard pop sound to it. Gonna need to be creative and unrestricted. You're gonna have your work cut out for you."

 

[MsBloom]

"A major artistic statement of Human Rights," Ellie agreed and in the back of her mind she could almost hear Cassie elaborating on that statement in promotional interviews with the same kind of bluntness as she had just used it.

She finished her burger and focused on the fries while nodding in agreement that they should of course mention the idea to no one, except maybe to Andi before they had approval from the suits, or the funds to make it by themselves. In the end it would, as Cassie said, mean that she had her work cut out for her but so would Cassie. Transforming those stories into song lyrics wouldn't be the easiest thing in the world.

As for venturing outside the standard pop format and sound there were already a few bits and pieces that were outside that format on the album they were about to put the finishing touches to, final mixes, song order, photo sessions for the cover which would presumably be just Cassie. Ellie's taste branched out in various directions and if she was completely honest she was something of a music nerd.

"That's it," she said with just a few fries left on the plate.
"I'm stuffed."
She finished the wine as well and patted her belly letting out a satisfied moan.

 

[DarkDreamer9110]

"And another thing. I wouldn't feel comfortable profiting off the album. I mean, I'm gonna be doing impressively well anyways. But there are other places, other causes, that need all the money they can get. So my share of royalties from it is gonna have to be set up to go to some group that benefits trans youth." She added with a nod.

"Oh, yeah, same. Totally stuffed." She agreed, holding up a hand. A few moments later, Antonio's wife emerged, and Cassie smiled. "I think we're done here." She said, standing up and smiling. "I'd like to say goodbye to everyone else, too. But first, there's something I need to say. It's not respectful or appropriate to refer to Alessandra by anything except her authentic identity, even if you're talking about before she came out. It just ... it's not okay. I know this is probably a new situation for you, and you don't mean anything by it, but just for future reference, please use the correct terms, even if she's not around and you're just talking about her. The best way you can be supportive is to be respectful of her."

The woman nodded. "Thank you for letting me know. I do try. It's just ..."

"Please don't make excuses. I know sometimes people can slip up. That's okay. Just keep working on getting better at it."

As the other three filed out, Cassie smiled and hugged them all, thanking Antonio again for letting them do this, and then making a point to hastily scrawl her number on a napkin and hand it to Alessandra. "That's my cell number. Don't give it out to anyone else, but if you ever need someone to talk to, if you need some support or advice, I'll be happy to help."

 

[MsBloom]

While Cassie said good bye and thanked the family for having stayed open until well past midnight for her Ellie took the opportunity to go the bathroom. She was starting to feel just how tired she was and when she checked the time on her phone it was already well past 1 am. Luckily tomorrow was Saturday and not a school night. When she had washed her hands and came back out into the restaurant she saw Cassie slipping Alessandra a piece of paper.
"That was one of the best burgers I've had," Ellie said with a smile and nodded at the family.
"And the fries ... to die for," she added and patted her belly again.

"Time to go home now?" she asked Cassie and rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.
Despite being dead tired she was feeling cuddly and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep with Cassie's arms around her.