Katherine Abernathy

Katherine is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. She is an aspiring pianist, dreaming of following in Liberace's footsteps.

Throughout the novel, she's shown playing a Denizen of Oz in Wicked, Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods, and Charlotte in Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella.

Appearance
Katherine is of relatively short height, and has short wavy red hair and hazel eyes. She has long bangs that she usually keeps pulled back with a hair clip. Because of her youthful appearance, she is usually cast in children's roles in the school's productions.

Katherine has a very odd style of dress, which she says is because of "bullshit dress codes", with the main goal of covering up everything that school dress codes list. A main theme in her wardrobe is bright-blue sports compression sleeves, grey gardening gloves, and purple shoulder pads. When she first meets Max and Greta, she is dressed in these three, along with a black and pink striped sleeveless turtleneck, baggy sweatpants, and a pair of grey high-top sneakers.

On lazy days, she tends to wear a hooded cat-eared onesie.

In auditions and talent shows, she dresses "normal".

Personality
Katherine has an eccentric, hyperactive personality. She presents herself with a joking sense of grandiosity and often makes quirky poses while introducing herself as the "eccentric piano genius".

She has the charm and innocence of a child, matching with her physical appearance. She easily trusts just about anyone she meets, immediately calling them friends (though she will avoid anyone who is rude to her). After Ezra insults her and her dream, she begins crying and runs off like a child. Because of her childishness, many people find her dream of being a pianist ridiculous.

However, despite her usual quirks, she is a talented pianist, having began playing when she was seven. She seems to enjoy playing movie and anime soundtracks (though she states she is not an anime fan).

Melanie Schultz
Katherine and Mel have been friends since elementary school. Meeting during a talent show, the two have been inseparable ever since. Once Mel came out as genderfluid, Katherine immediately took to calling Mel by their preferred pronouns (although not without the occasional slip).

It's implied throughout the novel that Katherine has developed romantic feelings for Mel. She states several times that she loves Mel, and even tells Greta that she thinks of Mel as her "special other". She even talks with Elena about what she should do to tell Mel her feelings (albeit indirectly). However, it's never revealed if Mel is aware of Katherine's implied feelings for them, or even if they reciprocate these feelings.

Elena Anderson
Katherine seems to genuinely like Elena. Though they don't hang out much, it's possible that they have known each other for a while (as Mel mentions that they and Elena have been acquaintances before). She sees Elena as an older sister, and she even gives her the nickname "Big Sis". Elena joins Max, Greta, and Michelle in the music room to hang out with Katherine and Mel.

Mackenzie Fanheart
Katherine likes Max because of her friendly personality. Though they don't hang out too much, Max (along with Greta, Elena, and Michelle) often hang out with her and Mel in the music room.

Greta Watkins
Katherine likes Greta because of her "adorable girly style". Though they don't hang out too much, Greta (along with Max, Elena, and Michelle) often hang out with her and Mel in the music room.

Michelle Docherty
Katherine likes Michelle because of her funky style. Though they don't hang out too much, Michelle (along with Max, Greta, and Elena) joins her and Mel in the music room.

Darius Anderson
As compared to a few of the other characters in the novel, Katherine seems to genuinely think of Darius as a friend. After Ezra makes her cry and she runs off, she runs into Darius and hugs onto him for comfort. However, he doesn't seem to think of her as anything more than an acquaintance to his sister, and after his obsession with Max begins, he seems to think even less of her, calling her "just another girl". She seems to be oblivious of this, as her way of treating him doesn't change.

Trivia

 * Meaning of the name 'Katherine': Pure; clear. Meaning of the surname 'Abernathy': "Mouth of the river Nethy".
 * Katherine is the second person outside of Darius' immediate family to hug him, the first being Max.
 * However, he says that Max hugging him made him feel warm and wanted; he says that when Katherine hugged him, he felt nothing at all. This was to show that he was already so invested in Max (due to her being the first) that anyone else hugging him after that didn't have the same effect.