Authors: Kat Green

Strings (18 page)

BOOK: Strings

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Melissa ran the last few steps to her car, pulling her keys from her pocket as she went. By some miracle she unlocked it first time and got in, then quickly locked the doors, her heart racing. The person jumped onto the bonnet of the car and stood there, staring down at her.

Fear had gripped her. Eventually, after what seemed like hours but was probably seconds,
the person made a cut-throat sign and then jumped down. Melissa was sure she heard a laugh as he or she ran off. She thought it looked like a female, but she couldn’t be sure.

Melissa
was shaking like a leaf but she started the engine and once she’d caught her breath, and put her foot down to head for her best friend’s house, and safety.

*****

‘I think you’re mental.’ Beth was pacing around her flat, puffing on a cigarette and shaking her head at her best friend’s decision. Melissa didn't want to make a fuss about what had just happened, and in particular she didn’t want to tell Luke. She wanted to put it down to a jealous fan being a bit weird, and forget about it.

‘It’s nothing.’ Melissa was trying hard to play it down, but in truth it had scared her to death.

‘Oh yeah. It happens all the time,’ Beth replied sarcastically. She wasn’t amused in the slightest, and she definitely wasn’t prepared to accept it as nothing. ‘I still think you’re insane.’

Beth’s flat was a small one-bedroom place above a newsagent’s, but it was hers and she was proud that she paid for it herself. It was her little piece of independence. It was decorated in a simple but homely way, and she was happy there.

Her hair was still damp from her shower making it go frizzy as it dried. Melissa giggled as
she paced about in her yellow cotton pyjamas looking less like a rock star’s girlfriend and more like a presenter on a kids’ TV programme.

‘Don’t laugh,’ Beth scolded. ‘You caught me in the middle of my evening beauty ritual and it’s gone to shit now.’ Her voice cracked with the effort of trying not to laugh too as she caught her reflection in the window. ‘Dear god, look at me,’ then she cursed as she tripped over some of Dale’s lesser used equipment. His acoustic guitar, which Beth had been instructed to take in for maintenance while he was away, was leaning up against the TV and Melissa reminded her she’d be in trouble if she didn’t make sure she got it fixed. ‘Me? In trouble?’ Beth laughed. ‘Have a word, babe. Anyway, I’m doing it tomorrow so it’s all good.’

Dale had now officially moved in, and his stuff was already scattered everywhere. Melissa found it funny how things had worked out for them both – girlfriends of up and coming rock stars who had just fitted into their lives so easily. He had moved in without there being much of a conversation about it – it just sort of happened. It was as though it had always been that way.

Melissa was now used to tripping over guitars and amps on a regular basis.

Beth poured more wine as Melissa begged her not to tell anyone what had happened and she eventually agreed, on two conditions. If anything remotely suspicious happened again, it had to be reported straight away, and Melissa was to stay at Beth’s flat until the boys were back, just to be safe. They considered it an emergency and used it as an excuse to call in sick for work next day.

*****

Their sick day was spent watching movies in their pyjamas and eating junk food.

‘This’ll be our little secret, he he’ Melissa whispered as they snuggled together on the sofa, wrapped in a duvet with tea and biscuits.

‘Yeah, just this once,’ Beth promised. ‘I mean it though. If anything else happens Liss, I’ll call the police myself.’

Melissa nodded, accepting that what Beth was saying was fair enough.

T
he week ended with no more incidents, and Melissa began to relax a little. She started to believe that maybe it really had been a one-off incident.

Work kept her busy
, and she’d started going to the gym again. There was also a weekly dance class at her gym that she had signed up to. She had always loved dancing, but it had been a long time since she’d done any. Luke would be away a lot more, so it was important that she had her own interests to keep her busy and keep her mind off the fact that he wasn’t around, whatever gossip was being printed about her, and the threat of being accosted by weirdo stalkers.

*****

‘
Melissa and Luke are heading for a split after Luke flirts with mystery brunette in NYC bar!
The newest star relationship is on the rocks, according to a source …’

Luke screwed up the paper and chucked it over his shoulder, hitting Dale in the face.

‘Who writes this shit?’ he grumbled. ‘Whoever it is, I’ll shove it down their throat so they choke.’ He called Melissa just to make she was OK, and he was pleased to hear her laugh about it.

‘Oh man, it’s the mystery woman again. Luke, you should really ask her name next time.’ Melissa laughed, making him chuckle too.

She really is an amazing girlfriend, he thought. ‘Sodding mystery to me too, seeing as though I didn’t speak to any women that evening. I was too busy arguing with Toby about the football most of the evening as I recall.’ He lit a cigarette. ‘I guess that’s not juicy enough.’

There had been several drunken nights back in the old days when they woke next morning surrounded by random items that had been ‘borrowed’ from various places – traffic cones, fire extinguishers, even a park bench once. But by far the most random had been a live goat. They still had no idea where it came from. They had to do some serious apologising when the RSPCA had arrived to take it away, and they only narrowly avoided being reported to the police. Their story of simply waking up to find her in the living room hadn’t really washed with the officers…but she was returned unharmed to the farmer.

*****

The last few days of the trip to New York passed quickly, and eventually the guys returned home, much more famous than they’d been a week before. Four days after they left for New York, Melissa had realised how well known they were becoming when she returned home from work to find a group of six girls looking oddly nervous hanging around close to her house. They giggled nervously, whispering to each other as she parked her car. One of them walked towards Melissa as she opened her gate. It had been a very long, busy day with lots of demanding customers, and Melissa wasn’t in the best of moods. She knew what was about to happen so she counted to ten, sucked in her breath and turned to them, smiling sweetly.

‘Are you Black Eagles fans?’ Melissa asked politely. It was easier that way for the girl concerned, to say something to break the ice slightly. Melissa understood how daunting it was to meet someone you’re a fan of. There was always the fear that they might not be as nice as you had built them up in your mind to be, because this would smash your dreams to bits.

The girl stopped, a little unsure of what to say next as she looked down at the tiny girl who was dating her idol.

Melissa noticed that the girl was wearing black wedge-style Tom’s shoes, exactly the same as the pair she was waiting for the postman to deliver.

‘Wow, I like your shoes.
I’m getting some of those.’

T
his made the girl’s day.

The rest of the group gained confidence and came over. They asked a few innocent questions about Luke and the band, and Melissa chatted to them happily for a while, before realising that they had helped her forget about her bad day at work.

‘You are so lucky,’ one girl gushed, ‘he’s just amazing.’

Melissa smiled and thanked the girl, trying not to look smug about it. It was a bit odd to see a stranger almost having a meltdown about your boyfriend, flattering as it might be. They asked when he’d be home and Melissa gave a very vague answer, hoping to put them off. When Luke did get home, she wanted him all to herself.

Eventually, the group went on their way, smiling and laughing, happy that their journey hadn’t been wasted. They knew Luke was away but meeting his girlfriend was the next best thing. Their pictures with her were soon all over the web but Melissa was slowly starting to get used to it.

Hit the shelves

January 2014

‘I’m so proud,’ Melissa gushed as she held up
a copy of
Highway
Magazine. It contained the boys’ very first interview. She shook slightly as she stared at the picture on the front cover – the beautiful man staring out at her was her boyfriend, her Luke.

Beth snatched the magazine out of her hands, eager for another read, while Melissa straightened her hair ready for their night out. Echo were playing at The Roundhouse in London and had invited the two girls to join them as their guests.

‘They come across really well,’ Beth beamed as she pored over it again. Melissa saw the contented look in her friend’s eyes. She stroked the page and her hand stopped and rested on Dale’s face. For a split second the real Beth shone through, the loving girl who deep down was scared she would lose him. With a flick of her midnight curls, the front was back and she told Melissa to stop faffing around and finish her wine so they could go out. She didn’t want to risk getting there late and missing the start of their friends’ set. Beth packed the magazine into her overnight bag for safe keeping, and checked her hair again as Melissa stepped into her new killer heels and knocked back the last of the bottle of Pinot Grigio.

‘Ready to rock and roll?’ Beth asked excitedly. Melissa nodded and they headed out of the hotel.

*****

The evening didn’t quite go to plan. Echo put on a great show but Melissa was subjected to several rude comments, including being called a slag, from people who’d decided that the rumours must be true about her sleeping with Toby behind Luke’s back. Melissa tried her best to ignore it, but a particular group of girls were seemingly enjoying being bullies. It was a tough situation for Beth, whose natural instinct was to go on the attack. Nobody treated her best friend like that, but she was also trying to prove she could behave.

‘I swear…if they carry on ...’ Beth hissed, glaring at the group of girls who were huddled together as if they were back in the playground. They had made rude comments each time Melissa had walked past them, and one had barged past her, knocking her as she did so. One had commented loudly, ‘she looks a little fat these days.’

This sort of thing was one of the negatives that came with
her new life, and because of her new-found celebrity status it seemed that some people felt it was OK to bully her. She dabbed a tear away before it fell, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of knowing they’d got to her.

‘Don’t listen to those knobheads. You have what they want - that’s all it comes down to,’ Beth assured her. She gave her the smile she used when she was feeling all sentimental and protective. ‘Keep your head high, and rise above it. These cretins don’t care either way, they’re just trying to feel better about themselves. Luke loves
you
, not them, so just remember that. It’s jealousy, pure and simple.’ Melissa nodded and smiled back at her friend, her expression saying, ‘thanks’.

The
Eagles’ single ‘Games’ had reached number three in the charts and the album was days away from being finished, so she would just concentrate on the positives in her life. Screw those jerks, she thought as they knocked back more shots. Beth groaned as a flash went off – another thing they had to endure. It felt as though every move they made someone was being snapped by someone, but it was the things written about them that she hated most.

There were stories doing the rounds claiming she was in a relationship with Toby, and possibly other members of the band. She and Beth were lesbians apparently, and Cassie and Luke were cheating on Melissa as revenge for her Toby affair.

Cassie
and Melissa laughed about it over a drink after the show. It made Melissa feel much better about things.

In a real-world development,
Jo-Jo had asked the girls about Tom, and told them that she wasn’t going to wait around forever.

‘She totally wants him,’ Cassie laughed. Their game of playing hard to get was becoming very irritating. They adored each other, yet seemed hell-bent on stringing the whole thing out. Cassie had told her that morning to ‘shag him already ... you’re driving me nuts’, while Luke was saying pretty much the same thing to his bass player, three thousand miles away.

The girls chatted over drinks. Echo’s single ‘Run and Hide’ was exploding up the charts, sitting just above the Eagles at number two. Cassie had got a bit emotional while telling the girls about it. She’d written it years ago after her cousin had committed suicide aged sixteen, having suffered from nasty bullying. ‘Run and Hide’ was something he did day after day, until he finally couldn't take it any more.

Cassie took great pleasure in sending Luke smug messages each time they overtook them in the charts. The girls hadn’t been offered anything by Sky Storm but Purple Velvet Records had signed them up, adding rival labels to the banter. They all had a nice friendship, and Melissa often thought about how it all came about, concluding that it was meant to be - written in the stars or something.

‘Don’t let them get to you,’ Cassie said, referring to the ‘bitch pack’ as they called them. ‘It’s only because you’re so fucking beautiful and Luke is your boyfriend.’

Melissa nodded, blushing. ‘Thanks, Cass.’

‘Let’s pack up our shit,’ Cassie called to the crew. ‘Go somewhere without dumb bitches.’

They went on to a couple of bars and then a club, only leaving to head back to their hotel when things turned ugly. They were hounded as usual by the paparazzi, all spouting the usual rubbish. But Melissa had been worn down by the day’s events, and alcohol had weakened her restraint, so she exploded at them, charging for one male photographer who had got too close to her, yelling at him to leave them alone. Beth and Cassie had to wrestle her into their minibus, and shortly afterwards Jo-Jo and Allie had arrived and helped calm things down.

‘I’m not,’ Melissa cried, referring to their accusations about her and Toby. It was driving her mad.

‘Liss, we know that and most of all Luke knows that. Don’t stress,’ Beth said slurring a little before kissing Melissa on the cheek. ‘They’re just brainless morons – they don’t even believe it. It’s just to wind you up.’

Melissa slumped in her seat, angry and embarrassed at her little performance. A perfectly good night had been ruined right at the end, and her tears flowed at the hurtful lies that she couldn’t stop them printing. Cassie noticed but didn’t make a fuss. She just put her arm around her and told her it was all going to be OK. She texted Luke a heads up that Melissa might need a call from her loving boyfriend.

Naturally, Melissa had worried that Luke would be angry with her for showing him up, but he wasn’t concerned about that – he knew very well how vicious they could be at times. She felt much better that he was sympathetic rather than annoyed.

‘You’re adorable when you’re mad,’ he joked, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Thanks for making me feel better.’

‘Anytime, beautiful.’

‘Can I see you before I forget what you look like?’

‘I’ll be home soon, I promise. It’s just I need—’

Melissa finished his sentence for him. ‘I know ... I know you need to get the album finished.’ It was just how he worked. He wouldn’t rest till it was perfect. Every second he wasn’t working on it, he felt like he was wasting time. This meant for the time being that she came second. It was hard, but she understood that it was his life’s work. Even if he was with her, his mind would be on work, so it would be pointless anyway.

‘You know I love you, don’t you?’

‘Yes, I know,’ Melissa giggled. ‘But will you hurry up and come back to me please?’

*****

‘I hate this …’ Melissa growled as she threw the magazine to the floor. Their night out had hit the shelves and, as expected, Melissa was front page news.

‘Eagle babe … Drinking out of control, attacks male photographer ...
’

‘Now I look like a mental case!’ Melissa complained, looking at Luke for reassurance. He picked up the magazine and threw it in the bin. Melissa looked deflated as she sat there in the kitchen, her legs pulled up and her chin resting on her knees. She looked like she was about to cry.

‘You know me and Toby would never—’ Luke cut her off by laughing loudly. ‘It isn’t funny,’ she whimpered. ‘People are believing this stuff. I was called a slut in the bar last night.’ The hurt in her eyes made Luke stop laughing – he hadn’t realised people were insulting her.

‘Hey,’ he said, sounding concerned now. ‘I didn’t know it was that bad, sorry.’ He sat on the floor so they were at eye level and stroked her cheek gently. ‘I know it’s bullshit. I trust you both, and we don’t care what anyone else thinks.’

‘Sorry if I’ve shown you up by getting pissed.’

Luke shook his head before kissing her to show that he wasn’t at all angry at her, or embarrassed by her behaviour. ‘You’re my very own mental case,’ he sniggered.

The only time any of it would bother him was when the media upset Melissa. He tried not to read any of it but it was impossible to ignore completely. When they were promoting, he would read enough to know the gossip doing the rounds. Then they would come up with funny or vague answers to the inevitable interview questions.

‘I’ve got some good news,’ Luke said, changing the subject. It was the reason he had rushed home after a meeting.

Melissa jumped up as she remembered his meeting. ‘Oh my god, of course. Sorry, forget those idiots. How did it go?’ She put her hands together like she was praying, looking excited but slightly cautious.

‘They love it!’ Luke said, before the biggest smile spread across his face. ‘We’ve just signed off our first ever album.’

Melissa screamed, almost bursting Luke’s eardrums. She jumped around the kitchen like she was on a pogo stick. Luke laughed hysterically. He knew the same thing would be happening with Dale and Beth. The record label were over the moon with the album and it had been passed for release without any quibbles or changes. Jay-den was the most impressed.

‘I knew you boys were good, but Christ, I didn’t think you were this good,’ he had said just a few hours before. Their next step would be their first tour, around Europe first, then a short break before hitting the States. It meant almost three months away from home. There was still the matter of Ray’s non-negotiable ban on girlfriends. Luke had tried to get him to at least let them join them for a couple of weekends.

‘No’ had been his final answer. He knew very well that he’d have a problem getting his front man out of his bed with that little beauty around. Despite his concerns, even Ray had to admit she was very easy to like. He even had a soft spot for Beth. They made his two main guys happy, giving him some comfort. The ban was staying in place regardless. He had a reputation to uphold after all.

‘Miserable git,’ Melissa complained, but deep down she knew it was important that Luke was fully focused. It had to go well. Melissa began to accept that it was nearly that time when she would be climbing into the ‘back seat’ Jay-Den always banged on about. ‘Call me every day if you can,’ she pouted a little.

‘Your wish is my command.’ Luke felt relieved that she had accepted Ray’s decision so easily. He wasn’t sure Dale would be having the same conversation and he laughed at the thought.

‘You know Beth isn’t going to take this well,’ Melissa said, as if she had read his mind. Luke pulled something from his pocket, diverting the conversation immediately. Eyes wide, she screamed again. It was a copy of their album, plus an envelope containing tickets to Barcelona. A long weekend away to give them some time to themselves, before he went away. They would be back just in time for their very first album launch party.

Everyone agreed that t
he album listing was perfect.

The Black Eagles

First Flight