The Bare Necessities (Non-Profane Edition) (17 page)

“You bought me a
studio. You encouraged me to form a band, so I have done. And Paige
is the best singer this side of the river.”

“Poppycock,” his
father cried and looked at his son. “She's flashed her bits at you,
and all of the known world and you've fallen for it. She's a slut,
a tart, a …”

Jack pushed his
father onto his chair and raised his fist. “Don't you say that
about her.”

“Oh great. So
you're in love with her. That's all we need.”

“I'm not. She's
just … a talented singer. And I enjoy making music with her.”

“You are naked.
Have some pride, man. Real men don't go wandering around indecent.
Pull yourself together.”

“It's my summer,
it's my life,” Jack told him forcefully. “It makes me happy. We've
had agents from some big agencies come to talk to us, and we filled
out pubs and …”

“You did what? On
Monday you start at the factory with me,” the businessman ordered.
“That'll stop this nonsense. And if you are not at work on the
Monday, I shall confiscate your car and your recording studio.

“But …”

“That's it, you
start work on Monday at 8am. You hear? Why can't you be like your
sister?”

Jack seethed and
glared at the smirking Harriet peering at him. “Because I am not
that evil.”

* *
* * *

“Jack! Jack!”
Claire cried as her friend joined her in the little deli where she
worked. It was her day off, but it was a good place to meet,
especially as Claire made them free drinks when the manager wasn't
looking, and the weary face of Jack looked across at Paige and
Claire talking animatedly. “Jack, listen to this.”

“Listen to
what?”

“I left you a
message, did you get it?”

“No. But we have
…”

“Well I went and
did his job. I've got us a twelve-date tour in the West Country
starting in a couple of days. Some of them are no money, but all
pay expenses and most are at sites, and we get free
accommodation.”

“And we are going
to use the big tent my parents use,” Paige added. “But a few we are
getting fees for.”

“It was simple
really. I just had to point them towards our videos, and they were
all delighted for us to come. And happy that we sing naked.”

“Isn't this … so
exciting?”

“Sit down,” Claire
moaned. “Standing there.”

“I can't do this
any more,” Jack told the two girls, and they stared at him. “My
parents know. My sister told them.”

“Well, so what?”
Paige asked.

“You don't get it.
I've been told to have nothing to do with you.”

“So? Are you
really going to listen?”

“Well … they are
my parents,” Jack replied. “I sort of have to. I can't ignore
them.”

Paige ran her
hands through her hair and shook her head. “You said you felt an
enjoyment when you did this. Was that a lie?”

“No!”

“You said you
wanted to help me, was that a lie?”

“No!”

“Then why is it,
when we are about to do something truly incredible. A road trip:
doing gigs twelve nights in twenty. Seeing the country. And you
bottle it?”

“You've not met my
parents.”

Paige sighed. “OK.
I'll meet them, and I'll tell them what I think.”

“No!”

“Why are you so
scared of them?”

Jack rubbed his
nose. “You don't know them. No-one goes up against my father and
wins. No-one. He's ruthless. And I don't want to be that person.
And I certainly don't want you to be that person because he'll
destroy you. It's off. I'm sorry.”

Paige pushed away
from the table, and Jack flinched. “I knew it. I knew I couldn't
trust you. I asked you when we started, and you promised me.”

“Well that was
before you started insisting on doing everything naked. There's a
reason why nobody else does it.”

“Yeah, I know
that. And I know it's a problem. But you …” She sneered down her
nose at him. “You. You're weak. No, you're worse than that. You're
pathetic. And that's a much bigger problem!”

“Paige!” Jack
shouted, and the tearful girl turned as she reached the door.
“Paige! I'm sorry.”

“Yeah. And I'm
sorry you haven't got the balls to be a man.”

* *
* * *

“You can't expect
me not to say anything. You were going to bring plebs into our
family. Dirty, slutty girls. I didn't want it, and Mum and Dad
didn't want it.” Jack ignored her, and she cooed sweetly. “I know
you aren't happy, but you'll thank me for it.”

“You did it out of
spite. You couldn't bear to see me happy.” Harriet cackled, and she
shook her head.

“Oh, big brother.
Is that what you think of me?”

“I know you have
secrets, and I don't tell on you.”

“Like what?”

“Like …
everything!” Jack shouted. “Like you sneaking off last year to go
to that party with your boyfriend. Like setting fire to next door's
bush. Like …”

“Prove it.”

Jack got up from his bed and his eyes narrowed. His
arms moved wildly as he spoke venomously and angrily towards his
younger sister. “I loved being in that band. It made me happy. And
you had to spoil it for me. Well now, that's it. The gloves are
off. If I find anything about you that I shouldn't, I'm going to
use it against you. I am going to be so nasty, 'cause I hate you. I
really hate you. Now do one and don't speak to me again.”

Harriet
laughed. “Hey, but at least it's not me that's the disappointment
any more.” She grinned as Jack slammed his bedroom door causing it
to splinter. “See ya later, bro!” Harriet called from the other
side of the bedroom door.

1. Chapter
   XIII
   

“I don't believe
him,” Paige shouted as she walked up and down the station platform.
“He is such a Mummy's boy. And he's ruined everything.”

“I'm sorry,
Paige.”

“It's not your
fault. It's that privileged prat's fault. Why did I trust him? I
knew something wasn't right.”

“I introduced you
to him. I mean, I thought he is nice enough, but that family only
ever think of themselves. I thought he was different, but I guess
…”

“No, he bloody
wasn't.” Paige kicked a discarded juice carton across the platform
to bounce over the white line and onto the track, and she yelled.
“How can he be so selfish? He promised us.”

“It's the upper
class,” Claire replied angrily. “They think they are above
everyone, don't they?”

“Yes. And I hate
him. I want to meet him on a dark night now,” she shouted and
stormed back to the metal chairs where Claire was sat. She gestured
angrily with her hands as she spoke. “And I want to pummel his
face. I want to hurt him so much.”

“Easy, Paige.”

“He has ruined it.
I thought, after my school talent show, when I just froze a few
seconds in that I wouldn't sing in public again. Sure, there was
the odd karaoke, but that didn't count, I mean singing to people.
And then I met you and Jack. And that gig at the pub in the
evening. With the birds and the trees. And all I thought was how I
never wanted that day to end. I thought we would have loads of
those.” She shook her head and Claire rubbed her brow.

“Maybe we could
get another keyboard player?”

“No. It wouldn't
be the same. Jack's ruined it. I thought we had something. I didn't
care if we didn't make it big, I just loved the band and what we
did. It felt incredible.”

“What about the
agents we saw. One of them wanted you to split from us, why not
give them a ring?”

“Because it won't
be the same,” Paige snapped. “I wanted … this,” she said firmly. “I
wanted it to be fun. If the Bare Necessities are over then it's …
it's over.” She looked at her friend who hummed.

“Maybe you will
think differently in the morning.” Their conversation was halted by
a train arriving at the platform, and the two girls travelled in
silence.

Claire got off the
train before Paige and promised the miserable singer that she would
ring while Paige got to walk home, lost in her own thoughts.

“You look as
miserable as I do,” Hazel told her sister as Paige opened the door
and the elder sibling grunted as she slouched onto the bed. “You
need to talk?”

“No,” Paige
muttered as tears filled her eyes. She sniffed, and her sister
looked up from the laptop to see Paige turn to face the wall.

“Paige, what's
happened?” Hazel asked in a concerned voice.

Paige sniffed
again and then burst into sobs. “I should be packing,” she cried.
“My band was going on tour, but we've been abandoned.” Hazel gulped
as Paige burst into tears, telling Hazel how Jack had betrayed
them, and the young girl sat on the bed and put her arms around
her.

Hazel listened as
Paige recounted the previous two hours and then nodded in
agreement. “He's a bastard,” Hazel agreed with her. “To do that,
just as Claire got all the bookings.”

Paige shrugged. “I
know. I know I shouldn't have trusted him. I asked him before the
agents came to see us, 'what happens if your family find out' and
he was, all like, yeah I can handle it but he just lied.”

“Then go on tour
without him. Just go.”

“We can't drive,”
Paige cried. “Or have the music equipment. It's over. Claire said
she will cancel them all tomorrow, we aren't going. I s'pose I
better go find myself a proper job,” Paige mused. “Dad's been on at
me to find a job so I s'pose I better go to the Job Centre.”

“But at least you
get to stay with me,” Hazel said with a smile. “I sort of feel that
I've missed my sister for the last few months.” Paige's face
flickered slightly, and Hazel cocked her head. “That song. Seeing
that song performed and knowing you wrote it about me. Well it made
me realise how much I do have someone who loves me, and I think
it's helped. Really helped.”

Paige snorted and
dried her eyes. “Good.”

“And I have a CD
of that music. It helps when I feel … low.”

“Good,” Paige
smiled. “At least the little bastard did some good then.”

“But not for you,”
Hazel muttered and the two sisters hugged tightly.

“Doesn't matter,”
Paige lied and sniffed as she held Hazel. “I'll be all right
tomorrow. And he better hope that I never see him again.”

* *
* * *

“Happy Jack left
town ages ago,” the female voice told him. “What does Aunty need to
do to bring him back.”

“You can give me
some of that whisky in your hand,” Jack snorted as his aunt entered
the reception room in his studio. He turned to face her, and she
held up a bottle.

“Vodka,” she
replied and sat down opposite him. “You were close. But no cigar. I
saw that video.”

“Oh. So you come
to bollock me.”

Lucinda cackled.
“When have I ever done that?” Her eyes sparkled and she leant back
in the chair, pointing towards him. “Well once, when you were
fourteen and drank my port without sharing.” Jack's face flickered
and Lucinda took a swig from the bottle. “I know what it's about,
tell me about them.”

“What Claire and
Paige? They were fantastic.”

“Are fantastic,”
Lucinda corrected him. “They're not dead, so they are
fantastic.”

“OK,” he snapped.
“They are fantastic. They had a friendship, a partnership that was
just brilliant. And I got to be part of that.” His red eyes looked
at his father's little sister. “It was great. It made me
happy.”

“Yeah, I could
tell. You were smiling in that video. And that Paige, awesome
voice.”

“I know. And they
are going on tour. If Harriet could have kept her mouth shut for
two more days, I'd be all over the country going gigs. With
them.”

“And you wanted to
go with 'em?”

Jack snorted. “Yeah. Of course. It made me happy.
Alive. Like nothing I've ever felt. Incredible. It was just …
me.”

“Then go,” Lucinda
suggested forcefully. “Who cares what your father says?”

“I can't.”

“You mean, you
won't. You can if you want. It's only fear holding you back. He
only has a hold over you 'cause you're scared of him. Sod 'im. He's
nothing but a joyless bully. The sooner you realise that he only
has the power over you, you choose to give him, the quicker you'll
break free. He has this reputation of being all-conquering but it's
bollocks.” Her eyes twinkled. “I know how much you like your group.
You've had a spring in ya step since I saw you with 'em.”

Jack gulped. “But
what about his threats?”

“Take your car or
studio from you? He hasn't got the time and if you run away he
can't take the car away. What else? You think he'll cut you out of
the family firm?” Lucinda giggled. “A few trips 'round the country
won't make him do that. And anyway, I own 50% of it after our Mum
died. Why do you think he can't bully me? I let him run it because
I don't want the hassle, but he knows if he upsets me, I will walk
in there and mess with it. I've done it once before, and he hated
me for it.”

Jack looked at her
as she took a gulp from the vodka. “So. What? Just leave?”

“Yeah!”

“They stormed away
from me two hours ago,” Jack told her. “They'll be cancelling the
gigs now.”

“Then ring them
and stop them,” Lucinda shouted at him. “Do you want this? If you
want it, work for it.” Her eyes narrowed. “If I get Paul and Anne
and your bloody sister out for an hour or two at a restaurant
tonight, will that be enough time for my favourite nephew do a
runner and leave a note.”

“He'll … he'll
lose it.”

“I hope so,”
Lucinda smiled. “I bloody hope so.” Her eyes fell to the floor.
“There was a day when he wasn't like this. He used to be … fun. And
then our dad beat it out of him. And he's been a bit of a twat ever
since.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I still love him, he's
my brother, but that doesn't stop me from thinking he's a
prat.”

“But …”