The Story Of Us - Jones Lesley - Страница 18

I could hear my Mum talking quietly to someone, then Jimmie appeared in front of me. “George,” is all she said as I stood from the table and we hugged.

“What a fucking mess George, I didn’t know until early this morning and I didn’t want to call, in case you hadn’t heard, she’s a fucking bitch, I don’t believe a word of it.”

My stomach hit the floor and my heart stuttered in my chest. “Who Jim?” She looked from me to my Mum and frowned.

“Who Jim?” I repeated.

“Haley the whore.”

“It’s Haley the whore who’s saying she was raped. How? Why would she say that, was… was she in their room Jim?” My best friend steps toward me and in my head I’m begging her not to lie to me but in my heart, I’m begging her to protect me from the truth.

“Let’s go up to your room George.” I let out a deep breath and follow her up to my bedroom, I’m freezing so I climb under the quilt and Jimmie joins me.

“I won’t lie to you George, this is what Lennon told me; the boys left Spain Monday after us, they had no gig that night and all went to a party that Rocco threw in his room, Len said it was madness, women, drugs and drink, the usual KR sort of a do, the room was trashed and everyone was suffering the next day.”

“Including Sean?” I don’t know why I ask, I know what the answer is going to be.

“Including Sean and the rest of the band,” she nods as she speaks. “They played so bad that night that Len orders them straight back to their room Tuesday night and bars any calls from being made from their rooms so that they can’t order in booze or drugs or girls. Wednesday they are on lock down and only allowed to rehearse and sound check, then straight back to the room after the show. They flew into Paris Thursday morning and Marley and Lennon have a big bust up. Marls goes straight to the bar with Rocco and the rest of KR, Sean joins them after a while, they take over the pool area, Rocco calls up girls from everywhere. Apparently Haley flew in around lunch time and started partying with them and was all over Sean and Marley, and they all went back to their room at about seven o’clock, they were all pissed and all off their tits on Charlie, whizz and trips. Next thing Len knows is Haley’s on the landing, screaming the place down, stark bollock naked and saying that she wants the Police called because Sean and Marley have taken it in turns to rape her. Hotel management call the Police, everyone makes statements and Maca and Marls are taken away.”

She’s still talking as I jump off the bed and into my bathroom and throw my stomach contents down the toilet, Jimmies behind me, holding my hair back, then rinses out a flannel and puts it on the back of my neck. I stay on my knees for a few minutes and wait for the room to stop spinning and Jim passes me a glass of water, I rinse my mouth and spit into the toilet, before sitting back down on my bed.

“Why was she in their room?”

“I don’t know George, I only know what I’ve told ya, nothing else, Lens gonna ring here as soon as he knows anything, he’s not been allowed to speak with the boys yet but he said the label are flying their lawyers out there.”

I nod. “Yeah, my Dad’s going too.”

“Why was she in their room Jim, I just can’t see why she needed to be there? Unless they were all shagging.”

“Don’t George, don’t do this to yourself until we know all the details, this is Whorely we’re talking about, she would do anything for her five minutes of fame, you know that.”

“Yeah and I also know that she’s been after Sean forever and I also know that Sean should never have had a girl in his room, if Marley bought her back, then he should have gone to Len’s room, not stayed there with them, with her.”

I was angry now, fuck him, if he wanted the rock and roll life style, then fuck him, he could have it but there was no way I was going to sit at home like the dutiful little wifey while he shagged whores and snorted lines of coke. Serves him right if he was locked up, there was no way I was flying out to be with him now, let him sweat a bit. I went over to my bedside drawer and pulled out my engagement ring and held it up to Jimmie. “He proposed Jim, Saturday night before the show, he asked me to marry him, we were keeping it secret until he got home and could ask my Dad and we could do it properly.”

I looked from my best friend to my ring. “Oh my god George, it’s huge, put it on.”

I couldn’t, not now. I shook my head. “No, no way, until he’s stood in front of me and gives me his version of events, until he looks me in the eyes and tells me nothing happened with that slut, then I don’t want to talk to or hear from him.”

“Don’t be stupid G, you don’t mean that.” She laughs nervously at me.

“Oh I fucking mean it Jim, this is only the start, they’ve not even made the big time yet and already there are problems with whores and coke, if that’s the life he wants, then he can take it, I won’t be waiting at home for him while he does all that shit.”

“George, he wouldn’t, he loves you, he wants to marry you, fucking hell, don’t be so harsh, it was probably all Marley’s fault anyway, you saw him at the weekend, he’s so charlied up all the time, he doesn’t know what he’s doing.” Even as she spoke I could feel the little man in my chest, with his trowel, his bricks and his little pile of cement, he was building a wall around my heart, to protect it from what was to come.

The next few days were horrible, the worst I had ever endured in my short life, days that would change me forever.

My Dad and the lawyers had the boys out of custody and performing on stage by Friday night. I heard nothing from Sean all day Saturday, my Dad phoned Saturday afternoon to tell us that Haley had withdrawn the allegations and had actually admitted to being the owner of all the drugs that were found in the room. The boys had no gigs until Wednesday night in Stockholm so straight after the show Saturday night, they were going to fly back to England for a couple of days, I thought Sean would have phoned before they left but I heard nothing and was becoming more and more pissed off with him.

My Mum, Jimmie and I went for an Indian Saturday night and drank two bottles of wine, Jimmie and I were fine but my little skinny Mum, who wasn’t a big drinker, was absolutely hilarious when we got home and started playing records. The three of us danced around my parent’s front room and sang into whisks and spoons before collapsing on the sofa in a fit of giggles. I was barely hanging on, I was heartbroken, I was sad, I felt like Sean had abandoned me for this new life but I refused point blank to let anyone know how I was feeling and just pretended that my tears were from laughter and not because my heart was shattered.

Our front door unlocked at about two thirty that morning, my Mum was sleeping in my Dad’s armchair and Jimmie and I were on each end of the sofa when I felt soft lips brush against mine, my eyes fluttered open and it took me a few seconds to realise he was really there and I wasn’t dreaming. I don’t know why I did it but for some reason I pushed myself by my heals away from him, backing myself into the corner of the sofa, his beautiful face fell and he held his breath for a few seconds, his face still close enough for me to watch as he closed his big chocolate eyes and to marvel at his long, dark lashes that fanned his cheeks.

“Georgia, I’m so, so sorry.” I folded my arms across my chest and nodded at him. My Mum stood from the chair gave a cuddle to my Dad and Lennon, Marley had gone into the kitchen area and was sitting at the breakfast bar, I watched as my parents exchanged a look, then both looked at my brother, I stood and gave Len a cuddle, but I ignored Marley.

“Well, now you’re all home safe, I’m going to bed, night, night.”

“Georgia wait, we need to talk.” He looked tired and delicious and I loved him so much but I was hurt and angry.