Chapter 8
“No,” I said looking back at him
through the mirror.
“You do it every night on tour, why
can’t you do it tonight?” He said swivelling my chair around so I was face to
face with him.
“This is so different Rob, this is
fucking Live 8, which is being broadcast to the entire world, your lucky I’m
singing backing vocals to Angels, you have had plenty of time to get someone
else, no,” I said again more sternly whilst turning back to the mirror and
applying more mascara.
“Ok fine I’ll see if someone else can
convince you,” and with that he was out of the dressing room, leaving me to
finish getting ready. We had thirty minutes before we were due to go on stage
and then we would be flying out to Berlin to continue on with the tour. So far
I had avoided meeting Nick, but that was mainly because he had only arrived
thirty minutes ago and hopefully he was stuck doing vocal warm-up, to busy to
come and look for me and I wasn’t about to go and look for him.
After I applied my lip gloss I blew
myself a kiss in the mirror and went in search of my guitar to make sure it was
tuned. Our room, or should I say partition was quiet then again I was the only
one in it and the paper thin walls didn’t do much to hide any sound so of
course I could hear what was going on next door.
“You know what Howie, you do that and
I’ll do the bit you’re supposed to do,” I heard Nick moan. Great they had the
room next to ours, which made the odds of us bumping into each other more
likely. Glancing at my watch I realised I had just enough time to grab a quick
drink, maybe a shot for courage before we were due to gather for prayer. Lifting
my guitar from my lap I walked towards the door, heading for the bar. The
backstage area was huge and I walked through the maze of makeshift dressing
rooms ohhing at the different names written on them. Status Quo, Paul
McCartney, Madonna, U2, Elton John, Joss Stone and Snoop Dog.
Just as I walked passed the door that
had Brad Pitt written in a star it opened and out walked Robbie, a huge smirk
crossing his face when he saw me.
“If it isn’t the Lady herself, Brad
this is who I was telling you about, and remember no picture or autograph until
she says yes.”
He was even more gorgeous in real
life. The jeans were just tight enough and he had on a black leather jacket
that made him look yummy, was he chucking at me? Ohh maybe because he had his
hand held out and I was still staring. I gladly took his hand and it was so
smooth.
“Nice to meet you Willow, I am on
orders that I have to make you agree to something,” he said looking into my
eyes.
“I….nice to meet you, you are so
dead,” I said looking to Robbie who just laughed.
“So why won’t you sing, if your
singing ability is as good as your writing ability, which I am assured it is,
then you have nothing to worry about.” Brad Pitt was standing here
complimenting me; I could now die a happy woman.
“You know my songs?” I asked timidly.
“Of course, I love the work you’ve
done with this guy here, so why won’t you agree to sing with him?”
“I… uh…I…” I stumbled making them both
laugh.
“See no credible reason not to, your
doing it,” Robbie said and I had to give in. “Thanks brad I knew you wouldn’t
fail me, and I think we better head to it girlie, can’t keep the adoring public
waiting can we,” he said steering me towards the stage and I could feel the
butterflies starting to flap.
“It was nice meeting you, I’ll be
watching,” Brad said, which made the butterflies flap even harder.
“Ok now I might just throw up,” I
groaned as I was pulled towards the stage.
I could hear the crowd singing along and it got my adrenaline
pumping, I looked to Kevin who was deep in conversation with Howie, probably
about harmonies, A.J was jumping up an down annoying Brian and I walked toward
the side of the stage to get a better view of who was performing.
I could see her, in her own world, playing guitar. It didn’t
matter that there was god knows how many thousands of people in the audience;
she was still lost in her own world. She looked great, black pants and a purple
tank top, to match the purple tips of her newly extended curly hair. I
continued to watch as the song came to an end and she pulled the strap of the
guitar over her head and picked up something to her right, which I couldn’t
quite see.
“As you know, I have sung a duet with a very sexy lady, who
unfortunately can’t be here today, so I am going to introduce you to another
very, very sexy lady, this is KIDS!” Robbie yelled before the band kicked in
and the crowd again went wild.
He kicked into a rap and I had lost sight of Willow due to the
dancers that were on the stage, so I just bobbed my head along to the beat,
until I saw a familiar face on the screen across from me and I felt my jaw drop
as I heard her voice.
“Me no bubilicious,” she sang as she strutted her stuff on stage
whilst Robbie replied. She oozed sex appeal, swaying her hips to the beat of
the music, and throwing him cheeky grins. How he had managed to make her sing
in front of all these people, I had no idea. This was not her, she had always
been shy and timid, avoiding the limelight at all costs, but then again she had
a great voice and maybe this tour had given her more confidence in her
abilities.
“She must be drugged,” A.J exclaimed as he pushed my shoulder.
“She looks great,” I said wising immediately that I hadn’t.
“Ohh Nicky has a crush, Nicky has a crush, Nicky wants to do
Willow,” He chanted jumping up and down. He was always like this before a show
and usually it didn’t bother me because we were usually like it together, but
all day I had known that she was here I had felt different, hoping to bump into
her, rather than actually going to find her. I was glad that Kristen had flown
back to L.A; otherwise I think she would have led me by the hand to find her.
“I’ve already done Willow,” I retaliated, with a self assured
smile.
“Yeah, can’t have done a good enough job though man,” he joked,
“She does look fucking hot though, talked to her today? Or are we still in
avoid mode?”
“I’m not avoiding her, I’ve been busy today, I haven’t had time to
see her,” There was no way in hell he was buying that.
“Jesus Christ, I tell you what if we didn’t need your pretty face
I’d be smashing it against that speaker right now, she was in the dressing room
next to ours, you could have gone over and asked to borrow a cup of sugar, hell
I did it with Madonna,” he laughed, fiddling with the bottom of his mike.
“You asked Madonna for a cup of sugar?” I asked intrigued.
“Well she didn’t actually answer the door, but her minder kindly
told me that sugar was available from catering.”
“You’re a freak, has anyone ever told you that?” I chuckled.
“You guys know you love me, and Robbie is going to the after party
which more than likely means she will be going too. You can casually bump into
her then, buy her a drink and talk,” he said nudging me. I kept quiet and
turned to watch the rest of her performance, A.J’ and Kristin’s words echoing
in my head.
I kept seeing something jump up and
down at the side of the stage and glanced over to see A.J and Nick. I didn’t
have to look to know that he was there; I could feel his eyes on me during
“Feel”. I knew he was going to be shocked that I was singing in front of such a
massive audience and I was dying to hear what he had to say about it but then
again I was also too scared to go and talk to him, to be the first one to make
conversation. I turned my head back and gazed out to the thousands of people in
the audience and I could feel my butterflies start to flap once again. What the
hell was I doing? I must have been crazy to agree to this, but the crowd didn’t
seem to mind my voice so it wasn’t too bad.
The song came to an end and Robbie
thanked the crowd as we all walked off stage and towards the bar. I was kinda
sad that it was one way on and one way off the stage but I was also kinda
relieved as that meant that I could again avoid the awkwardness of having to
make small talk with Nick. I looked over my shoulder and I could see them all
huddled together in prayer, his hair had grown again and he still looked good.
His head moved and I wasn’t quick enough to turn mine away, his eyes locked
with mine and he threw me a smile and a wink and I felt myself smiling back
towards him whilst being dragged by Neil the bass player.
“Come on the bar waits.”
“I’m gona chill here for a bit, I’ll
meet up with you guys ok?” I said pulling back from his grasp, he just shrugged
and carried on walking. I looked around and found a gig box which I hopped up
on to, ready to watch their performance.
Twenty minutes later their set was
coming to an end and I saw Nick walk towards the other wing and put on his
guitar, I knew he could play as I had been the one to teach him, but he had
never had the confidence to play in front of an audience before, I guess that
had changed.
“Who wants to meet Nick’s new
girlfriend?” Kevin asked the crowd, and there was a collective boo and no among
the crowd and I think even one from me.
“This is Helga,” Nick proclaimed,
“She’s an extremely good listener and she also likes my finger work,” he
chuckled which made me laugh. I watched him concentrate on getting his
fingering right as the band kicked in to just want you to know.
“Looking at your picture
From when we first met
You gave me a smile that I could never
forget
And nothing I could do
Could protect me from you that night.”
He sang the words into the mike but he wasn’t looking at the crowd instead he
was looking into the wing, there was no way he could see me sat behind all
these people, but he definitely knew I was here and I smiled thinking to when
we had first met.
He had been a gawky sixteen year old
on their first headlining European tour and it was the first summer I had spent
with my Dad since my parents had divorced. On one hand it was cool because I
was getting to travel Europe, but then again I was travelling Europe with my
Dad, with no one my age so it kinda blew too.
I remember being sat outside the venue
with a beat up guitar of my dad’s playing the opening rift to “sweet child of
mine” just minding my own business when he walked outside and caused me to abruptly
stop. The conversation had been strained to say the least, I wasn’t used to
talking to boys seeing as I went to an all girls school at my mothers
insistence, but he persevered and here we were nearly ten years later, best
friends.
I sighed realising that we weren’t
though; we hadn’t talked properly in nearly five months now, I missed being
able to pick up the phone and ask him for help on a song, or to listen to his
geeky voice mails telling me how bored he was. He once decided to read me the
dictionary in a voicemail because he was bored. He got to atrocity before
giving up.
I was pulled from my thoughts when A.J
pulled my legs and I began to slip from the box I was sat on.
“WILLOOWWW,” he yelled, grabbing me in
to a bear hug.
“Eww your sweaty,” I said but I didn’t
pull back I just hugged him tighter. He eventually loosened his grip and pulled
back to look at me.
“Girl you are looking fine, and hello
was that meek little you singing out there? You sounded fucking amazing,” he
complimented and I could feel myself blush. “Really you did, I however was
complete piss from the looks that Kevin was throwing me.”
“Babe you were shit hot and you know
it, you just want a compliment,” I reassured him and he smiled at me.
“You know me to well, look I gotta pee
but you’re coming to the after party right?” He said jigging up and down.
“Yeah, but only till around twelve,
got a flight to Berlin later.”
“Cool, I’ll see you there sweetie and
we can catch up properly,” he said as he lent in and gave me a quick peck on
the cheek before darting off towards the toilets. I laughed as I watched him go
but my then my breath caught in my throat as I heard someone clear his throat,
I exhaled slowly before turning to him.
“Hey stranger,” she said smiling up to me and I couldn’t help but
smile back to her. I didn’t say anything, instead I reached out and pulled her in for a
hug, she was hesitant at first but I felt her arms wrap round my waist as she
hugged back. After a while I made myself pull away and she looked to me, right
you haven’t said anything, say something.
“You owe me a hundred bucks,” I said and she rolled her eyes.
“That’s all you can say? Well I don’t have it,” she countered.
“Too bad you bet me a hundred bucks you would never sing in front
of a live audience of people you didn’t know and correct me if I’m mistaken but
you aren’t that popular,” he said pointing out towards the crowd and I laughed.
“Fine, fine deprive me off my last hundred bucks,” she whined and
we fell into an awkward silence both avoiding eye contact while we thought of
something to say, both starting a sentence at the same time, making each other
laugh.
“You first,” I said.
“You were great out there, hell of an improvement with the
guitar,” she complimented.
“Thanks, but I think the most improved confidence award goes to
you today, you sounded great, all the guys said so, Kevin was speechless, which
never happens,” that last statement made her laugh.
“Stop talking about me Carter,” I turned when I felt his hand on
my shoulder. “Although I hate to admit it Will, he’s right, I was totally
speechless, you were amazing,” he said as he pulled her into a hug and she
hugged back.
“Thanks,” she replied shyly, not being used to all the attention
and compliments.
“We’ve got press Nick,” he said turning to me, and I inwardly
sighed not wanting to stop talking to Willow, I could tell she was thinking the
same when I looked to her and she
quickly tried to cover it up.
“Uh… sorry I gotta go, but your coming tonight right?” I asked.
“Yeah for a bit anyway, I’ll see you there?” she asked.
“Yeah sure, I’ll see you there,” I said as I started walking
backwards following Kevin and she smiled and waved bye. Turning I grinned to
myself, see that wasn’t so bad, it could have been worse; she could still hate
my guts.
***