It was as if he’d punched her. Because she did have to do it. Everyone did, didn’t they? Wasn’t that what being a grown-up was all about, putting on masks and doing things you didn’t want because, well… it would be chaos and carnage if everyone got to do what they wanted.
‘Look, we all have to do things we don’t want to do. It’s called being a grown up.’ She rubbed at her forehead trying to make the headache that was spiking in her brain ease. ‘And Ed is going to be dating Frankie whether you both like it or not. That train has left the station and is running down the track and it isn’t going to stop. You have to get on board or get run over, you should’ve said something before.’ She really must be tired if she was using these trite metaphors. She could almost hear Gee groaning behind her.
‘The more you make these big protests the more they’re going to penalise you. And don’t think it will be money, it will be locking you down, don’t you get that? Instead of a day at Christmas it will be a whole week.’
Will’s hand stilled in Ed’s hair.
‘They can’t do that, can they?’ Ed asked. ‘Will, they can’t.’ He sounded panicked.
‘I don’t know, but most people don’t fight their own teams. Look, that is the worst-case scenario. But if you all just play along and don’t make waves, you’ll be fine. They’ll leave you alone. I mean it is only for, what, three months, six max. And at the end of the day you’ll be more famous. In fact, it will be easier than the non-stop radio interviews. We’ve got it set up so that she’ll be at rehearsal tomorrow, there will be some very long range blurry snaps and that is it.’ At least for now, she thought but didn’t say. She hoped she was putting enough truthfulness in her voice for what she had said.
Because she didn’t know if that was true but she’d always been a big believer in the fake it till you make it. That was how she got through the day – plan, lie and fake until no one saw what was underneath. Until everything bent to her way. These guys needed to learn that if they wanted to get by, to survive.
‘But if it was anyone but Frankie Quick… I don’t want to be the bad person she ends up writing about,’ Ed said, looking even younger than his nineteen years. ‘And isn’t it weird that she’s like twenty-five…’ He looked so confused.
Why were they fighting it like this? She swallowed past the sick feeling in her stomach. Usually her clients were happy with their pick. Maybe Gee was right, maybe they weren’t happy? No, she couldn’t think that. Mega! wouldn’t do that to their clients.
Ed did have a point about Frankie being that much older than him. But according to the official narrative he’d already had previous relationships with women in their thirties, so people seemed to buy it, that he went for older women. Admittedly that had been with a different publicity team, and it wasn’t a narrative that she would’ve gone with. How a seventeen-year old band member with a woman in her thirties made him desirable to the key demographic, she didn’t know… It felt distinctly seedy, like some middle-aged man’s adolescent fantasy.
‘Anyway, you’ll be touring for most of the contract. Other than a few meetings here and there when it seems right. They aren’t going to make that big a difference, are they? You’ll hardly have to see her.’
A wave of jet lag crashed over her, robbing the last of her words of any real punch. She wanted to go to bed. Please let them agree to this.
She watched as Will pulled Ed in closer and hugging his arms over Ed’s chest. Amit watched them both while Sean watched her. The four looked like a unit, keeping each other together.
What she wouldn’t do to have Gee here to collapse on. But it would only be two days. And it wasn’t like she could completely relax on him like that.
‘Okay,’ Will’s voice was raspy. ‘No more overt rebellion. Ed and Frankie will meet tomorrow at rehearsals and he’ll stick to all the dates already agreed on but… we need to sign off anything extra. Plus, we want it in writing that me and my family will also be at Ed’s for Christmas, I don’t care if they have to smuggle us in under cover of night. Right? And I want to know everything that’s happening with any of the boys. We sign this off collectively. NO dividing and conquering.’ Will’s jaw stuck out pugnaciously as he made his demands.
A massive yawn rolled through her, causing her to try and look accommodating while shuddering with the stress of not letting it out. She’d agree to anything at this moment as long as it meant she got to go to bed in the next twenty minutes.
‘I’ll check with her team, I’m sure it will be fine.’ She crossed her fingers. Hopefully she was making them believe her. They may not be holding her hostage physically but mentally she was under their control through lack of sleep. ‘And I’ll make sure the rest of the team know that any individual plans are to be told to all of you.’
‘I’m holding you to it,’ Will said as if he was personally making her responsible.
She shivered but that was because she was tired, wasn’t it? Will could be a bit sinister but he wasn’t scary. Only a little intimidating. But who would believe that Will Poulson, the shiny smiley popstar could be like that? Will might be the oldest of the boys at twenty, but he still looked like he wasn’t legal.
However, propped up on that headboard, the band all arranged round him, he looked like he would pull the world down around him if anyone messed with his boys.
No, the shiver was definitely tiredness, because that sounded delusional.
She turned around and walked towards the door, and as she opened it she stopped and said: ‘Tomorrow I expect to see you all downstairs for rehearsal.’
Then before any of them could change their minds, she shut the door and slumped against it.
‘Well?’ Amanda asked. Emma looked over her shoulder and spoke directly to Paul who was standing just behind Amanda with his arms crossed.
‘They’ll be at rehearsal tomorrow.’
Paul nodded but his face was sceptical.
‘No need to let Frankie’s people know how close it came to not happening,’ she said to Amanda as she took the handle of her suitcase and dragged it down the hallway hoping she’d make it to her bed before she collapsed.