Angel (31 page)

Angel forced herself to smile sweetly, all the
while thinking,
You little shit.

'But there is someone who is available, someone
who I think you've already met, who's going to
present the award with you. Everyone, please give
it up for the bad boy of film, Jackson Black.'

Fuck!
thought Angel. He was the last person she
wanted to see again. He came bounding on stage
dressed in a dark purple designer suit and he
immediately grabbed Angel and kissed her full on
the lips, to the delight of the audience. When she
tried to pull away, he held her tighter and kissed
her harder – much to her disgust.

'Okay, you guys, get a room!' joked Derren.
Finally Jackson let Angel go and she was furious,
sure he had done it deliberately to humiliate her.

'Yeah, gorgeous, isn't she?' drawled Jackson,
draping an arm round Angel's neck and pulling
her closer to him. 'Although usually she prefers
soccer players, I hear. But that's okay because
usually I prefer blondes.'

Everyone laughed and just when Angel wondered
how much longer this piss-taking of her would go
on, Derren seemed to be given instructions down his
earpiece to speed things up and he quickly asked
Angel to read out the names. Clips of the bands were
playing on the large screen behind them and when
Angel knew the cameras wouldn't be on her, she
took the opportunity to whisper in Jackson's ear,
'Fuck you!'

'Missed your chance, babe,' he drawled back.
'Got a bigger, better model to suck my dick after
you left.'

Angel was itching to continue trading insults
with him, but the clips stopped and she had to open
the envelope and announce, 'And the winner of
best band is . . . Kaiser Chiefs!'

The five lads came running up the stage, where
they kissed Angel and hugged Jackson. Angel
couldn't wait to get away from Jackson and offstage,
but just as they were both leaving, Jackson
shouted out, 'Right, the lads have got their award,
here's mine!' And he picked Angel up and carried
her off, to shouts and whistles from the audience.

Furious as she was, Angel knew it would look
even more ridiculous if she tried to resist him, so
she smiled as if she was loving every minute of
being held in Jackson's arms and thanked her lucky
stars that for once she was wearing a long dress, so
was in no danger of flashing her arse to millions of
viewers. Off-stage, Jackson practically dropped her
without warning, slapped her on the backside and
sauntered off. Shaking with rage and wishing she
could jump in the shower right away to wash
herself clean where he had touched her skin, Angel
went straight to her dressing room. There, Jez and
Gemma were waiting, both suitably appalled by
what had happened.

'Come on,' Angel told them. 'Let's go to the afterparty
now, I don't want to risk seeing that wanker
again backstage.'

In the car, Angel examined her face. Her lip
gloss had come off, but everything else was intact.
She couldn't help shuddering to herself as she reapplied
it, hating the memory of his lips on hers.

'Tell me the truth,' she demanded. 'Did he make
me look a total tit?'

'Of course not!' the pair reassured her, but Angel
wasn't entirely convinced by their reply, and it was
only after quickly downing two glasses of
champagne at the party that she started to feel a
little less murderous. Fortunately for Angel, one of
the celebrities presenting an award after her, a soap
star heart-throb, had been hitting the free booze
and made a complete fool of himself, unable even
to string a sentence together and falling over when
he tried to exit the stage, so that's what everyone at
the party was talking about. However, just as she
came out of the Ladies, she bumped straight into
Jackson – a coked-up Jackson.

'Well, well, look who it is, little Miss Frigid.
Found anyone else to pricktease lately?'

Angel made to walk past him, determined to
ignore him, but he grabbed her arm and before
she was able to stop him, he pulled her into the
Gents.

'Get off me,' she shouted, frantically struggling,
but he only held her tighter.

'I don't appreciate being turned down by
anyone, least of all a fucking whore who strips for a
living.' She could tell from his eyes that he was off
his head.

She tried reasoning with him. 'Okay, okay, let's
just forget it.'

But Jackson was beyond reason and Angel found
herself being dragged towards the nearest cubicle.

'Get off me!' she shouted again, desperate to
attract someone's attention, but the music was very
loud.

'I'm going to show you what you're missing now,'
Jackson declared maniacally.

Angel resisted with all her might, kicking at his
ankles and screaming, until he clamped his hand
over her mouth. She felt a huge surge of panic.
This was it. Suddenly, a familiar and longed-for
voice shouted, 'Let her go!' and Cal burst through
the door of the Gents.

'Fuck you,' roared Jackson and, shoving Angel
away from him, he charged at Cal, pushing him
against the door and drawing back his fist. Angel
watched in horror, trying to see how she could slip
by them to run for help, but they were blocking the
exit. Cal neatly sidestepped Jackson, who hit the wall
with his fist, then turned in even more of a fury and
came towards Cal again. Cal stood his ground this
time and punched Jackson in the face, a blow that
had him reeling to the ground. There was blood
streaming from a cut above Jackson's eye, but still he
got up and charged at Cal once more. He was like a
man possessed. Cal managed to deflect him and
Jackson ended up on the floor. For a few seconds he
didn't move and seemed unconscious. Just as Cal
was asking him if he was all right, Jackson reared up
and head-butted Cal, knocking him to the ground,
where he proceeded to kick him viciously, making
contact with Cal's right knee, which had only just
healed after the recent violent tackle on the pitch.

'Get off him,' Angel screamed, seeing Cal
writhing in agony and clutching his knee. She ran
at Jackson and tried to stop him, but he punched
her in the face, knocking her to the ground, then
turned his attentions to Cal again, kicking him with
such force that Cal was knocked back towards the
wall. Angel could hardly see through the tears of
pain, but she picked herself up and once more
hurled herself at Jackson, desperate to stop him
hurting Cal, resorting to dirty tactics, digging her
nails into his face. Nothing seemed to make any
difference to the violence of Jackson's attack. Who
knows what he might have done next, but suddenly
the room was full of security guards.

'Phone an ambulance!' Angel screamed. She
knelt down next to Cal, who was curled up in
agony.

'It's going to be okay, Cal, I promise.' He barely
seemed to register her presence.

While they waited for the ambulance, the
security guards bundled Jackson out of the Gents.
When the paramedics turned up they refused to let
Angel go with Cal, so she, Gemma and Jez had to
jump into a taxi.
Please let him be okay
, Angel kept
saying to herself over and over again.
Please, please,
please.

'You should get someone to look at your face,
Angel, when we get there,' Gemma said gently. 'It's
bleeding, you might need stitches.'

'I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me. I've got
to see Cal. Have you phoned Tony and told him?
He'll know the name of the doctor who operated on
Cal last time. We must call him and Cal's agent,'
Angel gabbled on hysterically.

'Yes, I told you, I've called Tony and he's onto it,
you don't need to worry.'

Angel put her face in her hands and sobbed. 'It's
all my fault. If I hadn't met that bastard none of this
would have happened.'

'It's not your fault, Angel,' Jez put in. 'The only
person who is responsible is that wanker, and only
him.'

At the hospital Gemma did all the talking and
managed to persuade the nurse to let Angel see Cal.
Immediately, she rushed over to him. He seemed
to be asleep. He looked pale, a purple bruise
developing over his right eye, his bottom lip
swollen and split. She had never seen him look
vulnerable before and it frightened her.

'Cal,' she whispered.

His eyes opened and he looked at her and
murmured, 'Angel, are you okay?' He reached out
and she put her hand in his.

'I'm fine, and you're going to be fine too, I
promise, Cal.'

Angel saw the tears in his eyes and she gripped
his hand more tightly. 'You are going to be okay,
Cal, do you hear me?'

Just then, the door opened and the consultant
and his team marched in purposefully. Angel got
up to leave, but Cal held onto her hand, saying
urgently, 'Stay with me.'

She held tightly to his hand as the consultant
went through the risks of surgery and the chances
of Cal making a full recovery. Apparently, there
was a forty per cent chance of his knee recovering
well enough for him to play football again, but that
didn't seem like great odds to Angel. After the
consultant and his team left, Cal gently stroked
Angel's face where Jackson had hit her.

'Does it hurt?' he asked.

She shook her head. 'Don't worry about me.'

Cal stared at her. 'But I always have.'

Angel was desperate for Cal to say more, but the nurse and
porters arrived to wheel him down to surgery. She squeezed his hand tightly.
He managed a small smile and then was gone.

Gemma and Jez tried to persuade Angel to go
home and get some rest, but she wasn't having any
of it. She was staying at the hospital and that was it.
Around four, Gemma and Jez went home, but
Tony stayed and the two of them took it in turns to
pace up and down the visitors' room and fetch cups
of tea.

'Will he be all right?' Angel kept asking.

As usual, Tony was realistic. 'He could make a
full recovery or he might never play again.'

'Oh God, Tony, what would he do if he had to
stop playing?'

Tony didn't have an answer for that one.

It was the longest night of her life. Cal didn't
come out of surgery until seven the next morning.
A nurse came in to tell them that the operation had
gone well, but they weren't allowed to see him. At
eight o'clock the door of the visitors' room burst
open and Simone stood in the doorway. As usual,
she was immaculate, with perfect make-up and
hair, dressed in an expensive-looking white mac
pulled in tightly at the waist, skinny jeans and heels,
a designer bag on her wrist – in stark contrast to
Angel, who looked exhausted. She had taken off
her high heels many hours ago and was now
barefoot and wearing Tony's hoodie over her
evening dress.

'What the hell are you doing here?' Simone
demanded, her eyes furious.

'How is he?' Angel asked urgently.

'Do you seriously think I'm going to talk to a
cheap little tart like you?' Simone spat back. 'It's all
your fault that he got hurt.'

Tony leapt to her defence. 'Don't talk to my
sister like that, we just want to know how Cal is.'

'The operation went well, though of course we
won't know for a while whether he'll ever play again,'
she answered coldly, looking accusingly at Angel.

'Can we see him?' Angel asked, desperate to be
with Cal.

'Absolutely not!' Simone retorted. 'You're not
family. I'm the only one who can stay with him.'

For a moment Angel stared at her, too
emotionally shattered to take in what Simone was
saying, but then she saw it on her finger. A huge
princess-cut diamond on a platinum band.

Simone saw her looking. 'Yes, we're engaged.'

Then she turned to go, a triumphant smirk on
her glossed lips.

'Send him our love, won't you?' Tony called out
as Simone marched off, flicking her long hair as she
went and giving no indication that she had
registered Tony's request.

'We may as well go home, then,' Tony said to
Angel. Reluctantly, she agreed; she was never going
to be able to see Cal while Simone was around.

Tony wanted her to come back to his flat but she
refused, saying that she would be okay and would
go straight to bed. As soon as she got home she
texted Cal. She knew that he probably wouldn't
have his mobile switched on, but she was desperate
to get a message to him.
Hope you're okay, thinking of
you, Angel x.

The next day she cancelled her shoot and went
back to the hospital. But there she discovered that
Cal had been transferred to a private clinic and the
hospital wouldn't tell her where.

'Oh, come on!' she said in exasperation. 'I'm a
really good friend of his!'

The nurse on duty just looked at her and
shrugged. 'We don't give out personal details to
anyone unless they're next of kin. For all I know
you could be press.'

Seeing that it was futile to argue, Angel got
straight on the phone to Tony, who promised to
find out from Cal's agent where Cal was being
looked after.

Two hours later, Angel was driving to the private
clinic in Hertfordshire. All she wanted to do was see
Cal and she couldn't rest until she did; not even the
news that he was engaged changed that. She had to
see him. But when she arrived at the clinic, she was
immediately told she wasn't welcome. First by the
nurse and then by Simone, who came down to
reception when Angel said she refused to leave
until she'd seen Cal.

'Why don't you get it?' Simone said to her. 'Cal
doesn't want to see you.'

'I don't believe you,' Angel said hotly.

Simone sat down next to her. 'Get the message!
He's far too nice to say it to your face, but he really
doesn't want to see you any more. So why don't you
go home and concentrate on your "modelling",'
(she said as if it was the lowest kind of profession)
'and find another member of a boy band to shack
up with. It's what you do best, isn't it? Cal is out of
your league, he always has been and he always will
be. He just tried to help you because he felt sorry
for you and because of what your mum and dad did
for him. And he admitted that he only had that
affair with you because he was lonely. Please don't
embarrass yourself any more. We're engaged,
we're going to get married, there's no room in his
life for a little tart like you.'