Strings (10 page)

             
The second judge was Lou Miller, a music producer, who’d worked in the business for twenty years. She was in her late forties, but still looked thirty and was both beautiful and glamorous. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun, and her black suit hugged her body tightly revealing boobs that were definitely not natural. Lou had worked with some of the best in the business, and had not got to the top by being a pushover. She was hard to please.

             
The final member of the panel was Jay-Den Lake, the man representing Sky Storm Records. He was a significant figure in the music world, and he had discovered some of the biggest bands around. He was someone you wanted to know and impress, because his company was one of the UK’s biggest labels. He was twenty-nine, about six feet tall, with tanned skin and blonde hair which stuck upwards in messy spikes. He was smartly turned out in a navy blue suit, portraying the image of a music industry big-hitter.

             
Lou Miller had been the one to make the female singer of the previous band cry. ‘Darling, I might be good at what I do but I doubt even
I
could make you sound good. You don't even have the looks to help you out. If I were the rest of your band I’d be looking for a new singer.’ She’d then waved her hand as if to dismiss them.

             
The boys were now in the backstage area, their turn imminent, with Lou Miller’s harsh words ringing in their ears. They’d been whisked through security half an hour earlier and reunited with their equipment at the stage door. It was a very professional set-up, and they were well looked after, which helped put them at ease. But the underlying tension remained. All the PAs and roadies in the world couldn’t help them when they stepped out on stage – they would be on their own.

*****

The distraught singer was still sobbing on her friend’s shoulder nearby. She was a short, stocky girl with red spiky hair. The attitude she was clearly trying to convey in her performance had now disappeared, and Melissa felt very sorry for her. She wasn’t that bad looking either. Lou Miller had been unduly harsh, she thought.

             
But now Melissa was thinking more about their turn, which was next. She felt sure they would do well and the crowd would like them, but she was not sure now about the judges. The poor girl and her band who’d been slated hadn’t been
that
bad. The criticism was clearly designed for shock value, and to make the judges appear strongly opinionated. She could understand it from the competition’s point of view; if the judges gave empty praise to all the acts, then what was the point of having so-called expert judges? Melissa didn’t think it did much for the fairness of the competition though, because the crowd’s vote would inevitably be swayed by what the judges said. It seemed to her that the organisers were effectively able to exert influence over the outcome. Nothing she could do about it though, so she tried not to let herself worry about it too much. And besides, since a serious mauling had just been handed out, maybe they would be due some praise.

             
‘Are you OK? All ready?’ Melissa asked, trying to sound calm and confident. There were only a few minutes left before they were on. She was terrified, but couldn’t even imagine how the boys must be feeling. Luke looked as though he was thinking carefully about something, but then he nodded. ‘I’m ready to go now – this standing around is doing my head in.’ He wished they could have gone first – that way they’d have finished by now.

             
‘Group hug!’ Toby shouted, and they all gathered round him. The girls stood back but he waved them in too, reminding them that they were just as important and it was down to them they were in the competition. They all took that line now, to make sure Beth didn’t feel left out.

             
‘Good luck, everyone. Bring the goddamned house down!’ Beth yelled as she jumped into the hug before grabbing Dale and kissing him.

             
Melissa joined in too. Before she left she leaned down and kissed the neck of Luke's guitar. ‘Blow them away, baby!’ she said gently before standing aside, leaving them ready to take to the stage.

             
Luke watched her and hoped he would do her proud. He was scared to death, but at the same time felt confident about what he needed to do. He knew that nerves were natural, and the key was to channel the nervous energy into the performance. He smiled and turned to follow his three best mates, who were waiting at the side of the stage.

             
The competition’s host, a female TV presenter called Astler Brooks, whipped up the crowd and introduced them with a great fanfare. Luke closed his eyes, said a little prayer, then took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage. Dale patted his shoulder and nodded at him, meaning, ‘We’ll be great, let’s do it.’

             
‘Welcome our next act ... The Black Eagles!’ Astler Brooks yelled into the microphone.

             
Beth and Melissa had found a perfect spot at the side of the stage, pressed up against some unsturdy looking barriers. They watched the boys make their entrance, and as expected Luke had lost his shirt.

             
Beth rolled her eyes. ‘He’s such a show off!’

             
‘If you’ve got it, flaunt it!’ Melissa threw back at her.

             
The boys took up their positions on the stage, standing silently, all looking at the floor.

             
‘It's working,’ Beth said. By doing nothing, they had instantly commanded the crowd’s attention, intrigued at what was going to happen next. Lou Miller leaned forward to say something. But before she could utter a word, Luke whipped his head up and the band exploded into their first song, ‘Games’. He couldn't have timed it better. The judges didn't seem to react until Luke began to sing. Jay-Den Lake instantly looked up from his notes, and smiled. He took his phone from his pocket and began to type something.

             
This was where they belonged, thought Melissa, on a real stage in front of a real crowd. They owned it.

             
The girls sang along, knowing every w0rd and bursting with pride. The staging was spectacular, with laser lights and a huge screen behind them that came up with graphics that Tom had put together on his laptop and given to the stage crew. It felt like a real stadium gig – a million miles from the pubs they’d played in.

             
‘Should we throw our pants on the stage?’ Beth yelled.

             
Melissa smiled her wicked smile. ‘I would, but I’m not wearing any!’

             
‘Liss, you naughty girl!’ Beth giggled.

             
‘You did well putting them up for this! Look at them, they’re tearing up that stage. Look at our boyfriends, woohoo!’ She jumped up and down excitedly.

             
‘Does that mean I’m forgiven for not telling you?’ Melissa laughed.

             
Beth hugged her friend. ‘There’s nothing to forgive.’ She pointed to the stage. ‘You’ve just made their dreams come true!’

             
Melissa watched their boys living out their dream. Even if it was for one night only, it would be something they would never forget. Toby was jumping up and down on his stool with the beat, sweating profusely. She often wondered how he didn't make a mistake or even fall off the stool with such chaotic movements, but he never did – he was in complete control. Now they’d got into their stride and the crowd were reacting well, Tom was smiling – a rarity during a performance. Dale was standing next to his best friend while they sung the chorus together. As Dale stepped backwards Luke turned his head, spotted Melissa in the crowd, and winked at her. She blew him a kiss. His tattoo was more prominent under all the lights and he really did look like a natural rock star.

             
‘Wow!’ was all Melissa could say when they finished their second song.

             
The judges silenced the crowd who were going wild, cheering and chanting their name. Melissa and Beth linked arms, and after what seemed like a lifetime, Lou Miller rose from her seat and placed her hand on her hip. She turned her back on them and looked into the crowd for a few seconds, and then turned on her heels back to them. Finally, she smiled. ‘That was one of the best performances of the day, well done’ she said, and began clapping loudly.

             
‘What's your name, young man?’ Sonny Lee asked, pointing at Luke.

             
‘Luke!’ He was sweating and breathless, but buzzing with a feeling of adrenaline and euphoria he’d never come close to experiencing before.

             
‘Luke, you have one hell of a voice, and your guitar skills are some of the best I’ve seen. Your performance was full of energy and enthusiasm, and you got the crowd on your side from the very beginning. You’re one heck of a band and I’d say you have a very promising future. Who writes your material?’ Sonny asked.

             
‘I do,’ Luke replied, and there was a cheer from the crowd who seemed to approve. So did Sonny Lee.

             
‘That was excellent. You’re a very talented young man,’ was all Jay-Den Lake said. But that was high praise indeed, and all you needed from someone like him.

             
‘I’m so proud of them!’ Melissa sobbed joyfully as the emotions that had been building up all day seemed to spill out at once.

             
Beth nodded. She also had a tear in her eye –a significant display of emotion by her standards.

             
It had gone better than they could have hoped. The worst part was definitely over because they’d got through the performance with no mishaps, and they hadn’t been booed off stage or slated by the judges. Quite the opposite in fact. Now all they had to do was wait to see if they’d made it through to Sunday's final. The vote was a few hours away, so there was an anxious wait ahead of them. But, Melissa thought, if Jay-Den Lake was impressed then
surely
they had to be through. She’d listened carefully to his comments about the other acts and was sure that none had been as positive as theirs. But she was trying not to get her hopes up too much or get carried away, so wouldn’t allow herself to draw any conclusions from the reactions of the crowd or judges, even though it seemed to make sense to her.

*****

She walked behind them, through the crowd, her hood covering her face. Amber was so pleased that things had gone well for him – their performance was brilliant. But it was killing her that she couldn't celebrate with him, for now at least. They were laughing and talking to another band, and she could see that he had his arm around her waist. He had his shirt back on, which was a shame. Melissa looked smug as he kissed her neck, giggling as he whispered something in her ear. The whore. Amber forced herself to stay calm. She knew that if she went for her now, in front of all these witnesses, it would be over for her. She had to pick her moment carefully and find a time when she could deal with Little Miss Perfect properly. They were all to blame – his stupid moronic bandmates who would fuck anything that moved, and that other little whore who hung around like a bad smell. The two of them were nothing but shameless band sluts, who had probably been passed round the whole band anyway. Luke deserved better than a piece of trash like that. It wouldn’t be long before he would see that … she just had to be patient.

*****

‘Good luck!’ Luke shouted as they moved away from the band they’d been chatting to. Everyone they’d met so far had been very friendly and supportive – they all wanted the same thing, which was to succeed in the competition. But there was a sense of camaraderie rather than rivalry because they had so much in common; they all understood the life of an aspiring rock band. Perhaps when it came to the final there would be more tension in the air, but for now it was a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

             
As they headed to one of the many bars for drinks, a girl who looked about eighteen came bounding up to Dale.

             
‘I think you guys are awesome!’ The girl was practically drooling and Beth eyed her carefully. She was polite to her, but had her ‘back off bitch’ look on her face.

             
‘Thanks,’ he said, before the girl continued gushing about how fantastic she thought they were. Then she turned her attention to Luke, at which point she seemed to become suddenly mute. She just stared at him.

             
‘Err…hi. Did you like our songs?’ he asked, trying to start a casual conversation. He felt a bit uncomfortable – the staring was freaking him out. The girl just seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

             
‘I-I-I love your voice. I, er, I think you’re great …’ was all she managed to get out. She was shaking too.

             
‘Are you OK?’ Melissa asked, thinking there might be something wrong with her.                The girl nodded, still staring at Luke. This wasn't a situation they’d ever had to deal with before, and none of them really knew what to say or do. The girl was dressed in black, with long black hair which had a blue streak down one side. She looked completely star-struck. The silence was finally broken as the girl gingerly asked Luke for his autograph. He obliged happily and quickly, and they were then able to continue to the bar.