by Nikki Ashton
“I told you it’s easy, plus you get extra money for doing the lifeguard shifts.”
Eliza considered it for a minute, knowing the money would be useful.
“Okay but are you alright to stay for a bit longer. The cake will be out soon, and we have to have the speech.” Freddie furrowed his brow. “It’s a family tradition, whoever’s birthday it is has to do a speech about what’s made them thankful for the last year, but it usually includes embarrassing shit that we’ve all done. It’s actually quite funny and Uncle Luke’s are always the best; well apart from Dad’s.”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” Freddie replied, grateful for any time at all with her. “As long as you don’t think I’m intruding.”
Flashing him another smile, Eliza shook her head and passed him her bottle of beer.
On the other side of the table, Rocco and Ethan were planning something, just as Eliza had predicted. They’d spent all the money which Lessie had loaned to Rocco and were trying to come up with ways to get more, seeing as they had arranged to meet Maddy and her friend in Manchester on Saturday night.
“You could ask Lessie again,” Ethan suggested, grimacing at the same time.
“I can’t fucking afford to ask Lessie, it’s going to take me about a year to pay her back as it is. You know she’s given me a contract and the small print says I have to pay it back within two months or there’s a two hundred quid penalty clause.”
Ethan laughed. “As if she’d charge you that.”
Rocco’s brows arched dramatically.
“Fuck,” Ethan groaned. “She’s a little shit.”
“That’s one word for her.” Rocco took a swig of his beer and looked over at Eliza who was giggling with Freddie Price. “What’s he doing here anyway?”
“No idea.” Ethan shrugged. “Maybe he’s doing a little knuckle dunking with her. That hideous fucking polo shirt she wears at the leisure centre must give him a boner.”
Rocco watched them carefully, looking for any sign that Ethan was right, but Freddie was being far too respectful of both Eliza and his surroundings. He had his hands on the table and at least a foot in length between them. Rocco guessed he was probably shitting himself about Uncle Jake, especially as the blond haired, rocker was giving him the evil eye every few seconds. Poor fucker, he had no chance of even getting a bit of lip action with Jake around, never mind anything else. Rocco was only surprised that Eliza had told them that she’d already lost her virginity, thinking she must have pulled off a seriously good play to make that happen.
“You think she likes him?” he asked Ethan, his eyes still on Eliza.
“Who knows, all I know is we need to get some cash together for Saturday, otherwise I’m not getting laid – again. You have any idea how blue my bollocks are?”
Rocco grinned. “There must be some sexy little waitress or chambermaid at the hotel who you could offer your services too.”
“As if they’d be up for it. I stink like grease and fish by the time I’ve washed up all those fucking plates. Plus, I’m knackered, I wouldn’t do myself justice.”
“Use your knapper, numb nuts.” Rocco rolled his eyes. “Go in early and show them your charms before you smell like shit. Plus, it’ll give you bonus points with your dad if he thinks you’re being extra conscientious.”
A huge grin spread slowly across Ethan’s handsome face and he fist bumped his best friend. He dreaded the day that he and Rocco had to grow up and get families of their own, it would be shit without his best friend taking his back every day.
“Well, that’s my bollocks potentially taken care of,” he sighed. “Now all we have to do is sort out the cash flow situation, so any bright ideas?”
Eliza’s giggle momentarily took Rocco’s attention before he turned back to Ethan. “Nope, but I’ll think of something.”
He then turned to the head of the table where his papa was about to do his birthday speech and if Rocco knew his papa, he and Ethan were more than likely about to star in it.
“I hope you do,” Ethan whispered as everyone settled down. “Because I don’t know about you, I can’t stand another Saturday night playing scrabble with the fam’.”
“No, me neither.” Rocco looked over at Eliza who was settled back in her chair and smiling at Freddie. “I think I might have a plan.”
Ethan looked to see where Rocco was staring. “Eliza?”
“Yeah. She’s earning money, she loves us, it’ll be like taking candy from a baby.”
He looked over at their friend again, noticing that Freddie had moved a little closer to her and something about it annoyed Rocco, and he made a grunting noise.
“What’s wrong with you,” Ethan whispered out of the side of his mouth as Luke started his speech.
“Nothing,” Rocco hissed back. “Just wondering why she’s allowed to have a friend here and we can’t.”
“Because she’s the damn family princess,” Ethan laughed quietly. “Always has been and always will be.”
Rocco pulled a tight smile and turned his attention back to his papa, feeling a little uneasy that the family princess didn’t have all her attention on him, and that made him feel not only uneasy but weird too.
Chapter 15
Eliza jumped up and down, pumping her fist as she read the text message on her phone. Maybe this was finally it, the time that Rocco was going to ask her out. Had he finally realised how much he liked her?
Rocco: Hey fancy meeting me at the studio tomorrow about 1? I want 2 ask u something without anyone else around.
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” she cried as she jumped on her bed and started bouncing, almost hitting her head on the ceiling.
“What the hell are you doing?” Hendrix called through the door. “Please tell me you’re not masturbating.”
“Ugh, no I’m not,” she shouted back. “I just had some good news. I got an extra shift at work.” Admittedly it wasn’t the best excuse in the world, but it would have to do.
“Whatever. Mum told me to tell you dinner is ready.”
“Okay, coming.”
“Yeah, I bet you are,” Hendrix said, laughing as he made his way back down the stairs.
“What’s so funny?” Jake asked as he placed two plates of food on the table. “And did you tell your sister dinner was ready?”
“Yep, sure did.”
“So? What’re you laughing at?”
“Oh, just a joke one of the lads from school sent me.” Hendrix sat down in front of one of the plates which Jake had brought in.
“Do I want to know?”
“Nope, Dad, no you don’t.”
Jake reached for the water jug and poured a glass for his son, knowing that he wouldn’t want a fizzy drink, he was too concerned about his teeth and skin for his modelling career.
“You going out later, Henny?”
Hendrix shook his head and curled his lip. “Nah, Polly is going to visit her gran.”
“You really like her, hey?” Jake grinned at his son and winked.
Hendrix fought back a groan, knowing that whatever he said his dad was bound to make a big deal of it. Ah well there was nothing like being honest.
“Yep, a lot. She’s really cool and sweet.” He picked up his knife and fork and was about to start eating when Jake coughed.
“Wait for Mum and your sister.”
Now he groaned. He was bloody starving.
“Mum! Eliza!” he shouted at the top of his voice. “Hurry up!”
“Okay, okay, I’m here,” Amber sighed coming through the door with two more plates and placed one in front of Jake.
“Thanks, Freckles. This looks amazing.”
Amber bent down and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, baby.”
“It’s chicken and vegetables,” Hendrix groaned, his cutlery poised ready for action. “No need to get too gooey about it.”
“You can start, sweetheart.” Amber nodded at Hendrix. “Eliza’s on her way down now.”
“Everything your moth
er does deserves me to be gooey. Isn’t that right, Freckles?”
“I should hope so, I gave you two of the best gifts you’ve ever had, and it was bloody hard work, so yeah I deserve the goo.”
Hendrix grinned and then popped a roast potato into his mouth. He loved how his mum and dad adored each other and hoped he had that one day.
“So, Henny was just telling me how he wants to marry Polly, ASAP,” Jake said, making Amber spit her water all over the table.
Eliza straightened the short, cotton skirt she was wearing and hoped that she looked okay. She’d teamed it with her Blondie t-shirt and pink Dr Marten boots and thought it looked cool, but she wondered whether Rocco might have liked her to wear something a little more feminine. She didn’t think it was a coincidence that he suddenly wanted to meet up with her after she’d started to wear the tiny red shorts of her leisure centre uniform. They showed off her legs which, although a little white, were long and toned, so maybe that’s what she’d been doing wrong – dressing for comfort rather than for Rocco.
She knew the meeting had to be about ‘them’ because he’d never asked her to meet him. In all the years they’d been friends, she’d always just been there. It was a given that she would be, so for Rocco to specifically ask her must mean something.
Eliza knew where she was going as she’d been to the studios thousands of times with her dad, and she knew that Dirty Riches would be rehearsing in the studio kept aside specifically for them. When they weren’t recording or rehearsing, Studio A was locked up and no one else was allowed to use it.
As she pushed through the double doors to the corridor she walked straight into a tall blond boy, maybe a little older than her. He smiled and Eliza couldn’t help but notice how good looking he was.
“Sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.” He held up his phone to show what he’d actually been concentrating on.
“No problem, I wasn’t really paying attention either.”
“You’re Jake’s daughter, aren’t you?”
She nodded wondering whether he was going to ask her out, just so he could meet her dad, which was what normally happened.
“Ah nice to meet you. I’m Charlie, I work for your dad and the rest of the band. Well, I work here actually.”
His cheeks pinked as he ran a hand over his head and shifted from foot to foot.
Eliza smiled, noticing that Charlie was pretty cute. “Oh okay, you training to be a producer or something?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m just a music technician. Been here since I was sixteen.”
Eliza was surprised, knowing that with that job you normally had to have a degree, but then again, she wasn’t totally shocked seeing as her dad and her uncles always believed in learning on the job.
“Wow, that’s cool,” she replied. “Well, it was great meeting you.”
She knew, if he was following the normal pattern of things, if he was going to ask her out this would be the moment.
“Yeah, you too. So, your dad is in Studio A, if you’re looking for him. You know where that is?”
Eliza smiled and nodded, waiting for him to ask. “Yes, I do.”
“Of course, you do. Well, I’d better get back to work. See you around.”
He gave her a sweet smile and moved past her in the opposite direction. Eliza watched him go, totally shocked that he hadn’t come on to her, but pleased that he actually appeared to be a nice guy. Talking of which, it was almost one and she needed to find Rocco.
Rushing down the corridor, Eliza was halfway down when a door burst open and a girl stumbled out, tucking her t-shirt into a very, very short tartan skirt. She was smiling and had a huge love bite on her neck. The girl stalled for a second and looked over her shoulder, giving whoever was behind her a salacious smile.
“Same time tomorrow?”
“Yeah, wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
As soon as she heard the voice, Eliza pulled up and felt her stomach roll over and over and her legs turn to jelly. She waited until Rocco ambled out, also tucking his t-shirt in and then zipping up his fly. It was then that Eliza knew for certain this meeting with Rocco wasn’t about him wanting to date her or wanting her to be his girlfriend. She also realised that the girl must be Maddy, the girl who Gigi had told her about. The girl that Rocco seemed to keep going back to, something he’d never done before.
“Hey, Eliza,” Rocco called, suddenly noticing her. “You’re early.”
Eliza nodded and gave him a quick wave before turning to Maddy. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Maddy replied and then turned back to Rocco. “I’ve got to go, otherwise my brother will be on my tail. See you tomorrow.”
Rocco winked at Maddy and then moved toward Eliza, as he sauntered over, she watched him carefully, wondering how he always looked so bloody cool and in control.
“You said one,” Eliza muttered as Rocco flung an arm over her shoulder.
“Yeah, sorry about that, I kind of got carried away.” He coughed and nudged her in the ribs. “So, I wanted to ask you something.”
Eliza tensed up, now hoping more than anything he wasn’t going to ask her out. She couldn’t stand it if he actually turned out to be a total douche nozzle. If she hadn’t bumped into that guy Charlie, she might never have seen him with Maddy coming out of a bloody store cupboard and she might have said yes and made a total fool of herself.
“W-what is it?” she asked tentatively.
“Well, you know I’m not getting paid for this work.”
Eliza nodded.
“And Gigi has let me down on a little thing we had cooked up.”
Eliza was relieved Gigi had told him about not getting paid, so at least she wouldn’t have to keep it a secret from him if he asked.
“Okay.”
Rocco eyed her warily, not sure whether he was reading her properly, but she looked to be a little bit tense. He didn’t know what had made her feel like that, but he needed easy going, sweet and malleable Eliza today, not sarcastic and feisty Eliza. He needed money from somewhere and she was his best hope.
“Maddy,” he said, nodding in the direction that Maddy had walked off in. “Well, she and her friend want to go out for a few drinks at the weekend.”
He paused, letting the detail sink in, but Eliza wasn’t showing anything. Her features were still and her blue eyes were watching him carefully. When she didn’t say anything, Rocco pushed on.
“I was wondering, well Ethan and I were wondering, if you’d lend us some green? We’ll pay you back, you can even follow Lessie’s example and charge us interest if you like.”
Eliza still didn’t speak, or even move.
“So, what do you say?” Rocco asked, sounding a little desperate.
Eliza knew it would be easy to get some money together to loan to her two best friends, but did she really want to, and the answer was no. It wasn’t because he wanted it to go out with a girl, it was because he and Ethan had pretty much abandoned her of late and never asked her to go out with them anymore, plus she’d been working hard at the leisure centre for her money, money she needed to help set up her band. Rocco couldn’t just think all he had to do was ask and he’d get what he wanted, and he shouldn’t have spent all the money that Lessie had loaned to him.
“Sorry, Rocco,” she replied, her tone quiet but firm. “I don’t have an awful lot of spare cash and what I do have is to help get my band started.”
Rocco’s mouth dropped open in shock. He’d been sure she’d say yes. Eliza never told him no.
“But it would be a loan, I’d get it back to you, and it’s not as if you’re starting the band up now is it?” He knew he sounded desperate, but it was true, she’d promised her dad she’d go to Uni’ first. “And it’s not as if you’re really serious about it, is it?” he added for good measure.
Eliza clenched her hands into fists, feeling the nails biting into the skin of her palms. Never once in all their life had she wanted to punch Rocco, but now she
would gladly sock him on the nose and then knee him in the bollocks. Of course, she was serious about her band, more serious about it than he was about anything— even his damn future. He was a total douche nozzle and realising it didn’t hurt half as much as she’d expected it to. It was a strange feeling. After having loved him for what seemed like forever, Eliza had never once contemplated that her heart would ever stop hurting when he was around. Yet, as she stared at his face, although she still saw how handsome he was, her heart wasn’t pounding, her mouth wasn’t dry, and she really didn’t have to fight back an impulse to kiss him. It was actually all a massive relief. She had the same feeling as she’d had on the last day of exams—she felt free.
“Sorry, Rocco, but I just can’t. The band is important to me and if I don’t show that now, my dad will never take me seriously. Besides, I have a life too. I want to go out and if I give you my money, I won’t be able to.”
“Why, where do you want to go?” Rocco asked incredulously, wondering what had happened to his best friend. She always wanted to help him.
“Well,” she replied, fluttering her eyelashes and putting her hands to her hips with a heavy hint of sarcasm. “I might actually want to go for a drink with my friends, or to the cinema, or buy some new clothes, because contrary to popular belief Rocco, I do have more of a life than hanging about and waiting for you and Ethan to remember that I exist.”
Rocco took a step back and opened and closed his mouth like a fish. What the hell was that supposed to mean.
“We know you exist, El. You know we do.”
She gave him a sugary sweet smile. “Yeah, when it suits you, Rocco. When you want money. So, sorry the answer is no. I don’t have it to give to you and if I did, I’d still say no.”
“Eliza?”
“Rocco?” she copied his tone and stared at him.
Rocco scrubbed a hand down his face, wondering what he was going to do. Eliza had been a sure fire thing so now he’d have to think of another plan.
“Okay, no problem,” he replied sounding distant. “Thanks anyway, I’d better get back.”
