Snake Bandit - YA Rockstar Page 11

  Eliza’s stomach turned because for all she was annoyed at him, she still wanted to be his friend. She didn’t want them to be at odds with each other and he seemed to have taken umbrage to what she’d said.

  “Rocco—”

  “Hey, you reckon if I hit Hen for some cash, he’d give us some?”

  Rocco’s face lit up at his latest idea and Eliza realised he was far too self-centred to even contemplate she was mad at him, never mind consider she was right.

  “I have no idea,” she sighed, vowing to call Hendrix and warn him to say no. “I’d better go. Sorry I can’t help.”

  “Yeah, no probs,” Rocco muttered as he was already scrolling for Hendrix’s number.

  Eliza shook her head in disbelief, glad that Hen had a modelling shoot and would have his phone off. As she turned to leave, she gave one last glance to Rocco who was walking in the opposite direction with his phone to his ear.

  “I’m such a dick,” she muttered to herself, feeling stupid that she even thought he was going to ask her out. “And he’s a dick too.”

  Sending a quick text to Hendrix warning him what Rocco wanted, Eliza made her way out of the building. Deciding to have a quick look around the shops before she got the train back, she put her phone into her bag, but just as she was about to zip it closed, it rang out.

  She groaned and flared her nostrils, hoping it wasn’t Rocco trying again, but when she looked, she was surprised to see it was Freddie. Answering immediately, a huge smile enveloped her face.

  “Hi, Freddie, you need me to come into work?” she asked, all thoughts of Rocco gone.

  “No,” he replied. “Just thought I’d give you a quick call and see if you’re having a good day.”

  Eliza stopped walking and slapped a hand to her stomach, which suddenly felt a little bit weird.

  “I’m great thanks, what about you?”

  “I’m good, a bit bored though. You fancy going bowling or something later and maybe get some food. I’ll pick you up and it’ll be my treat.”

  Eliza couldn’t help but think about Rocco at that moment and how different he was to Freddie. Freddie, whose dad owned a menswear shop and his mum a beautician’s, didn’t have the privileges that Rocco did, yet each time he’d asked her to hang out he’d always said it would be his treat. Rocco hadn’t even thought about how she’d had to get a train over there to see him. She’d had to go to him so he could ask her for money. Freddie, however, was willing to pick her up from their little village and then drive back to his home town so they could have a night out. The two boys were light years apart.

  “That sounds perfect,” Eliza said, feeling happier and lighter than she had in a while. “But I can come to you.”

  “No way, it was my idea, so I’ll pick you up. Seven, okay?”

  “Perfect.”

  Eliza’s grin was huge as the excitement bubbled inside of her.

  “See you then.”

  “Yeah, bye, Freddie.”

  Once he’d gone, Eliza contemplated going straight home, but decided that even though it wasn’t a date, or at least Freddie hadn’t said it was, she was going to make sure she looked nice, so one visit to a nail bar, a new summer dress and a pair of sandals later she was finally ready to go home.

  Chapter 16

  “Hey,” Hendrix whispered, pulling a tearful Polly into his arms. “What’s wrong, babe?”

  Polly shook her head against Hendrix’s chest and gripped at his t-shirt. They’d arranged to meet in the park after she’d spent some time with her friends and Hendrix had found her in tears, pacing up and down by the tree next to the entrance.

  “Tell me,” he urged, lifting her chin up with his finger. “Why are you upset? What’s happened?”

  “If you ever wanted to finish with me, I’d understand,” she replied through a shaky breath. “I know I’m not much to look at and you’re…well you’re just you, so…”

  “No,” Hendrix snapped, shaking his head. “Don’t even think about it, never mind say it. You are amazing and so fucking beautiful. What the fuck has happened to make you cry and say such a load of crap?”

  Polly’s eyes brimmed with tears as she looked up at him and lifted a hand to wipe some mud from his cheek.

  “Have you been playing football?” she asked.

  “Yeah, and stop changing the subject.” Hendrix smiled and dropped a tender kiss to Polly’s forehead. “I want the deets, babe.”

  Taking a deep breath and then exhaling slowly, Polly took a step back, but kept her hands on Hendrix’s waist.

  “Dominique and Mallory said some things and—”

  “I fucking knew it,” Hendrix cried. “Those fucking bitches need to shut their damn mouths. What the hell did they say?”

  He looked down at her perfect, plump lips and knew if he wasn’t so mad, he’d kiss her until she could barely breathe. She was so beautiful he couldn’t believe she was his half the time. Polly was the sort of girl that his dad would call his ‘end game’, the one who he knew he’d spend the rest of his life loving. Yes, he was only sixteen, but Hendrix knew that he’d never find anyone who was as perfect as Polly. Okay she pinched food from his plate at lunch, which he hated, she had a tendency to overreact if she saw a spider and she was always questioning him about why he was with her, but otherwise he couldn’t imagine being with anyone more suited to him. They made each other laugh, she listened while he blabbered on about wanting to open an animal refuge centre rather than be a model like everyone expected him to be. She loved the same music as he did and she was the kindest person he’d ever met, often buying food for the homeless guy that hung around the shops near to their school.

  No, Hendrix knew that Polly was the one he wanted for always, and the fact that two damn bitches had upset her, made him rage with anger. Just because she wasn’t stick thin and didn’t have poker straight hair, they thought it was okay to insult her all the time. Well, it needed to stop because Hendrix loved her curves and her crazy curly hair that hung to her waist – he loved her, full stop.

  “What the fuck did they say?”

  Polly looked up at him warily, recognising the steel in his blue eyes that told her someone, well two people, were going to get a mouthful of abuse. She felt so stupid, crying over their nasty comments, because she knew that their words were meaningless. Hendrix loved her, he told her all the time, he showed her all the time, but she was scared that one day he wouldn’t or that one day he’d realise that he didn’t want a girl with hips and boobs and a bit of meat on her arse. One day he might actually fall for one of the stick thin models that he worked with.

  “Babe, please tell me,” Hendrix said, his voice a soft whisper.

  “They said that they’d heard you tell Sean Flanagan that you were going to dump me before we go back to school because you didn’t want to be tied down when you were in the sixth form.”

  “As if,” he scoffed, pulling her closer. “What else?”

  “That you also said you were only going out with me because I was easy and that you wanted experience. I know,” Polly cried, heaving out a sigh. “I know it’s not true, but I can’t help get upset by it and wonder if—”

  “No, don’t fucking wonder,” Hendrix cut her off, shaking his head slowly. “Don’t think about those bitches and their petty, nasty words because not one of them is true. You know how much I care about you, I fucking love you, Polly; you have to know that.” Hendrix searched her face, desperate to see her acceptance of what he was saying, he hated that she listened to a pair of vacuous bitches who were obviously jealous of her.

  Polly nodded as she chewed on her lip, her eyes still unsure as she gazed at him.

  “Please, Polly, don’t listen to them and believe me.”

  Hendrix placed a warm hand on the back of Polly’s neck and pulled her in for a kiss. His lips were confident and sure as his tongue pushed to gain entry to her mouth. Feeling a swarm of nerves warm her belly, Polly opened up and let Hendrix kiss her until she was breathl
ess. After turning her to a hot mess, Hendrix eventually pulled away and smiled down at her.

  “Okay?”

  Polly nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Good.”

  Reaching up to run a finger along his eyebrow, Polly exhaled. “I love you.”

  “And I love you, now tell me where those bitches are.”

  Polly’s eyes went wide with alarm. “No, Hen. Leave it, it’s fine.”

  “Nope,” he replied, grabbing her hand and starting to move away from the tree they’d been leaning against. “Where are they?”

  When Polly didn’t answer, Hendrix pulled to a stop. “You may as well tell me, Polly because if it’s not today I’ll find them another day when you’re not with me to stop me from doing something really stupid.”

  “Please, Hen, it doesn’t matter.”

  “It fucking does, now tell me.”

  His back was ramrod straight as he watched and waited for Polly to respond.

  “The café,” she blurted out. “There’s a load of them in there, a few of the football team too.”

  “Right, so it appears half our fucking year heard them then, is that right?”

  Polly nodded and Hendrix let out an angry roar.

  “Right,” he said, starting to walk again. “We sort this shit out once and for all.”

  Chapter 17

  As Hendrix stormed into the café and scanned the room, Polly felt nervous butterflies batter her stomach. He was going to create a scene, she could see it in the clench of his jaw and the tightness in his shoulders, and while she loved him for it, she also wanted to elbow him in the stomach and tell him to keep out of it. Polly knew though, that it was her own fault, if she hadn’t mentioned what Dominique and Mallory had said, she and Hendrix could have been in his room now snuggled up and watching Stranger Things; but no, she’d had to open her big mouth.

  “Come on,” Hendrix said, dragging her over to the tables where a lot of their peers were sitting, drinking and chatting.

  “Hen!”

  Polly’s protestations fell on deaf ears as Hendrix dragged her behind him, finally pulling to a stop in front of everyone. A few people greeted them, waving or shouting hello, while a small group of the girls i.e., Dominique, Mallory and their hangers on, looked over with evident disgust.

  “For fuck’s sake,” Hendrix growled, his eyes on the mean girls. “I’ve had enough of this.”

  He let go of Polly’s hand and slapped Dawson Rodgers, their classmate, on the back.

  “Daws, can I borrow the chair for a second?”

  Dawson frowned but nodded. “I need a piss anyway.”

  Hendrix grabbed hold of his arm. “Just give me a couple of minutes first. It’s important.”

  Rolling his eyes, Dawson moved over to his on/off girlfriend, Lily Bailey, pulled her up from her chair, dropped into it and then ushered her to sit on his knee. Polly decided that they were evidently on again.

  As Hendrix scraped the chair over the tiled floor, everyone’s gaze went back to him and when they saw him climbing onto it their conversations stopped.

  “Sorry, Lorraine,” he called to the woman behind the counter. “I’ll clean it afterwards.”

  “You make sure you do,” she called before continuing to dry a glass.

  Hendrix flashed her a smile and then turned back to his classmates.

  “Right, you lot,” he called, waving his arms in a downward motion to indicate for them to be quiet. “I’ve got something I want to say.”

  “You’re finally coming out,” one of the lads shouted, earning himself an empty plastic coke bottle to the head.

  Ignoring him, Hendrix continued. “I believe that certain people have a lot to say about me and Polly, and our relationship.”

  Polly groaned quietly and glanced over at Dominique and Mallory, whose guilt was evident as they were both flaring their nostrils and staring up at Hendrix, looking as though they wanted to chop off his balls and force feed them to him. Trying not to think about how they might make her life a misery for this, Polly turned her attention back to the table closest to them, the table where her best friend, Louisa, was sitting with two of Hendrix’s friends, Trent and Harry. If she concentrated on them, she could forget about the evil glances that Dominique and Mallory would undoubtedly be throwing her way.

  “So, I want to put you all straight,” Hendrix called, looking pointedly at the girls. “She’s my girlfriend because I think she’s beautiful. She’s my girlfriend because she’s funny and she’s my girlfriend because she’s sweet and kind.”

  There were a few groans from some of the boys, but from the rest of the crowd there were cheers and a few ah’s and oh’s from the girls. Polly felt her face redden as Louisa looked up at her with a dreamy look on her face and a hand clasped against her heart, as if she was the heroine in a Mills and Boon romance.

  “Also,” he shouted above the noise. “She’s my girlfriend because she has the most amazing arse I’ve ever seen.”

  He looked down at Polly and winked, before ducking to dodge the same empty coke bottle which had already been used as a missile.

  Rolling her eyes, but unable to hide her grin, Polly moved closer to Hendrix’s side and took his hand in hers as he carried on talking.

  “So, if any of you think it’s okay to talk shit about her, or spread stupid lies about us, or me specifically, you better know I’ll be coming for you and will make your lives an effing misery. We’re together because we want to be, so suck it up and keep your bitchy comments to yourself.”

  He moved his head sharply in the direction of the corner table, Dominique and Mallory at least had the decency to drop their gazes in shame.

  “You want to love her, you want to marry her?” a boy called Sammy James, sing-songed.

  Hendrix gave a wide grin and shrugged before he jumped down from the chair, pulled Polly into his arms and kissed her until more missiles were sent their way.

  As Gigi swung around on the chair in reception, she wondered how Rachel, the usual receptionist, did the job with her smile on her face all the time. Gigi was bored out of her mind and had only been there for an hour covering for her as she’d gone wedding dress shopping.

  Not one person of interest had come in, only an up-and-coming band and an ex-soap star who was attempting to start a singing career, and he’d been a complete prat asking Gigi if she knew who he was. Gigi had shrugged and even though she did, told him she had no idea, she told him his studio number and that his producer was already waiting for him.

  Pushing herself backwards, Gigi stared down at her feet and contemplated whether she needed to repaint her toenails. They were neon pink and a little chipped on one of her big toes but decided it would wait for another week.

  “Hey gorgeous.”

  Gigi’s head shot up and she found herself faced with the gorgeousness of Drayton, smiling down at her.

  “Drayton.” She grinned widely and sat up straighter in her chair, pushing her boobs out a little. “I wasn’t expecting you today.”

  “No, we’re not rehearsing. I came here to see you.”

  Drayton leaned against the reception desk, his long legs crossing over at the ankles behind him. As he winked at Gigi, he lifted a hand and took a strand of her hair, curling it around his finger.

  “W-why did you want to see me?” she stuttered, taking a deep breath to try and steady the rhythm of her heart.

  “Wondered if you wanted to come and have a drink with me…at my hotel.”

  “Y-your hotel?”

  Drayton raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Maybe have a bite to eat in the restaurant and then a few drinks in the bar.”

  Gigi swallowed and glanced at the street outside where people were rushing by no one noticing or caring that she was experiencing one of the most momentous moments in her life – Drayton Carmichael was asking her on a date.

  “What time do you finish here?”

  Gigi glanced at the large clock on the wall opposite all the framed photographs o
f artists that had recorded there. She still had an hour before she was supposed to finish and then her mum was picking her up, seeing as her dad was in London, with the rest of Dirty Riches, watching a new band with the prospect of offering them a deal. They hadn’t really wanted to stop rehearsals, but the band in question were in the middle of a European tour, supporting another band; they were only in the UK for two days and wouldn’t be back for another three months. Luke had suggested they wait to sign them, but Tom was adamant they signed them before someone else did, they were that good according to him.

  “I finish in an hour. Is that okay?” she asked, screwing her fingers together.

  “Perfect. I’ll come back in exactly sixty minutes.”

  He gave her another wink and swaggered out through the door leaving a happy but nervous Gigi to count down the minutes and contemplate what excuse she could give to her mum.

  As he rounded the corner from the studio, Drayton smiled wondering how quickly he’d be able to get Gigi drunk and make sure he finally got one over on Luke Fucking Mahoney.

  “I’m not really sure I should have any more to drink,” Gigi said, taking the glass of fizzy wine offered to her by Drayton.

  She did a quiet belch behind her hand and realised that when she’d momentarily closed her eyes, the room had spun a little.

  “You’re fine,” Drayton replied, giving her a smile that was most definitely all lips and no eyes. He could see that she was drunk, when she was talking, an odd word ran into another and there was an almost imperceptible sway to her body; both of which made Drayton cheer inwardly.

  Luke Mahoney was going to find out who the new Sex God of Rock n Roll was, and his own daughter was going to be the one to tell him. He knew that Gigi was inexperienced and no doubt a virgin, it was written all over her. The cute little giggles, the shy smiles, the sheer desperation for Drayton to notice her. All signs that the good little girl was ready to grow up and he was more than happy to help her, especially if it pissed her dad off in the process.