Janey and the Band Chapter 6

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=90 BGCOLOR="#3399FF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I><B>Liz Berry Books</B></I></FONT><B>    </B></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=160 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="08bd4c00dkelyh.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Liz Berry Books"><U><I><B>Home</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Meet Liz "><U><I><B>Meet Liz</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Books"><U><I><B>Books</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id98.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Third Book/Creativity"><U><I><B>Third Book</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Messages"><U><I><B>Messages</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bookstore"><U><I><B>Bookstore</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Liz"><U><I><B>Contact Liz</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><I><B>Links</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="11bc8c01egerdp.jpg"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Janey and the Band </B></div> <div> <B>Chapter 6</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Janey had escaped to the Ladies Room, feeling she could not face Mike and Ronnie. She could not imagine what had happened to her. She had never danced like that with anyone before.</div> <div> The Ladies Room was as luxurious as the Club itself, with mirrors and carpets and a wide low sofa. She sank down on it gratefully. Her legs seemed to be rather shaky. She was excited, but angry with herself for being so disturbed. The whole thing was a nothing, a few dances, a kiss, and here she was behaving like a Victorian miss. Her face was flushed and her hands were shaking too. She shuddered when she thought what Mike would say. He was so crude. He must have seen it all.</div> <div> There was a girl, sitting at the glass top under a wide mirror, repairing her make-up.</div> <div> Janey stared, unable to look away. The girl was really beautiful. She was very slender, with pale gold hair, short and smooth, which had been flicked back at one side and cut simply and superbly. She had the sort of pale gold tan you only get abroad in expensive holiday resorts, and her clinging dress matched it exactly. It was very low cut at the back, below her waist, revealing all the smooth gold skin of her back. In front, where it clung and shimmered, she wore a heavy, solid gold chain. Her face was smooth and perfect, not a blemish or an eyelash out of place. She made Janey feel like a refugee from an earthquake disaster.</div> <div> She did not look quite real, and Janey forgetting she could be seen in the mirror, continued to stare, fascinated and admiring.</div> <div> The girl glanced at her in the mirror, her eyes amused. She made a minute adjustment to the pencil line on her eyelid, and said 'So you're with David Hampton.'</div> <div> Janey jumped about three inches in the air and said, 'H...how did you know?'</div> <div> The girl laughed. 'If three good-looking guys walk in with a pretty girl, and one of the guys is David Hampton, you can be sure the girl's with him!'</div> <div> Janey flushed. 'Oh, I see what you mean. No. I only met him this evening. I'm with my brother.'</div> <div> The girl looked at her appraisingly, and it was plain she discounted this. 'I saw you dancing. You're a bit young, but you've plenty going for you.'</div> <div> Janey did not know what she was talking about, and to cover this, she started to comb her hair. 'You know Dave?' She tried to sound casual.</div> <div> 'Went to school together. In the same form. We live near each other.'</div> <div> Janey was startled again. She could not imagine that this fabulous creature had ever been a schoolgirl.</div> <div> 'We were all mad about him.' She glanced sideways at Janey.</div> <div> 'Really?' Janey tried to sound bored.</div> <div> 'Only had to lift his finger and everyone came running.' She giggled. 'Just the same now, I hear. His mother is madly jealous and is always complaining about his girls to <I>my </I>mother.'</div> <div> Janey felt cold disappointment begin to slide over her. So she had been right about Dave first time. This dancing and the kiss had meant nothing. He was bored, just obliging his friend's little sister with a cheap Saturday night thrill. Janey was angry with herself. For a while there she had thought there might be something special between them. She had acted like a starry-eyed schoolgirl and made a fool of herself.</div> <div> The girl laughed reminiscently. 'He was a real hell raiser.'</div> <div> 'How d'you mean?'</div> <div> 'He was always in trouble. I don't know how many times they nearly expelled him, but his uncle was Chairman of the School Governors.'</div> <div> Janey was intrigued. 'What did he do?'</div> <div> 'Pretty well everything. Organised a dinner strike that got TV coverage; arranged a sit-in in the lavatories to get them repaired; kissed the art teacher spectacularly under a bit of mistletoe he'd brought in specially - there was a big scandal about that one. Personal assault, they said. Oh, there were heaps of things. He wore a rose in his hair for two days when our form master said music was effeminate. I thought Mr. Elliott was going to have a heart attack when David said he was trying to make himself look pretty <I>for the boys</I>.'</div> <div> She laughed, remembering other incidents. 'Then he got arrested for throwing eggs at a National Front meeting.  Somehow he missed the speaker and got the Chief Inspector who was standing next to him. It was all over the local paper and his father didn't look too good, being a judge or something.'</div> <div> 'But wasn't he good at music?'</div> <div> 'Oh yes, school orchestra and everything...' She began to laugh again. 'One Monday morning he changed the morning assembly record. Instead of walking in to <I>Sheep May Safely Graze</I>, we had this wild old Stones record, <I>Paint it Black!'</I></div> <div> She peered in the mirror. 'I'm ruining my make-up.'</div> <div> 'You look perfect,' Janey said, truthfully.</div> <div> 'What's David doing here? I wouldn't have thought Gunners was his scene these days. More like the Festival Hall.'</div> <div> 'We came to hear a singer called Steve Morris.'</div> <div> Her hands stopped briefly. 'Really? My current boy friend.'</div> <div> 'Are you coming to say hello to Dave?'</div> <div> 'No Steve's waiting. He doesn't like competition. Something tells me he just wouldn't get along with David!'  </div> <div> She looked at Janey carefully. 'I suppose someone <I>has</I> warned you about our David? I mean he likes a lot of girls and he plays to win. He's very clever. Much more dangerous than he looks.'</div> <div> 'I just found out.'</div> <div> 'He takes what he wants and moves on.You'll have to watch out. Don't get burned. He's never serious about anyone. Never.'</div> <div> Janey's disappointment grew. She had thought Dave was a nice person, even if he had been having a game with her, but she hated self-centred people who thought they had the right to use other people as they liked, just because they were clever and talented. She said, grimly. 'I'll remember.'</div> <div> They went to the door. The girl said, 'Tell him Zandra Cathcart says, hello, how big is the Hampton collection now?' She walked off grinning.</div> <div> At the end of the corridor outside, a group of musicians were preparing to go on. Janey watched her reach up and kiss a staggeringly good-looking boy with fair, wavy hair. He had the sort of good looks you only see on television ads for coke or jeans, Janey thought. So that was Steve Morris. He spoke to Zandra and kissed her lightly, but over her head his eyes were looking directly at Janey.</div> <bR> <div> 'You've been a long time,' said Dave, casually reaching up a long arm to pull her down to sit next to him again - a possessive gesture which he had no right to make, she thought resentfully. He had had his entertainment. Why couldn't he drop the whole thing now?</div> <div> 'I met someone who knows you. She's been telling me all about you.'</div> <div> She had the attention of Ronnie and Mike, too, now.</div> <div> 'All nice things, I'm sure,' Dave said, warily.</div> <div> 'Oh yes! Like wearing a rose in your hair. Throwing eggs at the police. You know, quite ordinary things!'</div> <div> Ronnie was intrigued. 'Go on, Janey, we haven't heard this.'</div> <div> Dave grinned. 'Things I did at school.'</div> <div> Janey smiled at him maliciously. 'She said to say hello, and how big is the Hampton Collection now?'</div> <div> 'Zandra Cathcart!' There was an instant reaction and Ronnie and Mike laughed at the expression on his face. 'Don't worry, Janey. I've reformed since then.'</div> <div> 'Except when he loses his temper,' said Ronnie, joking. 'You watch out for his temper, Janey.'</div> <div> Janey was irritated and puzzled. Why should she be interested if he was reformed or not? Especially now that she knew just what kind of a person he really was. And why was Ronnie warning her about Dave's temper? Everybody seemed to be linking them together. Even Zandra had gone on as if she was Dave's girl. There seemed to be something going on which she could not understand. Was it some Mike-type plot, to hand her over to one of his friends, to keep her out of trouble? She glanced at him suspiciously. He was still laughing, but otherwise looked innocent. Perhaps she was imagining it.</div> <div> She shrugged and half-turning saw that the new group was on the stand. The spotlights brightened and Dave lounged back, putting his arm behind her along the back of the seat casually. She turned quickly, annoyed, and found he was much nearer than she had imagined. His eyes were serious now. He said, softly, against her ear, 'Other girls don't matter. Why don't you find out about me for yourself, Janey?'</div> <div> She turned her head away, quickly, in time to see Ronnie winking at Dave over her head. She scowled at him. It was all his fault - his song and the Voice. None of Mike's friends had ever looked twice at her before and that had suited her just fine.</div> <div> Suddenly the humour of the situation struck her.  She had a mental picture of a long, long line of willowy lovelies, like Zandra, all queuing up for Dave's attention, and herself, plain and anxious at the very end of the line.  </div> <div> 'The queue's too long, Dave. You'd eat six like me for breakfast!'</div> <div> She caught a glimpse of his disconcerted face before the new group crashed into its opening number and she turned to give her attention to the stand.</div> <div> Dave was annoyed. He had thought only of wanting to touch her, hold her. She was so sweet, so shy. He knew she was very aware of him, very responsive - until Zandra Cathcart had got to work. He wondered, savagely, just what Zandra had told her. Now Janey thought he was some kind of ravening wolf, and was already retreating to the hills, as Ronnie had said.</div> <div> Well, she wasn't going to get there.</div> <div> He glanced at her again, saw her absorbed face, and swung round, instantly alert. The lead singer.</div> <div> Under the spotlights, Steve Morris looked even more strikingly good looking than he had done in the corridor. His fair hair shone. He was wearing a white suit, very tight trousers and an open necked scarlet silk shirt. He looked tall, lithe and slender. His voice was clear and vibrant, and trembled attractively at the emotional parts of the song.</div> <div> The rest of the musicians were hardly better than the previous band, the same ordinary, unmemorable songs, not lifted by any spark of originality. But there was no doubt that Steve Morris was in a different class altogether.</div> <div> He sang some oldies and standards, romantic easy-swinging songs to suit the venue well, but did not do so well with the couple of dramatic rock numbers that he attempted. His guitar playing was not up to their own standard, thought Ronnie, without conceit, but it would be adequate enough as a background.</div> <div> The last number, <I>A Song For You</I>, came up. Steve Morris put his guitar down and unhitched his mike. He stepped off the stand and moved about the Club in a pool of multi-coloured lights, singing to any girl he fancied. He moved well, excitingly. Tonight he was half-looking out for the little dark-hair beauty who had been in the corridor. She would look good under the spot with him.</div> <div> Yes, there she was, quite near the stand, with three guys. He moved over, singing, and smiled down at her. She smiled back shyly - instant fan! He glanced at the guy with his arm around her, caught the cold, warning-off look, and decided instantly to stay and sing the rest of the song to her.</div> <div> Janey sat in a happy daze, staring at him.</div> <div> As the song ended, he took her hand, and turning if over, kissed the palm. The spotlight blinked out and he had gone. Janey sighed, coming back to earth, and found herself regarded with exasperation by three pairs of eyes.</div> <div> 'What have I done <I>now</I>?'</div> <div> Ronnie said, 'Well, Janey liked him anyway. What do you think, Mike?'</div> <div> 'Not bad. He'd add variety to the group numbers. He can sing.'</div> <div> 'He looks good. The girls will go for him. Look at Janey.'</div> <div> 'Mmmmm?' said Janey.</div> <div> 'Dave?'</div> <div> He shook his head dubiously. 'He can sing, and he looks good, but I don't think his style is right for us. All that old stuff. We're not playing bubble-gum.'</div> <div> 'What a horrible thing to say!' said Janey.</div> <div> He shrugged. 'But if we want to get started, we can't be too fussy. After all, we just want to have some fun, play our own stuff. We're not aiming to turn ourselves into a top band.'</div> <div> Ronnie said, 'If we're thinking of the kind of experimental rock which we like, he's no good, but if we're thinking of bookings, and making a bit of money, he's good because he'd give us a wider popular appeal.'</div> <div> 'We ought to go for flexibility,' said Mike. 'All kinds of stuff. Keep our options open - we can experiment <I>more</I> that way.'</div> <div> 'That's right,' said Ronnie, 'We can use other instruments in the line up. Your sax, Dave. My clarinet. Mike can look at the electronics...'</div> <div> Dave grunted. 'Okay, he's in. But maybe we'd better just get together with the guitars and drums first.'</div> <div> 'We've still got to find a place to rehearse,' Ronnie reminded them.</div> <div> 'Maybe Janey knows somewhere...' Mike looked around, but Janey was gone. She was out on the dance floor, dancing with a famous face who was currently the darling of Arsenal Football Club.</div> <bR> <div> Hours later, driving home in the cold early morning air, Janey, too tired to think, found herself in the back of the van with Dave's arm around her again.</div> <div> 'Well, I think he sings beautifully....He's...fantastic...magic...'</div> <div> Dave said, exasperation and amusement in his voice, 'Hey, you're not going to sleep?'</div> <div> 'S...sorry...such a lot...happened ...today...' Her eyelids drooped and she was asleep instantly, like a young child. Dave settled her carefully in the crook of his arm, pressed her head against his shoulder, his fingers spread deep in the heavy, cold hair. He was smiling.</div> <div> In the front of the van Mike was craning anxiously into the driving mirror. 'Do you reckon he's kissing her back there?'</div> <div> 'What do you think?' said Ronnie. 'For Pete's sake, keep your eyes on the road and look out for the fuzz. You can't lose your driving licence now. We <I>need</I> this van for the band.'</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id124.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Janey and the Band Chapter 7"><U><I><B>Chapter 7</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <img src="HTMLobj-1117/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="65" height="108">  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Copyright Liz Berry 2003. All rights reserved.</B></I></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=125 BGCOLOR="#3399FF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Janey and the Band"><U><I><B>Janey and the Band</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Janey and the Band Chapter 1"><U><I><B>Chapter 1</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Janey and the Band Chapter 2"><U><I><B>Chapter 2</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Janey and the Band Chapter 3"><U><I><B>Chapter 3</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id102.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Janey and the Band Chapter 4"><U><I><B>Chapter 4</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id117.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Janey and the Band Chapter 5"><U><I><B>Chapter 5</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id124.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Janey and the Band Chapter 7"><U><I><B>Chapter 6</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <I><B>Chapter 7</B></I></div> </td> </tr></table></body>