Janey and the Band Chapter 7

<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="569c8c01egerdp.jpg"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Janey and the Band </B></div> <div> <B>Chapter 7</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Two weeks later, as Janey was leaving the Music Block after school, she saw ahead of her in the mass of students making for the main gate, the broad back and spiky ginger hair of Kerry Briggs, who was in her form. She hurried to catch up with her. She liked Kerry because she was funny and very good-natured, the first to offer help if you got landed with a job like cleaning up the form room. The trouble was, she was boy-mad. Well, most of the girls <I>were</I>. Only a few so-called brain-boxes like herself, held out against the obsession with sex that had gripped them all since the school year started. </div> <div> Kerry lived around the corner from Janey, and they often walked home together. But this afternoon Kerry was staring ahead, totally oblivious to the crowd around her. Janey spoke to her twice without getting a reply.</div> <div> 'Hey, Kerry!' She waved her hand in front of Kerry's eyes. 'Don't tell me - your strawberry cake went wrong...Mr. Thorne said good morning to you...'</div> <div> Kerry moved her eyes sideways and grinned. 'Wrong. As a matter of fact I was looking at that simply gorgeous boy over there and wondering why we never get anybody like that in <I>our</I> school.'</div> <div> Janey looked where she was looking, and saw, on the other side of the road, Dave Hampton, sitting casually on his powerful motorbike, watching the school gate. She had to admit that he was looking good, in a leather jacket, his eyes half-closed but intent, his dark hair falling across his forehead. She felt self-consciousness creep over her and was annoyed to feel her cheeks get hot.</div> <div> She had not seen him since the visit to Gunners. Mike, Dave and Ronnie, had been using the living room to rehearse in nearly every evening after her mother had gone to work, but Janey had made sure she stayed in her room doing homework until they had gone.</div> <div> 'That's Dave...er...Hampton. He's a friend of my brother.'</div> <div> 'You mean you <I>know</I> him?' breathed Kerry. 'Let's go over and talk to him!'</div> <div> 'No. <I>No.</I> I mean I don't know him all that well. I don't know what he's doing here...' Janey was saying awkwardly, when Dave got off the bike and came over to them swinging his crash helmet in his hand.</div> <div> 'You're late. I thought I'd missed you.'</div> <div> 'Missed <I>me?</I>' Janey's lips parted. A moment later she became aware that she was the centre of curious and envious glances from the other girls as they streamed past. She noticed that Dave, too, seemed to be fully aware of the sensation he was causing, and <I>enjoying</I> it. He grinned wickedly.</div> <div> 'Well, I don't have any other girl friends at this school!'</div> <div> Janey went scarlet. It would be all over the school tomorrow. Discretion was not one of Kerry's qualities, and she loved gossip.</div> <div> Since <I>Dreamgirl</I>, Janey had become the reluctant focus of a school cult. She found herself sought after, looked at, copied, and most unpleasant of all to her mind, pursued by boys wanting dates. There was a lot of rivalry and jealousy, and she did not know how to cope with the embarrassing situations, which kept arising. She had told them all she spent all her spare time working on her singing. Now it would be open season again, and the thought of all the jokes and the leg pulling she would have to stand, made her squirm.</div> <div> 'Sorry, Janey, I'll have to go now or I'll...er...miss the bus,' said Kerry, with surprising tact. 'See you.'</div> <div> But when Janey glanced back, Kerry, behind Dave's back, immediately went into a routine of hand-clasping, holding her heart, and ended up pretending to swoon against the school railings.</div> <div> Janey turned away hastily, trying not to giggle. Then she remembered she was seriously fed-up with Dave. 'What on earth did you say <I>that</I> for? I'll never be able to explain!'</div> <div> He grinned, 'Sorry. Have I ruined your reputation?'</div> <div> 'It may be a joke to you,' she said, hotly, feeling a fool, 'But I've got to come to this place for at least another year, and I've had enough trouble since the show. The boys...' She stopped abruptly, biting her lip.</div> <div> 'He glanced at her sideways. 'Boys getting after you, Janey? Most girls would like that.'</div> <div> She shrugged. 'I haven't got the time. They don't know anything about me. It's just the Voice, and that song.'</div> <div> He thought, a<I>nd the thing Ronnie had talked about, beginning to flash like a traffic light. </I>'Look I'm really sorry, Janey. I don't know how it is, but I always seem to get off on the wrong foot with you.'</div> <div> She returned his smile reluctantly. 'Oh well, the damage is done now. What are you doing here anyway?'</div> <div> 'Ronnie, Mike and I have had a talk, and there's an idea we'd like to put to you. As you never seem to be around in the evening...' his eyes glinted, 'I thought I'd meet you at school instead. Come and have a coffee and I'll explain.'</div> <div> 'Not in here!'</div> <div> But he was already pushing open the door. Railway Snacks was the school cafe, and at this time, half the Upper School would be round the flashing fruit machines. </div> <div> He glanced around, saw the James Bryden badges, and laughed, taking in the situation instantly. 'Trying to keep me a dark secret?'</div> <div> He put his arm possessively around her shoulders, as though they had been going together for years, she thought, angrily, and led her to the darkest and most secluded corner he could see.</div> <div> She was blushing furiously, knowing that every eye was on them. The boys, sourly measuring her friend, took in his height, the size of his shoulders, the leather jacket. The girls took in <I>everything,</I> and flicked their eyelashes at him. </div> <div> He sat her down, slid along the seat next to her, lifted her chin, and kissed her slowly, so that everyone had time for a really good look.</div> <div> 'Dave!' She got her lips free at last, breathless and shaken. 'W-why...I mean, what do you think you're <I>doing</I>...in front of...'</div> <div> 'Launching a rescue operation.' He grinned. 'Blasting the opposition.' He lowered his voice dramatically. 'Do you think the boys are going to lynch me?'</div> <div> She glanced quickly at the crowd around the counter and saw that he had, indeed, done a very effective job. Several of the boys who had been most persistent were looking annoyed, and John Edge had just walked out, slamming the door.</div> <div> 'I suppose I ought to thank you. But what am I going to tell them?'</div> <div> 'You won't have to tell them anything. They know that you're my girl. I've already planted my flag on the...er...virgin territory.'</div> <div> The colour swept up into her face again. 'I'm not your girl!'</div> <div> He stood up and looked down at her enigmatically. 'Aren't you, Janey?' He went to fetch the coffee then, leaving her confused and angry. He was playing a game with her, but she did not know the rules. Although she had disliked the trouble with the boys at school she didn't appreciate his high-handed way of dealing with it.</div> <div> But she was absolutely sure now that she had done the right thing in keeping away from Dave. All this casual kissing and touching, clearly meant nothing to him, but for her it was all new and deeply disturbing. He seemed to think she had given him the right to put his arms round her and kiss her whenever he felt like it. She didn't know how this had happened, and more important, she did not know how to stop it without making herself look a fool.</div> <div> So much for Mike, she thought crossly, always warning her, but leaving out the most important things. Forbidding her to go to harmless parties, but introducing her to really dangerous people like Dave. She wondered curiously if all boys of their age were the same. Even Ronnie cuddled her, but he had known her forever, like a brother, so it didn't count. </div> <div> She was annoyed with herself. She should be concentrating on her music, particularly that awful A-level music, and the rest of the exams, not thinking uselessly about boys. She was getting as bad as Kerry.</div> <div> She became aware, suddenly, that there was a cup of coffee in front of her. She glanced up and found Dave sitting opposite, watching her. </div> <div> 'Come back, Janey. You're miles away from me.'</div> <div> There was a strange pain inside her<I>. That's right. Miles away</I>. 'What did you want to see me about?'</div> <div> 'We've been talking about organising the band. You know, getting bookings, answering letters, telephoning, collecting fees, keeping a record of expenses. It's daft thinking about a Manager - anyway, we'd rather handle our own bookings so we can be sure they fit in with College work. But we don't want to spend time writing letters when we could be rehearsing. But those things <I>are</I> important. There's nothing worse than an unprofessional band who doesn't know what it's doing, turning up late at the wrong place, or not turning up at all.</div> <div> 'Mike says you can type, and that you're good at organising things. How about coming in with us as Organiser, Assistant Manager - whatever you like to call yourself.'</div> <div> Her first reactions were pleasure and excitement. It would be really interesting to do the work, give her typing practice, teach her a lot about the music scene, make a change from school work. Her eyes lit up, then, as he watched, the excitement died. Helping the group would mean seeing Dave regularly, and hadn't she just admitted to herself that she just could not cope with him?</div> <div> 'No, sorry,' she said regretfully. 'I don't think it would work.'</div> <div> 'But why not? You're interested in music.' He was shaken. He had never imagined she would turn the offer down.</div> <div> 'I don't think I could do it.' It sounded totally unconvincing because she knew she <I>could</I> do it. Already ideas were buzzing in her head about getting bookings, setting up an office...</div> <div> 'You don't believe that. Look, it's a real job. I mean we're going to pay you a percentage of the takings.'</div> <div> She said angrily, 'It's nothing to do with money.'</div> <div> 'It's <I>me,</I> isn't it?' he said, suddenly, and put his fingers under her chin, forcing her to look up. She jerked her chin away, but not before he had read the answer. 'You're frightened of me!' He was shocked.</div> <div> 'Don't be silly,' she muttered, letting her hair fall forward to hide her face. 'Besides I've got my exams next year and I won't have the time.' It came too late, the reasonable excuse she had been looking for.</div> <div> 'You're lying, Janey,' he said, evenly. 'It <I>is </I>something to do with me.' He turned her head again, and hooked her hair back over her ears, holding her so she could not look away. She was blushing furiously. 'I don't understand. Why?'</div> <div> 'You know why!' she said, desperately. 'I feel...I feel like a hen in a coup with a wily fox stalking up and down outside.'</div> <div> He gave a crack of laughter. 'Not a fox, love, a cockerel. I don't want to <I>eat</I> my bird.'</div> <div> Her colour deepened until it was a glowing scarlet. She pushed her hands under the table so that he should not see them shaking, and tried to control her breathing.</div> <div> 'Please, Dave, I've got to go home. I'm late.'</div> <div> 'You'll come in with us, then?'</div> <div> 'No...<I>I</I> <I>can't.</I> Please don't go on about it.'</div> <div> 'Don't make up your mind now. There's a meeting at your place tonight. Steve Morris is coming over to hear us, and talk things over. Why don't you come?'</div> <div> '<I>Steve Morris!' </I>Janey's eyes glowed with excitement. 'He was so good at Gunners. I'd really like to meet him.'</div> <div> 'Janey, you haven't got a thing going for Steve Morris, have you?'</div> <div> She coloured again. 'I don't know what you mean. I haven't even spoken to him.'</div> <div> 'But you liked the look of him?'</div> <div> 'He was sweet, the way he sang to me. I thought he was fantastic. When he sings...'</div> <div> Dave laughed, unamused. </div> <bR> <div> Dave was eating at Ronnie's place before the rehearsal.</div> <div> 'I talked to her, but it's no good. She's not interested.'</div> <div> Ronnie looked disbelieving.  <I>'Not interested? </I>But she's mad about anything to do with music. Did she give a reason?'</div> <div> 'Me,' said Dave, bleakly. 'She's frightened of me. Running for the hills as you said she would.'</div> <div> 'What do you expect?' Ronnie was exasperated. 'She's only fifteen. She's never had a boy friend. Within an hour of meeting you, she's being kissed by an expert, and held closer than a sticking plaster. And I'll bet you couldn't keep your hands off her today, either. Not after waiting two weeks.'</div> <div> Dave flushed vividly. </div> <div> 'I thought so,' said Ronnie, with resignation. 'All right, I'll go talk her round - but you'll have to hold your libido down, boy, or she'll run again.'</div> <bR> <div> 'Okay,' said Ronnie, to Janey. He'd caught her before the rehearsal started, just as she was about to disappear upstairs. 'Let's have it. You won't come in with us because you're frightened of Dave. Why?'</div> <div> 'You know. You saw us at Gunners. He keeps kissing me and...and touching me...'</div> <div> 'Look,' Ronnie was blunt. 'We all do it if we get the chance. It's nice to hold a girl and kiss her. It doesn't mean anything.'</div> <div> 'It means something to me!' said Janey. 'I can't breathe properly and I shake and I feel...oh I can't explain.'</div> <div> 'Turns you on, does he? But what's wrong with that? It's normal. It just means you're growing up.'</div> <div> 'But where does it stop? That's what frightens me!'</div> <div> 'Where you want it to, Janey.'</div> <div> 'That may be true for you, Ronnie, but is it true for Dave? Zandra Cathcart warned me. She said to watch out.'</div> <div> 'Look, we don't expect to score very often, and mostly with a certain type of girl. You aren't that type...at least...' He began to flounder under her clear gaze. 'For Pete's sake, he isn't going to rape you.'</div> <div> Janey said, candidly, 'If he kissed me enough he wouldn't need to.'</div> <div> Ronnie was startled. 'As bad as that? It sounds like you've fallen for him.'</div> <div> Raw panic showed in her eyes, and Ronnie could have kicked himself. 'Well, what's so awful about that?'</div> <div> 'With <I>Dave</I>? Trying to compete with beautiful girls like Zandra? And just wait when the band gets started. He's too good looking, too clever, too rich, too sexy, too experienced. He <I>lives in Hampstead</I>!'</div> <div> Ronnie laughed.</div> <div> 'Well, you know what I mean. He's right out of our league. I'm just a fifteen-year-old school kid. He'd never look at me seriously. Imagine being in love with someone like Dave! I'd be like...like an after dinner mint, to him. Oh, Ronnie, please, it's not true, is it?'</div> <div> Her eyes filled with tears and her voice rose. 'I don't want to be a sixteen-year-old unmarried mother! I don't want to get tangled up with someone like him. Please say you were joking.'</div> <div> He laughed again. 'There's no need for all the drama. You just fancy him and there's nothing in that.' </div> <div>  He responded to her appeal, but he was worried and he did not point out that she had not had the same symptoms when <I>he</I> kissed her. 'Look, what are you planning to do if you don't come in with the band.'</div> <div> 'How do you mean? I'll just stay out of the way while you meet in our house and when you find a place for rehearsal I won't need to have anything to do with the band at all. It's Mike's thing. And you are <I>his</I> friends.'</div> <div> Ronnie thought of Dave's restlessness and screwed down nerves over the past two weeks. 'You think Dave will accept that?'</div> <div> 'Why shouldn't he? He's only amusing himself with me. Has he got a regular girl at the moment?'</div> <div> Ronnie shrugged, uncomfortably.</div> <div> 'There you are! He was bored at Gunners, and I was there and now he thinks he can have a little bit on the side, like the young master in a Victorian house with the servant girl.'</div> <div> 'Dave isn't like that! This playboy image - you've got him all wrong. He's a nice bloke. A serious musician. He doesn't go tomcatting around.'</div> <div> 'He's playing some sort of cat and mouse game with me,' said Janey, positively. 'I just don't know what it is.'</div> <div> 'All right then, let's start from where you are. If he's playing a game, what happens when you do your disappearing act again? What happens when the mouse starts escaping?'</div> <div> 'Well, what does happen?' She was sullen.</div> <div> 'He comes after you.'</div> <div> The silence lengthened, realisation dawning, and she looked at him, the panic back in her eyes. 'Ronnie, what am I going to do?'</div> <div> 'Dave's not going to disappear quietly in a puff of smoke. You can't just run away. I think you're more frightened of yourself than you are of him. You'll have to learn how to control things.'</div> <div> Janey thought of Dave in Railway Snacks, and laughed bitterly. 'You are joking, of course.'</div> <div> 'Come on, Janey. It'll be easier with the rest of us around most of the time. But if he has to hunt you down...'</div> <div> 'Yes,' she said. 'Yes, I see.'</div> <div> 'There's another reason why you should come in. Do you want to hear it?'</div> <div> She felt tired. 'All right, go on.'</div> <div> 'You have to go to this Music Centre on Saturdays next term. That means you lose your Saturday job at the shop. No pocket money. You'll need another job - and listen, Janey, are you sure your father will let you stay on into the Sixth?'</div> <div> 'What are you driving at Ronnie?'</div> <div> 'Remember the trouble with Mike? I just thought you might have to leave and then you'll need extra cash for singing lessons.'</div> <div> As she sat staring at him, Mike and Dave came into the lounge with Steve Morris.</div> <div> 'Nice place you've got here,' he was saying.</div> <div> The two main rooms had been knocked into one, and it had a heavily patterned carpet, with a large imitation leather three-piece suite, overstuffed, which had cost the earth. In the alcoves by the blocked-in fire, there were teak wall display cabinets, with a fish tank and copper and brass ornaments. There was an enormous colour television.</div> <div> Janey looked at the room. A house full of things, she thought, but no understanding, no interest, and no love. She squeezed her back into the upholstery and drew up her knees, pushing her forehead against them, hands clasping her ankles until the knuckles shone white.</div> <div> 'Well, are you in?' asked Ronnie, in an undertone.</div> <div> She turned her head away. 'I don't know.'</div> <div> Steve was meeting Ronnie. She looked up. His fair hair had an edge of gold against the light. He was smiling down at her, laughter lines at the edge of his eyes, recognising her with pleasure. 'Janey? I saw you at Gunners.' He took her hand, sitting down next to her on the sofa. 'You were sweet, listening like that.'</div> <div> 'I loved your singing.'</div> <div> 'I wanted to come down and dance with you but we had to go on to another gig.'</div> <div> She nodded and forgot Zandra Cathcart.</div> <div> 'Mike says you're going to take over all the admin work.'</div> <div> She glanced at Ronnie, and back to Steve. His eyes were a sparkling light blue.</div> <div> She was dazzled, suddenly full of excitement.</div> <div> 'That's right,' she heard herself saying. 'I'm going to be Assistant Manager.'</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>To be continued.....</B></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <img src="HTMLobj-1386/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="id120.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Finder Chapter 6"><U><I><B>Chapter 6</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <I><B>Chapter 7</B></I></div> </td> </tr></table></body>