Page 49 of I Knew You Were Trouble

‘Of course,’ I promise him in earnest. ‘I won’t tell a soul.’

Chapter Fourteen

The following morning, in the back of the car, on the drive out to Bronte, I watch as Duncan lowers the window and groans. He then leans his head a fraction closer to the coolish stream of air that’s now whooshing inside the vehicle.

‘Sorry,’ he grunts. ‘Air con’s not cuttin’ it.’

‘Sore head?’ I deadpan. ‘Can you operate the equipment?’

He belches. I wince in disgust, as does Meredith, who is sat up front with the driver. She seems to have survived the night better than Duncan.

‘Just don’t throw up on the drone, okay?’ I say. ‘It’s probably our most expensive piece of kit.’

‘I’m not gonna vom, I swear it,’ Duncan says, his tone reserved. ‘I’ll be fine once we get there.’

I shake my head, watching the streets of Sydney narrow, tall buildings giving way to residential areas as we grow closer to Bronte, by all accounts a trendy beachside suburb, not quite as famous as its nearby neighbour, Bondi.

Word has it last night’s party was raucous. Duncan had his hidden camera switched on the entire time, but the battery only lasted about two hours. From the gossip swirling at breakfast, I’m not sure I want to watch the footage, because I know Aidan was there, and so were all three members of the girl band, Haven. I haven’t seen him, but the rumours flying amongst the crew say that Ziggy was fuming. I’d left Ravi’s room and gone straight to bed. I don’t want to think about which member of Haven Aidan might have ended up with. I told myself in the mirror that I needed to be professional, and not have a girlish crush on a member of a famous boy band.

A little voice in my head was asking when I’d become so serious.

‘Jesus, I don’t know how those boys are gonna get up there and sing today,’ Duncan groans. ‘Let alone fling themselves about. Last night, they were pure steaming. My head feels like it’s about to crack open. Jesus, I need a bottle of full-fat Irn Bru.’

‘You’re not in Edinburgh now.’

‘Aye, if I were, I’d have my mam make us a full fry-up.’

Meredith is chuckling in the front seat. ‘I did not understand a word he just said.’

I click my tongue. ‘It’s Scottish forI’m a complete tosser who’s utterly hungover,’ I say.

‘The set today is due to last about twenty minutes,’ Meredith says. ‘They’re performing four tracks. They’re opening with “Fight For Us”, followed by “Lovesick”, then they’ll introduce “Shame About My Face” and then they’ll finish with “Knock Me Back”. No backing dancers.’

‘Are they singing live?’ I ask.

‘Of course,’ Meredith giggles. ‘Rebel Heart don’tmime.’

There’s something odd in the way she says it. Like she’s defending them. ‘You sound like a proper fan,’ I say.

The venue is Bronte Park, where a giant stage has been set up, with a view out across the ocean. Crowd capacity for the event is about five thousand. Ziggy’s been able to grant us access to the sound and light engineers’ platform which faces the main stage, cordoned off by a square fence and accessible by ladder, with admission monitored by three hefty-looking security guards. It’s from there that Duncan sets up the drone, in preparation for Rebel Heart’s appearance on stage. I set up two cameras, one static on a tripod to record the performance, and a hand-held for me to have greater mobility.

From the sound engineers’ stage, we have the perfect view. The current band on stage is finishing up their act. Already I sense a crackle in the air, a sense of anticipation in the crowd at Rebel Heart’s impending performance. It feels like the entire suburb and beyond has turned out, the picturesque beach deserted, other than a few elderly dog walkers. I can see girls holding up placards –Cal, I love your face,Marry me, Aidan,Rebel Heart 4EVA,J.B. I’ll have your babies!,Love you, Ra♥i– dotted amongst the crowd. In a strange way, the adoration is intoxicating, and addictive. The power that a band can hold over total strangers, and the frenzy they can cause, it’s almost startling. It’s so easy to get swept up in something so far removed from reality. It’s sheer escapism.

‘We’re good to go,’ Duncan says, moving to the back of the platform where there’s more space, holding the drone, which contains my GoPro camera attached underneath. ‘Got about sixty minutes’ battery power.’

I pick up the monitor. ‘Alright, let her fly.’

Duncan makes his final checks then picks up the remote control. There is a high-pitched hum as the blades on the drone begin to turn, the machine rising into the air.

‘You happy?’ I ask him.

‘So long as nobody chucks anything at it,’ Duncan says.

‘Stay high,’ I say. ‘Keep her steady. No dramatic swooping. Stay above the crowd. Ziggy doesn’t want the drone directly above the stage.’

‘Got it, Chief,’ Duncan confirms, his eyes on the sky.

I go back to Meredith, who is stood beside the camera on the tripod. I hit the button to commence filming. ‘Can you keep one eye on this for me?’ I ask her. ‘In case it switches itself off. Tell me if it does.’

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