Page 17 of I Knew You Were Trouble

‘Duncan, that’s right. Dunc’s on camera and you’ll all remember Meredith from before.’

Meredith gives a wave and smiles. My heart breaks a little, because the boys are all still squabbling amongst themselves and none of them pay her one iota of attention.

‘Do you wanna say anything?’ Ziggy asks, exasperated.

‘Actually, I would,’ I say, stepping forward and realising that none of them is paying me any notice either.

‘Actually, I’d like to say something, Zig,’ Aidan interrupts me, so it appears hewaslistening. ‘We’ve all agreed, and we’re not working with Lexi.’

I stiffen. Ziggy looks like someone’s just pulled a rug out from underneath him. ‘You agreed what?’

Aidan gets to his feet. I stare at him, my cheeks warming. The rest of the band falls silent. ‘She said it herself. She doesn’t want to be here. She’s only doing this so she can get her next project off the ground. Silverpix are desperate and she’s just a lapdog sent to do their bidding. Just like the last shithead we got given. We’re not doing it.’

Ziggy stares at him. I stare at him. Meredith looks to the floor. Cal goes back to his phone.

‘Oh, you’re not doing it?’ Zig states.

I look between them.

‘No,’ Aidan confirms. ‘I’ll talk to Silverpix myself if I have to.’

I glance across again at Ziggy. The base of his neck has gone a weird shade of puce.

‘I don’t fucking care if she doesn’t wanna be here!’

I almost jump as Ziggy explodes. The band all look up.

‘Most days I don’t wanna fucking be here!’ Ziggy continues, unrestrained. ‘I seem to recall last month, at that signing in New York, you didn’t wanna be there either! But guess what, it’s like I used to tell my fucking kids, sometimes we all have to do things we don’t wanna do! Look around you, who do you think is paying for all this? Silverpix is your biggest sponsor. The money doesn’t grow on bloody trees!’

I bite my lip, trying not to laugh at witnessing Aidan McArthur getting yelled at by his manager.

‘So, all of you, listen up! That means you too, Cal, open your goddamn ears—’

‘Chill, Zig, we can hear you a mile off,’ Cal grumbles.

I’m looking at Aidan, a muscle pulsating in his jaw. Despite the fact that he’s right – I don’t want to be here – I feel oddly triumphant.

‘I am telling youright now,’ Ziggy continues furiously, ‘I wantnomessing about. None. Lexi asks you to do something for the camera, you do it. Lexi stays. We are not having this conversation again.’ He looks to Aidan, who has crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Are we understood?’ he asks calmly. Aidan looks to me and gives a curt nod, but it’s obvious he’s hating every second of this.

‘Now…’ Ziggy breathes. ‘Lexi, you were saying?’

My shoulders relax. I step forward.

‘I’d like to interview you all. Individually. So the audience can really get to know you. Find out what makes you tick.’

There is silence for some moments.

‘Naw, I don’t wanna do that,’ Danny Miller complains, running his hands through the back of his mahogany-coloured hair, thick with gel product. ‘I don’t wanna sit and have an interview. You wanna get to know me, buy a concert ticket, or go look at a fan site. I’m not interested in up close and personals.’

‘That’s not what he says to all the girls every night,’ J.B. says smoothly with a wink.

‘Fuck you, J.B.,’ Miller shoots back. ‘Least I’m not hung up on my ex.’

J.B. prangs the strings on his guitar. He then gives Miller the middle finger and I’m already making mental notes of questions to ask them.

‘Come on, guys, I’m sure she knows what she’s doing,’ Ravi argues in my favour, holding out his hand to me.

‘Judas,’ Aidan jeers in his direction, but I catch his wink and Ravi’s grin.

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