by Jacky Gray
Edge of the Blade
Bryant Rockwell #4
Jacky Gray
Bryant Rockwell - A pitch-perfect blend of drama and romance for fans of “10 Things I Hate About You,” “Glee,” and “Thirteen Reasons Why.”
“Snappy, well-pitched and edgy. An enjoyable read which will appeal to anyone who has a sense of humour and an ear for the ironic.” – BV
“A clean read & cleverly written; the characters are brought to life with intelligence & humour. An entertaining story for all ages.” – PG
"The characters were treasures, and I loved their bantering relationships. This was an awful lot like being a teenager again!” – KT
To Alice – for understanding and loving these guys the way I do
This book is a work of fiction. All characters and events other than those clearly in the public domain are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Jacky Gray
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
Front coverCopyright © 2017 Icy Sedgwick
http://www.icysedgwick.com
First published in 2017
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Contents
1 Uptown Girls
2 The Adventures of Padraig O’Flynn
3 Passing First Base
4 Guys = Infuriating
5 Ray’s Cover Story
6 If You Ever Want to Talk About It
7 Self Defence
8 Bah Humbug
9 Do I Have To?
10 Jeux Sans Frontiers
11 A Brit-com Christmas
12 Back to the Grind
13 Grounded
14 Liv Loses the Plot
15 Is it Worth It?
16 Giving Blood
17 Sent to Coventry
18 Chasing Jude’s Tail
19 Knight in Shining Armour
20 Fallen Angel
21 First Steps
22 Does Your Mother Know?
23 Uptown Girls Encore
24 A Fate Worse than Death
25 More Than Enough Excitement
26 Ice Foul
27 Dirty Deeds
28 May the Best Performer Win
Glossary and Note About UK Schools
Acknowledgements
More in the Bryant Rockwell Series
WorldWiseWriters
1 Uptown Girls
Jude clapped along with the fifty-ish bodies scattered around the dingy downstairs room of the student union, loving the dangerous decadence of it all. Decadent because of the sole pursuit of pleasure by the beer-swilling, pot-smoking inhabitants. The distinctive aroma clung to their clothes; one she associated with her parents’ cool hippy friends.
Dangerous because she and her friend Kat were a couple of years younger than they should be to hang out in a bar. Nothing to do with the fact they stuck out like sore thumbs amongst the denim and leather-clad students. Entering the room, they’d taken one look at the inhabitants and elected not to remove their jackets. Their spangly outfits, better suited to an Ibizan nightclub, would have attracted undue attention.
Trying to keep a low profile, they sweltered through the band’s first few numbers. When she could bear the sticky heat no longer, Jude glanced at the dim lights and removed her jacket. Kat followed suit, using a beer mat to cool her bare arms as she asked a question.
Jude could tell it was a question because of the expectant look, but she couldn’t hear Kat’s words above the deafening music. Knowing her friend and being pretty good at reading lips, she figured it was something to the effect of, “Glad you came?”
The music swallowed her affirmative reply, so she gave a thumbs up sign. Kat turned back to the stage, excitement shining all over her face. Yep, Jude was definitely pleased her best friend’s cousin had persuaded them to come. Not that Liam was technically Kat’s cousin; but everybody from the Emerald Isle was a cousin according to her.
Jude melted in delight as a screaming guitar riff filled the air. Trust Kat to have a bass-playing cousin; the girl not only looked like she belonged in front of a rock band, she had the voice of an angel. Imagine a blonde Amy Lee from Evanescence; that’s Kat.
The gig was a total bonus, and exactly what they needed to keep their minds off things. Jude had arranged to stay at Kat’s that night so they could keep each other from worrying about the third girl in their trio, Liv. Who was on her first, and supposedly last, real date with the notorious Jimmy Parr – ex-hoodlum. The ex bit was according to him. Along with a host of people prepared to swear affidavits to his personality transformation. Even Kat’s brother, once a sworn enemy, seemed ready to give Jimmy the benefit of the doubt. Jude’s boyfriend, Luke, said he wasn’t sure, but she wanted to support her friend, so she kept an open mind.
Half an hour earlier, she and Kat had been all set for a girly night in with a chick flick and a vat of chocolate ice cream. As they completed their try-out with some new sparkly face paint, Liam rocked up.
“Wow, ladies. You look incredible. Going somewhere nice?”
When Kat explained their plans, he suggested they shouldn’t waste their gorgeous glam and should give him a bit of support at his band’s first live gig at the local polytechnic.
Liam laid the incentives on thick and fast as he promised them a lift there and back. “Purple Tarantula needs you, ladies. I’ll even pay for your drinks if you come.”
“How can we refuse an offer like that?” Kat was obviously keen to go as she batted her glitter-encrusted false eyelashes at Jude. “We can always watch the movie on Sunday morning in bed; didn’t you say it’s the height of decadence?”
Jude’s talents improved daily at the School-of-Liv, and she flung a snark at Liam. “You must be desperate for an audience to offer a bribe.”
“Hey, we’re paying the other punters.” Liam absorbed the insult cheerfully and didn’t seem to be offended.
The girls nodded at each other and sprang up to get changed.
During the short journey, Jude couldn’t reconcile Liam’s light-hearted, teasing disposition with the black moods and bitchy sniping Kat had complained about during the last couple of months.
She watched him now, thumping on the strings of his bass guitar, tapping his foot in time with the strong rhythm and generally adding a bit of colour and movement to the otherwise static tableau. From the corner of her eye she could see Kat only had eyes for him. Not once did her eyes stray to the Ronan Keating double, belting out the lyrics to one of their own compositions, nor the lead guitarist, who looked quite appealing in a long-haired, hippy-ish sort of way.
Although the peak of his baseball cap obscured the drummer’s face, the skimpy leather vest showed a nicely toned upper body – definitely worth a second glance. Not that she’d ever do anything more than look. Her mind filled with a picture of her very own hunk.
Luke’s athletic body was a tough act to follow and the guy had brains as well. Ok, he’d had a temporary personality transplant after his mum died, but now he was the most gentle, considerate boyfriend a girl could wish for, with a wicked sense of humour and a shared love of old movies. The song finished and Jude’s attention returned to the room as she joined in the appla
use.
Kat grinned, her face alight. “Enjoying it? They’re good aren’t they?”
As Jude agreed, the sound of Liam’s to-die-for Irish accent at the microphone made Kat’s head snap back to the stage.
“Uh, thanks a lot folks. We’re going to need a bit of help for the next song. Billy Joel’s wife, Christy Brinkley, was the original inspiration and, twenty years later, Westlife released a version in aid of Comic Relief.” Shading his eyes, Liam peered into the gloom. “Out in the audience are two girls with fine voices, and I’m hoping they’ll come up and provide some backing vocals for us.”
Kat stared at Jude, her eyes wide as saucers. “Oh my goodness, Jude. I didn’t think he meant it.”
He scanned the audience. “They might need a bit of encouragement, so I’d like you all to show your appreciation for Kat and Jude, a couple of ‘Uptown Girls.’ Let’s hear it, folks.”
During the burst of applause, Jude noticed Kat’s panic-stricken face. A couple of weeks ago, this girl had played Blowsy Brown, the leading lady in the school production of Bugsy Malone. She’d had no problem acting, singing and dancing in front of hundreds of kids, their parents and grandparents. So why was she freezing now? Weird.
Adopting her best Irish accent, Jude clasped her friend’s hand, trying to inject some confidence. “Ah, sure. It’ll be grand. I’m game if you are.” She stood, and the clapping got louder.
“There they are.” Liam pointed at them. “Come on up, girls.”
Grabbing Kat’s arm, Jude pulled her out of the chair, ignoring any protests as she guided her over the nest of PA wires stuck down with strips of silver duct tape.
Liam helped them onto the slightly raised stage area, taking them off-mic as he whispered, “Sorry to put you on the spot, girls, but I didn’t think you’d come if I mentioned it before. Just sing along like you do to the radio. I know you can do it, both of you.”
He led them to the second microphone and they held onto each other for support. Judging by her expression, Kat’s face would have the greenish tinge of nausea in normal light, but the coloured gel on the spotlights disguised it.
Jude felt a momentary twinge of guilt about forcing her friend into this, but had no time for regret as the drummer hit the cowbell to start. They had three beats to add their “whoa-oh-ohs” to the rest of the band, chorusing behind Gary’s lead vocal.
Once they got into it, they soon found their confidence, even working up a bit of choreography to add some movement. Liam supported subtly, joining them at the mic to ensure they never missed any of the bits where a couple of extra voices helped to raise the energy.
Even unrehearsed, their voices harmonised naturally and, both being tall and slender with long blond hair, they made all the difference to the visual experience. The mostly male audience obviously appreciated this image as their applause registered well over triple the decibels of any of the other songs.
At the end, the band members crowded round the girls, high-fiving and making compliments about how well it had worked. As Liam disappeared to buy them another drink, Gary asked if they would like permanent jobs as backing singers. Still buzzing with adrenaline, they returned to their seats.
Jude confronted Kat with a twinkle in her eye. “What did you mean, you didn’t think he meant it? Did you know about this?”
“No. Maybe. He heard me singing along to ‘Uptown Girl’ ages ago, and said the band were doing it and could use a decent backing singer. I had no idea he really meant it, or that he’d con us into doing it.”
“It wasn’t so bad though, was it?”
“No, I suppose not. I’d never do it again without rehearsal, though. Way too nerve-wracking.” Kat drained her glass.
Liam replaced it with a fresh one. “That’s a shame, ’cos the guys wanted you to come and do it again in the second set. The place is really filling up now and you’d go down a storm.”
“So what songs are you doing? Maybe there’s a cover we know ...” Jude felt up for anything, but she clocked Kat’s dubious look as Liam pulled out a set list. “If you wanted to practice, we’ve got some CDs you could listen to in Gary’s van.”
In the end, all of Kat’s objections were overruled as she and Jude played through the Guns and Roses version of “Live and Let Die” and Queen’s “We Will Rock You” until they’d got each bit perfect. Gary was really supportive; he didn’t mind them singing with him, and willingly gave some tips, particularly about the choreography.
As they got back, the manager nagged about how long the break had been. Gary apologised, saying he hoped it would be worth the extra rehearsal. He gave the girls a thumbs up before jumping on the stage to welcome everyone back to the second set and announce the next song.
This time, it wasn’t so easy to sit back and enjoy the music with a stomach full of butterflies and a head desperately trying to remember the necessary lyrics. Finally, Liam approached the mic.
“Those of you who saw the first set, know that out there are two, extremely talented young ladies who came up and sang with us. Let me just say, they had no rehearsal.”
He paused, and one or two lads started clapping and hooting.
“Thank you. If we give them enough encouragement, they might come up and decorate our stage again. Let’s hear it for Jude and Kat.”
Ok, so it wasn’t quite thunderous, but they certainly got the impression one or two people might quite like to hear them sing again. The difference a bit of rehearsal made was amazing: They were able to coordinate their moves and really go for the harmonies without fear of getting it wrong. Gary made a great James Bond, using each musical break to tell a story, featuring classic spies-with-guns poses with the girls. They added in some camp Austin Powers armography which had people coming to the front to join in.
The band segued straight into “We Will Rock You” without a pause. The simplicity of this song made it even easier to support, but the real bonus was the way they got the whole crowd going with the constant, over-the-head hand claps. The girls backed off toward the end for Ben to play the note-perfect guitar solo, glad of the opportunity to rest aching arms and stinging hands.
When they finished, no one could doubt it was the high spot of the show; people were thumping on the tables and shouting for more. Gary walked up between the girls, took a hand in each of his. Raising them high above their heads like a prizefighter’s, he then bent over in a deep bow, taking them with him.
“Well done girls,” he shouted above the noise. “Are youse up for another one?”
They swapped glances. Kat’s instinctive protest turned into a resigned shrug at the torrent of shouts for, “More, more.”
The guys had a quick conference then Liam went to the mic, signalling for a bit of hush. “We think they’re magic. Who’s for another go at Uptown Girl?”
A great cheer went up and they all moved back to their places. Liam was in full swing now he’d got their attention. “Before we start, I’d like to introduce you to our lead singer. No, girls; it’s not Ronan. A big welcome for Gary Chambers – let’s hear it for Gary.”
As the audience cheered, Gary introduced the rest of the band, ending with the girls, whose shy waves provoked stamping and wolf whistles.
This time, the girls played a much bigger part in the song, interacting with Gary to tell the story, to the obvious delight of the audience. At the end, they stepped down from the stage to be surrounded by a crowd of lads who wanted to buy them drinks.
Gary got all protective. “Sorry lads, the girls are with us.”
Liam suggested they stay close while the band packed up, and the girls made themselves useful, unplugging the multicore from the speakers and winding it up on the reel. They earnt a grateful hug from the soundman, lighting man, roadie and general dogsbody, who encouraged them to, “Come again, anytime.”
When they got back to Kat’s, they were still all fired up and Liam proposed a wind-down hot drink. As they sat in the kitchen, rehashing the experience, Paddy turned up.
>
Kat leapt up and hugged her brother. “Hey, Pad. You’ll never believe what happened tonight.”
“Well, whaddya know? She stole my line.” He sprawled into an empty chair as she resumed her seat.
Her words fell over each other in their rush to tumble out. “Me an’ Jude, I mean, Jude an’ I, were singing with Liam’s band.” She paused for a breath. “Whaddya mean, stole your line?”
“I’ll tell you later. So he got you on stage.” Paddy winked at Liam.
“You mean you knew all about it, too?” Kat glared at both of them.
“Hey, girl. If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t have got your big break tonight. I talked you up into a great little backing singer.” Paddy held out his hand. “I’ll take my ten percent agent’s commission right now.”
Kat slapped his hand away. “Ten percent of nothing is what you’re getting.” She actually stuck out her tongue and Jude smiled at the familiar banter.
Paddy put on his best miffed face. “After all those good things I said about your charisma on stage.”
Liam twitched his eyebrows. “You were not wrong about that. Me an’ Gary had to chase away some hopeful groupies to protect these two sexy songbirds.” As he squeezed the girls’ shoulders, he noticed Paddy’s serious face. “What’s up, Pad? I wouldna let any harm come to your precious little sis.”
“Don’t joke about it, pal. After what I saw today …” He grimaced. “Let me say, it’s a good job me an’ Luke were there to do the big brother bit for young Liv or she wouldn’t be laughing at many jokes.”
“What do you mean?” Kat slid him a sharp glance.
Jude sat forward, full of concern. “Is she ok?”
Yeah, she’s fine; we got to her in time.” Paddy milked it, beckoning them close. “But listen ’til I tell you – there’s more.”
2 The Adventures of Padraig O’Flynn