Page 70 of Benidorm Again

All the way through, I can see my friends bickering among themselves. It’s all I can do to keep my mind from reflecting on Liberty’s comments. Technically speaking, I am Matteo’s rebound. What if she is right, and Birdie is his ‘the one that got away’, which caused him to almost go down the aisle with his cheating ex in the first place? It’s another reminder of how much Matteo and I don’t know each other. A movement distracts me from this depressing thought. Nacho, trapped between Liberty and Cherry, appears to have had enough and stands up to leave looking bewildered at them both. I’m going to have some serious damage control to do when I get off stage. I finish my set to rapturous applause – thank goodness. Martha and Rody, the bar owners, come over to greet us.

‘Wonderful, wonderful,’ Martha says excitedly. ‘So lovely to have you all here.’ She sweeps her gaze across the group after hugging me tight. ‘Are you all pleased to be back again?’

Tash smiles weakly. ‘Yeah. I suppose so.’ She lets out an enormous sigh, which makes everything uncomfortable. ‘It would be better if some of us would grow a pair and stop sulking.’

She screws her eyes at Liberty, who is quick to retaliate. ‘It would be better if some of us would grow the fuck up.’

‘Maybe it would be better if some of us would just shut the fuck up.’ Tash is furious.

‘No, pet. It would be better if some of us learned to live in the real world. And FYI an unplanned baby is not a friggin surprise. It’s a friggin honey trap.’

‘I think you’ll find that some of us need to chill the fuck out,’ says Big Mand stepping in between them. ‘Although she’s right about the honey trap.’

Cherry scrapes her chair noisily and clambers onto it. She puts her hands on her hips, flicks her flaming red hair before turning her thin wiry frame in our direction.

‘I THINK SOME OF US SHOULD TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY INSTEAD OF LIVING IN A DREAMWORLD WHERE THEY THINK HAVING A BABY WILL SOLVE ALL THEIR PROBLEMS. THEY DON’T ALWAYS LEAD TO ETERNAL BLOODY BLISS. AND FYI, BEING SLICED OPEN TO HAVE A SCREAMING HUMAN YANKED OUT OF YOUWHILE FULLY FUCKING AWAKE IS NOT AS FUN AS IT SOUNDS!’

We all turn to see Cherry, her face bright red, her eyes filled with tears, her voice filled with pain. But she is not finished. She rounds on me. ‘CONNIE STOP PROCRASTINATING. DO WHAT YOU NEED TO FUCKING DO AND STOP PEOPLE PLEASING.’

She faces Liam and Ged. ‘BOYS I LOVE YOU BUT CHILL THE FUCK OUT ABOUT THIS STAG DO.’

They gasp.

‘YEAH, I SAID IT. IT’S A FUCKING STAG DO. GET OVER IT.’

The whole bar has gone quiet.

‘YOU’RE LIKE A COUPLE OF EXTREMELY NEEDY BRIDEZILLAS,’ she adds unnecessarily. We all saw it coming.

She spins round. ‘AND LIBERTY. LUKE IS NOT FUCKING INTERESTED IN YOU. HE WANTS CONNIE, AND HE CAN’T HAVE HER. END OF. SO BACK OFF.’

Tash blinks slowly as Cherry swivels slowly to pin her with a steely gaze. Her voice low. ‘Babies are for life. You better be fucking sure it’swhat youbothwant.’

We all stare mutely while she charges to the doors at the back of the room, flaming red hair swishing violently, everyone in the place scraping their chairs to make room and clear a path through the crowd. All in complete and utter silence. She stops briefly at the bar to give Nacho a disappointed look before disappearing outside. It’s a few moments before any of us can speak.

‘That’s it. I’ve had enough of her stealing the limelight.’ Liberty marches off towards the doors too. ‘None of you care about me. None of you!’ she yells as she dramatically picks her way through the tables. The crowd seem very invested in the scene. No one has moved a muscle.

I shrug apologetically at Martha. ‘It’s fine. We’re just having a few issues. I’ll make sure everything is good for the next performance.’

The following morning, I wake up after yet another horrendous night’s sleep. Not only have I missed another call from Matteo because I’d gone to sleep with my phone on silent, but no one has dared comment in the WhatsApp group about anything. Radio silence and plenty of it. We all pretty much went our separate ways after the show. Imade the grave mistake of Googling Birdie and discovered that she has a habit of becoming romantically involved with co-workers and singer-songwriters. There was an article in the LA entertainment section of the What’s Hot website saying she was locked away in production in a secret location because the star she’s working with is HUGE. There’s a photo of her going through a doorway with a denim jacket over her head. Her long, wiry body is all you can see underneath. And I’m not proud, but I signed up to the notifications so that if any articles appear about her, I will get pinged.

I’m just about to put my breakfast dishes away when there’s a knock on my door. Cherry is standing there looking very rough and stinking of booze. ‘Can I come in?’

‘Have you been out all night?’

She shakes her head sadly. ‘No. Just until four. Can I come in?’

‘Of course.’ I step aside. This is most unusual. ‘Fancy a coffee on the roof terrace?’

She nods, and I take her up to the sweetest little outside space. It has potted plants and baby palm trees, lovely table and chairs and a couple of sun loungers, but the best thing about it is the view from the veranda. She stands clutching the white balustrade, staring down the pedestrianised stripto the sea. The sun sparkles on the calm sea like diamonds. It is a glorious morning. I take in a deep breath of fresh salty air and wait for Cherry to tell me what’s wrong.

It takes her a few minutes.

‘I’m pregnant,’ she says, her voice dull, her face sad.

‘Congratulations?’ I venture, unsure if that’s the right thing to say. ‘I guess you’re feeling pretty ill with morning sickness.’ That would explain the mood swings but not why she’s boozing.

Cherry shrugs. ‘I haven’t taken a test, but I’m pretty sure.’

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