Page 27 of The Interview
Len flips us his middle finger. “I know you’ve carried the guilt of what happened for all these years. Weallknow, and we’ve watched you struggle with it, but I’m equally as guilty for what happened that day, because there’s stuff I should’ve spoken up a lot sooner about?—”
“I forgive you, both of you,” George says quietly beside me. “And if we’re playing the blame game, I had my part to play in all of this, too. I should’ve listened, heard him out. He loved me. He fucked up, but he loved me, and I was wrong to cut him out of my life the way I did.”
“You were sixteen,” Len says.
“George,” I say at the same time.
She gives a small headshake, and as though our breathing is in sync, the three of us let out a collective, exasperated sigh.
“We all had our part to play,” Len continues quietly.
“And Sean paid the price.”
“Sean wasn’t completely innocent, G,” Len interrupts her. “He had options that day. Yeah, he was coerced, but he could’ve said no at any stage. Up until the point where he couldn’t, anyway.”
Up until the point where he couldn’t? What the fuck does that mean? I turn and look at my sister, but she’s missed Len’s comment, instead focusing on what he’s now saying.
“You were sixteen, facing your first heartbreak. You reacted, or overreacted, like your average sixteen-year-old does. Don’t forget, the letters also played a big?—”
“No!” Georgia says loudly, her body jerking as if she’s about to stand. “That’s not public knowledge. That stays between us. Can we cut that?” She turns to Dan before turning back to us. “I’ve forgiven her the same way I’ve forgiven both of you. My kids don’t even know what happened because I didn’t want that knowledge to impact their relationship with her. So, no, we’re not going there.”
Len nods. “Fair enough. But can I instead say there were outside factors that made you think you were doing the right thing?”
“But when the charges were dropped…” Georgia trails off with a slow shake of her head. “I was a mess. Those four years,I was a mess. There are things…” Again, she trails off, head still shaking.
I want to push her, to ask whatthings? What fucking things? Everyone keeps hinting atthings, but no one’s explaining what the things are, and it’s pissing me off, but I know deep down that now’s not the time.
“Can I ask you, Lennon,” Daniel finally speaks, “what your recollections are from that day?”
Len turns to look at Daniel.
“It was an absolute shitshow. It was like we’d arrived in Paris, and everyone just decided they were going to party. Well, when I say going to party, I mean Kombat Rock were going to continue partying. The entire tour had been one big party for them, but for the boys, for Carnage…” He trails off, rakes his fingers through his hair, and scratches at his left eyebrow while he gathers his thoughts.
“Things were strained, the label was pissed off with Maca for telling a crowd of screaming girls how much he lovedhisgirl, and thanks to this dickhead missing soundchecks and rehearsals, they’d played shit the night a label exec was in the crowd with his daughters and a bunch of their mates.”
I put my hand up.
“In case anyone at home is wondering, dickhead is one of the many terms of endearment my brother’s used over the years when referring to me.”
“Not just your brother. I think we’ve all used it more than once when referring to you, Marls,” my sister corrects.
“Love you, Rock Star. Ignore the haters,” Ash calls from somewhere behind me.
“Love you, baby. Haters gonna hate,” I reply.
Georgia and Len both have their heads tilted and are looking at me from either side.
“What?” I question with another shrug. “Continue,” I instruct my brother with a chin lift.
“Thanks,” he says with more than a hint of sarcasm. “Following instructions from the label, I’d banned the boys from leaving their rooms and having any outside communication. Told them to spend the day chilling, catching up on sleep, read through lyrics, and write some new ones if they felt up to it. They needed to do anything but party or make phone calls home.”
“Why no phone calls home?” Daniel asks.
“Because, like he’d played all of us, Rocco Taylor had got in my ear that he’d heard a rumour Maca was wanting to quit the band and go home to Georgia. My plan was to talk to G before he did and get her to convince him to stay.”
“Did that happen?”
“Didn’t get a chance. Hotel management came banging at my door and told me there was an orgy going on down at the pool. I assumed it was Kombat Rock and told them to go talk to Fitzie, their manager. The hotel manager informed me that Fitzie was down there partying with the rest of the crew, which included two members of Carnage, and if I didn’t shut things down, we’d all be out, and he’d call every hotel in the city and warn them of our behaviour.”
