Page 32 of The Reboot
Oh, fuck off, Ella thought. Why was she still friends with Julie? ‘Well, I’d better just go and say hi to Roly. Thank him for the tickets.’
She didn’t really expect to see Roly, assuming he’d be too busy with industry people and adoring fans to have time for her. When she showed her pass and was led backstage, he was standing to one side with the rest of the band, surrounded by a group of people. When she managed to catch his eye, she waved and mouthed ‘thanks’, lifting her lanyard, and thought that would be that. But Roly’s face lit up and he gave her an ear-splitting grin, motioning for her to stay where she was. Seconds later, he broke away from the group and came over to her.
‘Hi. I just wanted to say thanks for the tickets.’
‘No problem. You came on your own?’
‘No, Julie came with me, but she had to get home. She’s got an early exam tomorrow.’
‘I’m hurt,’ Roly said, clutching his heart. ‘She didn’t want to come back and get me to sign her boobs?’
‘Maybe next time.’
‘So, what did you think? Cheesy, right?’
Ella smiled, relaxing. She’d forgotten he was good at sending himself up, not taking himself too seriously — or maybe she’d assumed he’d have lost it, started believing his own publicity. ‘Yeah, cheesy as fuck,’ she said, ‘but in a good way.’
After he’d taken her around and introduced her to the guys from Oh Boy!, they all drank champagne in a tiny, cramped dressing room. There were industry people milling around, and fans coming and going, giving security the slip and somehow making their way inside to ask for autographs or selfies before being hauled away by security guards. Ella found herself wondering where their parents were. Some of them were alarmingly young to be hanging around with a bunch of horny teenagers in this overwrought environment.
She thought she’d slip away when Roly eventually lost her in the crowd. But to her surprise, he kept her by his side the entire time, taking her with him as he worked the room and introducing her to everyone, but mostly just sitting beside her, chatting quietly and watching from the sidelines as the others schmoozed.
Eventually, the crowd dispersed and she ended up going to a small exclusive club in Temple Bar for the after-party. They sat next to each other in deep leather club chairs, drinking and talking while their eyes drooped. Roly seemed reluctant to let her go. It was after two in the morning when she said she had to go home and was going to get a cab.
‘Come back to my hotel.’ Roly wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
She laughed and shook her head.
‘Come on, I’m joking. No funny stuff.’
She wasn’t sure if she should feel insulted. ‘How come you’re not staying at your mum’s?’ she asked him.
‘She has a new boyfriend. I don’t want to cramp her style. I’ll see her tomorrow.’
So she went back to his hotel with him and they spent the night together, lying side by side on the vast double bed, chatting desultorily and drifting in and out of sleep. It was strange, but years later, the memory of that night would still fill Ella with warm, fuzzy feelings and seem like one of the most intimate nights of her life.
The next morning, her phone alarm went off at seven, and she jerked awake with a jolt. Shit! At least they’d slept in their clothes, so she didn’t have to waste time getting dressed.
‘Hey,’ Roly sat up, rubbing his eyes groggily, watching her in bemusement as she pulled on her boots. ‘What’s going on? You’re leaving? Stay for breakfast.’
‘I can’t. I have to get home and change. I have a lecture at nine.’
‘Oh! I forgot you’re still a student.’ He gave her a mocking grin.
‘Yeah.’ She went and sat on the bed. ‘But thank you for a wonderful time.’ She leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek. ‘And wait until I tell everyone where I spent the night. What do you reckon the tabloids would pay for my story – local teen’s night in hotel room with teenybopper idol Roly Punch?’
‘Hey! They’re not all teenyboppers, you know.’
‘I know, I’m just teasing. Some of the parents were really into it.’
He laughed, cuffing her on the cheek. ‘At least stay for breakfast. We could get room service.’
She shook her head. ‘I’d love to. But I can’t go into a lecture like this.’
His eyes flicked over her. ‘Why not? You look great. It’d do wonders for your street cred.’
‘Hmm. I do have some to make up after going to an Oh Boy! concert. What if I wasseen?’
‘Shut up! Can’t you say you’re sick or something?’
