Page 108 of The Reboot
‘Doesn’t it?’
Oh Christ, he knew! Ella felt sick with fear. All she wanted was to get Roly out of here before Vince said any more. She didn’t want Roly to hear it from him, not like this. She had to get him away so she could tell him herself.Whyhadn’t she told him when she had the chance? She prayed she hadn’t left it too late.
‘You’re talking crap,’ Roly said to Vince. ‘We all know why I got kicked out of the band.’
‘I do. Ella does, don’t you, darling? But I’m not sure you do. Why don’t you ask her?’
God, he was poisonous. He was relishing this. ‘Come on, don’t listen to him,’ she said, taking Roly’s arm. Her mouth was so dry she could barely get the words out. ‘He’s just high. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.’
But Roly shook her off. Vince had got under his skin as he always did. Roly looked unnerved.
‘I got kicked out because I fucked up,’ he said, but he didn’t sound so sure anymore.
Vince shook his head. ‘You’d been fucking up for a long time before that.’
‘But then people found out. It went public.’
‘Because someone sold you out.’ Vince looked directly at Ella, his eyes flinty. When Roly turned to her, she felt she couldn’t breathe.
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Roly said, his voice jagged with fear.
‘Who was it who was always nagging you to go into rehab?’
She could see the doubt blooming in Roly’s eyes. She forced herself to hold his gaze.
‘She would never.’
‘Ask her!’
Roly shook his head, swallowing hard. His eyes were wide and panicked. She could feel him slipping away from her.
‘Tell him.’
She glanced at Vince and she wanted to slap that smug smirk off his face. But she couldn’t lie to Roly – not outright. She looked at him and nodded, unable to speak.
Vince gave her a triumphant smile. ‘Well, I imagine you two have a lot to talk about. I’ll leave you to it.’
‘It wasyou?’ Roly hissed as Vince walked away. ‘You ratted me out to that journalist? You sold a story on me—’
‘I didn’t sell it—’
He fell silent, staring at her dumbfounded. ‘Why?’ he asked finally. ‘Why would you want to ruin my life?’
‘I wanted tosaveyour life.’
‘Fuck off! Jesus, I can’t believe this! You took awayeverything. I could have been the next Robbie Williams.’
‘You could have been the next Kurt Cobain.’
‘That’s stupid. I wouldneverhave done that.’
‘Not with a gun. That’s the only difference.’
‘God, I can’t believe you made me think— All this time I thought you were my friend. You let me think that you— Shit!’ His eyes glittered with tears and her heart twisted.
‘Iamyour friend, Roly.’ She tried to touch him, to reach him, but he jerked away from her hand as if she’d tried to hit him. ‘I was scared for you. I couldn’t stand to see you killing yourself and I couldn’t think what else to do.’ They’d been talking in hushed voices, but she was aware of eyes on them. ‘I should have told you,’ she said, dropping her voice to a whisper. ‘I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you.’
‘That’swhat you’re sorry for?’
