Page 80 of The Reboot
‘Phoenix? Really?’ he said to Roly.
‘Yeah, we’re writing some songs together.’
‘Wow!’
‘And Roly’s going to sing with them at the Aviva in September,’ Ella said, relishing being able to wrong-foot him like this. He’d be shocked to think of someone like Roly getting the seal of approval from a band of Walking Wounded’s stature.
‘Well done!’
‘Are you going?’ Ella asked him.
‘Yes, I’ve got tickets. Actually, I have a spare one now, if you want to come with me?’
He’d been going with Alice, she supposed. ‘Thanks, but Roly will be getting me a ticket.’
‘And a backstage pass,’ Roly put in.
Andrew looked green. She could tell he was torn between admitting what a fanboy he was in the hope that Roly would get him backstage too, and acting cool and above it all.
‘I wasn’t that sure about their last album,’ he said. ‘I mean, I enjoyed it, but I didn’t think it was their best. I feel they’ve gone very commercial in the last couple of years.’
Of course he’d go for the ungracious option. ‘Yeah,’ she said, ‘and naturally a rock band would want to avoid being commercial at all costs.’
‘You know what I mean.’
‘Yes. I do.’ She knew all too well. He meant that if Roly was involved, it could only be because Walking Wounded’s stock was down. It was a ridiculous thing to say anyway – they were one of the biggest bands in the world, not some little indie group that only Andrew and a few of his friends knew about. Of course they were commercial. He was just jealous.
‘I could get you a backstage pass too, if you like?’ Roly said to Andrew. ‘If you two want to go together.’
Ella was pleased he’d been the bigger man by offering – it was generous of him when Andrew was being such a knob. But she was annoyed too because it was more than Andrew deserved.
‘Do you mind if I watchMasterchef?’ Roly nodded to the TV. ‘Did you tape it?’ he asked Ella.
‘Yeah, I did. And it’s fine.’
‘I want to see it before I see who went out on social media.’
‘Let’s all watch it!’ Ella said brightly, trying not to laugh. She could practically feel Andrew grinding his teeth.
She’d thought it would be a suitable punishment for Andrew, but she was sorry she’d suggested it as he yawned and snarked his way through the show, making it obvious he was bored and found it ridiculous. She should have waited until he’d gone and watched it with Roly. It would have been fun, just the two of them; they’d have had a laugh.
She only had herself to blame. Still, at least this evening hadn’t been a total loss. It had made one thing very clear: she didn’t want to get back with Andrew.
20
Throughout the summerthe Oh Boy! rumour mill gathered momentum, and talk of a reunion built to a crescendo of frenzied speculation as the band dropped ever more overt hints that it was happening. Their social media posts became less coy and cryptic as the weeks passed. Roly watched with increasing annoyance as they posted recent photos of themselves together, or nostalgic throwbacks to their glory days, arms wrapped around each other as they stood on stage, taking their bows at the end of a performance. And he wasn’t in a single one of them. It was as if they’d completely obliterated him from their history.
Some of the fans, god bless them, continued to lobby for him, relentlessly asking ‘where’s Roly?’ under every picture. When Zach posted a photo of the four of them with the caption ‘All the Boys back together again’, several people had commented ‘notallthe boys’. They’d even started a ‘WewantRoly’ hashtag. He was touched by their loyalty and love, especially knowing he’d done fuck all to earn it.
The tension and hysteria mounted to an almost unbearable peak. And then, at the beginning of July, it happened: the reunion was officially announced. It started with Zack, Alex, Liam and Charlie all posting the same photo on Instagram and Twitter – the four of them waving goodbye to the crowd at their farewell concert, with the caption ‘The Boys are back’.
Roly was glad. He’d been on tenterhooks for so long, waiting for the other shoe to fall, it was a relief when it finally happened. But it was the relief of the hypochondriac who finally gets diagnosed with a serious illness, or the paranoiac who discovers his colleagues reallyhavebeen conspiring against him. It meant no more worrying and wondering, no more fighting an invisible enemy that might be nothing more than a figment of your imagination. This was real; it was happening. Now that he knew what he was dealing with, he could begin to tackle it.
‘How are you feeling about it?’ Ella asked him later over dinner. The announcement of the reunion had been on the news this morning, and it was all over social media.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Do you still want to try to get back with the band?’
