Chapter 1 #2
At the end of the night, after the final encore, Josh came down from his kit and addressed the audience.
‘You guys have been incredible tonight!’ Of course this was met with a raucous cheer.
Then he turned to Angelia. ‘And so have you. You stepped into the shoes of someone we love and instead of trying to be her, you’ve made this band yours.
Isn’t she amazing, guys?’ Again, the thousands of fans in attendance cheered and whistled.
Angelia’s eyes filled with tears, and she blew kisses to the audience.
‘We’ve loved Angelia MacAuley since we first saw her perform on Scotland Rocks, she has this big heart and truckloads of talent, don’t you all agree?
’ More cheers. What came next, however, almost knocked her off her feet.
‘In fact, we love Angelia – or Angel as we call her because that’s what she is to us – so much so that we’ve decided to change our name to…
Angel and the Fallen!’ Angelia gasped and covered her heart with her hand as panic flooded her along with a wave of heat.
They hadn’t mentioned this. What was happening?
The fans would hate her for this sudden change, surely.
Her mind spun and the stadium appeared to join it.
What’s wrong with their original name? Bands just don’t go changing their name like this. Queen are still Queen after Freddie Mercury passed, Alice in Chains is still so called after the death of Lane Staley, so why this? Why now? So many questions stampeded around her brain without an outlet.
The stage lights flickered, and Josh dramatically shouted, ‘Whoa, guys what’s happening?
’ as he turned to face the back of the stage.
The rest of the band acted shocked and shared over-emphasised shrugs and wide-eyed gawps as they all turned to face the back of the stage too.
It was all very ‘high-school drama production’ and Angelia couldn’t help giggling.
She followed their lead and turned to see the digital backdrop pixelating as the stage lights continued to flicker, and then there it was, the band’s new name emblazoned on the screen in six-feet-tall gold letters.
Much to her shock, the audience seemed to lap this up.
The noise was immense. How was the roof still in place?
Josh turned to face her and spoke into his microphone again.
‘Angel, you’ve made it possible for us to carry on doing what we love and we’re eternally grateful.
Lorelie would’ve definitely loved you. And she told us that we should rename the band if it worked so that the new singer didn’t feel like an outsider in someone else’s place.
’ As he spoke, his eyes welled with tears and he took her hand.
‘It just so happens that your parents were bloody awesome and gave you a name we could really work with!’ A rumble of laughter reverberated around the vast space as Josh laughed, too, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
Tears spilled over from Angelia’s eyes and Josh pulled her into a hug.
He whispered into her ear, ‘Thank you, and I mean that wholeheartedly. Now why don’t you speak to your audience.
’ He passed her the towel from over his shoulder, and she wiped at the escaped tears.
With Josh’s hand on her shoulder, she turned to the audience and huffed out a long, shaking breath as she shook her head. ‘What do I say after that? After tonight?’
A loud cheer erupted again and as it died down, she heard someone from amongst the crowd shout, ‘We love you, Angel!’
‘Dad—?’ she asked with a laugh and the audience joined her.
‘Seriously though, wow! I love you right back!’ she said, as relief flooded her veins.
‘This is like a dream. I’ve loved this band since I first heard their music and Lorelie’s voice was just…
transcendent. I think I’ll wake up every single morning from this day onwards pinching myself to check if it’s really happening.
’ A rumble of ‘Awwws’ met her ears. ‘I want to say my own “thank yous”. First of all, to this incredible group of musicians.’ She turned to face the band who were now all standing together just a few feet away, arms draped around each other’s shoulders.
‘You guys took me under your wings and made me feel like a part of you from day one. Thank you for making my dream come true and for making this transition so much fun.’ The rest of the band applauded her, and she blew kisses to them before turning to the audience once more.
‘And thank you so much to each and every person in this place tonight. You’ve made me feel so happy and accepted and I’m so grateful.
’ One by one the members of the audience in the seated sections stood and applauded as the house lights illuminated, showing Angelia, for the first time, the enormity of the band’s impact on the world and this was only one city.
The rest of the band walked to stand beside her, and they all joined hands to take their final bow of the evening.
* * *
Backstage, Angelia was engulfed in hugs from the band who congratulated her on a brilliant first gig.
‘You’re a bloody natural!’ Josh told her. ‘We definitely made the right decision, eh, guys?’
‘Damn right we did,’ Heath agreed.
Anouk wrapped her arms around Angelia and hugged her tightly. ‘Lorelie was watching over you out there tonight. I could feel her there. You were wonderful.’ Angelia loved Anouk’s French-tinged accent. She was softly spoken and shy unless she was on stage.
Angelia pulled back and looked into Anouk’s eyes. She saw a little sadness but a whole lot of sincerity too. ‘I can’t tell you how much it means to hear you say that,’ she whispered.
Anouk simply smiled and nodded, her eyes glassy with tears now. She patted Angelia’s arm, turned and walked over to the drinks stand.
‘Aye, bloody brilliant,’ Dom said. The gay Glaswegian had always been the heartthrob of the band, to both male and female fans, with his bright blue eyes, thick black hair and stubble-covered chiselled jaw. ‘Lorelie would be so proud.’
She spotted her parents standing with Fiona and Ed, waiting patiently across the room, and she made her way over.
Her dad pulled her into his arms. ‘We’re so proud of you, darlin’,’ he said with a wavering voice. ‘You just belong up there.’
‘Your dad’s right, sweetheart,’ her mum said with tears streaming down her face. ‘You were amazing. Nanny and Grumpa would have loved tonight.’
Hearing mention of her grandparents made tears well in Angelia’s eyes. ‘I wish they could have been here. Thank you for coming, it means the world to me.’
Her dad cupped her face in one hand. ‘Wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Angel.’ He winked.
‘We’ll wait over by the barrier while you speak to Ed and Fiona. I think they’re both bursting to talk to you,’ her mum said, glancing over to where her friends were waiting.
As she approached Fiona and Ed, excitement got the better of her, and she squealed as she jumped up and down on the spot and they joined her.
In her periphery she saw her bandmates watching her and laughing.
Josh looked on with a handsome smile that melted her heart.
She really would need to work on not having a huge crush on him.
‘Oh my God! You were incredible!’ Fiona said as she grappled Angelia into a bear hug. ‘I can’t believe I’m best friends with a rock goddess!’
‘Fee’s right, Angelia. Or should I say Angel? You rocked everyone’s world up there. I couldn’t take my eyes off you,’ Ed said as he put his arms around the two women.
‘What happens now?’ Fiona asked. ‘Are you going straight on the road?’
Angelia nodded. ‘We’re going into the studio for a week or two first to record and write some new songs. It’s a studio in New York where loads of famous people have recorded. I still keep thinking I’m going to wake up and find out this is all a dream.’
‘Nope. It’s all real. We were right, you’re gonna be a rock star,’ Fiona said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
‘So… we erm… won’t see you for a while then?’ Ed asked, a hint of sadness to his tone.
‘Well, no, but we can video call. And I’m sure I’ll be coming home from time to time.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to disappear from your lives.
You’re stuck with me.’ The thought of not seeing her friends every day was weighing heavy on her, but she didn’t want them to worry so did her best to make light of the situation.
‘We’d better be. We’re going to be lost without you, aren’t we, Ed?’ Fiona said, giving him a nudge.
He nodded. ‘Yeah, yeah, we really are.’
‘Look, I’m busting for the loo. Don’t run off to New York until I get back, okay?’ Fiona said as she darted off down the corridor.
Ed rubbed at his chin. ‘Look, Angelia, can I say something?’
His serious expression concerned Angelia and she frowned. ‘Of course you can, Ed. What’s up?’
He glanced over his shoulder and took a step closer. ‘The thing is… I mean… here’s the thing…’ He stepped from one foot to the other and his gaze darted around, anywhere but on her.
Angelia gave a small laugh. ‘Come on, Ed, it’s not like you to be lost for words. Spit it out.’
His jaw clenched and unclenched beneath his skin, and he shook his head. ‘Okay… I’m only saying this because I’m going to miss you and… I might regret it if I don’t say it. But I’m also worried about ruining things between us. We’ve been friends for two years and I don’t want to lose you but?—’
Angelia scowled. ‘Ed, you’re worrying me.’
‘I’m back!’ Fiona rushed over. ‘What did I miss?’
Annoyance briefly swept across Ed’s face as he abruptly stepped away. ‘Oh, nothing much.’
‘Not nothing, Ed, you had something to say?’
He gave a dismissive wave and what appeared to be a disingenuous smile. ‘Nah, really, it’s nothing. I’m just being daft.’
Before Angelia could push Ed further, Heath arrived beside her. ‘I hate to do this to you, Angel, but we’re heading straight to the airport tonight, so you need to say your goodbyes for now.’
Angelia nodded and her throat tightened. ‘Okay. No worries.’
He walked away and Fiona grabbed her and hugged her again. ‘I’m not jealous of you being surrounded by all the hunky musos, honest.’ She giggled. ‘Go and be astounding, my gorgeous friend. You know we love you, right?’
Angelia sniffed and her eyes stung. ‘And I love you too.’
Ed hugged her next and whispered, ‘Sorry,’ before pulling away. ‘We’ll get going and let you speak to your folks.’ He smiled but his eyes were tinged with sadness again.
‘Okay, if you’re sure,’ she replied, very much aware, thanks to his crumpled expression, that there was something he’d very much wanted to say.
She watched them walk towards the exit, arms linked. Fiona rested her head on Ed, and he glanced back over his shoulder one last time.