All About the Hype (16 page)

Johnny shakes his head in disbelief. ‘If you think that we’re leaving you without a proper guardian, then you’re out of your mind. There is
no way
…’

Meg looks drained, but clearly agrees with him.

‘Yeah, but it’s not Meg’s job to look after me,’ I state.

I’m only just settling in here, only just becoming accepted. I don’t want to be the bane of her life, and, if she feels that she still needs to support Johnny while he’s on
tour, then I don’t want to be responsible for stopping her from doing that.

‘Maybe Stu could come over?’ I suggest, and almost instantly dismiss the idea. He won’t be able to leave his job.

‘We’ll think of something,’ Johnny says, and then a commotion from the top of the stairs makes us all jolt.

‘What the—’ Johnny starts, but doesn’t finish his sentence.

‘Couldn’t help overhearing,’ Gramps says, stumbling slightly as he starts to walk down the stairs. ‘How about
I
come over and look after the little
blighter?’ he says with a grin, opening his arms wide with a flourish as he reaches the bottom of the stairs.

I giggle. He’s slurring his words.

‘I don’t think so, Dad,’ Johnny says wryly. Meg looks completely unimpressed.

‘Why not?’ he asks spiritedly, swaying slightly. ‘We’d have a laugh, wouldn’t we, kiddo?’

‘You bet we would,’ I reply with a grin, nodding. I bloody love this idea.

‘I think we might talk about it some more when you’re sober,’ Johnny states, getting to his feet. ‘That OK, Jess?’ He squeezes my shoulder.

‘Sure,’ I say with a nod, standing up, too. ‘But we’ll have to think of something, because I don’t want to be a burden.’

‘You’re not a burden,’ Meg says quickly.

I flash her a small smile. Even if her heart is in the right place, we both know that’s not true.

‘What’s your new school like?’ the interviewer from
Hebe
magazine asks conspiratorially.

His name is Russ and he reminds me of Ed Sheeran with his short ginger hair and a generous sprinkling of freckles. I liked him as soon as he introduced himself.

It’s Tuesday afternoon and we’re sitting in the Mondrian Hotel’s Skybar on a cushioned bench seat framed by large windows overlooking LA. This is one of Agnes’s favourite
places to grab a coffee – the open-air bar is full of beautiful people lounging around a central swimming pool. We’ve already done the photos – up in Beverly Hills with the
Hollywood sign in the background – and now we’re onto the words.

Johnny decided it was too much of an invasion of privacy to have them photograph and interview me at home, even though he sniggered at the sound of our clichéd Hollywood backdrop. That
made me smile, too, but there’s no denying it was exciting being photographed in public with that famous sign in the background, even if it was a little cheesy.

‘It’s different,’ I say in answer to Russ’s question. ‘You don’t have to wear school uniform, for a start.’

‘I was thinking more along the lines of what it’s like to go to school with so many famous teenagers?’

I laugh. ‘There are a fair few of those.’

He wrinkles up his nose and leans in closer. ‘What are they like? Is Margarita Ramirez as much of a diva as they say?’

‘Not at all,’ I reply adamantly. ‘She’s been nothing but nice to me. On my first day of school, she offered to show me to the office, which was really sweet of her
because I was nervous.’

‘I bet you were.’

‘My dad gave me a lift on his motorbike and she said, “That’s one way to make an exit,” or something like that.’

I almost said Johnny, then, but remembered to refer to him as my dad.

‘You get lifts to school on the back of Johnny Jefferson’s motorbike? That is so cool!’ Russ effuses.

‘Only on my first day. He wanted to take me, but mostly I go in a car with their driver.’

‘Your life has changed so much—’

‘You’re telling me,’ I interrupt him.

‘Do you ever just want to pinch yourself?’

‘Every day. I had to pinch myself at the weekend when we went to Big Sur for my dad’s birthday. The house we were staying in overlooking the ocean was incredible.’ I describe
it to him. ‘It’s hard to believe I’m just an ordinary girl from Maidenhead.’

‘Do you miss anything about your old life?’ he asks.

I shrug and swallow. ‘Of course,’ I reply around the sudden lump in my throat. ‘I miss my friends and seeing my stepdad every day. I miss the familiarity of my old school. And
I miss my home and my bedroom. We didn’t have much, but it was mine and I have a lot of happy memories there.’

He nods, seriously, and I can tell that he’s thinking about asking me about Mum, but he doesn’t.

‘So what’s the best thing you’ve bought with your new-found wealth?’ he asks with a grin.

We’re sticking to the fun stuff and I can’t say it’s not a relief. This is
Hebe
we’re talking about, after all. We’re not on
Oprah
.

Because the interview is about me and the way my life has changed personally, I don’t get to talk about All Hype as much as I’d like to. Luckily, the
Muso
magazine interview hits the shelves on Thursday, so at band practice the guys are all over it.

It’s a good, strong piece – half a page, which is amazing for an unsigned band, even if they did miss out loads of stuff. It flags up our upcoming gig in San Francisco, thankfully,
and it also makes a lot out of the fact that I’m Johnny Jefferson’s daughter. I’m worried about that sort of publicity at first, especially remembering what Eve said, but then
Brandon reads aloud Owen’s verdict on our last gig, saying that I: ‘more than hold my own as a front girl’.

I’m bursting with pride as Brandon wraps his arms round me and lifts me from the ground.

‘That’s cool,’ Miles says with a laugh, patting my back as Brandon puts me down again.

‘
Very
cool,’ Jack adds, and I purse my lips as he hooks his arm round my neck and plants a kiss on my cheek, knowing how tame the gesture is compared to what he’d like
to be doing.

On Saturday evening, Jack turns up in his Audi to collect me. I had an argument with Johnny earlier about security measures for tonight. He’s agreed that Jack can drive
me on the condition that Sam follows and comes into the venue with us. I’m gutted.

He came out with his usual, ‘you won’t even know he’s there,’ line, but he’s wrong. It was supposed to be just Jack and me tonight.

Still, I’m trying not to let it get to me. Gramps left to go back to the UK yesterday after he and I spent the week trying to convince Johnny and Meg that he’s capable of being my
guardian while they’re away on tour. Johnny is still thinking about it, so I don’t want to rub him up the wrong way by making his life difficult.

As we’re going to a gig, I’ve dressed down tonight in skinny black jeans and one of Agnes’s cool neon-on-black graphic tees, but I’ve spent ages getting ready. I’ve
scrunched my hair and I’m wearing it down so it’s got a tousled effect, and my eye make-up is dark and sultry. This is the first time Jack and I will be out together without our friends
around. Who knows what the night has in store?

Again, I have to remind myself that Sam’s going to be there…

I jump when the doorbell goes, even though I’m expecting Jack. I have to force myself to walk steadily and calmly down the stairs.

Johnny is sitting on the living-room sofa, watching telly. I still call him Johnny most of the time in my head, even though I’m trying to call him Dad to his face.

‘Ask him in,’ he calls.

‘I think we’ll just get going,’ I reply edgily.

‘No, ask him in.’ He looks over his shoulder at me. ‘This is your first proper date, right?’ Damn me for telling him that. ‘I should meet your boyfriend,’ he
adds.

‘You’ve met him loads of times,’ I point out with a frown.

He raises his eyebrows at me.

‘Fine,’ I mutter, going to the door.

My heart flips at the sight of Jack standing there. He’s so gorgeous. His black hair, longer and messier on top, has been pushed back from his face, offering a clear view of his blue-grey
eyes and his long dark lashes.

‘Hi,’ I say, feeling shy all of a sudden.

‘Hey.’ He smiles down at me. ‘You ready?’

‘Johnny, I mean, my dad, wants you to come in.’

He cocks an eyebrow. ‘Really?’

‘Mmm-hmm,’ I say ominously.

He shrugs. ‘OK.’

I lead the way back inside.

‘Hey, Jack,’ Johnny says casually, getting up from the sofa.

‘Hi,’ Jack replies.

Johnny leans against the back of the sofa and crosses his arms. ‘You guys are going to see Contour Lines tonight, hey?’

‘That’s right.’ Jack nods.

‘My friend Christian wrote their biography not that long ago. Should be a good gig.’

‘I hope so,’ Jack replies, shoving his hands into his pockets. His shoulders are hunched and he seems a little awkward.

‘You know Sam is coming.’

I roll my eyes.
Of course he does
. I had to break it to him earlier.

‘He’ll stay out of your way as long as he can keep Jessie in sight,’ Johnny says. ‘So don’t go sneaking into any dark corners.’

‘Johnny!’ I squawk. ‘I mean, Dad,’ I mumble.

Johnny flashes me an amused look. The combination of Jack’s mortified expression and me calling him ‘Dad’ seems to lighten his mood.

‘Have you heard Jessie’s track on my album yet?’ Johnny asks Jack, unfolding his arms. He instantly seems more open and friendly.

‘No, no, I haven’t,’ Jack replies, shaking his head.

I had planned to host band practice here one day so my bandmates could hear it, but that hasn’t come about yet. I’m still worried about sounding like I’m boasting, and no one
else has brought it up.

Johnny jerks his head towards his studio at the top of the stairs. ‘You got time?’

‘Definitely,’ Jack replies eagerly.

Johnny leads the way up the stairs. I pinch the tips of Jack’s fingers with mine as we walk side by side. He flashes me a quick smile, but he’s clearly on edge.

It’s kind of cute that he’s fazed. I’m not sure how much of it is because Johnny is famous and how much of it is because he’s my dad.

Jack seems properly impressed by the song and my cheeks flush as he smiles at me. I look at Johnny to see that he, in turn, is watching Jack’s reaction, and there’s something about
his expression – a certain satisfaction – that makes me think that Jack is passing whatever test he’s unwittingly being put through.

‘OK, well, you guys have fun,’ Johnny says when we’re leaving the room.

‘Thanks, we will. Hey, can I just show Jack my bedroom?’

Johnny recoils and Jack looks horrified. I have to laugh.

‘You said you wanted to see it,’ I say, looking at Jack.

‘Yeah, but—’ He glances at Johnny.

Johnny’s face breaks out into a grin as he turns and jogs down the stairs. ‘Leave the door open,’ he calls back over his shoulder.

‘Did you have to say that?’ Jack hisses, as soon as we’re inside my room.

I’m trying to stifle a fit of hysteria. ‘The look on your face,’ I say, giggling.

He roughly shoves his hair back and clamps his hands at the back of his head.

I grin and wave my arms at our surroundings. ‘Ta-dah!’

Finally he chills out enough to look around. ‘You weren’t kidding when you said it was called the White Room.’

The plush carpet is white, the bedspread, pillows and cushions on the enormous bed are white, and the shiny, lacquered wardrobes lining the back wall are also white. But I’ve been trying
to accent the white with colour – posters, fairy lights, photo frames. I’ve got a long way to go.

‘I think I need to get a new bedspread.’ I sit down and bounce lightly on the bed. Jack stares at me. I pat the space to my right. He glances at the door, then shakes his head.

‘I think I’ll stand.’

I screw up my nose. ‘Are you honestly freaked out about my dad?’

I spoke in a whisper, but he still looks alarmed and tells me to ‘
Shhh!
’

I grin and get to my feet, walking over to him and looping my arms round his neck. His shyness is making me feel bold. He’s tense as I press my lips to his.

‘We should get going,’ he murmurs, looking down at me out of the corner of his eye.

In the end, we decide to ride with Sam. There’s no getting away from the fact that he’s coming with us, so it seems a bit pointless taking two cars.

The concert is brilliant, but it’s a while before Jack loosens up. He’s sexy as hell when he’s hot and sweaty – we’ve both been jumping along to the music –
but, when I turn to face him, he tenses. We just can’t get away from the fact that we’re constantly being watched.

‘No one’s going to shoot you for kissing me, you know!’ I shout in his ear, sounding sardonic.

‘I’m not taking any chances!’ he shouts back.

I don’t think this is his idea of how he was expecting our first date to go, and neither, frankly, is it mine.

I doubt Jack’s other girlfriends have put him through this, and that thought makes me feel uncomfortable. As the night wears on, I’m beginning to realise we need some proper time
alone.

‘How about I ask Sam to drop me at yours,’ I whisper when we’re sitting in the back of the car, on our way home. His mum and stepdad seem to be a whole lot more laid-back than
mine are.

‘My car’s at your place,’ he reminds me.

‘You could get a lift over tomorrow to collect it,’ I suggest. ‘In fact, Agnes and I are going for our spa day – maybe she could drop you over in the morning?’

He stares at me for a long moment and then nods. I lean forward to tell Sam of our change of plans.

‘I’ve got orders to get you home by midnight,’ he replies in his deep drawl. I swear he reaches lower octaves than anyone else I know.

‘That’s fine.’ It still gives us an hour.

I’ve completely forgotten about Agnes, of course, but, as soon as we’re out of the car, I remember.

‘She’s probably asleep,’ Jack says, but, when we pass her room, the lights are spilling out from under a crack in the door frame. My heart sinks. I love my friend, but
she’ll have me for the whole day tomorrow. Still, it feels wrong to sneak past and my conscience gets the better of me. Jack sighs as I knock on her door.