you.’
‘I’m scared you’ll hate me. I think the world of you and I don’t want to lose you.’
Melissa calmly assured her that wouldn’t happen. ‘I think I have an idea what it is. Jay-Den Lake. I’m right, something happened between you two?’
Lyla took several deep breaths before finally telling the full story of how Jay-Den had filled her head with promises, all the money that she and her boyfriend could have. He had spotted them at a club in Islington supporting another band. They had caught his eye but so had she. Later, after he had engineered a meeting outside where she was alone, he had done his friendly act. Given his number to her and told her to get the boys to call him. A week later they were inside Sky Storm: such an exciting day turned her life upside down. Megan had shown Lyla around while Zac and his band discussed things with Jay-Den. Once they had emerged from the meeting, all excited at the prospect of signing a deal, it was their turn for the tour. Jay-Den suggested she waited with him in his office. It was then he had offered her a choice.
‘No, Lyla, darling, please tell me you said no.’ Melissa sighed and held Lyla’s hand tighter, feeling physically sick. Lyla held onto her, pleading with her eyes for some miracle to change what she had done. Once was all he had asked for, but it was a lie. In fact if she didn’t meet with him on request, Zac and his band were done.
‘Lyla, I can make them, or break them. It’s your choice,’ she said mimicking his voice perfectly. ‘Always while Zac was away. It was so easy for him to engineer everything. He controlled everything.’
Melissa watched as Lyla pulled a little silver box from her pocket and held it to her nose. She sniffed the white powder quickly up her nose before putting it back in her pocket. ‘Lyla,’ Melissa hissed, shocked.
‘This is his fault. My drug habit is all down to him. I’d never done any of it before. It was the only way I could get through it. The only way I could let him touch me. Then the guilt became too much so it became a daily thing to block it out.’ It was another lie she was keeping from her boyfriend. ‘I’ve become a lying druggie whore,’ she sobbed. ‘Nineteen and my life is a mess. The drugs alone will upset Zac. He hates drugs, won’t touch them. He never has, and after what happened to Luke he never will.’ Her eyes were empty, Melissa noticed. ‘He adores Luke…’ she trailed off looking exhausted but something in her eyes told Melissa that wasn’t everything. She was holding back on something else.
‘You might as well tell me everything,’ Melissa urged.
‘That first day at the record label when Zac was being shown around.’ Lyla stopped to take a breath. ‘That was the first time. I took less than five minutes to decide. I felt like I had no choice.’ She had undressed and let Jay-Den do what he wanted right there in the office. ‘He said if I didn’t he would spread horrible lies about Zac, about all of them. He called Megan and told her to make sure they had seen everything, and introduce them to all the staff, giving him time. Then he locked the door and I was trapped.’ Lyla suddenly leapt from the car and was sick in a nearby bush.
Melissa watched her going to pieces and realised she was crying too, her cheeks wet with tears. All she could think of was how scared Lyla must have been. How awful it must have been to keep such a secret, one that she couldn’t ever tell, not at the time. How lonely she must have felt.
Once Lyla had composed herself and got back into the car Melissa held her arms open and let her fall into them. She let her cry all the tears she needed to,
‘I’m scared you’ll hate me. I think the world of you and I don’t want to lose you.’
Melissa calmly assured her that wouldn’t happen. ‘I think I have an idea what it is. Jay-Den Lake. I’m right, something happened between you two?’
Lyla took several deep breaths before finally telling the full story of how Jay-Den had filled her head with promises, all the money that she and her boyfriend could have. He had spotted them at a club in Islington supporting another band. They had caught his eye but so had she. Later, after he had engineered a meeting outside where she was alone, he had done his friendly act. Given his number to her and told her to get the boys to call him. A week later they were inside Sky Storm: such an exciting day turned her life upside down. Megan had shown Lyla around while Zac and his band discussed things with Jay-Den. Once they had emerged from the meeting, all excited at the prospect of signing a deal, it was their turn for the tour. Jay-Den suggested she waited with him in his office. It was then he had offered her a choice.
‘No, Lyla, darling, please tell me you said no.’ Melissa sighed and held Lyla’s hand tighter, feeling physically sick. Lyla held onto her, pleading with her eyes for some miracle to change what she had done. Once was all he had asked for, but it was a lie. In fact if she didn’t meet with him on request, Zac and his band were done.
‘Lyla, I can make them, or break them. It’s your choice,’ she said mimicking his voice perfectly. ‘Always while Zac was away. It was so easy for him to engineer everything. He controlled everything.’
Melissa watched as Lyla pulled a little silver box from her pocket and held it to her nose. She sniffed the white powder quickly up her nose before putting it back in her pocket. ‘Lyla,’ Melissa hissed, shocked.
‘This is his fault. My drug habit is all down to him. I’d never done any of it before. It was the only way I could get through it. The only way I could let him touch me. Then the guilt became too much so it became a daily thing to block it out.’ It was another lie she was keeping from her boyfriend. ‘I’ve become a lying druggie whore,’ she sobbed. ‘Nineteen and my life is a mess. The drugs alone will upset Zac. He hates drugs, won’t touch them. He never has, and after what happened to Luke he never will.’ Her eyes were empty, Melissa noticed. ‘He adores Luke…’ she trailed off looking exhausted but something in her eyes told Melissa that wasn’t everything. She was holding back on something else.
‘You might as well tell me everything,’ Melissa urged.
‘That first day at the record label when Zac was being shown around.’ Lyla stopped to take a breath. ‘That was the first time. I took less than five minutes to decide. I felt like I had no choice.’ She had undressed and let Jay-Den do what he wanted right there in the office. ‘He said if I didn’t he would spread horrible lies about Zac, about all of them. He called Megan and told her to make sure they had seen everything, and introduce them to all the staff, giving him time. Then he locked the door and I was trapped.’ Lyla suddenly leapt from the car and was sick in a nearby bush.
Melissa watched her going to pieces and realised she was crying too, her cheeks wet with tears. All she could think of was how scared Lyla must have been. How awful it must have been to keep such a secret, one that she couldn’t ever tell, not at the time. How lonely she must have felt.
Once Lyla had composed herself and got back into the car Melissa held her arms open and let her fall into them. She let her cry all the tears she needed to,
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