First Kiss - Kit & Tully Book 1

Chapter 5 - Tully Goes to a Gig

My wardrobe is basic, which suits me. I've never tried to stand out because usually I'm happy to blend in. But now that I want something to wear for the concert tonight, my cupboard is bare. Just thinking of Kit and her friends makes me wish I could buy something new. The problem is I haven't been paid yet.

"Off to meet your new friends?" Mam asks with a twinkle in her eye when she sees me ironing my one and only white shirt.

"Yeah, we're going to a gig in town." It feels good saying 'we'.

"To think I was worried about how you'd get on here in Drimshanra. It's nothing like Dublin, but you're doing so well. You've got a job and made new friends already."

The shirt is warm from the iron and I smile as I button it up.

"You look so handsome," she says admiringly. She's biased because she's my mother, although she was beautiful once, and people say I take after her. My hair is lighter than hers, and curlier, but we have the same brown eyes. Mam used to have long black hair, dark and lustrous, but now it's streaked with grey and falls untidily around her shoulders. She's thin and fragile as a bird as I stoop to kiss her goodbye.

The summer evenings are long and it's still light as I head out into the night's warm embrace, buzzing with anticipation. I know what Mam means about Dublin, but though most people wouldn't agree with me, I think there are more opportunities in Drimshanra. I never met anyone like Kit or Felice when I was in Dublin.

Our area had a bad name and nobody with money lived there. The school was the same. The teachers did their best but nobody wanted to be there. Everyone knew the future was on the streets, working for the gangs. Most kids didn't mind. It's what you do if you grow up in dodgy parts of town and it has a kind of glamour to it – exciting, dangerous and well-paid if short-lived.

It never appealed to me. All I've ever wanted, ever dreamed of for me and Mam, is a normal life, simple with no drama, the kind of life I've never had.

Fibber's is one of those closed up venues that's invisible by day but once the shutters roll up at night, the place comes alive. There's already a queue down the street when I arrive but there's no sign of the three friends. As I wait in line, I wonder if I should have come earlier. Suppose, it's sold out and I can't get in?

The place is heaving by the time I finally make it through the door. The light is so dim, I start to panic. Suppose they're not here? Or they are here, but I can't find them in the dark?

Then I spot a flash of blue hair in the middle of the crowd, and push my way towards it before it disappears.

"Hey, Tully, over here!" Spike catches sight of me and waves. He's fearless in a purple tie and pointed boots, with his shaggy Goth hair and kohl-rimmed eyes.

"You look much better." The only trace of last week's injuries are the dark circles around his eyes. If you didn't know otherwise, the bruises could pass for make-up in the shadowy light.

"Why didn't you report them?" I ask the question that's been burning on my mind ever since.

"I can't." He pulls me in close and murmurs in my ear. "I haven't come out to my family yet."

"Oh." Suddenly, everything falls into place and it all makes sense. That's why he didn't tell the guards anything, why he wanted Felice and Kit instead of his family. I feel so stupid. I don't know how I didn't see it before.

"Don't worry," I mutter back, "I won't say anything."

"I didn't think you would." His smile is amused.

The three of them stand out like exotic birds, Felice at the front of the pack, bright and vivid, impossible to miss with her pastel hair, Kit more discreet and understated in black. She's wearing a black lace top that shows off her curves and self-confidence. Together, they are untouchable, invincible. Some drunken idiots might pick on Spike alone, in a dark alley, but they won't go near him here, not when the three of them are together. Looking at them, I'm relieved I didn't have any money to spend on clothes. Anything I could have bought in Drimshanra would have been all wrong.

"Hey," Kit mumbles without looking at me.

"Hey," Felice links her arm through mine and elbows her way through the crowd, right up to the very front.

We arrive just as the band leaps out onto the stage, almost on top of us. The whole place goes wild, the crowd a sweaty seething mass around us. I'd rather stay at the back, where I might get a chance to talk to Kit, but I should have guessed Felice would only be happy jammed up against the stage in the middle of the action.

Andy was right about the girls loving Mac Whitehead. Kit is misty-eyed and can't take her eyes off him and she's not the only one. Bare-chested, in ripped jeans, he glides around the stage like he owns it.

There's no option but to join in, so I shout and pump my arms like the best of them. To be fair, Mac Whitehead has a compelling stage presence, and I find myself pulled into the music and caught under his spell. Whatever Mac sings, the crowd are happy to listen and cheer long. When the band plays 'Plagued by You', the song that's rocketing up the charts, the crowd go wild, shouting the chorus back at him at the tops of their voices.

When the set is finally over, the crowd keeps asking for more and the band plays several encores. Eventually, it really is over. The lights go on, revealing the drab interior and littered floor, and the place starts to empty out. Spike wanders off but, thankfully, Kit and Felice don't seem in any rush to leave. Instead they hover around hopefully.

"That was amazing," I make my voice sound as enthusiastic as possible, because I know it's the right thing to say.

"Have you seen them before?" Felice asks.

"Never. Don't know much about them, except that song on the radio."

"Plagued by You." Felice has a sceptical look in her eyes that tells me she's not buying it, but Kit gives me a tiny, supportive smile that makes my heart race.

"Guys, you won't believe this," Spike rushes up to us, stuttering with excitement, "I know the sound guy. They need a hand loading up the gear. C'mon, we'll get to meet the band."

"No way!" As one we race out of the building after Spike. He leads us to an alley at the back, where the band has parked the van.

I can't believe my luck. I was hoping something would happen to make the night last longer and give me a chance to chat to Kit. This is the perfect opportunity. Jumping into the back of the van, I take a box from the guitarist. He tells me his name is Baz and introduces his girlfriend, Jenna. Kit drifts over and starts chatting to Jenna, watching us idly. Felice is flirting with the drummer and neither of them are doing anything to help.

It's only when Felice asks where Mac Whitehead is that I notice the leader singer's absence.

"At the bar, chatting up the girls," Jenna rolls her eyes, "as usual."

Kit looks away and I can tell she's trying to hide her disappointment but, inwardly, I'm jubilant. Without him to distract her, there's a better chance she'll talk to me.

"It's hard for Mac to get away," Baz says. "They all want a piece of him."

"The rest of you manage it," Jenna says with asperity and I hide a grin. Some girls can resist Mac's charms.

As the night goes on, we get a rhythm going. Baz passes the boxes and I stack them, while Spike helps the sound guy carry the stuff out to us. The four of us, Baz, Jenna, Kit and I chat away as we load the van. There's still no sign of Mac, but the longer he stays away, the happier I am. The time passes quickly. Baz tells us stories about the band and how the success of 'Plagued by You' has turned them into a big deal and a hot new act. Black Death is definitely going places. An hour later it's all done and we no longer have an excuse to hang around.

"Thanks for helping out," Baz says.

"No problem," I reply. "Great to meet you all!" Not that there's any chance we'll meet again. There's no reason for an up and coming band to hang around Drimshanra, not when they have so many bigger, brighter places to go. Still, I can't help noticing when Len, the drummer Felice has been flirting with all night, writes down his number and hands it to her.

The three friends head towards the main street to hunt down a taxi. Once again, I find myself walking home alone. But this time is different. Even though nothing has been said, I feel sure I'll see them again.

Author's Note

Thanks so much for checking out this story. If you would like to continue reading, FIRST KISS - Kit & Tully Book 1 is available on all your favourite online stores. (Link in Bio)