The Mistakes We Made

The visitor

I got a few stares as I walked into the Red Lion. Nothing really to do with Brad, but the fact I was holding a baby in my arms, at the pub, in the middle of the afternoon. "Hi John, Is Seth about?" I asked Seth's Dad and landlord. "He is upstairs, go on up... you doing okay?" He asked. "Thanks... I think so. What do I owe you for the tow?" I asked. "Nothing, Bailey. I hear it was a lost cause?" He said to which I nodded. "Yeah, It's gone to that big old scrapheap in the sky now, John." I smiled then made my way through the back room and up stairs to the where Seth's family lived above the pub.

"Hi?" I called out once I reached the top of the stairs. "Hi Bailey... In here." Seth called from his kitchen. I walked in to see Seth sat on one of his dining chairs in the middle of the kitchen while Max cut his hair. "Woah, you getting it cut short?" I asked. I think Seth had had his hair at shoulder length since school now. "No, he is being a pussy, just a trim, but I will do anything to run my fingers through his hair." Max said with a chuckle. "You are such a perv. I didn't know you did house visits." I said to Max who had worked in a salon for years now. "I don't advertise it." Max said as I sat down at the table and let Chase mooch about on the floor. "You seen the news?" I asked both the boys. "What news?" Seth said looking cautious. "About an hour ago, it was announced that Brad quit Mistakes Were Made." I said with a raise of my eyebrow. "Holy fuck? Really?" Seth asked as he just stood up, much to Max's annoyance and grabbed his phone that was on the table. "I'm hoping he will be returning home soon then things might get sorted." I said full of optimism. Seth though wore a look of concern.

"Why do you look like that?" I said to Seth as he scanned through his phone trying to get as much information as possible. "I spoke to him... early this morning. He is in a bad way, Bailey. The Blossom thing blew up in his face because of the stupid post he made and the whole Chase thing. Why didn't he tell me about this? He won't handle this." Seth said as he continued on his phone. I laughed. "It was his idea. His mum told me yesterday. He is better off out of it." I replied. Seth shook his head. "Bailey he isn't going to just come back and it will be like it used to. He is still stupidly famous and get will swamped for this. He won't handle it at all with where his head is at." He said. "More to the point, Why is Brad not contacting me at all? and I'm sorry but if he is going to sleep about with fake girlfriend pop stars and underage girls, it is his own fault if he feels depressed. " I said, feeling annoyed.

"Are you still going on about that underage thing? It didn't happen, Bailey. It's all JJ making shit up." Max said as he stood the with scissors in his hand. "Brad was the one that told me, Max. Why would he go so far to spend 5 mil if it wasn't true. I'm sorry to tell you guys but the sun does not shine out of Bradley fucking Kings arse hole!" I snapped. "I'm telling you it is not true! It is impossible for anyone underage to get backstage. I know because I have been there and seen how it works. If you two actually bothered to spend time with Brad out of this shit hole then you would see that things aren't always black and white." Max bit back at me. I picked Chase up from the floor. "Maybe if you spoke to Brad and didn't just use him to get people to fuck your ass hole then you would hear the concerns he has and maybe help him make better fucking decisions, Max." I yelled then made my way back down stairs. "Nice, Bailey! Real fucking nice!" I heard Max call out as I walked away.

As the days went by, it became clear that Brad was not returning to see Chase or make contact with me whatsoever. He remained in his London home, phone switched off and unreachable. Seth had made his way to London to check in on him but he never had any news. Just that Brad was processing everything.

Still staying at my parents, I went home occasionally to pick things up and collect my mail. Pulling the skoda outside the house, I noticed someone sat on my doorstep. My first thought was Brad but they were too stocky. Dressed in a big black coat and hat to match, I kept Chase in the back of the car and locked it as I got out to keep him safe. It was the click noise from the car locking that made this person look up and I realised exactly who it was. "Jesus Christ, JJ, why are you here?" I asked as I unlocked the car and got Chase out. "I need your help" He said as I walked up my path and stuck the key in the door. "Well you should of thought about that before you tried to grab my tits." I said opening the door. I walked in, leaving him stood there and closed the door in his face. "Bailey please." I heard call from outside. It pissed me off. "I'm sorry I really am. Please can I come in and talk to you?" He said. 

Memories of the charity auction night came back to me. Anger bubbled up inside me.  Everything that went wrong had been JJ's fault. Still with Chase in my arms, I opened the door back up. "I want you to pay Brad back for the money he spent on that auction. Once you agree then I will help you." I stated. "What?  I don't have 5 million. I'm the fucking Bass player.  C'mon Bailey. Brad makes that kind of money just doing a magazine interview. Can I come in? " He said seeing someone walk up the road. Feeling put on the spot but not wanting hoards of emotional Mistakes Were Made fans spotting JJ, reluctantly, I let him inside.  

I didn't invite him in any further than my hall way. "You need to pay Brad back what you can, okay." I said looking him in his light blue eyes. JJ nodded. It was a shitty thing to do, but I will. I promise." He said. I gave him my best arse face. "Yeah well that means shit to me. JJ was the girl actually under age?" I asked. JJ looked at me. "The cocaine whore? Yeah 15. why?" He asked. I shrugged. "Just a few things don't add up about it." I said remembering what Max had said the other day and what Seth had mentioned the night he found out. "It's just one of those things, Bailey. Happens more than you think." He said. "To Brad?" I questioned. "In the industry." He said.

"So what do you want?" I asked. "I need you to tell Brad to come back. He has made the biggest mistake of his life." JJ said looking actually quite emotional. "I can't help you there... He won't speak to me. I can't get hold of him at all." I said. "You need to go and see him. That big fucking oaf of a friend of yours says Brad doesn't want to speak and won't let me in. I just know if someone spoke to him and reminded him about how good we have it then he will reconsider." JJ said, his eyes on me as he spoke. 

I pursed my lips. "I want to know who the girl was...and I want some serious cash to present to him as an apology for the auction." I said flatly. "The girl? What girl?" He asked. I rolled my eyes. "The 15 year old that had enough balls to sprinkle coke on her tits and then get a fucking global superstar to snort it off her!" I snapped. JJ smiled. "I don't recall it quite like that. From what I saw, Bradders was leading the show... Just like he always does when you're not in his pocket." He said still with the smirk on his face. 

For the first time I was actually glad that I had seen the video with my own eyes. JJ did not know this fact though. "I want the girls name, and the money you owe Brad, JJ." I said flatly. "I told you, I don't get that kind of money from playing bass." He snapped. I reached behind him and opened my door. "Then I suggest you leave my home and you kiss farewell to your band." I replied.

"Okay... Okay. I can write you a cheque for half a mil. I will pay him the rest back though." He said with a nod. "What is the girls name?" I asked. JJ shrugged. "Off the top of my head, no idea. Give me a few hours, I will ask around. Give me your number and I will text you the details." He said. "Fine... But keep it on the low, last thing he needs is this girl yapping." I said holding my phone out with my number on it for him to put into his contacts.

"So, you will go and see him tonight?" He asked when he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "I will go when I've got the money, the girls name and when I'm good and fucking ready, JJ." I replied dryly.

JJ nodded. "Talk soon." He said then left my home without so much as a thank you or a goodbye.