Stories of Rockfield (Roger Taylor)

Chapter Seven

With a huff of exhaustion, I collapse back on to the sofa and rest my feet up on the coffee table in front of me. Louise is due to arrive in about ten minutes to get ready to go out. It's rare that I get a Friday night off from the pub so we're taking advantage and going out with David, Scott and the band. I'm quite excited to finally go out with the boys, especially Freddie, he seems like he knows how to have a laugh.

Pouring a glass of wine, I put on the record that I bought from Scott and head over to my wardrobe to start figuring out what to wear. After a minute or two of searching through my wardrobe, I settle for two options (one being a short, floral dress with a collar and the other being a denim skirt and a mustard yellow and white striped t-shirt). Soon enough, my bedroom door swings open as Louise lets herself in, dumping her bag on the bed.

"You're already on the drink?" She scoffs, pouring a glass for herself. "What are you wearing tonight?"

"One of these." I hold up the two outfits. "Which one?"

"You're taking the piss, aren't you?" She pulls a face of disgust and moves around me to get to the wardrobe. "You have to dress incredible tonight, Deb. That way little drummer boy can see what he's missing out on."

"No." I groan. "Louise, I'm done with that. We haven't spoken for days."

"That'll only make him more eager. Everyone wants what they can't have."

I roll my eyes at my friend as she picks out a short denim dress with small embroidered roses on each side of the buttons. Louise bought me it for my birthday last year. Admittedly, it is a gorgeous dress but it doesn't cover much. Sensing that she's not going to give in, I reluctantly take the dress and change into it.

"Yes." She nods her head in approval. "Right, put this on so I can do your makeup."

I take the button up shirt from her and put it on, tying my hair back so she doesn't get anything in my hair. I manage to sit fairly still while she does my makeup, only moving every now and then if I have an itch or if a particularly good part of a song comes on. Sometimes, I just can't stop myself from singing along. We decide to leave my hair as it is because it's natural curls look quite good with my makeup and the dress.

"Finally!" Freddie cheers as Louise and I walk out of the house. "You both look beautiful, but we're missing valuable drinking time so let's go!"

As if on cue, our two taxis pull up into the driveway and we all pile in, four of us in each car. Of course, I get lumped in with what some would say is the lesser bunch: Scott, Freddie and Roger. But, it's only forty-five minutes. I can manage. We sit for a few minutes in an awkward silence, with Roger and I still not being on great terms and Scott not really knowing either of the boys, so I decide to spark up a conversation.

"Scott, I listened to that record." I tell him. "It's incredible."

"I knew you'd like it." He grins proudly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Roger roll his eyes at the younger boy. I can't help but find his annoyance a little amusing. "Freddie was right, by the way, you look gorgeous tonight. Is that the dress Louise got for your birthday?"

"It is, yeah. Thank you."

For the duration of the car ride, Scott tries his best to get to know the boys but neither of them are very co-operative. Freddie attempts to answer Scott's questions but he's always met with a sharp dig in the ribs from Roger. When we arrive at the club, the four remaining members of our group are already stood shivering on the pavement. Deciding to have a bit of fun, I jump out first and link my arm with Scott's as soon as he gets out of the car. I can feel Roger's cold glare burning into the back of my head as we walk ahead.