chapter four
...Saturday, 10.33am, Aston Hall Hotel & Restaurant, Room 182,
Sheffield...
Shane splashed cold water on his face and glared into the mirror. He looked pale
and tired. He grinned at the mirror in an attempt to cheer himself up. It didn't
work. He dried his face in the towel that he had just picked off the floor and
remembered just how bad last nights gig had been.
It had been a disaster. The recipe for a nightmare. Things couldn't have
possibly been any worse. First, Nicky had worn black boxers with white trousers
for "Flying Without Wings", Then, Kian's trousers had shrunk in the
wash and he split them on stage whilst dancing to "No No", Mark had
decided to walk into a door ten minutes before the show and give himself a black
eye. All the make-up in the world couldn't have disguised it. And to top it all
off, Shane had forgotten the words to "Open Your Heart". A disaster, a
total disaster. He wanted to die.
"That was crap Nix," started Shane as he walked into the faintly lit
room. Nicky however, was still asleep, sucking his thumb like a baby. "Gee
Nix, I think I'd get a better reaction if I started to talk to the wall!"
Nicky stirred in his sleep and rubbed his twinkly blue eyes. "What time is
it?" asked a sleepy Nicky. "About half-ten, time to get up sleepy head,"
replied Shane. "Y'know your thumb is gonna shrink if you keep on sucking at
it Nix" "I know," They giggled.
Nicky sprang out of his bed and headed towards the bathroom. Shane spent the
next five minutes in hysterics as Nicky did an impression of Mark by pretending
to walk into the bathroom door. "Get dressed you idiot!" Shane managed
to shout in-between his laughing fit. Nicky shut the bathroom door after giving
Shane a big cheesy grin. He came out a couple of minutes later, dressed and
awake. Shane had already packed his bags and grabbed Nicky's from the corner of
the room.
"You ready now pansy? Teased Shane. "Pansy ehh?" said Nicky as he
threw a towel at Shane. "Control yourself Nicholas Byrne" was Shane's
response. The two of them walked down the stairs, (Nicky refused to take the
lift) singing quietly to themselves. Several floors later the reached the lobby,
where the rest of the lads were waiting.
Bryan looked rough; Kian didn't look much better than him. After the disastrous
gig, Bryan and Kian had headed straight to the bar in the hotel. Now, they were
suffering the consequences. Mark's black eye stood out like a blinding light on
a foggy day. Shane playfully banged Bryan's head against Kian's and laughed.
They didn't appear to see the funny side of the joke.
"Are you sure you's two won't come back to Ireland with us?" checked
Mark. "Na, go and have a rest lads, me and Shane are gonna check out what
England's got to offer." "Okay then, If you're sure" sighed Mark.
They hugged each other and left the hotel. Mark, Kian and Bryan got into a cab
and headed for the airport, Nicky and Shane began to walk towards the train
station.
...Saturday, 4.00pm, Saint Sepulchre Gate, City Centre, Doncaster...
"Are you hungry Nix?" Shane looked at him. "Na, I. Erm. No. Yes.
Hmm." Shane was baffled by Nicky's bizarre response. "And what the
hell does that mean?" Nicky sat down on a bench fidgeting with a pen,
gazing into oblivion. "Please." "Please what Nix? Are you
OK?" Shane squinted at him. "Fooooood" said Nicky; he seemed to
be in a trance. "Come on dippy, I saw a sign for McDonalds down the street
when we arrived." He pulled at Nicky's arm. "Hmmm, take me to the
golden M" Nicky did an impression of a zombie. Shane shook his head at
Nicky. Shane was starting to think that maybe Nicky had hit his head somewhere.
...Saturday, 4.31pm, MacDonalds, Saint Sepulchre Gate, City Centre, Doncaster...
Shane looked out of the window, down at the high street. It was raining outside.
It seemed almost appropriate that the weather was as dull and gloomy as his mood.
"Hello? Shane." "What?" Shane turned around. Nicky was
trying his best to make Shane laugh by sticking straws in his ears. "Cheer
up Shane" said Nicky as he removed the last straw from his ear. "She's
out there Nix, somewhere." Shane sighed and turned back towards the window
and began to look out again. "Shay, we'll have a look for her tonight when
we go round the nightclubs, Okay?" "Okay Nix."