Baby Be Mine Read Online Free PDF Page B

torso decorated with the occasional tattoo and I’d thought: maybe I have a crush on Johnny Jefferson, after all.
    I wonder if he’s okay. I get a sudden image inside my head of me calling him to ask if he’s alright.
    Crazy! I could never do that.
    But I want to.
    I wonder if Christian has spoken to him. I should ring him and ask.
    No! You can have nothing to do with Johnny Jefferson – ever again!
    I’m a mess. I can’t bear this.
    I wish Bess hadn’t told me. But then I still would have seen it on the front of those newspapers today, not to mention heard it on the telly and on the radio. There’s no escaping news this huge about a star so big.
    I wonder if Christian has seen him. They’ve been best friends for years. He wouldn’t have stayed away, surely. How is Christian feeling? He must be upset by all of this. I should call him. I should call him.
    I go back inside and pick up the phone before I can talk myself out of it. Christian answers on the fourth ring.
    ‘Hello?’
    ‘It’s me.’
    ‘Hi.’ He sounds tired.
    ‘Are you okay?’ I ask.
    ‘I’m knackered,’ he replies. ‘Have you seen the news about Johnny?’
    Good, I don’t have to ask. ‘Yes. Have you spoken to him?’
    ‘I’m at his house now.’
    I wasn’t expecting that. I don’t know how to feel about it. I feel like I should be there, too. The three of us, how we used to be, when it was all platonic and I was just nice, dependable Meg.
    ‘It’s the same old shit, Meg. Only this time he’s got an accomplice.’
    ‘Have you met her?’ I ask of Dana.
    ‘I’ve met her in the past, yeah.’
    During another visit he failed to mention. I try not to let it bother me.
    ‘What’s she like?’
    ‘Full of herself. I think she fancies the pair of them as being the next Kurt and Courtney. It’s a fucking joke. I’m sick of it!’
    ‘Hey . . .’ I say gently.
    ‘Yeah, I know, he’s my oldest friend and all that, but when’s it going to end? I’ve had it up to my eyeballs.’
    ‘Who are you talking to?’ I hear Johnny ask in the background and my heart jumps into my throat.
    ‘I’ve gotta go,’ Christian says brusquely to me. ‘I’ll call you later.’ He hangs up.
    Later I text Christian, asking him to call me back when he has a chance. It’s seven o’clock the following morning before he finally does.
    ‘I’m off to bed,’ he tells me. ‘It’s been a long day.’
    ‘What time is it there?’ I ask groggily. Barney is having a rare lie-in.
    ‘Eleven.’
    I prop myself up on my pillows. ‘How’s Johnny?’ It feels strange to say his name out loud – especially to Christian.
    ‘He’s feeling a bit better. He’s going to go back into rehab tomorrow.’
    ‘That’s good.’
    ‘Yeah. I’m not sure if his heart is really in it, but it’s better than nothing.’
    ‘Is she going to go, too?’
    ‘Who knows? Probably. I think it’s only her manager who kept her away from him today.’
    ‘How’s Bill?’ Bill is Johnny’s manager.
    ‘He’s fine. Water off a duck’s back. You know Bill.’
    Yes, I do. In fact, he probably looks upon this as good publicity. Not that Johnny needs any more publicity.
    ‘Who found him?’ I ask.
    ‘Rosa.’
    Aah, so it was Rosa. ‘How is she?’
    ‘Quiet.’
    ‘That’s worrying,’ I comment. Rosa used to be anything but. ‘What actually happened? How did he do it?’
    ‘He reckons he took a dodgy “e”, but he’d mixed a few things. It could have been anything.’
    ‘Did she take the same drugs?’
    ‘Seems so.’ Christian sighs. ‘Listen, Meg, I’d better get some sleep. Johnny wants me to wake him up early if we’re going to do this rehab thing.’
    ‘Are you staying at his house?’ I ask in surprise. I’d assumed he’d gone back to his hotel.
    ‘Yep. In the gold room, as usual.’
    It’s the room he always used to stay in. I remember Johnny once telling him he could have any room he wanted: ‘Except for Meg’s. Keep your hands off my staff.’
    It