Declan laughed and rubbed his hands together cheekily. ‘I know! This band business is great. Looks like I’ll be getting a bit of action tonight,’ he said cockily.
‘As your sister it’s always a pleasure to be informed of that,’ Holly replied sarcastically. She was finding it impossible to maintain a conversation with Declan as he refused eye contact with her and instead was scouring the crowds.
‘OK, Declan, just go, why don’t you, and flirt with these beauties instead of being stuck here with your old sister?’
‘Oh no, it’s not that,’ he said defensively. ‘It’s just that we were told there might be a record company guy coming to see us play tonight.’
‘Oh, cool!’ Holly’s eyes widened with excitement. This obviously meant a lot to her brother and she felt guilty for never taking an interest in it before. She glanced around and tried to spot someone who might be a record company person. What would they look like? It’s not as if they would be sitting in the corner with a notebook scribbling furiously. Finally her eyes fell upon a man who seemed much older than the rest of the crowd, more her own age. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, black slacks and a black T-shirt, and stood with his hands on his hips staring at the stage. Yes, he was definitely a record company guy. He had stubble all around his jaw and looked like he hadn’t been to bed for days. He probably smelled bad as well. Or else he was just a weirdo who liked to go to student nights and ogle all the young girls. Also a possibility.
‘Over there, Deco!’ Holly raised her voice over the noise and pointed at the man.
Declan looked excited and his eyes followed to where her finger pointed. His smile faded as he obviously recognised the man. ‘No, it’s just DANNY!’ he yelled, and wolf-whistled to grab the guy’s attention.
Danny twirled round, trying to find his caller, nodded his head in recognition and made his way over.
‘Hey, man,’ Declan said, shaking his hand.
‘Hi, Declan, how are you set?’ The man looked stressed.
‘Yeah, OK,’ Declan nodded unenthusiastically. Somebody must have told Declan that acting like you didn’t care was cool.
‘Sound check go OK?’
‘There were a few problems but we sorted them out.’
‘So everything’s OK?’
‘Sure.’
‘Good.’ His face relaxed and he turned to face Holly. ‘Sorry for ignoring you there. I’m Daniel.’
‘Nice to meet you. I’m Holly.’
‘Oh, sorry,’ Declan interrupted. ‘Holly, this is the owner; Daniel, this is my sister.’
‘Sister? Wow you look nothing alike.’
‘Thank God,’ Holly mouthed to Daniel so Declan couldn’t see, and he laughed.
‘Hey, Deco, we’re on!’ yelled a blue-haired boy at him.
‘See you two later,’ and Declan ran off.
‘Good luck!’ yelled Holly after him. ‘So you’re a Hogan,’ she said, turning to face Daniel.
‘Well, no, actually I’m a Connolly,’ he smiled. ‘I just took over the place a few weeks ago.’
‘Oh.’ Holly was surprised. ‘I didn’t know they’d sold it. So are you going to change it to Connolly’s then?’
‘Can’t afford all the lettering on the front. It’s a bit long.’
Holly laughed. ‘Well, everyone knows the name Hogan’s at this stage; it would probably be stupid to change it.’
Daniel nodded in agreement. ‘That was the main reason, actually.’
Suddenly Jack appeared at the main entrance and Holly waved him over. ‘I’m so sorry I’m late. Did I miss anything?’ he said, giving her a hug and a kiss.
‘Nope, he’s just about to go on now. Jack, this is Daniel, the owner.’
‘Nice to meet you,’ Daniel said, shaking his hand.
‘Are they any good?’ Jack asked him, nodding his head in the direction of the stage.
‘To tell you the truth, I’ve never even heard them play,’ Daniel said worriedly.
‘That was brave of you!’ laughed Jack.
‘I hope not too brave,’ he said, turning to face the front as the boys took to the stage.
‘I recognise a few faces here,’ Jack said, scanning the crowd. ‘Most of them are under eighteen as well.’
A young girl dressed in ripped jeans and a belly top walked slowly by Jack with an unsure smile on her face. She placed her finger over her lip. Jack smiled and nodded back.
Holly looked at Jack questioningly. ‘What was that about?’
‘Oh, I teach her English. She’s only sixteen or seventeen. She’s a good girl, though.’ Jack stared after her as she walked by, then added, ‘But she’d better not be late for class tomorrow.’
Holly watched the girl down a pint with her friends, wishing she had had a teacher at school like Jack; all the students seemed to love him. And it was easy to see why: he was a lovable kind of person. ‘Well, don’t tell him they’re under eighteen,’ Holly said under her breath, nodding in the direction of Daniel.
The crowd cheered and Declan took on his moody persona as he lifted his guitar strap over his shoulder. The music started and after that there was no chance of carrying on any kind of conversation. The crowd began to jump up and down, and once too often Holly’s foot was stomped on. Jack just looked at her and laughed, amused at her obvious discomfort.
‘CAN I GET YOU TWO A DRINK?’ Daniel yelled, making a drinking motion with his hand. Jack asked for a pint of Budweiser while Holly settled for a 7-Up. They watched Daniel battle through the moshing crowd and climb behind the bar to fix the drinks. He returned minutes later with their glasses and a stool for Holly. She and Jack turned their attention back to the stage and watched their brother perform. The music really wasn’t Holly’s type of thing, and it was so loud and noisy it was difficult for her to tell if they were actually any good. It was a far cry from the soothing sounds of her favourite Westlife CD.
After four songs Holly had had enough, and gave Jack a hug and a kiss goodbye. ‘TELL DECLAN I STAYED TILL THE END!’ she yelled. ‘NICE MEETING YOU, DANIEL! THANKS FOR THE DRINK!’ she screamed, and made her way back to civilisation and cool fresh air.
Her ears continued to ring all the way home in the car. It was ten o’clock by the time she got there. Only two more hours till May. And that meant she could open another envelope.
Holly sat at her kitchen table nervously drumming her fingers on the wood. She gulped back her third cup of coffee and uncrossed her legs. Staying awake for just two more hours had proved more difficult than she’d anticipated; she
