Rich packed his last stuff and took up his bag. Billie was watching him from the door. “I’m sorry, pet” she said to him, her voice troubled with tears. “But I really can’t live with you anymore. You aren’t the one I fell in love with anymore.”
He looked her straight in the eyes, with that hard look of his she’d come to know and fear, and replied:”Don’t worry about it, LOVE. My life can’t get any worse anyway. Perhaps even DEATH is better than this.”
She knew he did that on purpose. She hated him talking like that, that’s why he did it. She clenched her fists. He’d gone just a little too far this time. “When you’re done drowning yourself in self-pity perhaps you can come up with something better to spend your time with than talking doom” She said harsh. “Do you really think the lads want you back in the way you’ve become? You’re not a hint, not a shadow of the person I used to know. THIS won’t bring you any further, Rich.Why don’t you find a real way to become WORTHY of being part of FIVE? You were, and you still can be, but not in the way you are NOW, baby. If you wanna be a hero, act like one instead of being a whining little child.”
Every word of her was a knife twisting in his wound and he moaned, even feeling physical pain. Billie shook her head. “You know why this hurts you,”she went on even though her words hurt her as much as him,”because it’s the truth. Pet” she continued gently,”You had very right to be angry, sad and much more. But now it’s time to move on. And you’ll have to do that alone. You can, Rich. I believe in you. Believe in yourself, babe.”
Rich sighed but nodded. “Maybe” he said with a faint glimpse of his beautiful smile, “We’ll look back at this in twenty years time, and laugh at it.”
Five was walking towards a dead end, and they knew it. The new formation with Lance just didn’t work. He just wasn’t Rich, and couldn’t fill the gap he had left, so shortly after Rich had been no1 they had forced Lance to leave and took a resting period themselves to come up with something to save Five.
“We have to get Rich back” said J firmly, “or else we’d better quit right away.”
The others agreed on that, but how would they manage? They weren’t even on speaking terms now.
“I have a plan” Sean said quietly. “He’s to perform at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party, isn’t he? Why don’t WE go up there too, do a gig, and ask him to come back while we’re on stage? He couldn’t refuse that.”
“That’s a great idea!”exclaimed Scott, who was missing his friend very much,”If I’d have to, I’d even go on my knees!”
“I ain’t going on my knees for RICH” replied J hotly.
Abs rolled his eyes at him. “Don’t be silly” He told his bandmate. “We ARE going to, so get used to the idea. Everything for the band, isn’t it?”
“Oh no” whispered Rich as he opened the door of his dressing room, looking into the long corridor. Abs, Scott, Sean and J were there! They weren’t supposed to be here! They should be having a holiday. Why would they do this? Lance had left, he knew that, and surely they wouldn’t perform as Four, would they?
Suddenly he became aware of a dark shadow in the corner of his eye, and felt the same strange shivering he felt all that time ago, seeing Scott’s stalker…His mind blocked away every thought, as he just started running to save his friend again. Before the man could grab his weapon, Rich jumped on his back. The man went down togheter with Rich and the weapon slipped from his hand.
The other four had started running when they saw Rich come out of his dressing room, and J put his foot on the gun. Rich crept back, when security came from all places and took over the man, who was shouting obscene words at them, his face turned red with rage. “You should’ve died!” he shouted to Scott. “My girlfriend has always loved your stupid little babyface more than me!”
Rich took small steps back to the safety of his dressing room, until Scott caught sight at him. “Wait!” he shouted. “You’ve saved my life again. Please wait.”
Rich froze right in his spot as Scott approached him. “We wanted to wait till tonight with our plea, my friend.”said Scott. “Please come back to us. We understand if you refuse, but that will be the end of Five.”
“Can you find the courage to forgive?” asked Abs. “We were wrong, but there’s still so much Five can offer you. If you give it a chance.”
“I will” answered Rich, slowly and soft, before embracing his dear bandmates…