"What are you doing?" I ask, pushing away from him.
"Trying to catch you."
Hope tumbles out after me, falling in one of the bushes. "Ow, cunt."
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"Shrimping." Connor starts off to the side of the house.
"Sneaking out to go shrimping. We're the rebels, aren’t we?" Hope says as she dusts the leaves out of her hair.
Connor rolls his eyes and heads toward the sidewalk. "Brandon's supposed to meet us at the end of the block."
We get halfway down the street and then we see one headlight glowing from a rundown Defender. All three of us stop dead in our tracks. The engine sputters before the car comes barreling toward us.
"Run!" Connor shouts, and we take off into Miss McGurty's garden. Bang! One of the aluminum trash cans rolling down the street. The engine idles. "Where did you go?" Brandon shouts.
I peek out from the rose bushes and see him sitting in the driver's seat, the interior light showing just enough of his face that I can make out his trademark smirk. My heart flitters for a moment and I scold myself. "What in the..."
"Oh shit," Connor groans.
"What's the cunt done now," Hope says.
That's her new word. Her older sister Teagan says it all the time so Hope thinks its badass. We step out from the shadows and up to the car.
"Bran,” I sigh, “what the hell are you doing with Old Man McGinty's car?"
"Borrowed it."
Shaking his head, Connor opens the door, the hinges creaking. "So, you nicked it?"
"You say nicked, I say borrowed. Besides, he's passed out drunk in his lawn chair again. He won't miss it."
Connor climbs in and I get in after him. Hope pulls herself up, eyeing the inside of the truck. "Dear God..." She sits down and points at the seat, "Is that grass growing out of the seat?"
"Yeah." Brandon shrugs as he puts the gear into drive and pulls off, running over the curb.
"Do you even know how to drive?" I ask.
"Sure I do. I've had to drive my dad when he gets too drunk. Been doing it since I was twelve."
"We're going to prison," Connor groans from the front seat.
"No we're not."
"What are you going to do if you get pulled over?" Connor says. "This car's not even road legal."
Brandon glares at Connor. "Who are you? Road legal..." He snorts. "We're fourteen, they can't prosecute us."
Connor face palms on a heavy sigh.
"It's fine. We're fine," I say. I stare through the windshield, watching as we pass by all the dark houses.
"I'll just tell them who my daddy is,” Hope says proudly. “They wouldn’t put a McGrath behind bars."
Brandon turns around. "You couldn't pay them enough to put up with you."
"Red light!" I scream and Brandon slams on the breaks, the worn pads screaming, and empty bottles of cider rolling around in the floorboard.
"Look, if we get pulled over, Poppy, you just pretend you’re dying." Brandon nods.
Connor chuckles.
"What, why me?"
"I don't know, you're a girl and Hope's a soulless ginger, so they wouldn't care if she died."
Hope slams her palms against the back of his seat and he laughs.
Five minutes later and we've parked—right in front of a sign that reads: No Trespassing.
"And trespassing..." Connor mumbles as he walks toward the iron gate.
Brandon gathers the net, and we all climb over the gate, making our way through the woods to the lake at the back of the property.
"Since when has Connor not been fat?" Hope whispers. I glance ahead at the baggy t-shirt hanging off Connor and shrug. Brandon's been teaching him to fight and he's stopped eating all those Milkybars.
"Why are we shrimping again?" Hope asks.
"Old Man McGinty said he'd chuck me a tenner for a bucket of shrimp," Brandon says.
"And why are we tagging along for you to make a few quid?"
"I don't know, ask yourself that. You're the one who wanted to sneak out. I already had my plans."
"You could get more than ten quid for a bucket of shrimp," Connor says.
"Yeah, but I figure ten quid's enough to go buy Polly McAdams some flowers. I bet I can at least get to second base for a bunch of Gerber daisies."
I roll my eyes. Hope just groans and whispers cunt under her breath. We all huddle close together as we walk through the dark. A few minutes later, and I hear the waves lapping against the pier. The moon reflects off the water and casts enough light that I can see the peer as Brandon struts onto it. The rotten boards creak and pop under his weight.
"Uh..." Hope and I both stop at the edge of the shore.
Brandon keeps walking, dragging the net behind him. Connor follows him. "It's fine, poss," Brandon says.
Sighing, Hope and I walk onto the pier. I try to tiptoe, hoping that may keep the entire thing from collapsing underneath me. Brandon and Connor kick off their shoes before tossing the net into the water. They both sit on the edge, dangling their legs over the side. I sit behind Brandon. Hope sits next to me and takes her phone out of her pocket. The screen lights up and the beeping sound from her game echoes off the water.
"Really?" Brandon says. "Out in nature and you're gonna play some dumb game on your phone."
"Shut up." Hope doesn't even look up.
Brandon pulls out a pack of cigarettes, sticks one in his mouth, and lights it. "Yep," he blows out the smoke, "second base at least."
"Poppy," Connor turns around and smiles at me. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"
"Dunno."
"Want to come watch a movie?"
"Sure." I shove Brandon with my foot. "We are not watching Die Hard."
"I'm not coming, poss. Gerber daisies, remember?"
"Oh...yeah." I feel my shoulders fall a little and notice Connor's still staring at me.
"I thought we'd watch Titanic," Connor says.
"Yeah," I grin. "I love that movie."
"I know. That's why I want to watch it."
His smile widens and for the first time, I feel my cheeks blush when Connor looks at me. His eyes are still locked on mine and there's this fluttery feeling inside my stomach, that same nervous feeling I get when I look at Brandon. Connor always has been, and always will be, the sweet guy, and I guess I never paid much attention to it, but something about him seems a little different now. He's like a brother to me, I think. I guess. I guess the way I feel about him and Brandon are how you'd feel about a brother...
"Come on, shrimp." Brandon tosses his cigarette into the water and grabs the end of the net. "Con, help me out, would you?"
Connor grabs the other side of the net and they hoist it up, tossing it onto the deck and dropping the sides. There are tons of nasty shrimp in the net and they are jumping. Jumping everywhere! Before I can scramble to my feet, two land on my bare thigh and I scream, swatting the cold, crusty thing off of me. "They're going to get me!" I jump up, trying to get the slimy feel of them off as I run around. My foot catches on a jacked-up board and I trip, and the next thing I know, I'm falling off the pier. Splash! Freezing cold water surrounds me and my chest tightens as I sink beneath the surface. All I can think about is the tiny little crustaceans swimming all around me, ready to attack. I surface, and as soon as I do, I'm screaming. "They're going to get me!"
Connor's laughing so hard he's bent forward, Hope's snorting, and Brandon's just smirking.
"Help me!"
"Alright, poss." Brandon grins before pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the side of the pier. The moonlight catches just right, settling in the ridges of his stomach. My heart, already hammering in my chest, thumps harder. Water splashes up when he dives in, and the next thing I know, his warm body is pressed against mine as he drags me toward the pier. "Just like a possum," he says, laughing.
"I hate you."
"Nah, I think you love me."
"You wish," I whisper through my chattering
teeth.
We get closer to the pier. I don't want to get out of the water because I like him holding onto me like this.
The thing is, I do love him. I always have.
12
Brandon
14 years old
I glance over the shelves and then check to see if anyone's watching. I don't want anyone to see me looking at Johnnies. I thought I'd just come in here and pick up a box. Who knew there were fifty different types? Glow in the dark? I mean, I guess that might be helpful.
An old lady walks around the corner and I panic, grabbing a box of glow in the dark ones and shoving them inside my jacket. I walk to the door as fast as I can and run out of the shop.
"Hey!"
"Ah, shit." Again?
I run down the road towards the camp, but when I glance over my shoulder, some guy is chasing me. I can't go back there, so I run towards Poppy's house. Hope is coming through her front gate, and I nearly run into her.
"What the hell?" she screeches.
I wink at her and keep running, hooking around the corner and along the path that leads to Poppy's back garden. I vault the gate and climb up the trellis. Yanking her window open, I fall through the gap onto her floor completely out of breath.
"Do you ever use a door?" Poppy asks.
I glance up and her and Con are sitting on the floor. "Con, check out the window. Is there a fella in the garden?"
"What?" He shakes his head. "Never mind, I don't even know why I'm asking." He stands up and walks to the window to peek out. "No, no man."
"Good." I eye Poppy. "You two looked cosy." I wiggle my eyebrows at them. I want to be sitting close to Poppy, and I think I'd rather lose my virginity to Poppy than Polly, but Connor likes her. Anyway, I see the way she looks at me. Poppy thinks I'm a wrong'n. Mrs. Blaine always says I'm a wrong'n and that Poppy's a good girl. My dad says I'm good for nothing, and I think Poppy needs someone nice. She should like Connor.
Poppy shoves me. "Shut it, Brandon. What did you nick this time?" She arches a brow.
Connor chuckles. "A nudey magazine?"
I grin. "Check this shit out." I pull the box out from under my jacket and throw it at him. "Glow in the dark Johnnies. I'm gonna pop Polly's cherry with a lightsaber dick."
The smile on Poppy's face falls clean off and she looks away.
"What?" Con snatches them. "Glow in the dark Johnnies? Who would have thought?" He tosses them back. "You know you have to date her if you pop her cherry, it's a rule." He grins. "Might even have to marry her or something. Pretty sure that's what the priest says."
I shrug. "I do not! I bought her flowers for Christ’s sake. Me and Jesus talked about it."
"I think she's ugly," Poppy says, arms crossed and her gaze glued to the wall.
"Yeah, but she has massive boobs," I say. Poppy just shakes her head. Connor's trying his best not to laugh. "It's the most important thing about a girl. Everyone knows that."
She glances down at her chest and that frown on her face deepens. "Nice to know. I don't have big boobs."
"Ah, poss, you don't count. You’re my best friend."
"I like your boobies, Poppy," Connor says, his face turning red. I can't believe he just said that. I laugh.
Poppy shoves him and he topples over on the floor.
"You sure nobody's out in the garden?" I ask.
Sighing, he goes back to the window. "No. No one's out there."
"Alright then," I get to my feet and climb through the window, glancing back inside as I turn and grab onto the trellis. "Next time you see me, I'll be a changed man."
13
Connor
14 years old
We're sitting in Poppy's living room with the lights out, watching Titanic. Poppy's right next to me, the smell of strawberries right under my nose because she's snuggled so close. Brandon must still be popping Polly's cherry because he hasn't come back yet. And that's just fine. I like it being just me and Poppy right now.
This is the longest movie of all time, but I don't mind because she likes it. By the time we get to the end and that blond guy's dead and sinking to the bottom of the ocean, Poppy's balling. She buries her face in my shoulder and I pull her closer to me. "It's okay. It's just a movie."
"But it's not. This really happened." She pops her head up and stares at me with tear-filled eyes. "People really died on that ship."
I shift uncomfortably in the seat. "Well, yeah...but there wasn't a Jack and Rose."
"Maybe there was..."
"Maybe."
The end credits roll and we sit in awkward silence with my arm still around her.
"I'd have given up the door for you," I tell her.
She pulls away from me and grins before pressing a soft kiss to my cheek. I stroke her soft hair.
"You would?"
"Always." I'm looking at her and she's looking at me and I want to kiss her. I've wanted to kiss her since I was ten years old. And I think I’m going to do it.
BANG. The living room door smacks into the wall and Brandon struts in, a stupid grin on his face. "Behold." He spreads his arms wide. "I am no longer a virgin!"
I don't know whether I should laugh or clap. Poppy huffs and hops up from the couch, shoving past Brandon and into the kitchen. He ruined the moment and she's upset. That's good. "Bran," I whisper. "Get out."
Brandon glances over his shoulder towards the kitchen, then back at me, frowning. "Were you? Was that....?" He points at me and then hikes his thumb over his shoulder towards Poppy.
"I don't know, you're the non-virgin now, you tell me."
He smirks. "Well, she seems pissed I came in."
"Yeah, so get your arse out, would you? Geez."
He rolls his eyes. "You're my best friends. It's like a code. When one of us loses our virginity, we have to tell the others. It's a thing."
"Okay, well, leave and I'll tell you all about it." I smile for a second and then feel guilty for even talking about Poppy like that.
Brandon huffs a breath. "You're not supposed to lose it with Poppy,” he whispers. "You have to practice with someone else."
I stare at him for a second. "Why would I want to go stick my willy in some girl I don't like?"
He grins. "Oh, you'll like it."
Sighing, I roll my eyes. "Would you get out of here already?"
"Fine.” He laughs. “I'm going." He digs around in his pocket and throws something at me. I catch it and look down at the little black square in my hand. "Don't be silly. Cover that willy," he says with a chuckle.
"Leave!" I quickly tuck the Johnny in my pocket.
Bran laughs all the way down the hall. I listen for the front door to open, but I don't hear it. Did he go out the window? I swear he just likes climbing or something. I walk down the hall towards the kitchen, stopping when I hear voices.
"Don't be mad, poss. I just needed to see Con. It's a guy thing."
"Yeah, whatever, Brandon."
"I'm sorry. I know you love Titanic,” he says and I can tell he's trying not to laugh. "I'm going now, so you and Connor can get right back to it."
Poppy huffs and then I hear the back door open and shut. Poppy comes stomping around the corner and into the hall. "He's so annoying," she says as she walks around me and falls back onto the couch. Clearing my throat, I head back over to the sofa and sit next to her.
And here we sit. Next to each other. In the dark...I want to put my arm back around her, but she's not crying now, so I don't have a good excuse. What if she gets mad at me? What if she pushes me away? I inhale and swallow. My palms are all sweaty now, my mouth has gone dry. I can't kiss her with a dry mouth.
And then Poppy leans into me, laying her head right on my shoulder. "Why does everything have to change, Con, huh?"
"What do you mean?" My heart's thumping in my chest. I think I might throw up.
"Brandon's gonna get a girlfriend. You'll get one. And then we won't be best friends anymore."
"Aw, come on now. We'll always be best fr
iends. You made us pinky swear, remember?"
She shakes her head on my shoulder. "It won't be the same. I just wish we could stay little forever."
"You can't stay a kid forever. That would suck."
"I guess." She sighs. "If I tell you something, you promise not to tell Brandon?"
I swallow. "Okay."
"I think he'll end up leaving us and it will just be me and you one day."
"Why do you think that?"
"I don't know." She shrugs. "I just feel it."
"My ma says he's going to end up in prison."
"Probably." She laughs a little at that. "Just promise me you'll never leave me, Con, okay?"
I put my arm around her and hug her. "I'll never leave you, Poppy. I promise."
"Pinky promise?"
I smile and hold up my pinky finger. She links her little finger through mine. "Pinky promise."
14
Brandon
14 years old
I shoot Connor in the head and he falls down, blood splattering the screen.
"Too slow."
Connor throws his controller and leans back into the sofa cushions. His mum and dad are at work, so it's just us at his house.
"I thought you were coming here last night," he says.
"Nah, went to Poppy's." I grab the bottle of Mountain Dew from the coffee table and sip on it.
"Huh..." There's an edge to the way he says it. "You like her or something?" Now, he won't even look at me.
“What?” My chest squeezes with something that feels like panic. “No! Gross. It's Poppy." Truth is, I do like her, but I know Connor is obsessed with her. I wouldn't do that to him. "I always stay at her house,” I say. “You know that. She's like my sister."
"Yeah..." He shrugs.
I roll my eyes. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, just ask her out already, will ya?"
"What? I don't—"
"You pine after that girl more than a pisshead with a bottle of whiskey. Four years is a long time my friend." I take my pack of cigarettes from my back pocket and dab one out, but he snatches it from me.
Pre-war: A War Series Novella Page 5