by Alex Pitt
“I can’t promise that,” I admitted. “But I promise that I’ll try.”
“Is this something to do with that girl you’ve been hanging around with a lot just lately?”
I shrugged, grabbing a towel off the rail and dabbing my face.
“They said some disrespectful things about her. Why?”
“Because boys always fight over girls. Always. It’s a fact. But I am proud of you for sticking up for her.”
That went a lot better than I thought. I’d been walking home preparing myself for the bollocking of a lifetime, but she understood. I think she trusted me enough to know that the fight wouldn’t have happened without a good reason.
“Come on, go and get changed,” she instructed. “And put your shirt for a wash. You’ve got blood on it. Dinner will be an hour, I’m just putting it in the oven now.”
“Yes, Mum,” I said, going back to my room and ripping my shirt off my body.
Studying the red and white sleeve, I thought back to the fight with Sam and Morgan. It wasn’t something that usually happened in college; all of the fights had been left on the playgrounds at school, but I couldn’t have let them speak so harshly about Daisy and just walk away.
I guess part of it was my own insecurities. I wondered if they were right, if I would give Daisy everything she’s after, if guys before me were better than I would be.
Shaking my head, I got dressed. There were some things that I had to let go. Daisy’s past was the past, and her future was with me. I still hadn’t said the big L word to her yet, but we had our first date planned, and that was a start. A date which consisted of attending a party, hosted by someone who’d just tried to knock my teeth out. Somehow, I thought it would be less romantic than a candlelit dinner.
I took out my phone again and opened Facebook up. My fingers hovered over the buttons, pondering what to type. I’d decided to tell Daisy that I wanted to go out with her, but we should go somewhere else. Somewhere classier, but then I sighed and put my phone away. She really wanted to go to the party, and I was definitely going with her to make sure she was safe, so why not make it a date? If it went well, which it almost certainly would, I’d follow it up with a night at the movies and a romantic dinner.
I finished getting dressed and opened up my laptop. Now came the biggest decision of my life: I had the choice of revising for my exams, or playing games. Deciding that it was probably for the best if I revised, I opened up the Internet, ready to research some famous English poets.
The news was always the first thing that opened on the Internet, and I quickly scanned the articles. Someone up north had found a load of treasure, and a monkey in the zoo had had a baby. Neither stories did a particularly good job at persuading me to read more, but the one real news article I cared about wasn’t on here.
There’d been no news about the murder of Rachel in weeks. Not a single whisper. I guessed it was because the trail had gone cold, but it concerned me that the man who’d done it was still at large.
“Mum,” I started, when she called me down for dinner and I sat at the table.
“Yes sweetie?” She stopped serving potatoes for a second and looked at me quizzically.
“There’s a party next Saturday, and I was wondering if Scooter, Tom and Vince could crash here afterwards?”
She raised her eyebrows and asked, “Where is this party?”
“Someone at college is having it. Just a finishing for the year sort of party, you know?” I’d decided it was best to miss out the part where I told her that the fight at college had been with him, and that I’d kicked him in the balls.
“Yes, I do know. I’ve heard plenty of stories about these college parties. Well, I suppose it’ll be alright for them to stay here. I’m going away on Monday though, don’t forget, and I won’t be back until Sunday morning. Early on Sunday, so make sure you don’t bring any booze back here with you.”
“Yes, Mum,” I said, rolling my eyes.
How could I forget? Her going away this week was the reason I’d had to cancel my party. Even if I’d had it on the same day that Sam was having his, I don’t think my mum would have appreciated getting back to the stale stench of booze, people passed out in the bath, and, no doubt, a few couples who hadn’t stopped shagging all night.
“It’ll just be those three who stop here, won’t it? No one else?”
“Well, maybe Daisy as well. But don’t worry,” I told her, anticipating her next words, “I’ll be safe.”
“Sweetie, that’s not something we need to talk about,” and both of our faces flushed a bright red colour.
“Wonderful chicken,” I changed topic, shoving a forkful in my mouth and chewing ferociously.
“Thanks,” she muttered in reply, pushing a potato around the edge of her plate.
“Are you OK?” I asked, loudly swallowing my food.
“Yeah,” and when I looked at her with doubt, she added, “I think I just miss your dad. Maybe not your dad as such, but just a man. I hate what your dad did to both of us, but I do miss having someone in my life. I’m glad you’ve got Daisy.”
“Come on, Mum,” I comforted, reaching across the table and patting her arm. “You’ve coped for this long, I’m sure you’ll be fine. But nothing’s stopping you getting back out there.”
She nodded and smiled at me. It was a sincere smile, but sad at the same time, and it shattered my heart into a million, billion tiny pieces.
Chapter Sixteen
Exams week was shit. Complete shit. I thought I’d passed all of my subjects, so I guessed it wouldn’t be a complete fail, but I still hated the exams. They were long and boring and drawn-out, and I felt like my eyes were about to fall out when Friday evening finally rolled around.
The English exam didn’t finish until five in the afternoon, but I rushed out of it when the bell finally rang, and I found Scooter waiting for me. He had a big grin on his face, and I met him with a similar one back. Now that all three of the exams were over, I could finally sit back and reflect on how I’d done. Like I said, they were shit, but I thought I’d done well.
“It’s fucking summer, baby,” Scooter yelled at the top of his voice as we got to the park, raising his hands and cheering.
A few people nearby cheered with him, and the general buzz was positive. I’d even been getting a little excited about the party tomorrow, something I never thought I’d have said a few weeks ago. I just hoped that Sam was willing to let us in. I didn’t think he’d be a party pooper and turn his guests away, despite what he said. It was set to be a wild night, and I needed it after all the revision I’d been doing.
I tried to find Daisy in the park, but she wasn’t there. I didn’t really expect her to be because she hadn’t needed to partake in the exams with the rest of us, lucky for her, but I thought she might have popped along to join in with the celebrations.
People were cracking open beers and downing them, gaining a few disgusted looks from parents. They didn’t say anything though, and I thought they probably knew what the last day of college was like.
The following evening, I was dressed extremely early, waiting for the clock to show half five. Then I’d go and pick Daisy up from her house, and then walk to Sam’s. The week had been nice without my mum there, but also lonely. The house was unusually empty. She’d been keeping in touch though, asking how my exams had gone, and even told me to enjoy myself tonight. I’d do my very best, I thought to myself.
Walking up the road to Daisy’s house, I was nervous. I’d never been this nervous about a girl before. I thought that guys who trembled in fear about going on dates were lame, but now I was one of those guys.
“You look amazing,” I told her, as soon as she opened the door.
It was true. She looked stunning. A slim blue skirt was supported on her body, with a dark coloured top to match. She’d straightened her naturally wavy hair so that it hung just below her shoulders. Her make-up was on point as well, and I was astounded by her beauty. She was one of a kind.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she smiled, linking her arm in mine and kissing my cheek.
Just the cheek, no lip contact had happened yet, although we’d got close a few times over the last week. I guessed I had to seal the boyfriend-girlfriend deal before I got any further than a peck on the cheek.
I didn’t have a clue what to wear, so I’d gone with smart black trousers and a pale blue shirt. Not too formal, but very far from being informal.
Scooter and Trisha pulled up in the car outside Sam’s house, just as we were arriving. Scoot’s dad was dropping him off, and he kept glancing at the back of Trisha’s skirt as she stepped out of the car. She may have a good body, and she may like to show that body off to the world, but I was far happier with the girl attached to my arm. She was a lot prettier, and actually had some class.
We’d agreed to meet Tom and Vince outside the house, and it was only a few minutes before they arrived, Tom out of breath again.
“Dude, we really need to take you to see someone,” Scooter said, patting him on the back.
“I’m fine,” he tried reassuring us, but we weren’t buying it. “I just need to lose weight.”
“You’re just a big teddy bear,” Trisha said, squeezing one of his cheeks and shaking his face in a patronising manner.
“It’s not that,” I told Tom, trying to help. “You’re not that overweight, and sometimes you can run for ages without losing breath.”
“Alright.” Tom held up his hands. “I’ll go to the doctors. But we didn’t come here to talk about my problems, so let’s go in and get smashed!”
The six of us cheered as he said this, and we hopped up the stairs and rang the doorbell. Moments later, Sam opened up.
“Ah, look who it is,” he shouted, folding his arms around me. I could smell the booze on his breath, and it repulsed me. “Don’t look at me like that, Jack,” as he peeled himself off me. “I’m just trying to make amends for our little scuffle last week,” and then he laughed. “Just fucking kidding, get the fuck off my doorstep,” and he slammed the door on my leg, trapping me.
“Shit,” I cried in agony, blinking back tears. I wasn’t about to cry in front of everyone, but that had hurt so much.
“Sam, don’t be a dick. Are you alright, Jack?” Daisy asked, helping me rise to my full height.
“Daisy, is it? I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure,” Sam held out his hand, but Daisy ignored it.
Instead, Trisha pushed through us all and smiled as she shook Sam’s hand. Scooter clearly hadn’t warned her about what a dick he actually was.
“I’m Trisha,” she told him, and he looked her up and down.
“Welcome to the party, Trisha,” Sam said opening the door for her to pass, giving her backside an almighty slap as she went on by.
Instead of giving him a bollocking for that, Trisha turned back and grinned. I watched her leave in disbelief. Couldn’t Scooter see that she wasn’t the best person for him? He’d never been the best at talking to girls and I’d heard in way too much detail about all the things they’d been doing together, but he deserved better. He was way too good for her.
“Trisha, wait,” Scooter called, but she didn’t respond.
“Oops,” Sam laughed. “Daisy, fancy joining her?”
Sam opened the door again, inviting her in. For a second, I wondered if she’d accept, but she planted her feet firmly and stood her ground next to me.
“Alright, look,” Sam let up. “I can see you’ve brought booze,” and he pointed at the bags in Vince and Tom’s hand. “So, I’ll let you in this once, alright? Put the booze in the kitchen, and have a good time. But we are not friends.”
He made that last statement very clear, waving a finger under each of our noses. Pushing past him, we made it into the party. Despite being only half six, I was amazed by all of the empty cans lying around the place. There were people dancing to the beat in the centre of the living room, and a game of cards happening in the corner. I had a feeling the night would only get more hardcore from that point on.
All in all, it was a pretty exhilarating time, I had to admit. We laughed and we danced and we drank, and everyone was being nice to each other. Most of the people there were in the same year at the college, with a few extra tag-alongs, but I didn’t actually know many of them; most of them weren’t in my classes.
Over the course of the evening, I spoke to a few people, and Daisy spoke to a few people, but we were mostly by each other’s side, apart from a few minutes when we first entered the house. I didn’t know where she went, but she reappeared moments later, looking as happy as ever. Neither of us were forgetting that this was technically our first date.
“Come on,” I mumbled, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the kitchen.
Grabbing a beer, I handed another bottle to Daisy. Her hands were shaking. She was so nervous. I’d seen Daisy go through many emotions the past few weeks, but I’d never seen her nervous before.
“I’ll be back in a second, Jack,” she told me, and rushed off upstairs.
More than a second later, about ten minutes later, she came back down. Her movements were stiff and I wondered what she’d been doing in the toilet. Throwing up, perhaps? We hadn’t had that much to drink.
Raising the bottle to her lips, she chugged. She didn’t stop chugging until it was completely drained and I handed her another one.
“Not so fast,” I instructed, placing my hand on hers, stopping her from drinking it. It wasn’t that I minded how drunk she got, it was that I wanted to make a toast first. “To us,” I said, clinking bottles, and she smiled.
“Yeah, Jack. To us.”
Then we both lifted the bottles in sync, and began to drain them.
Chapter Seventeen
11 o’clock found us sitting in a circle, alcohol almost frothing from our mouths, playing a game of truth or dare. I wasn’t aware that people still played this at parties, but it was a good laugh and I found out a few interesting facts about some of the people I went to college with.
Alice Webb has a crush on her English teacher. She’s in a different class to me, thankfully, so it looked like Miss Edwards would be missing out. Theo Leccese once took a girl into the college bathroom and got so far as removing her top before they were interrupted by another student. Anna Bakema got an STD when she was fourteen. That’s a shameful fact by itself, but it was even more embarrassing when her mum accompanied into the room to see the doctor.
There were also some funny dares played, and a few people ran out to the road, flashing at the cars passing by. Most just ignored them, but a few blinked their headlights, and one guy actually leaned out of the window and started cheering. Other dares consisted of spitting in people’s drinks when they weren’t looking, climbing out to the garage roof, available through the window of an upstairs bedroom, and, of course, making out with other people.
By this time, there was quite a crowd playing the game, including Sam Higgins. Fortunately, Morgan was nowhere to be seen. I didn’t fancy making out with him, or any other guy for that matter. I’d caught a glimpse of him an hour or so ago, but he hadn’t shown his face since. I was sitting in the circle next to Daisy and Scooter, with Vince and Tom on the opposite side. We had tried to sit together, but that’s not an easy feat with so many pushy teenagers.
“Come here, baby,” a guy shouted, as he grabbed the back of a girl’s head and forced his tongue down her throat.
“Yuck,” she exclaimed, pulling away from him and wiping saliva on her sleeve. “Could you be anymore disgusting, Tyler?”
“Why don’t we go upstairs and I’ll show you something you might like,” he whispered.
The girl didn’t seem to be impressed, as she stood up and slapped Tyler across the face.
“I think I’ll need a few more beers before we go that far,” she retorted, storming off.
“What did I do?” Tyler asked, and a few people shrugged.
Sure, he had been a bit forceful when kissing, but part
of the game was that they kissed whoever the bottle had landed on. She would have known there was a possibility she’d have to kiss someone she didn’t approve of when she sat down to play, and the last remark from Tyler had just been a joke. She’d taken this way too seriously.
The girl didn’t stay on my mind for long, however, as Alice Webb locked her lips with another girl, making the audience whoop and cheer. I laughed and looked at Daisy, who raised her eyebrows and then joined in with the laughter.
She had drunk so much, and I was surprised she was able to understand what was going on. I’d drunk some too, but nowhere near the amount she had. Still, it was definitely affecting me, and my movements were sluggish.
“Why don’t you get in there, baby,” Daisy whispered, leaning on my shoulder and giving me a small giggle.
“I’m alright,” I replied, shaking her off my shoulder.
It wasn’t that I minded her attaching herself to me, but I’d rather she did it of her own free will. Right now, the alcohol was talking louder than her own voice. She looked disappointed at me, so I placed a hand on her cheek, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“I have to pee,” she suddenly announced, probably louder than intended, and stumbled to her feet.
A few tipsy people helped her make it to the stairs, which she then used her hands and her knees to move up. She looked ridiculous but it was better than standing up. If she’d tried walking up them, she would have probably fallen straight back down.
“Dude, you gotta chase her, man,” Scooter advised me, and I looked at him sharply.
“Oh yeah? And where’s Trisha?” I asked, a toxic note in my voice.
Scooter turned back to the game, looking hurt, and reached for the bottle. Spinning it, it landed on Sam. That meant that Sam would be kissing the next person it landed on. I hoped it wasn’t me. There was no way I was coming anywhere near that creep.
As Daisy stumbled back down the stairs, wiping her nose, Sam reached for the bottle and gave it a spin. A big spin. Slowly, refusing to blink, I watched the bottle slow down and brush slightly to the right of me, pointing straight at Daisy, who had just landed straight on her bottom.