you’re getting for a birthday present.’ Josh’s singsong voice distracts me.
I twist around to look at him. ‘Hey?’ He pretends to zip his lips. ‘Come on, who’s been talking about my birthday?’ I persist. He steadfastly shakes his head. ‘You can’t say stuff like that,’ I moan.
‘What’s this?’ Lou interrupts.
‘Lily’s birthday is on Wednesday.’
‘Oh, cool. Are you having a party?’ Tiff asks.
‘No,’ I resolutely reply.
‘How old?’ Lou asks.
‘Sixteen.’
‘You’re only sixteen!’ Alex exclaims, as all eyes fall on me.
‘I will be on Wednesday,’ I mutter.
‘I know, it’s mad, isn’t it,’ Josh addresses them, ignoring me. ‘She looks at least as old as us.’
‘Aw,’ Lou says patronisingly. ‘Sweet little sixteen. What are you getting for your birthday?’
‘That’s what I’m trying to find out.’ I stare at Josh expectantly.
‘Do you know?’ Tiff asks him.
‘Yep.’
‘Tell us,’ she urges.
‘Nup.’
‘Tell me ,’ Lou insists, leaning towards him, ear at the ready. To my annoyance, Josh complies. I see her hand resting on his thigh and my stomach prickles with jealousy.
‘Really?’ she says, looking at me.
‘What? Tell me!’ Tiff pleads.
Lou leans across Alex and whispers into her ear.
‘Aw, that will be so cool!’
‘This is really bloody annoying,’ I say loudly. The next bloke – Brian? – chuckles and pulls Tiff close.
‘Come on, let’s do Chinese Whispers,’ Shane suggests, from beside Brian. A moment later, Shane exclaims, ‘What type of car?’
‘Mate!’ Josh bursts out.
‘Am I getting a car?’ I turn to him, wide-eyed, as he glares at Shane.
‘Oops,’ Shane says sheepishly.
‘Am I getting a car?’ I ask Josh again, my head starting to buzz with excitement.
‘Don’t tell Dad I told you,’ Josh warns me.
‘I won’t, I promise. What sort?’
Josh sighs and takes a swig of his beer. ‘It’s only a second-hand one I’ve been tinkering with at work, so don’t get your hopes up. My dad asked me about it today.’
‘A car’s a car,’ Lou says.
‘I couldn’t agree with you more,’ I respond, beaming from ear to ear.
*
We sit there drinking and eating bar snacks until the late-afternoon sun dies away and the street lamps come on outside the pub. Talk turns to going to a nightclub.
‘Planet?’ Alex suggests.
‘Yeah, cool,’ Lou affirms.
‘I don’t have any more money on me,’ I murmur to Josh.
‘I’ll lend you some.’ He downs his pint and stands up. Everyone else does the same so I quickly knock back the last of my cider and get to my feet.
Whoa. That was my fourth drink and I am feeling more than a little bit pissed. I stumble out past the tables to the pavement. Tiff skips on ahead, dragging two of the boys with her, while Lou turns around and starts to beg Josh for a piggyback.
‘Go on, then,’ he concedes eventually as we all head down a side street away from the busy part of town. She climbs onto his back, giggling annoyingly. I watch as her long, tanned legs wrap around him.
I wish I had legs like that.
No, Lily, no, you don’t.
Yes, you do.
You’re fine as you are.
Could do with a tan though.
Oh, whatever.
‘She’s been trying to get into his pants for weeks,’ Shane says from beside me. He nods ahead at Lou and Josh.
Here we go again with the jealousy. You’d think alcohol would dull your senses, but if anything it makes it worse. ‘What’s the hold-up?’ I manage to ask.
‘She just split up with her ex. Big, beefy, Army bloke. Josh is scared shitless of him.’ He starts to laugh.
‘What are you laughing at?’ Josh shouts back at us.
‘Nothing,’ Shane replies, still sniggering, then to me, ‘It’s only a matter of time.’
Great. Now I hate her even more.
There’s a queue stretching out from the venue. We tag onto the end and wait until it finally dwindles down to our little party when the bouncer utters those two tiny letters that chill
I twist around to look at him. ‘Hey?’ He pretends to zip his lips. ‘Come on, who’s been talking about my birthday?’ I persist. He steadfastly shakes his head. ‘You can’t say stuff like that,’ I moan.
‘What’s this?’ Lou interrupts.
‘Lily’s birthday is on Wednesday.’
‘Oh, cool. Are you having a party?’ Tiff asks.
‘No,’ I resolutely reply.
‘How old?’ Lou asks.
‘Sixteen.’
‘You’re only sixteen!’ Alex exclaims, as all eyes fall on me.
‘I will be on Wednesday,’ I mutter.
‘I know, it’s mad, isn’t it,’ Josh addresses them, ignoring me. ‘She looks at least as old as us.’
‘Aw,’ Lou says patronisingly. ‘Sweet little sixteen. What are you getting for your birthday?’
‘That’s what I’m trying to find out.’ I stare at Josh expectantly.
‘Do you know?’ Tiff asks him.
‘Yep.’
‘Tell us,’ she urges.
‘Nup.’
‘Tell me ,’ Lou insists, leaning towards him, ear at the ready. To my annoyance, Josh complies. I see her hand resting on his thigh and my stomach prickles with jealousy.
‘Really?’ she says, looking at me.
‘What? Tell me!’ Tiff pleads.
Lou leans across Alex and whispers into her ear.
‘Aw, that will be so cool!’
‘This is really bloody annoying,’ I say loudly. The next bloke – Brian? – chuckles and pulls Tiff close.
‘Come on, let’s do Chinese Whispers,’ Shane suggests, from beside Brian. A moment later, Shane exclaims, ‘What type of car?’
‘Mate!’ Josh bursts out.
‘Am I getting a car?’ I turn to him, wide-eyed, as he glares at Shane.
‘Oops,’ Shane says sheepishly.
‘Am I getting a car?’ I ask Josh again, my head starting to buzz with excitement.
‘Don’t tell Dad I told you,’ Josh warns me.
‘I won’t, I promise. What sort?’
Josh sighs and takes a swig of his beer. ‘It’s only a second-hand one I’ve been tinkering with at work, so don’t get your hopes up. My dad asked me about it today.’
‘A car’s a car,’ Lou says.
‘I couldn’t agree with you more,’ I respond, beaming from ear to ear.
*
We sit there drinking and eating bar snacks until the late-afternoon sun dies away and the street lamps come on outside the pub. Talk turns to going to a nightclub.
‘Planet?’ Alex suggests.
‘Yeah, cool,’ Lou affirms.
‘I don’t have any more money on me,’ I murmur to Josh.
‘I’ll lend you some.’ He downs his pint and stands up. Everyone else does the same so I quickly knock back the last of my cider and get to my feet.
Whoa. That was my fourth drink and I am feeling more than a little bit pissed. I stumble out past the tables to the pavement. Tiff skips on ahead, dragging two of the boys with her, while Lou turns around and starts to beg Josh for a piggyback.
‘Go on, then,’ he concedes eventually as we all head down a side street away from the busy part of town. She climbs onto his back, giggling annoyingly. I watch as her long, tanned legs wrap around him.
I wish I had legs like that.
No, Lily, no, you don’t.
Yes, you do.
You’re fine as you are.
Could do with a tan though.
Oh, whatever.
‘She’s been trying to get into his pants for weeks,’ Shane says from beside me. He nods ahead at Lou and Josh.
Here we go again with the jealousy. You’d think alcohol would dull your senses, but if anything it makes it worse. ‘What’s the hold-up?’ I manage to ask.
‘She just split up with her ex. Big, beefy, Army bloke. Josh is scared shitless of him.’ He starts to laugh.
‘What are you laughing at?’ Josh shouts back at us.
‘Nothing,’ Shane replies, still sniggering, then to me, ‘It’s only a matter of time.’
Great. Now I hate her even more.
There’s a queue stretching out from the venue. We tag onto the end and wait until it finally dwindles down to our little party when the bouncer utters those two tiny letters that chill
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