Geordie, a simple guy who likes to fight too much, drink too much and bust heads too much.
A friend is someone to connect with, right? Now that’s something I haven’t been able to do for a while – connect with people.
‘You got a scuff on you,’ Trevor said, thumbing a spot on the right of my forehead.
I yelped, grabbing at what was probably the start of a bruise. I slapped his hand away.
‘Now you ain’t so pretty,’ Trevor laughed. ‘And I’ll have a chance tonight.’
‘What the bloody hell’s going on out there?’ Bobby cursed, coming to the back door. ‘Andrew, what happened to your head?’
‘Just a mate fight,’ I shrugged. ‘What are you talking about,’ I said to Trevor, ‘a chance tonight?’
Trevor laughed again. ‘I mean, I’m throwing a party tonight, with lots of lasses, and you all scuffed up means I’ve got a shot.’ Trevor started to roll the kegs under the bar. ‘I mean if you start sketching girls, they get all dreamy over you. Even if you look prettier than they do.’
‘Not right now he doesn’t,’ Bobby pointed to the mirror above the bar.
Wow, I looked like hell. The bruise was only an inch or so, but my eyeliner dragged from my right eye to halfway down my cheek. I walked over to the sink at the bar and started to clean up.
‘You know,’ Bobby said, ‘If I hadn’t seen you snogging that girl Sara, I’d think you were a poof…’
Trevor slapped Bobby in the back of the skull and shoved him forward.
‘Eh, Andrew here ain’t no poof,’ Trevor announced as Bobby and he half-heartedly traded slaps and shoves. ‘Girls like them posh or pretty, like, and it goes with that artist thing.’
I smiled. Nice getting accepted for once. At least Trev didn’t see my look as being ‘fag make-up’.
‘Wasn’t saying he’s a poof,’ Bobby said as he threw plastic soda bottles at Trevor. ‘Just saying they might
think
he doesn’t fancy the lasses.’
‘Bollocks.’ Trevor fell over from the bottle hit, playing dead on the floor. ‘Don’t matter what they think. Live your life. My dad’s off on some island with a girl half his age. ‘Scandalous’, everyone says. They can all go toss. Just live your life, don’t hurt people that don’t deserve a beating, and watch out for your mates. Don’t worry about what the rest of the world thinks, they aren’t living your life for you.’
I stopped in mid-touchup. Trevor was right. Why the hell was I worrying about what the olds think? Or Hayden or his posh friends? Just do the stuff I do, and the people who want to stick around will stick around.
‘Genius, Trevor, genius…’
‘Damn right I am,’ Trevor said. ‘It’s why I hang around with you – I get smarter every day!’
Trevor hopped over the sofa and fumbled for the telly remote.
‘Bobby, get the food together. Footie’s on soon, and we got some people heading over.’
And I realise that people would want to be around me if I just let them. And all I had to do was be myself and not worry so much.
CHAPTER 7
Go with the flow
The great thing about Emma is that she’s very soft and cuddly. This I know because she was half on my lap on the sofa. Not like anything much was going to happen, but I wasn’t going to throw an attractive girl, pressing up against me, out the door. She also loved football and didn’t give a damn what anyone thought, so she fitted in well with Trevor, Bobby and the rest of Trevor’s hoodlums and pals.
Trevor ignored the plastic bottle – thrown by Emma – banging into his head. He was too busy watching Ameobi blazing down the pitch to notice Emma’s glare.
‘Trev, how could you maim the boy like this?’ Emma brushed away a loose strand and hovered her fingers over the bruise, before she went back to stroking my hair.
‘Just a mate’s fight,’ Trevor said, not even looking back. ‘He’s still prettier than me.’
‘Yes,’ Emma said, ‘yes he is.’ And she continued her gentle stroking.
I could get
A friend is someone to connect with, right? Now that’s something I haven’t been able to do for a while – connect with people.
‘You got a scuff on you,’ Trevor said, thumbing a spot on the right of my forehead.
I yelped, grabbing at what was probably the start of a bruise. I slapped his hand away.
‘Now you ain’t so pretty,’ Trevor laughed. ‘And I’ll have a chance tonight.’
‘What the bloody hell’s going on out there?’ Bobby cursed, coming to the back door. ‘Andrew, what happened to your head?’
‘Just a mate fight,’ I shrugged. ‘What are you talking about,’ I said to Trevor, ‘a chance tonight?’
Trevor laughed again. ‘I mean, I’m throwing a party tonight, with lots of lasses, and you all scuffed up means I’ve got a shot.’ Trevor started to roll the kegs under the bar. ‘I mean if you start sketching girls, they get all dreamy over you. Even if you look prettier than they do.’
‘Not right now he doesn’t,’ Bobby pointed to the mirror above the bar.
Wow, I looked like hell. The bruise was only an inch or so, but my eyeliner dragged from my right eye to halfway down my cheek. I walked over to the sink at the bar and started to clean up.
‘You know,’ Bobby said, ‘If I hadn’t seen you snogging that girl Sara, I’d think you were a poof…’
Trevor slapped Bobby in the back of the skull and shoved him forward.
‘Eh, Andrew here ain’t no poof,’ Trevor announced as Bobby and he half-heartedly traded slaps and shoves. ‘Girls like them posh or pretty, like, and it goes with that artist thing.’
I smiled. Nice getting accepted for once. At least Trev didn’t see my look as being ‘fag make-up’.
‘Wasn’t saying he’s a poof,’ Bobby said as he threw plastic soda bottles at Trevor. ‘Just saying they might
think
he doesn’t fancy the lasses.’
‘Bollocks.’ Trevor fell over from the bottle hit, playing dead on the floor. ‘Don’t matter what they think. Live your life. My dad’s off on some island with a girl half his age. ‘Scandalous’, everyone says. They can all go toss. Just live your life, don’t hurt people that don’t deserve a beating, and watch out for your mates. Don’t worry about what the rest of the world thinks, they aren’t living your life for you.’
I stopped in mid-touchup. Trevor was right. Why the hell was I worrying about what the olds think? Or Hayden or his posh friends? Just do the stuff I do, and the people who want to stick around will stick around.
‘Genius, Trevor, genius…’
‘Damn right I am,’ Trevor said. ‘It’s why I hang around with you – I get smarter every day!’
Trevor hopped over the sofa and fumbled for the telly remote.
‘Bobby, get the food together. Footie’s on soon, and we got some people heading over.’
And I realise that people would want to be around me if I just let them. And all I had to do was be myself and not worry so much.
CHAPTER 7
Go with the flow
The great thing about Emma is that she’s very soft and cuddly. This I know because she was half on my lap on the sofa. Not like anything much was going to happen, but I wasn’t going to throw an attractive girl, pressing up against me, out the door. She also loved football and didn’t give a damn what anyone thought, so she fitted in well with Trevor, Bobby and the rest of Trevor’s hoodlums and pals.
Trevor ignored the plastic bottle – thrown by Emma – banging into his head. He was too busy watching Ameobi blazing down the pitch to notice Emma’s glare.
‘Trev, how could you maim the boy like this?’ Emma brushed away a loose strand and hovered her fingers over the bruise, before she went back to stroking my hair.
‘Just a mate’s fight,’ Trevor said, not even looking back. ‘He’s still prettier than me.’
‘Yes,’ Emma said, ‘yes he is.’ And she continued her gentle stroking.
I could get
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