I Liked it Better When They Were Young
Magical Mystery Tour
I walked up to my house. Mom saw me come into view and ran up to me.
"Thank God!" She said, hugging me angrily. I wriggled away from her, blushing. She shook her head at me, then shouted, "She's here Gordon!" into blackness. I looked around, confused. Then my dad came bursting out of the bushes by our house, leaves in his moustache.
"Where in god's name have you been?" He spat, greenfly taking off in terror as he spoke.
"I was walking a friend home."
"Who?" Don't say Billie, don't say Billie.
"Nobody." Dad raised his eyebrows dangerously.
"Sophie..."
"Ok, it was Billie." Dad frowned.
"Billie? Who the hell is Billie?" Under other circumstances, I would have been annoyed, but in this particular situation, I was glad he didn't remember who Billie was.
"Just a friend from school..."
"And he can't walk himself home?"
"He's... afraid of the dark." I realised it sounded ridiculous as I said it, but I didn't want them to know about the drinking. Dad sighed exasperatedly.
"And it takes you two and a half hours to walk someone home?"
"He lives away on the other side of town." I paused. "And, we got a little lost..." Dad ran a hand down his face.
"For Christ's sake..." I sighed, looking at the ground. Mom shook her head gravely.
"If only you'd come to us, we could have given him a ride home." Oh yeah. Sure mom. You would have invited that drunk in your car! Good looks and charm WOULD NOT WORK on my mother. Unless Billie shaved his head and renamed himself Wentworth. I just shrugged.
"I'm sorry." Dad put a hand to his forehead.
"This is not to happen again, ok Soph?"
"Don't call me Soph. Only Billie calls me Soph, it's his nickname for me..."
"I DON'T CARE... what Billie calls you." I stopped talking and folded my arms. Dad
continued,
"You can't just go gallivanting off on magical mystery tours at midnight!"
"It's not midnight!" I protested. I checked my watch to make sure. Dad sighed deeply.
"I don't understand, honey. You're normally so good..." I rolled my eyes.
"It's not exactly being bad helping your friend when he needs you..." Dad smirked.
"He needed you because he didn't have a torch! He hardly needed YOU and this was hardly very serious." I sighed deeply. If only he knew. Dad continued. "And are you forgetting you're grounded?"
"Ok, I messed up!" I yelled. They were both silent. I toned my voice down. "Fine. I'm aloud to mess up, for once, nobody's perfect. Or at least nobody's supposed to be. And quite frankly, I'm tired of being perfect." They looked at each other. They were the kind of looks zoo keepers give each other two seconds before tranquilizing a lion. But this lion was tired.
"I'm going to bed." I said, yawning and walking into the house. I did not want to have this conversation tonight in the middle of my street.
"We're going to talk about this tomorrow!" Dad yelled after me, following me inside.
"Oh whatever." I muttered, walking up the stairs.
"I heard that!" Dad yelled triumphantly.
"Yeah? Well you were meant to!" I yelled back. I slammed the door to my bedroom and flung myself on my bed angrily.
Sunday 11th September 4:34pm
In my room, drawing. I heard a knock on the door. I said nothing. It opened slowly and dad came in.
"Hey." He said, smiling at me in an attempt to break the ice. I looked up at him.
"What do you want, dad?"
"I want to talk to you about last night." I sighed and continued my picture of Billie. I shaded in his hair and lined his eyes with dark circles for his eyeliner. Dad sighed, looking very annoyed,
"Did you hear what I just said?"
"Yes. But what is there to talk about?" I dotted each of Billie's eyes once with tipex, so they looked like they sparkled. Like the real ones did.
"Well, mom and I have decided that we aren't going to punish you. We are going to observe you."
"Ok, now I'm confused." I said, laughing.
"We're going to see how the week goes, and, If you can prove to us that you are a responsible young adult, you can go out again for the weekend." I shrugged.
"Ok, fine." I went back to my picture. I could feel dad looking at me. I looked up again.
"What?" He wasn't looking at me, he was looking at the drawing! I quickly covered it with my arms.
"What's this?" He asked curiously.
"A drawing, genius." I said sarcastically. Dad laughed,
"Yes, I can see that much. Who's it of?"
"Nobody." I said shortly. "A character I'm working on." Dad nodded, looking interested. "And I would quite like to get him finished before tea, so, if you wouldn't mind...." I indicated the door. Dad laughed and turned around.
"OK, I can take a hint." He gave the drawing of Billie one last glance. "It's lovely, Sophie. He's lovely." I smiled and went back to the drawing, adding the tiny freckle on Billie's right cheekbone with one dot of my pencil. It was pretty much the only freckle he had, but I noticed it. Dad left my room. I sighed to myself.
"Isn't he just?"
"Thank God!" She said, hugging me angrily. I wriggled away from her, blushing. She shook her head at me, then shouted, "She's here Gordon!" into blackness. I looked around, confused. Then my dad came bursting out of the bushes by our house, leaves in his moustache.
"Where in god's name have you been?" He spat, greenfly taking off in terror as he spoke.
"I was walking a friend home."
"Who?" Don't say Billie, don't say Billie.
"Nobody." Dad raised his eyebrows dangerously.
"Sophie..."
"Ok, it was Billie." Dad frowned.
"Billie? Who the hell is Billie?" Under other circumstances, I would have been annoyed, but in this particular situation, I was glad he didn't remember who Billie was.
"Just a friend from school..."
"And he can't walk himself home?"
"He's... afraid of the dark." I realised it sounded ridiculous as I said it, but I didn't want them to know about the drinking. Dad sighed exasperatedly.
"And it takes you two and a half hours to walk someone home?"
"He lives away on the other side of town." I paused. "And, we got a little lost..." Dad ran a hand down his face.
"For Christ's sake..." I sighed, looking at the ground. Mom shook her head gravely.
"If only you'd come to us, we could have given him a ride home." Oh yeah. Sure mom. You would have invited that drunk in your car! Good looks and charm WOULD NOT WORK on my mother. Unless Billie shaved his head and renamed himself Wentworth. I just shrugged.
"I'm sorry." Dad put a hand to his forehead.
"This is not to happen again, ok Soph?"
"Don't call me Soph. Only Billie calls me Soph, it's his nickname for me..."
"I DON'T CARE... what Billie calls you." I stopped talking and folded my arms. Dad
continued,
"You can't just go gallivanting off on magical mystery tours at midnight!"
"It's not midnight!" I protested. I checked my watch to make sure. Dad sighed deeply.
"I don't understand, honey. You're normally so good..." I rolled my eyes.
"It's not exactly being bad helping your friend when he needs you..." Dad smirked.
"He needed you because he didn't have a torch! He hardly needed YOU and this was hardly very serious." I sighed deeply. If only he knew. Dad continued. "And are you forgetting you're grounded?"
"Ok, I messed up!" I yelled. They were both silent. I toned my voice down. "Fine. I'm aloud to mess up, for once, nobody's perfect. Or at least nobody's supposed to be. And quite frankly, I'm tired of being perfect." They looked at each other. They were the kind of looks zoo keepers give each other two seconds before tranquilizing a lion. But this lion was tired.
"I'm going to bed." I said, yawning and walking into the house. I did not want to have this conversation tonight in the middle of my street.
"We're going to talk about this tomorrow!" Dad yelled after me, following me inside.
"Oh whatever." I muttered, walking up the stairs.
"I heard that!" Dad yelled triumphantly.
"Yeah? Well you were meant to!" I yelled back. I slammed the door to my bedroom and flung myself on my bed angrily.
Sunday 11th September 4:34pm
In my room, drawing. I heard a knock on the door. I said nothing. It opened slowly and dad came in.
"Hey." He said, smiling at me in an attempt to break the ice. I looked up at him.
"What do you want, dad?"
"I want to talk to you about last night." I sighed and continued my picture of Billie. I shaded in his hair and lined his eyes with dark circles for his eyeliner. Dad sighed, looking very annoyed,
"Did you hear what I just said?"
"Yes. But what is there to talk about?" I dotted each of Billie's eyes once with tipex, so they looked like they sparkled. Like the real ones did.
"Well, mom and I have decided that we aren't going to punish you. We are going to observe you."
"Ok, now I'm confused." I said, laughing.
"We're going to see how the week goes, and, If you can prove to us that you are a responsible young adult, you can go out again for the weekend." I shrugged.
"Ok, fine." I went back to my picture. I could feel dad looking at me. I looked up again.
"What?" He wasn't looking at me, he was looking at the drawing! I quickly covered it with my arms.
"What's this?" He asked curiously.
"A drawing, genius." I said sarcastically. Dad laughed,
"Yes, I can see that much. Who's it of?"
"Nobody." I said shortly. "A character I'm working on." Dad nodded, looking interested. "And I would quite like to get him finished before tea, so, if you wouldn't mind...." I indicated the door. Dad laughed and turned around.
"OK, I can take a hint." He gave the drawing of Billie one last glance. "It's lovely, Sophie. He's lovely." I smiled and went back to the drawing, adding the tiny freckle on Billie's right cheekbone with one dot of my pencil. It was pretty much the only freckle he had, but I noticed it. Dad left my room. I sighed to myself.
"Isn't he just?"