I Liked it Better When They Were Young
My hero
*Still September a year ago*
*Mike's P.O.V
I'm at the spar getting some fags before heading back to Billie's house. Anna said on the phone that he'd gone out with Sean, Jason and Dillon. I bit my lip as I payed for the fags. They weren't the most trustworthy guys on the planet.
I looked out of the shop window into the dark streets and I saw the three of them outside, laughing and singing drunkenly. Speak of the devil. But Billie wasn't with them. I ran out of the spar, instantly fearing the worst.
"Where's Billie?" I confronted them. They all laughed even harder. Sean answered.
"Fuck knows!" He said, laughing, "Last time we saw him, he was rolling around in some gutter somewhere. He was so wasted, he couldn't even tell the bar guy what he wanted! So, being nice guys, we ordered for him." I stared at him, panic stricken. They all laughed and walked off.
*
I hotfooted it to Harry's and ran frantically around the area, calling out Billie's name. They must have gone here. The infamous Harry's bar. I ran past an alleyway, then quickly retraced my steps as I saw someone lying inside it. I closed my eyes, willing it not to be him. I then walked up to Billie's lifeless body. Sometimes there's no escaping the truth. It was him.
There was a pool of vomit next to him, he was drenched in sweat, and he was completely unconscious. Or worse. This thought scared me and I slapped him on the cheek.
"Billie!" He said nothing. He didn't even move. I shook him violently, tears starting to fill my eyes.
"Billie! Come on man, say something!" Billie moaned softly. He then started coughing softly and his body shuddered violently. I realised in horror that he was choking on his own vomit.
I grabbed both his arms and hauled him up into a sitting position, supporting him so he didn't fall. I then turned away as he spewed his guts out to the open air. I screwed up my face. He was messed up pretty bad. I didn't even know if he'd been on drugs, or if he was just more drunk than usual.
"Jesus Billie..." I muttered, once he had finished being sick, "Come on, let's get you outta here." I started to pick him up. He glanced up at me with tear filled eyes, and I saw an emotion inside them I'd never seen before. Fear.
"Mike?" He murmered softly, his hands brushing over my face as he recognised me. "Mike... Mike...." Then he was silent again. His hand flopped back to his side uselessly. I carried him out of the alleyway. He was breathing slowly and heavily as he attempted to speak.
"Where are we.... are we.. going?" He managed.
"Home." I said, flagging down a taxi. "We're going home." He just nodded numbly. I laid him carefully in the back seat and got in the passenger seat with the driver. He smirked.
"So. Where are you two lovebirds off to tonight?" I suddenly recognised him as David, one of Billie's stepdad's friends. I glared at him.
"Just shut the hell up and take me to South Grove." He grinned deviously and glanced at the back seat, where Billie was lying sprawled.
"And your boyfriend? Can I just leave him on the street?" I scoffed, disgusted.
"He's with me..." I realised my error as I said it. David whooped with laughter as he turned a corner.
"I know that much! So what's happened here, then? A little too much indian spirit perhaps?" He chuckled horribly. My hands clenched into fists.
"Yeah, you'd know about that. With the DUI and all. A taxi driver really is the perfect job for you..." The taxi screeched to a halt as David pulled over.
"You know what, fags? You can walk home!" He pushed me out of the cab, got out himself, opened the door to the back seat and threw Billie's unconscious body on top of me. His head fell on my chest, narrowly missing the pavement. The taxi drove off.
Luckily it wasn't far to Billie's house from here. Billie was crying softly, clinging to me like a limpet. If I was in a better mood, I would have felt sorry for him. But I wasn't. So I pushed him off me and got up, brushing myself down.
"This is exactly why there are gay rumours!" I screamed at him. I had never really been bothered, but it was something to do with tonight. Something to do with saving my best friend's life. It didn't make me feel heroic at all. It just made me feel pissed off at my pissed friend.
Billie flinched away from me.
"I'm shhorry...." He murmured, slurring like the drunk he was. "I... I didn't mean to..."
"WHAT?! What didn't you mean to do?! Almost kill yourself?!" Billie curled up protectively, his head on his thighs. I sighed, softlening a little.
"Let's go home." I said wearing, shrugging in defeat. I couldn't be bothered yelling at him. I just wanted to go home. Billie nodded, wiping his eyes. I picked him up and carried him the rest of the way home.
When I got to Billie's house, I laid him on the driveway and tried to stand him up. If Anna found out he was this drunk, he would have been as well staying in the alleyway. But it was no good, as he fell sideways onto me and we both stumbled, and almost fell. There was no way I could sober him up in time. I looked up at the house. Never before had it seemed so menacing. Anna was going to kill him.
*Mike's P.O.V
I'm at the spar getting some fags before heading back to Billie's house. Anna said on the phone that he'd gone out with Sean, Jason and Dillon. I bit my lip as I payed for the fags. They weren't the most trustworthy guys on the planet.
I looked out of the shop window into the dark streets and I saw the three of them outside, laughing and singing drunkenly. Speak of the devil. But Billie wasn't with them. I ran out of the spar, instantly fearing the worst.
"Where's Billie?" I confronted them. They all laughed even harder. Sean answered.
"Fuck knows!" He said, laughing, "Last time we saw him, he was rolling around in some gutter somewhere. He was so wasted, he couldn't even tell the bar guy what he wanted! So, being nice guys, we ordered for him." I stared at him, panic stricken. They all laughed and walked off.
*
I hotfooted it to Harry's and ran frantically around the area, calling out Billie's name. They must have gone here. The infamous Harry's bar. I ran past an alleyway, then quickly retraced my steps as I saw someone lying inside it. I closed my eyes, willing it not to be him. I then walked up to Billie's lifeless body. Sometimes there's no escaping the truth. It was him.
There was a pool of vomit next to him, he was drenched in sweat, and he was completely unconscious. Or worse. This thought scared me and I slapped him on the cheek.
"Billie!" He said nothing. He didn't even move. I shook him violently, tears starting to fill my eyes.
"Billie! Come on man, say something!" Billie moaned softly. He then started coughing softly and his body shuddered violently. I realised in horror that he was choking on his own vomit.
I grabbed both his arms and hauled him up into a sitting position, supporting him so he didn't fall. I then turned away as he spewed his guts out to the open air. I screwed up my face. He was messed up pretty bad. I didn't even know if he'd been on drugs, or if he was just more drunk than usual.
"Jesus Billie..." I muttered, once he had finished being sick, "Come on, let's get you outta here." I started to pick him up. He glanced up at me with tear filled eyes, and I saw an emotion inside them I'd never seen before. Fear.
"Mike?" He murmered softly, his hands brushing over my face as he recognised me. "Mike... Mike...." Then he was silent again. His hand flopped back to his side uselessly. I carried him out of the alleyway. He was breathing slowly and heavily as he attempted to speak.
"Where are we.... are we.. going?" He managed.
"Home." I said, flagging down a taxi. "We're going home." He just nodded numbly. I laid him carefully in the back seat and got in the passenger seat with the driver. He smirked.
"So. Where are you two lovebirds off to tonight?" I suddenly recognised him as David, one of Billie's stepdad's friends. I glared at him.
"Just shut the hell up and take me to South Grove." He grinned deviously and glanced at the back seat, where Billie was lying sprawled.
"And your boyfriend? Can I just leave him on the street?" I scoffed, disgusted.
"He's with me..." I realised my error as I said it. David whooped with laughter as he turned a corner.
"I know that much! So what's happened here, then? A little too much indian spirit perhaps?" He chuckled horribly. My hands clenched into fists.
"Yeah, you'd know about that. With the DUI and all. A taxi driver really is the perfect job for you..." The taxi screeched to a halt as David pulled over.
"You know what, fags? You can walk home!" He pushed me out of the cab, got out himself, opened the door to the back seat and threw Billie's unconscious body on top of me. His head fell on my chest, narrowly missing the pavement. The taxi drove off.
Luckily it wasn't far to Billie's house from here. Billie was crying softly, clinging to me like a limpet. If I was in a better mood, I would have felt sorry for him. But I wasn't. So I pushed him off me and got up, brushing myself down.
"This is exactly why there are gay rumours!" I screamed at him. I had never really been bothered, but it was something to do with tonight. Something to do with saving my best friend's life. It didn't make me feel heroic at all. It just made me feel pissed off at my pissed friend.
Billie flinched away from me.
"I'm shhorry...." He murmured, slurring like the drunk he was. "I... I didn't mean to..."
"WHAT?! What didn't you mean to do?! Almost kill yourself?!" Billie curled up protectively, his head on his thighs. I sighed, softlening a little.
"Let's go home." I said wearing, shrugging in defeat. I couldn't be bothered yelling at him. I just wanted to go home. Billie nodded, wiping his eyes. I picked him up and carried him the rest of the way home.
When I got to Billie's house, I laid him on the driveway and tried to stand him up. If Anna found out he was this drunk, he would have been as well staying in the alleyway. But it was no good, as he fell sideways onto me and we both stumbled, and almost fell. There was no way I could sober him up in time. I looked up at the house. Never before had it seemed so menacing. Anna was going to kill him.