Meg's Story
Love
I happen to believe in true love. This, of course, infuriates Tor.
“You don’t mean all that soul mate shit, do you?”
“Not exactly, Tor.”
“Good. Because my Dad was trying to convince me about soul mates. He thinks you and me are destined to be together.”
“Yick!”
“That’s what I said.”
Tor’s dad is somewhat desperate for Tor to get a girlfriend, so it’s not that surprising. Tor himself is also desperate, but apparently not enough to ask me.
“You know Maiku won’t be pleased if you drink all his Coke?” I remind Tor, remembering what happened last time.
“Yeah well, the less sugar that kid gets, the better.” Tor mutters darkly.
“Anyway, soul mates isn’t what I meant. Love between…well, friends. You know, a group of people that you feel really comfortable with, people you’re really close to…”
Tor looks at me suspiciously. “You trying to chat me up again?”
“Ugh, you’re impossible.”
Clea, who’s sitting nearby grins at me. “Turning ‘male’ on you again, is he?”
I nod mournfully and Tor switches his gaze between us.
“I think I’m going to talk to Jak.” He mutters, rising up from his seat.
“Tor! Get off the bloody Coke!” My hyperactive cousin virtually screeches from the kitchen doorway. Maiku and Tor usually get on relatively well, in a macho show-no-emotion way. Few things, however, can come between Maiku and Coca Cola.
“I bought fucking voddie!” He points to the kitchen. “Go drown your sorrows in that!”
I sigh quietly. Maiku is now fifteen but he’s still chemically dependant on caffeine.
“Vodka!?” Jak and Takuya, the only ones of legal drinking age, leap up and run to the kitchen.
Clea wrinkles her nose. “Yeech.”
“Want some Stella instead?” I ask.
“No, thanks.”
“Well you can have some Coke, Clea.” Maiku says, overhearing our conversation.
Tor makes an unpleasant noise in Maiku’s general direction.
“Vodkaaaaa!” I nearly crash into the kitchen sideboard in my rush to inebriate myself.
“You alright there Megan?”
“Waah!” I jump, nearly dropping the precious bottle of voddie. “Sorry, I didn’t realise anyone was in here.” In my race to the alcohol, I hadn’t noticed that Takuya and my brother Jak were sitting at the breakfast bar. Although, remembering I hadn’t seen them since Maiku’s announcement of vodka, where the hell else would they be?
“Sure like your drink don’t you?” Takuya asks with a wink. He’s Tor’s older brother and I’m finding myself increasingly jittery when he’s around. I have a nasty feeling that I find him attractive. That’s part of the reason I’m so desperate to get pissed, then I can’t be held responsible for blurting out something like I want his babies. Not that I do.
Ok, maybe I do.
Shouts of “Screw you then” start wafting in from the sitting room. I feel more than a little guilty for abandoning Clea in there with two testosterone-fuelled teenagers.
Takuya looks at me and sighs. “They’re at it already then?”
I shrug apologetically. “Maiku really likes Coke…”
“Shame.” Jak rumbles.
“Why don’t we just…get them drunk?” Takuya suggests. It’s a well-known fact that young men can only accept any display of friendship when intoxicated.
“Maiku doesn’t drink.” My brother replies.
“So much the better, neither does Tor. They’ll get drunk that much quicker and become best friends for life.”
I narrow my eyes, wondering if it was Takuya talking or the vodka. I pull up a stool next to them as a scheming Takuya reaches for the Coca Cola bottle.
“Maiku! Tor!” He calls a few minutes later.
They both rush in.
“Here.” He hands them each a glass of coke. “We had to finish up a bottle, so I split it.”
After staring suspiciously first at Takuya, then each other, both boys gulp it down and leave the room.
There is a long silence.
“Takuya?” My brother starts. “Did you just spike their drinks?”
“Jak.” Takuya puts an arm round him. “Jacky-Jak, would I do a thing like that?”
All three of us grin.
“Oh~ What do we do with a drunken sailor, what do we do with a drunk sailor…”
It’s about midnight. Jak is lying on one sofa, me and Takuya are both sitting on the floor and Tor and Maiku are sprawled together on the other sofa, bottles in each hand and singing very out of tune indeed.
As for Clea? She’s quite content snapping as many pictures of the drunken duo as she can as plenty of proof and blackmail material. I might make it my screensaver
They both have one arm around the other’s shoulders and the song is interspersed with random “you rock man” and “yeah, I know”.
And this, my friends, is true love.
“You don’t mean all that soul mate shit, do you?”
“Not exactly, Tor.”
“Good. Because my Dad was trying to convince me about soul mates. He thinks you and me are destined to be together.”
“Yick!”
“That’s what I said.”
Tor’s dad is somewhat desperate for Tor to get a girlfriend, so it’s not that surprising. Tor himself is also desperate, but apparently not enough to ask me.
“You know Maiku won’t be pleased if you drink all his Coke?” I remind Tor, remembering what happened last time.
“Yeah well, the less sugar that kid gets, the better.” Tor mutters darkly.
“Anyway, soul mates isn’t what I meant. Love between…well, friends. You know, a group of people that you feel really comfortable with, people you’re really close to…”
Tor looks at me suspiciously. “You trying to chat me up again?”
“Ugh, you’re impossible.”
Clea, who’s sitting nearby grins at me. “Turning ‘male’ on you again, is he?”
I nod mournfully and Tor switches his gaze between us.
“I think I’m going to talk to Jak.” He mutters, rising up from his seat.
“Tor! Get off the bloody Coke!” My hyperactive cousin virtually screeches from the kitchen doorway. Maiku and Tor usually get on relatively well, in a macho show-no-emotion way. Few things, however, can come between Maiku and Coca Cola.
“I bought fucking voddie!” He points to the kitchen. “Go drown your sorrows in that!”
I sigh quietly. Maiku is now fifteen but he’s still chemically dependant on caffeine.
“Vodka!?” Jak and Takuya, the only ones of legal drinking age, leap up and run to the kitchen.
Clea wrinkles her nose. “Yeech.”
“Want some Stella instead?” I ask.
“No, thanks.”
“Well you can have some Coke, Clea.” Maiku says, overhearing our conversation.
Tor makes an unpleasant noise in Maiku’s general direction.
“Vodkaaaaa!” I nearly crash into the kitchen sideboard in my rush to inebriate myself.
“You alright there Megan?”
“Waah!” I jump, nearly dropping the precious bottle of voddie. “Sorry, I didn’t realise anyone was in here.” In my race to the alcohol, I hadn’t noticed that Takuya and my brother Jak were sitting at the breakfast bar. Although, remembering I hadn’t seen them since Maiku’s announcement of vodka, where the hell else would they be?
“Sure like your drink don’t you?” Takuya asks with a wink. He’s Tor’s older brother and I’m finding myself increasingly jittery when he’s around. I have a nasty feeling that I find him attractive. That’s part of the reason I’m so desperate to get pissed, then I can’t be held responsible for blurting out something like I want his babies. Not that I do.
Ok, maybe I do.
Shouts of “Screw you then” start wafting in from the sitting room. I feel more than a little guilty for abandoning Clea in there with two testosterone-fuelled teenagers.
Takuya looks at me and sighs. “They’re at it already then?”
I shrug apologetically. “Maiku really likes Coke…”
“Shame.” Jak rumbles.
“Why don’t we just…get them drunk?” Takuya suggests. It’s a well-known fact that young men can only accept any display of friendship when intoxicated.
“Maiku doesn’t drink.” My brother replies.
“So much the better, neither does Tor. They’ll get drunk that much quicker and become best friends for life.”
I narrow my eyes, wondering if it was Takuya talking or the vodka. I pull up a stool next to them as a scheming Takuya reaches for the Coca Cola bottle.
“Maiku! Tor!” He calls a few minutes later.
They both rush in.
“Here.” He hands them each a glass of coke. “We had to finish up a bottle, so I split it.”
After staring suspiciously first at Takuya, then each other, both boys gulp it down and leave the room.
There is a long silence.
“Takuya?” My brother starts. “Did you just spike their drinks?”
“Jak.” Takuya puts an arm round him. “Jacky-Jak, would I do a thing like that?”
All three of us grin.
“Oh~ What do we do with a drunken sailor, what do we do with a drunk sailor…”
It’s about midnight. Jak is lying on one sofa, me and Takuya are both sitting on the floor and Tor and Maiku are sprawled together on the other sofa, bottles in each hand and singing very out of tune indeed.
As for Clea? She’s quite content snapping as many pictures of the drunken duo as she can as plenty of proof and blackmail material. I might make it my screensaver
They both have one arm around the other’s shoulders and the song is interspersed with random “you rock man” and “yeah, I know”.
And this, my friends, is true love.