Ever So Slightly

‘Oh everything goes numb,’ winks Gabe.

‘I wouldn’t know.’

‘What, you’ve never been drunk before?’ William asks. ‘How old are you?’

‘Eighteen,’ I reply, shoving my tonsils around with my tongue - nope, nothing.

‘Shit!’ Exclaims Gabe. ‘I’m only twenty but I’ve been shit faced more times than your Papi! And William…well he’s not a pro like me, but you know, he’s been hella wasted before.’

Twenty huh? That’s not so bad, it’s only two years older than me.

‘Well, I have psycho parents. They wouldn’t even let me near the stuff. I mean, this week is like the first time they’ve even let me alone in the house at night, for god’s sake.’

‘Why’re they gone?’ asks William.

‘Holiday for a couple of weeks. I was going to go but then I…got grounded and couldn’t.’

‘Gutted,’ says Gabe, though he doesn’t look it with that ridiculous grin still plastered on his face.

Cute.

‘I love your glasses by the way,’ I say, surprising myself. I can feel my whole face going numb. ‘They’re seriously cool.’

‘Thanks man. Some girl gave them to me at a show…I was like, ‘uh…THANKS’ - big grin.’

I laugh. Wait, was that even funny?

Of course it was.

Why else would I be laughing like a moron?

And now I can’t stop laughing. I double over to support the painful stitch starting in my stomach and put one hand on the floor…still laughing.

Gabe and William are in hysterics too…at me I think. William drops down beside me and places a hand on my back, guffawing like a moron, and Gabe is just standing there, laughing and pointing at William.

I roll onto my back and lie down, the laughter that had been wracking my ribs easing, until I’m not laughing at all.

William lays down beside me and pokes me in the side. I squeak and squirm happily.

‘So who’s show were you at?’ I ask Gabe, only to find that he’d gone off, leaving just William and I alone.

After a good few seconds of silence, William goes ‘I think he left.’

‘No, really!?’ I grin, turning to him and feeling overwhelmingly tired.

Is this what it feels like being drunk? Because it’s not all that great. I was hyper for a few minutes, and now what - I want to go to sleep? Sighing, I mutter ‘I left my Vodka over there and now someone’s going to steal it, because Marks making us pay for alcohol.’

‘Well, if it was over by the chairs, Mike’s walking off with it now,’ says William.

I groan. I wonder if Mike will get with anyone tonight? Or whether he’ll take my advice and stop cheating on Polly.

‘Polly’s quite a common name. You know?’ I muse to William.

‘Really?’ he asks.

‘Yeah, I mean, Mike’s Polly…Polly Pocket…um…Polly had a dolly…’

I heard William’s spluttered laughter beside me, though it seemed further off than it must have been.

‘Yeah Bananni, sure.’

‘Ohh godd, don’t start calling me Bananni…that’s such a suckass name.’

‘Hey don’t bitch me up about it. Gabe decides on nicknames…not me…‘cept for his ‘course.’

There’s a short silence where we both just stare up at the washing line above us, until I say, ‘Gabe seems like a nice guy.’

William sighs. ‘He’s a really great buddy. And he can be hella obnoxious at times, but it’s great that he’s still so nice to people, y’know? It’s not like he even has to - people would still love him.’

‘Why?’ I ask.

‘Ah, he’s just a bit of a big deal where we come from. I’m gonna go and get summore to drink, you coming?’

As I can’t feel my legs? No.

‘Nah, I’ll just lie here for a bit. I’ll come in soon.’

‘Okay, see you.’ He leaps up and waves at me, grinning and squinting slightly as he hops off.

His energy astounds me - how can he be half drunk and still so…excited and happy.

All I want to do is sleep.