Bigger Boys & Stolen Sweethearts - Alex Turner

20. If You Were There, Beware

  When I found out my parents were driving over to Rotherham for the weekend to see some friends you can bet I scouted for the first party available to go to. I hadn't had any fun like that for too long and it sucked having to stay home whilst all me mates went out to the various parties being thrown every fortnight or so. People from our school never used to throw so many parties but this year everyone seemed to just want to get drunk and fucked.

  After staying out at Arabella's that night I somehow got even more grounded. They had nothing left to take from me so they just extended my grounding and told me I wasn't to see Arabella anymore. Of course I still saw her anyway because it was my fucking life but they'd gotten stricter around the house. Leaving more chores, checking up on me in my room more and scalding me more along with lectures at the dining table. Fair enough, I'd been a little rebellious shit of a child since I'd started letting Arabella get me into trouble, from their perspective anyway. But it still fucking sucked. All I wanted was one night to go out with me mates or spend time out of school with me girlfriend but hadn't been able to go anywhere. I was a prisoner in my own home and so the second Mum and Dad told me they were going away for the weekend, I jumped at the first thing available to me. And that was, a party at Sherri Lange of all people's house.

  Matt, Jamie and Nick were all talking about it at recess on Friday, the party was set to Saturday, and as soon as I told them me parents were going to be out of town they told me I was a "dumb wanker" if I didn't go to that party and get absolutely shitfaced — seeing as it might be the only time I could for a long while. And I didn't even hesitate at the opportunity. It was open invite as well, so it was going to be one hell of a night.

  It never really occurred to me how much I could get away with, going out wise, when it came to my parents. Them being out all the time was always perfect for me to be able to sneak in and out of the house unnoticed. Only now was I being caught.

  "I can get us drinks and we all just split 'em yeah?" Jamie was saying. "What do we want? Beers or JD and cokes? Smirnoff ice? Woodstocks?"

  "I'm fine with anything," I shrugged. Honestly I was just excited to drink for the first time in much too long. I hadn't let loose with me friends in what felt like lifetimes.

  "Not beers, they're not that strong and I want to get fucked up," Nick said. God I love my friends.

"Woodstock's mad strong innit?" Matt said. "Like there's ones that are summat like twelve percent and get you fucked up with less cans than others."

"Fuck me, twelve percent I'm in," I chuckled, crushing out the smoke in my hand into the smoke screen brick wall.

"Yeah let's get them ones," Nick agreed.

"Aight, I'll see if I can get a pack of twenty four and then we have five each," Jamie said.

"Six," I corrected.

"Fuck off," Jamie groaned. "You get less then, for being a bum."

"Ay!" I exclaimed, "I were just correcting ya!"

"I can't do maths okay? Me heads gone," Jamie said, "I've one brain cell at the moment and it's trying to figure out how get you twats drinks for tomorrow aight?"

"Yeah yeah," I chuckled and leant back against the wall lazily.

"Arabella coming?" Matt asked me.

"Hm? Oh, I don't know, I haven't asked her about it," I said. I'd known the party was happening since last week but I'd never even considered going because until now there was no way I'd be able to. "She's not really a party person," I said honestly. Although, I did want her to come.