Flaunt - Van McCann

Mr Bloody Brightside

Lily immediately attached herself to her boyfriend when we stepped foot into the kitchen. We had to weave in and out to the mass of people, it was a good turn out considering it was still fairly early.

"Abby, lass," Brad slurred to me with Lily clutched onto his arm. He was, just as Lily predicted, drunk already. He threw his spare arm over my and pulled me into him.

"Alright Brad," I smiled, patted his back slightly, and then steadied myself when he released me from his grip.

I ventured off to the side of the kitchen, in hunt for somewhere to place the crate of alcohol under my arm. I knew leaving it lying around was a bad idea, the antsy teens around would jump at the chance of unattended beer, but I couldn't hold it for much longer.

"Hand it to me, I'll put it in the utility," someone said behind me. I turned around, it was Billy, obviously reading my mind through the back of my head.

"Cheers Bill," I smiled, and placed it into his arms. I followed him through to the door by the fridge, and into what was apparently the utility room.

"It'll be safer in here," he said, setting it down next to the washing machine of the house's owner that I didn't know. "So you got the bus alright then?" he asked, he knew me and Lily were having to get the bus here because he was Brad's best friend - causing me to be friendly with him too.

"Well," I smirked, and took one of the drinks. "Not really. We missed it, literally by about three seconds."

"Oh. Bet Lily was happy," he laughed, knowing Lily almost as well as I did, he said it with much sarcasm.

"She was jumping for joy."

He stifled a laugh, and then started making his way back to the kitchen and into the havoc of the guests. "So how'd you get here then?"

"Benji. Picked the two of us at the bus stop," I said as he pushed the door open and held it open for me to enter first.

"Ah, he came then," Billy smiled. "Did the rest come?"

"Yeah, not Bob though," I said, figuring 'the rest' were the majority of his band mates. "Larry, Van and Charlotte."

"Van told me he wasn't coming, the bastard."

"Oh right?" I said, laughing as he scanned each face of the room.

"He told me Charlotte didn't want to come. He's absolutely whipped that lad."

"Well he has to be, doesn't he?" I said, and Billy stopped searching the people and gave me a confused look. "Come on, Charlotte wouldn't have it any other way."

"Oh." It suddenly clicked in his head. "God, no. Of course she wouldn't."

"Alright mate," Van suddenly appeared behind us and tapped Billy on the shoulder. Charlotte was following closely behind with a genuine smile. I hoped they hadn't heard us.

"Didn't think you were coming?" Billy said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, changed my mind," Van mumbled.

Sure. I thought. You changed you're mind - nothing to do with Charlotte.

He hooked his arm around Charlotte's back when a couple of rowdy lads barged passed us. She whimpered into his side, as if the touch of another human other than Van was unheard of.

"Ahh right. Yeah," Billy raised an eyebrow, obviously as unconvinced as I was.

"You still alright to..." Van began talking to Billy, but I stopped listening in on the conversation. My mind was fixed on the average looking lad who had walked through the back door with a beer in hand, swaying as he walked. I didn't think he was coming. Now I had to be careful, running into him was something I was not in the mood for.