Water // Matty Healy ♣ The 1975

17. trains

"Okay," Bryony said, glancing down at the shopping list as we walked into Tesco together. "I'll get the stuff that you can't, like alcohol, cigarettes and party poppers and stuff, and you can get the other stuff?" she asked me, passing me the bit of paper. There was barely anything on it really, the other stuff Sylvia wanted wouldn't have been sold in a supermarket. 

I nodded my head. 

"Yeah, okay." I said. We walked in different directions and I walked straight to the party aisle to get balloons. 

I dragged my hands through my hair as I looked around for orange and black balloons. I got slightly surprised by the amount of curls there were in my hair, it was like I had a perm. I smiled slightly. Sylvia and Bryony had insisted on doing my hair and make up again before I went out. 

I picked up two packets of balloons and put them into the basket I was carrying. 

I looked at the list and laughed quietly at the next item. Squirty cream. I shook my head and walked to fridges to buy some.

There wasn't much variety, price wise. The cheapest was over one pound, so I just picked that one up. Next was milk, which wasn't for the party, we'd just run out of it and so we added it to the list, along with potatoes, onions and Everyday Value burgers.   

I was making my way towards the vegetables after the milk, but a voice stopped me. 

"Lizzy! Is that you? You look... different." my mum grabbed my shoulder. I turned around. 

"Hi mum." I said, trying not to sound completely blank. 

She looked down into my basket and saw the balloons and squirty cream and raised an eyebrow at me. I laughed quietly. 

"My flatmates, housemates, whatever, and I are having a Halloween party and we're having hot chocolate and stuff." I said, trying to cover my tracks a little. She laughed and nodded her head. 

"So," she said, we began walking towards the potatoes. I checked the prices before dumping the cheapest into my basket. "What are your friends like?" she asked me. 

"They're nice," I replied. Walking again. "Two of them are at university, one is going to go to university next year and the other left university a few months back." I lied. I didn't want my mum to know that I actually shared a home with two students, one fifteen or sixteen year old girl who nobody really knew anything about and a twenty five year old man who I was sharing a room, and bed with. Also kissing. 

I didn't know what to call Matty anymore. He wasn't a friend, or a boyfriend, it was irritating. 

"Oh, that's lovely." she picked up a loaf of bread and put it into her trolley. 

"Yeah." I said. 

We walked in silence. I really wanted to leave. I wasn't ready at all to see her again, and if I did, I really wanted Matty to be with me to help. 

"So, who is the bloke you were with the other day?" she asked me, smiling. 

"Oh, he's um, he's Matty." I said, accidentally grinning a bit too much. 

"Boyfriend?" she asked. 

"Sort of, I- I don't really know yet." I answered truthfully. 

Suddenly, my phone started ringing.

"Sorry." I excused myself as I took my phone out of my pocket and saw Bryony's name pop up on screen. 

I answered it. 

"Liz, where are you? I've got the alcohol and party poppers in the basket and I'm about to pay then buy the cigarettes, but I can't find you anywh- Oh, never mind, there you are! I see you." she hung up and I looked around the busy supermarket, waiting for her to come up near me.