how it all started [m.h]

The Go*

Sometime in 2010

It was near the witching hour, but for this group of friends, it was only the beginning of their day. Maia sat at the passenger seat, her legs hanging on top of the car door, her battered doc martens shone under the fluorescent lights of the amber traffic light. George pressed on the accelerator, running a red light, but it didn't matter, the roads were barren, and the five ruled the street. Maia tucked herself back into the car, and she turns around to face Matty who tapped her shoulder. She takes the cigarette from his hand and lights the stick with the burner in George's car. Taking a drag first before handing it back to Matty.

It was dark with purple and orange hints everywhere; the boys were wearing hues of dark coloured clothes while Maia wore a bright sleeveless crop top with a skirt and a long leather jacket that seemed like it belongs in The Matrix. They were heading to a party, a friend of Maia's invited them and of course, they were going. The whole town knew who they were. It was a Friday and the night's young.

Oddly enough not one had drunk a single drop of alcohol or smoked rolled joints, just the occasional huffs from nicotine cigarettes. But they all felt high, high off each other's adrenaline.

"Should we just ditch the party?" Matty says, handing the ciggy to Adam tapping the stick on the open window to ash out. "What do you think M?" Maia turns to look at him. "Sure, I'm down. We need to stop by though so I can get Ella." She says, taking her phone out of her pocket and starts composing a text, her acrylic nails clacking against the keyboard of her flip phone. "You guys good with that?" She asks the other three, tilting her head to her left.

/

Maia found Ella, slightly buzzed and the rented disco lights dizzied her, throwing up on the fence of the front porch. Maia stood behind her holding her hair back as she threw up chunks of whatever was in her stomach. She didn't even have the time or emotional capacity to feel grossed out as she only felt scared and worried for Ella. Matty came up behind Ella, placing his hand on her shoulder as he waves a bottle of water for Ella. "Thanks, M." She says. Ella had lifted her body off the railing, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. With a sigh, Maia tucks Ella's hair in her ears before opening the water and giving it to her. "Give us a second, and we'll be right there with you." She tells Matty who nods quietly before walking down the steps and back to where the car was.

"You're such a wanker, man." Maia cusses, her hand going through her hair while Ella twists the lid of the bottle close. "Don't be so mean to me", Ella whines, "I'm fragile." She takes Maia's hands with hers and places the bottle on her palms. "Can we just go now?" Ella stumbles down the stairs, her grip tight around the railing. Maia grunts disapprovingly before letting Ella lean her body weight against her and holding her securely as they make their way to George's car. Ella was a clingy sad drunk like a small child seconds from throwing a tantrum and only George could handle her when she was being like this. Basically, she needs baby-ing.

They must've looked like idiots, playing musical chairs in the car. But in the end, they settled with Matty driving the car, Maia on the passenger seat while Adam and Ross squeezed next to each other on the right side of the car behind Matty, George sat behind Maia with Ella propped on his lap. He must've felt cramped and awkward – imagine a six-foot giant with legs for days carrying and looking after a moments-away-from-barfing midget. It's sufficed to say that George kept accidentally kicking Maia's seat.

A blues song quietly plays from the radio as Matty drives fast. Maia leans her head against the window, seeing the 24/7 shops as one large panorama, the lights seemed to merge together. A light drizzle came down on them and Matty comes to a quick stop. It had been quiet out back as Ella slept on George, the smell of alcohol still lingering on her body. Matty turns the ignition off and places his hand on the ball of Maia's knee, getting her attention. "Want anything from the shops?" They had stopped in front of a large off-license. "Yeah, I'll go with you." Maia throws a lazy smile. Adam and Ross had followed them out the car while Ella makes herself comfortable on top of George, who didn't seem to mind as he wraps his arm around her, securing her as he closes his eyes too.

The shop was barren, there were very few employees and not a security guard on sight. "Maia!" Matty calls for her, she sees him putting a pound inside the cart, and as soon as she reaches him, she jumps onto the cart, placing her hands on both sides of the rail as she gets on securely. Matty pushes her fast, his shoes skidding against the floor before jumping on the rail just above the wheels. Maia's heart was beating, the adrenaline rushing in her veins and the back of her ears felt tense; not from stress but from smiling too much. As she looked back, she saw Adam in the same position as she was and Ross was pushing him. The employees could see them but couldn't care less nor had the energy to stop them. Maia supposed that the manager wasn't working the night.

Despite not having drank a sip of alcohol, Maia felt off her head. The glowing lights made her head hurt but in a weird way that she didn't really mind. She leans back, her head tilting back as she stretches. Matty had gotten off the rail now but he was still holding the handle as he keeps the momentum of the wheels going. Matty had hunched his back, his elbows on the handle as he manoeuvres through the aisles. His face close to Maia's as his hands holds her cold cheeks before placing a kiss straight on her puckered lips. They must've stayed in that position for a few seconds, his feet moving along with the wheels before they bump into another cart, the one that had Adam in.

"You lot grabbing anything?" Ross says, interrupting their moment. Matty gives her a final peck sighing before he looks back at Ross. They head over to the confectionaries section, slowing down as they near the aisle. "That one, Matty, get that one." Maia points over to the strawberry laces. "Which one? The thin ones or the sour ones?" He bends over to the bottom shelf. "Both." He grabs a couple of each as they were only 40p.

"M, catch!" Ross throws over a bag of crisps, landing on her lap as it hits her straight on her chest. Adam snickers whilst grabbing a small tin of brownies. Matty walks back over with a six-pack of beer cans, placing it next to Maia as he pats her head. Maia tilts her head upwards scrunching her nose, she went to say something to him but he was already quite far, near the end of the aisle, while she was stuck in the cart in the middle where the numbered sign was just overhead.

/

It was a lot darker now and the temperature had dropped. Matty had lent her his coat despite already having one. She must've looked ridiculous but instead, she melted from his niceness. They stopped at a fenced hilltop. Ella and Maia sat on the bench, their bodies leaning against each other like conjoined twins as they watch over the quiet but lit-up town underneath. Maia opened up the packet of sour strawberry laces, grabbing two pieces, passing the bag to Ella as she places the sweet at the corner of her mouth aggressively biting a piece off. Ella does the same placing the sweet packet in her coat pocket. She leans down a bit, grabbing two cans of beer from the six-pack next to her foot, pulling the tab open before handing one to Maia. They take a swig; they might be proper idiots drinking when Ella still has large amounts of alcohol swirling in her bloodstream but when you're in your twenties with no prospects alcohol and friends are the only things you need. Though she supposed that something was going to change soon. Somehow, she could feel it in the weather. She knows that once this year ends, something big would happen, and it terrified her.

Maia had already noticed that change was happening, and she was never one to be okay when it comes to change. She likes to be in control, she likes how things were at now, she likes her relationships, she likes partying and getting drunk every night and still being able to walk up to university and pass with As. She looked to the city in front of her and despite it being the dead of night, life was ongoing and she was stuck.

Leaves rustle and the wind gushing and Maia turns around getting up from her seat and finding Matty hanging on a tree branch with one hand while the other three circles around him laughing at his antics. She fishes out her flip phone from her pocket, snapping a picture of Matty before grabbing Ella's hand and walking over to join them.