Talk tonight (Noel Gallagher)

9

"Oh, so now you care?"

"What?"

"I thought after the party that you fancied me or summat, but you had your tongue down some girl's throat the week after so, I don't know what can you be so upset 'bout"

"But-" his hand was on a fist. "El, you ran away, you expected me to chase after you?"

"No... I needed to think"

"And shag r'kid in the meantime, huh?"

"It's not like that"

"Then what is it like? Were you just hanging out with me to go fuck him while I'm in the toilet?"

"No! Liam, you know I love you but not like that"

He had his jaw clenched up and was staring at me angrily.

"I wanted to explain but I didn't know how"

"Oh, Fuck off"

Then he kept walking, and I didn't.

***

I sat down on a bench to think, then I realized it was dark and there was a good chance of something happening to me, so I thought about it on my way back.

Walking towards the house next to mine, I saw Noel sat on the steps before the door, smoking.

"Hi" I said.

Then I sat down next to him and put my head on his shoulder.

"How did it go?"

I sighed "Not well" and grabbed the fag from his fingers.

He put his arm around my shoulder and held me close.

***

Months passed by and I stopped hanging out with Noel, I didn't want to dissolve every last bit of friendship I had with Liam, so I stopped going next door altogether. And Noel didn't come looking for me too much either.

Summer was ending and Maggie was the only one left in town, I stopped hanging out with her too, but just because she didn't call me and I don't usually reach out to people, I'm fine if nobody wants to contact me. I'd still go out with her some weekends though.

I spent a lot of time alone, thinking about what to do next, I never really thought about it, and now I had to.

...3 years later (1989)

It's amazing how you can live next to someone and never see them. Not once.

I was really alone, I didn't go to uni, I got a job instead, to save some money to find myself a flat somewhere. My days consisted of waking up at 08:00 am and working all day at the cafe. Then I went back home and listened to some record while eating, alone. Since my dad moved out after the divorce my mum had been working double shifts and coming home really late. It wasn't like I didn't see it coming, but it still hit us hard.

I hanged out with Maggie, she was still in Manchester, working too. We met up in her flat and go out from there to wherever. It was alright, it wasn't the most exciting era of my life, considering these were supposed to be the wild years, but it was alright.