PROLOGUE DRINKING TO FORGET
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Parties were just about the only thing to do in the Outer Banks. That's why when summer came, so did the onslaught of parties in the boneyard. Now, rich or not, the Kooks wanted free booze even if it meant tolerating the Pogues and other Cut residents. So, Saturday night, he and his friends were at a kegger like usual. It was almost amazing how easy it was to get drunk on the weekends as fourteen and fifteen-year-olds who had just barely gotten through their first year of high school. A handful of them were certainly going to be alcoholics one day, but no one cared about that now as they filled up their cups.
"All I'm saying is that Miss Fleish can suck a dick for failing me on the final, it brought my grade down like ten percent!" Lila Turner, best friend, and one-half of the Turner twins was ranting as the five of them sat in a circle on abandoned logs with a beach campfire in the middle of them.
"Dude, she failed you because you fucking suck at math," the other half of the Turner twins, James, retorted with a scoff. Next to him, Norman, or Rocky, as his friends called him, nudged him with a shit-eating grin as they laughed at Lila's expense.
"Don't be rude!" exclaimed Gemma, a tall blonde and the only heart of gold in the group. Gemma always covered up at the Boneyard parties, forgoing makeup and feminine clothes because with so many outsiders they never knew who they could trust. However, that didn't dull her spirit as long as her friends were around her and there was a red solo cup in her hand. "Rocky sucks at math, too, but I don't see anyone bagging on him!"
Norman laughed at this, taking a sip of his cheap beer before he spoke, "Yeah, but I accept that I suck at math, there's a difference there. Besides, I only failed because Alisha wouldn't let me cheat off of her."
"Yeah, because Fleish was on my dick staring me down the entire fucking test," Alisha groaned, "You guys know I would have pulled through if that bitch didn't have it out for me. Ugh, I'm getting a refill, does anyone want anything?"
"Don't worry, I was gonna fill up too, I'll grab it for you," Norman offered, standing up and reaching out for her cup. "Anyone else?"
Two more cups were thrust into his grip and he chuckled before taking off for the keg which at the moment was being manned by a couple of Pogues. Now, Norman really didn't mind them all that much. He acknowledged that he lived a significantly better life than them and would probably amount to more, but as to the actual people, he didn't mind them at all. Currently, the person pouring drinks was a tan boy with shaggy brown hair. Norman remembered him saying his name was John something, but he wasn't sure if that was correct.
"Hey, just a couple refills for me and my friends," he said with a smile, the boy nodded and grabbed the first cup from him. "So, this is the first refill from your group all night, you're not here with every other Kook chugging as much beer as you possibly can?"
Norman shrugged, "I'm fifteen, I'd rather pace myself so I'm not an alcoholic by the time this is actually legal."
The boy laughed, "Tell that to your friends." He pointed over to a group of very obviously rich assholes who were certainly starting to get rowdier than one would want. Norman only rolled his eyes at this.
"I think I'd rather gouge my eyes out than call Topper my friend, but yeah, sure," he retorted with a scoff, taking a sip of the first drink that had been handed back to him. He absolutely hated the taste of beer going down his throat, but it felt good to be buzzed. Enough control, but not enough to be worried about anything he probably should be. "I'm Norman, but my friends call me Rocky."
"Rocky?" the boy raised an eyebrow as he handed him another one of the drinks.
"Short for Rockwell, last name."
"Like the painter," he noted, "I'm John B."
"Why the B?"
"My dad's Big John, so I added the B. For Booker," the boy, whose name Norman had been correct on, explained.
Norman nodded, "Thanks, uh, for the drinks. Not so bad for a Pogue."
"Not so bad for a Kook," John B retorted, lifting up his own drink in a cheer with Norman's before he took the total four drinks precariously back to his friend group. For just a moment he looked back and surprisingly, the boy was looking back at him. As soon as their eyes met they both looked away, but the moment felt separated from time. In a flash, Norman snapped back to reality and began passing out his friends' drinks back to them.
"You took forever!" Alisha exclaimed, making grabby-hands for her drink which Norman happily handed off to her. "Anyway, we were just debating which of the two Pogues over by the keg are cuter. I think the blonde, but Lila likes the other one."
"I think the blonde is cute, too!" Gemma exclaimed, grabbing her drink from Norman.
James and Norman just laughed at this, the other boy shrugging and saying, "You just have a thing for blondes. You never heard me say this, but the brunet is way better looking."
"Gay ass," Alisha muttered to which James flipped her off. The girl laughed loudly, returning the gesture even though neither of them was serious. "Rocky, you have to break the tie! Which one is cuter?"
The boy immediately shook his head, "No, no, I am not giving you an answer. I don't look at guys like that." As he spoke, his eyes drifted over to the two boys.
Lila groaned, "We won't call you gay, just break the tie! The brunet is totally cuter, right?"
After a moment, Norman caved, "Yeah, the brunet's better looking. His name is John B, I think he's our age."
"Why the B?"
"I don't know, Pogues are weird. I'm pretty sure I met a kid named Pope earlier," Norman played it off even though the boy had explained the initial. He didn't know why; it's not like it was a secret. Either way, he just felt like keeping that tidbit for himself.
Lila brushed that off, instead, turning to Lila and Alisha, sticking her tongue out and saying, "I told you he was cuter! I got both of the boys to agree and usually, their masculinity is too fragile for that so ha!"
"Whatever, Imma go flirt with the blonde," Alisha said with a shrug before standing up from the log and walking back over to the keg. She made a show of turning around to face her friends and pulling the neckline of her shirt down just a little bit, flipping them off before turning around. They all laughed and shook their heads. Norman knew that if Alisha put her mind to something, she would find a way to get it. Sure, that applied to a lot of things, but she loved to put it to use when it came to boys and the occasional girl.
"I love her, but that girl is too much sometimes," Gemma said with a laugh, watching the girl approach the blond boy with a confidence none of the girls had seemed to master yet. "I don't know how she does that. Just walks up to them and already know they want her."
"Because she's hot, next question," Lila spoke in a monotone voice with a shrug, turning around to face the fire and taking a sip of her drink.
Norman shook his head with a teasing smile as the four remaining slipped into an easy conversation over the fire and the drinks. The fun thing about Boneyard parties with his friends was that they were never ragers or anything more than they could handle, it was always just a good time. The night went on, but not much happened. Nothing ever happened in the Outer Banks really, just a lot of underage drinking and mild class war.
"I'm gonna go find a corner to take a leak, I'll be back," Norman announced to his friend group, leaving his drink in the sand as he took off into the trees that lined the beach. He didn't know why he said that, but part of him just kind of wanted to be alone. He still had a view of the party, but his friends probably wouldn't have a view of him. He just needed a minute to not be surrounded by noise. So, instead, he locked his eyes on the boy standing at the keg. John B, what a stupid name. He was probably the first Pogue Norman had interacted with that hadn't ended in some sort of altercation or verbal abuse. Maybe Norman had issues with making friends, but the Pogues pretty much despised anyone with money, so making friends with them wasn't much of an option.
For a moment, Norman could have sworn another pair of eyes met his. It was too brief to be sure, though.
Norman didn't know what he was doing anymore; both at this party and in general with life, but the former was what was more prominently on his mind. He sighed, pulling out his phone to see if he had any notifications which he didn't since all of his friends were here. When he looked up, the object of his focus was gone.
"You have a staring problem, Norman Bates," a voice interrupted his confusion and Norman realized John B was walking right to him and he had hardly noticed.
"You were staring first," he teased right off the bat, referencing earlier. "Maybe I'm just trying to figure out what my friends find so compelling about you and that friend of yours."
"JJ? Girls are always all over him," John B said with a shrug, offering the drink in his hand once he realized Norman didn't have one. "I think it's his winning smile."
Norman scoffed, taking a sip of the drink before handing it back. "That and Alisha who is currently trying to get into his pants will risk it all for anyone who looks at her the right way. I do love her to death, don't get me wrong."
"Yeah, the rich kid Scooby Gang seem like real hard-hitters," John B scoffed, taking a sip of his drink.
"Hey, you made the choice to come over here and talk to me!"
He shrugged, "Had to call you out for staring. I'm serious, that's some real psycho shit. Stare at the wrong Pogue, they'll knock your teeth out."
"Oh, I am so scared of the fifteen-year-old ghetto kid," Norman scoffed, rolling his eyes as he shoved his hands in his pockets and avoided eye contact. His tone projected confidence, but his body language decidedly did not.
"Don't be a dick," the other boy chastised, "At least us filthy Pogues know how to have a good time. All your kind do is get wasted and ruin parties."
"God, you're an asshole. Reminds me why my friends and I don't associate with people like you," Norman said with a prominent eye roll as he backed away from the other boy, further away from the view of the party. Pogues were too prideful for their own good, he was learning.
John B shook his head at this comment, "Yeah, thank God for that. You Kooks think you're so fucking cool up in your castle, all you are is rich with daddy issues and you think that means you have personality."
Norman had to admit the biting remarks were entertaining. Of course, it was further proving his internal point that casual conversation between Pogues and Kooks was impossible, but at least he was having fun.
"And all you are is poor and have daddy issues, so what does that make you?" he retorted, even though he knew it was weak. He didn't really care, he just liked the look on John B's face. "The girls aren't even hot, so what do you have going for your side of the island?"
"Oh, wow. Congrats, you're a douchebag," John B shook his head, "This is why I don't interact with your kind, thanks so much for reminding me of that."
The boy went to walk away, but for some reason, Norman didn't want it to end. So, before he could stop himself, he called out, "Wait!"
John B stopped, but didn't turn around all the way.
"I'm sorry for like, being a dick, or whatever. I'll blame it on the alcohol, but I'm probably an asshole sober just like every other Kook," he said with a sigh to which the boy turned around and walked back over with a satisfied, over-confident grin on his face.
"At least you admit it."
"I am one thing if not honest." Ironically, that was kind of a lie considering Norman had less than good intentions right now.
"Why do I doubt that?"
"Because you probably should," Norman shrugged, letting the buzzed feeling cloud his mind. He knew he probably sounded like an idiot, but he couldn't find it in himself to care all that much.
"Tell me like one super honest thing right now, just prove to me that you're not a total dick," John B challenged but scoffed the moment the other immediately rolled his eyes, "Come on, Paranorman. Are you scared to tell a little truth? What about dare?"
"You remind me so much of like a really annoying twelve-year-old right now," Norman tried to brush him off, but he would be lying if he said John B wasn't just the slightest bit right. However, he wasn't sure if he was willing to admit that. When the boy said nothing except for a raised eyebrow and an expectant look, he groaned, "Ugh, fine! Uh, lemme think. Earlier my friends were having a debate over who was cuter between you or JJ."
John B laughed at this and strangely, his laugh was addictive the moment Norman heard it. Something about it made him want to laugh, too, so he did. After a moment, John B asked, "So, now I have to know. Who'd you vote for? Me or JJ?"
"You," he said with surprisingly no hesitation. The word had tumbled past his lips before he could even control it, but that was probably an effect of the drinks. At least, he would claim as such.
"So, you think I'm cute?" John B teased and Norman probably would have punched him if it wasn't for the way the boy stepped closer with that stupid, daring look on his face.
"If you weren't so perfectly punchable, maybe," Norman did his best to play it off even though his heart was racing and could probably be heard if someone was listening closely enough.
John B laughed, "If it was so punchable why do you seem so nervous?"
"Maybe because some random guy is standing incredibly close to me right now," Norman teased in return, doing his best to ignore how correct the other boy was.
"I think it's time for a dare."
"Wasn't aware we were playing."
"Kiss me."
Norman didn't know what got ahold of him, but he did. He had never kissed a boy before, but he hadn't really kissed anyone except for Lila that one time. However, this was certainly different from that. This was rough, unprepared, sharp. Something about a hand on John B's sharp jawline made Norman too aware of what was really happening; too aware of how much he liked it. Suddenly, he snapped back to reality. Pushing the boy off of him, he stepped back so quickly he almost fell over.
"Dude, what the fuck?" he yelled before he even knew what was happening. He was content to ignore how much his lips were tingling and how fast his heart was racing. "I'm not gay or some shit."
"Dude, I didn't think you'd actually do it!"
"You kissed me back!"
"No, I didn't!"
"Yes, the fuck you did!" Norman exclaimed, "Whatever, fuck this I'm leaving. God, I fucking hate Pogues."
Before either of them could say anything further to each other, Norman pushed past John B and stepped back into the party. The first thing he did was pour himself another drink, JJ now being too distracted by Alisha to be manning the keg. He chugged the first drink he made before he poured another, chugging that one, too. He poured a third drink but instead took that one back to his group that was still around the fire.
"That was a long ass piss you took, dude," James said with a laugh the moment the boy sat down.
"Some stupid Pogue was giving me some trouble on the way back," Norman did his best to play it off without giving too much away, "Whatever, let's just get fucking drunk."
"Here, here!" James exclaimed as they all chugged their drinks. His friends wanted to get wasted for fun, but all Norman wanted to do was forget about the way the boy's lips felt on his. It was a feeling he enjoyed more than he would ever admit to himself or anyone else and the feeling refused to leave the front and center of his mind.
He chugged and he chugged and he chugged, but he couldn't forget.
a three thousand word prologue?? who the fuck am i?? anyway welcome to norman and his repressed homosexuality have fun bitches