I'd Like to be Somebody Else

Chapter 1

  "Piss off, I didn't take your bike." I heard someone shout, I'd heard them arguing for a while but now they were close enough to hear what they were saying.

"Well where's it fucking gone then?" the other challenged, they both stopped walking to properly confront each other.

   Their voices sounded distinctly Mancunian, I must have found myself in Manchester on this night in August 1991. It was unusually warm and the lack of clouds meant the stars were out.

"How should I know?" he got something from his pocket. "You are always nicking my shit, I don't nick yours so calm down." he lit a cigarette and put it to his mouth.

   The taller one responded by pushing him. "Tell me what you did with me bike."

   The shorter fell back a step, not expecting the shove. "Wait Li, there's someone up there on the bridge." He held the cigarette in his right hand pointing.

   He was talking about me. I was sat on a bridge wall that was above a body of water.

"What are you doing?" he shouted.

   I ignored him, I looked to the dark, murky water. I should have gone already, the decision was made but still a quiet voice in my mind was telling me to stay.

"Oi, don't ignore me, what are you doing up there?" he shouted louder.

"I'm going over." That's what I'd driven through the night to I didn't know where to do. I couldn't bear living any longer.

"No, you're not." the taller turned to see me and shouted.

"Liam, for once in your life fucking shut up!"

"I'm just saying we used to climb shit all the time, when it was time to jump, we jumped, not sat there thinking about it."

"She isn't doing it for a laugh, you twat." he shook his head. "Come on, get down from there, safely." he yelled.

"No, I'm doing this." I was adamant.

"I'm Noel, this is my kid brother Liam. What's your name?"

"Oi, what'd you tell her my name for." his brother interrupted.

"I dunno, I thought she might not be able to commit fucking suicide if she knows our names." Noel explained.

"Oh." Liam sighed. "Why? Why do you want to?"

   I looked down at the dirty water. I didn't want to tell two strangers how I'd ended up here even if I knew their names. The drop was starting to make me dizzy and the fear of falling was making me sick. I was holding on to the concrete as tight as I could.

 "Stacy." I sighed. "I've lost everything." I answered reluctantly. "Please leave me alone."

 "Welcome to Burnage, Manchester, we've got nowt." Noel grinned. "I'm twentyfour, I live with my Mam and this idiot. Come on, it can't be this bad, can it?"

    I didn't deserve their attention and I didn't want saving. I had to do this because there was nothing left for me to live for. "I think so, yeah." I answered quietly.

 "Well I'm a nosey bastard so when you're ready to get down, you can come to ours. We're not moving 'til you're with us, are we?" Noel insisted, giving his brother a nudge so he'd agree.

   I was so ashamed that I hadn't jumped. I'd let two strangers talk me down, ignore all the pain that filled my head and my heart long enough to choose life.

   Noel put his arm around me as soon as I got to them. "You aren't from around here are you?"

"No, I've never been here before. I just got in my car and kept driving."