I'd Like to be Somebody Else

Chapter 21

    We didn't instantly fall into a passionate romance, in fact we didn't flirt or anything. By becoming single and available, we'd become just friends. It was like neither of us knew how to make the first move, or when it was right to.

    Liam woke me up on the 10th, knocking on my bedroom door and shouting "Football." at me. I didn't understand what he was on about, it was out of season, the World Cup was starting in a few days but England hadn't qualified so there wasn't much point in us watching.

 "What?" I reluctantly sat up.

 "We're all going off to the field, including you. Get up." He ordered.

    I groaned. "No, I'm ill. I'm staying in bed." I lied.

 "Yeah? What kind of ill?"

    I screwed up my eyes and went with the answer that usually shuts people up. "Girl ill, it's just really bad timing."

 "Nah, you said that thing in your arm stopped that. Stop being lazy, come on." he clapped his hands.

    I'd forgotten about when I had the implant redone and he reacted with something along the lines of "What's the point in that? Just use condoms." It was ridiculous advice since I don't think he'd ever used them, not with me anyway.

 "Alright, make me some breakfast and I'll go." I heard him sigh and walk down stairs.

    I decided to wear last season's (93/94) Liverpool shirt, assuming everyone else would be in football shirts. We didn't win anything but I liked the design. No one bothered to bully me over this shirt, probably because Noel technically bought it and it clearly didn't belong to some lad.

    Liam had a bowl of cornflakes waiting for me, he sat in his similarly new City shirt, he was lucky I wasn't a football bragger. Liverpool did much better in the Premier League and the FA cup last season.

 "You know our mates are coming?" he asked eating his bowl of cereals, it was probably his second just so I wasn't eating alone.

    By "our mates" he meant lads they knew from school that I couldn't be bothered with, they had to be on the dole, wastrel, druggy types to be up for football on a Friday. "Yeah."

 "How do you eat so much?" he was always eating and never got any fatter.

    He shrugged. "Don't want them hassling you cos you're a girl and that bloody shirt."

 "I don't remember asking to play. If you think your mates will trouble me I can just stay here or go to town or something."

 "They won't, they'll just be shocked you're well friggin' brave enough to turn up dressed like that."

    I rolled my eyes. "It's a football shirt, I'm not going in something ridiculous like... bondage gear."

    He accidentally spat out his milk with laughter. "They'd love that."

...

    I was surprised to see Tony there, I was sure he was meant to be looking after Thora.

 "Me parents have got her for a bit." he explained.

    Other than the Oasis members, four lads came. More lads were supposed to show up because everyone looked really disappointed and stood around for a while waiting.

 "Who's the lass?" one of them asked. I remembered them all vaguely but clearly neither of us bothered to learn each others' names.

 "Er, Stacy, you've seen her at least twice before, you idiot." Bonehead spoke.