Lairy girls and boys in bands

2. Riot van

Up rolls the riot van
And sparks excitement in the boys
But the police men look annoyed
Perhaps these are ones they should avoid

Saturday, the seventeenth of march, had come and High Green was gearing up for battle.

In this town, that meant stocking up on beer, putting on the smallest green accessory you could find and getting yourself to any party or pub that would take you.

Alex and his mates included. You see, tonight was saint Patrick's day, and the boys were on their way to Eva, a girl at school's house. They just had to make a stop at the store first, to pick up some beer. Since Alex and Andy were the only ones who'd turned eighteen so far, that was their job. The three other boys waited outside.

They moved through the fluorescent lighting towards the liquor isle. Alex wasn't really in the mood to party. It was those house parties, he was getting bored of them. He was of age, but he still wasn't going out to pubs or clubs, just because his friends were either yet to have their birthdays, or just preferred parties.

The thing was, that they weren't Alex's scene. He didn't like the music, the conversations or even most of the people. The only reason he came to them was because he didn't have anything better to do.

"Why don't we just go into town and have a pint instead..." he muttered to Andy, who chuckled.

"Why? So we can be denied at the door or get in and pay ten quid for a beer?"

"Because... Because we're getting too old for this."

"Are yeh kidding? We're finally old enough, now we can get drinks that aren't twice the price from someone older brother..."

Alex sighed and picked up two six packs as Andy grabbed one more. They walked through the empty corner store to the cash register.

"Anything else?" The man said.

"A pack of Marlboros. Reds. Short."

He handed over the cash and got his change. They got back out to the rest of the group with their stuff in a plastic bag. Alex gave the bag to Matt and then lit up a smoke. He wasn't a regular smoker, only when he was drinking or extra stressed out over something. The man at the store had been selling him cigarettes since he was sixteen, which had been the first time he had gotten an F on a test.

The boys walked the ten minute walk to where the party was, but stopped a block away. They opened a beer bottle each and stood against a brick wall. They wanted to drink a little first so they'd get a little buzzed by the time they're there.

"Remember I have to save a couple bottles for Eva," Jamie said.

"Are you planning on getting her drunk on two beers?" Andy teased.

"Piss off, I'm not trying to get her drunk. I'm just trying to be nice," He defended himself and it made the rest of them laugh while Jamie frowned.

"So you like, actually like her?" Nick asked.

"Define 'actually like'," Jamie countered.

"Like, as if you'd want her as a girlfriend some time in the near future," Matt explained. Jamie looked like he was thinking about it for a second.

"I don't know... I mean she's really pretty."

"She's boring," Alex blurted out. He regretted it right after he said it but he was just in one of those easily irritable moods. Jamie, who stood with the other three between him and Alex, turned to look at him from the side.

"Yeah? And what have you got going on for you at the moment?" He said and Matt, Nick and Andy burst out laughing. "Do you even like anyone?"

Alex was about respond when Matt opened his mouth.