Cerise

12th of august 1987 ☆

We were sat together on a tall, brick wall.
The one just outside the abandoned factory just outside the town centre. The rain poured down on us, just like it always did in Manchester. What a move, Nice to Bury.
Thanks a lot, mam and dad. Great thinking there. My thoughts were interrupted by Gary finally speaking after being sat there silently for about twenty minutes.

"Hey Red?" Gary spoke quietly. God I loved that nickname, he'd gone through all that trouble to find out what my name meant in English. Or he just asked our French teacher. I'd like to think it was the former.

"What?" I snapped out of my thoughts, turning to face him.

"Fancy coming round mine, y'know, to get out this rain?" He smiled softly.

I nodded in agreement and we soon found ourselves at his front door. Gary knocked on the door and it was soon answered by his mum.

"Ah, you're soaked Gary! Oh, hiya Cerise." His mum cooed over him, much to his embarrassment. Suddenly, his younger brother and sister, Phillip and Tracey, came running up to the door. "Gary's back!" They laughed. "Ooo, and he's brought his missus!" Phil quipped, he was only 9 and he was already a wind-up.

"Not funny, Phil." Gary grumbled, Phil stuck his tongue out in response before running back into the living room with Tracey, followed by their mother. "Sorry about them." Gary sighed before leading me to his room. "You can sit down if ya like." He nodded and I happily obliged.

We sat chatting for a bit, just about football and music and stuff like that. Apparently, according to a lot of people I was cool because I liked things like that. But I couldn't trust everyone, especially the people who said me and Gary were going out. The relentless torment from people at school and even our families was almost unbearable, everytime someone brought it up Gary would end up sulking.

Then Phil burst in again. "Phil, I told ya to leave me alone!" Gary exclaimed.
"Sorry Gary, I was just making sure you lot weren't having a cheeky snog." Phil laughed.
"For fuck's sake! Me and Cerise are JUST mates. Now gerrout Phil." Gary shouted.
Phil quickly left after that.
"Sorry Red, Phil's just being a dick'ead today." He sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"S'alright Gary, I'm used to it by now." I shrugged, twisting my auburn hair in my fingers.

"Oh, before I forget, your hair looks nice today." He smiled. "I've always thought your red hair suited ya." My twelve year old self felt like swooning, that was one of the nicest things someone let alone Gary, who wasn't one for compliments, had said to me.