Tell Me How It Feels

Chapter Thirty

A/N: Wow, another chapter written almost completely in Starbucks, and I'm just as unhappy with this one as I am with twenty-nine. Not editied to a great extent.

This chapter's panini of choice: meatball and mozzarella.

Caysie. x

----------

Chapter Thirty

"Okay, here's the rules," Joel dragged Finlay and Ryan by the necks of their shirts into his living area, "you either get so pissed you think everyone else is sober, or so high you believe you're in yesterday."

He let them go once they had reached the rest of his guests: Jay, Todd, Chester, Adelia, Derek and Pigeon.

"And you," Joel stumbled behind to Timothy who he hadn't been able to hold in his grasp, "I've got something for you. Remind me later."

Since there was technically only four seats available in Joel's living room, Finlay resorted to sitting on the floor with Ryan, Derek, Pigeon and Timothy once Joel left him. "How many you had already then?"

Joel turned from Finlay, and shifted over to the couch were Jay and Todd were sat, then squeezed himself uncomfortably between them, "Finlay," he slapped his arms around the shoulders of the men he was sitting on, "you'd probably know more than I would."

Ryan snorted from the side in laughter, and suddenly threw a wrapped package Joel, "happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday!" Everyone else shouted in an echo, followed by numerous insults or uses of his name. A few things were thrown at Joel, only smaller presents that wouldn't break. One of these included the apple fudge Finlay had bought, which hit Joel square in the nose.

Joel faked a dramatic cry like he was about to accept an Oscar, "thank you, thank you all so very much for your kind gifts."

"The big two-eight," Pigeon teased opposite Finlay, "I don't think we should be hanging around with people so old."

Joel let his body sink between Jay and Todd so he could stretch one of his legs to kick Pigeon in the back, "you, sir, should keep your gob shut. Just wait until you're twenty-eight, you'll feel the pain."

"Well my last birthday was shit, so I've kinda forget that even happened. I guess I'm still twenty-five then."

Pigeon was a strange man, very odd indeed. Of course he wasn't actually officially named Pigeon, it was a nickname, but he refused to allow anyone to call him by his real one. However, he did in fact look a little like a bird. His long face, wild hair and piercing eyes looked too unnatural on a human, his whole appearance just never seemed right. Even his facial hair, a gold-blonde moustache looked too much like his skintone and blended in with his hair too much. After knowing him for as long as Finlay had, the strangeness of his appearance wears off, but you see the odd passer-by glance twice at him.

The first time Finlay and him had been introduced, he had been anticipating the meeting. He was the third Novelty member he had met, and had heard strange tales from Todd and Derek about him. And he wasn't disappointed when they did eventually meet.

Not only did Pigeon dress like he was from the sixties the majority of the time, he was also pretty obsessed with sunglasses and shiny shoes for some reason. Finlay found this quite amusing and interesting all at once. Even if it was pitch black, Pigeon would still be wearing some form of eye wear, Finlay was surprised he could even see his bass during gigs.

"Drinks are over there," Joel flicked his wrist to somewhere down beside the side of the couch, "or if it's yesterday you're aiming for, you know who to ask."