OUT

Chapter 1

Wednesday, August 27th 2014

Jack knew three things for certain; he couldn't wait to see the back of his Deb's date, none of his year could handle their drink, and tonight was the night he'd lose his virginity.

'Caoimhe come on. Get up, like! What the fuck are ya 'at?' muttered Begs, who was aggressively prodding his Debs' date with a fork, although she wasn't moving. She was snoring into her plate of pasta, pissed drunk, with a big g&t sitting in front of her, barely touched. A few bloated looking raspberries that had completely lost their shape bobbed on the surface, 'Caoimhe!'

'Jaysus, she must really like gnocchi,' said Wham Bar, and the table around him sniggered. There were ten of them sitting at the central table among a few dozen circular ones speckled around a large dining hall. He sat in between his own Deb's date and Mark. Wham Bar and Begs, the other half of their friend group, sat at the same table with the girls they had brought, along with a few randos they had been clipped with. They all sat looking at the girl asleep in her food, her makeup smudged into the pasta sauce.

Begs shook his date's shoulder again, more firmly this time, and tried to wake her, 'Jesus Christ, Caoimhe. Cop on, would ya?'

'Taxi,' yelled a lad from another table loudly, and they sniggered. Begs' face reddened further.

'Jaysus Begs, did ya roofie her or what? You're not that desperate for the shag, are ya?' added Wham Bar. One or two of the girls at their table looked visibly disgusted by the joke, but he didn't seem to even notice.

Mark turned to Jack, 'what's the bets those two are gonna be swinging for each other before the night's over?'

Jack glanced at his watch. It had barely gone 8pm. The girl hadn't even made it to dessert, which was unsurprising considering the amount he had seen her drink on the ninety minute bus journey there - which was what she was known for; getting pissed drunk and throwing herself at anyone that would have her. The night out after their mocks, she had shifted eight lads in a row, 'without a doubt.'

'Get fucked, lad,' replied Begs impatiently, 'and while you're at it, maybe go look for a suit that actually fits ya.'

Wham Bar was wearing a navy three-piece suit that was too small for him. Jack assumed it was a hand me down from one of his brothers. It hugged his stomach and shoulders awkwardly, but was frumpy in other parts. It was bulging at the seams of his arms even though he wasn't a particularly heavy guy. It made him look fatter than he was. In fact, Begs was carrying a lot more weight himself, but his suit fit like a glove so hid it better.

Wham Bar and Begs were a duo that were basically glued at the hip growing up. They were practically brothers, and Jack knew when push came to shove they'd have each others' back no matter what. On the day-to-day however, you'd swear they hated each other. They really knew how to get under each other's skin, and they took every opportunity they got to do just that. The pair of them were the other half of Jack's friend group with him and Mark - who were another inseparable pair since childhood, only without the toxicity.

'Go look for a suit that actually fits ya,' mimicked Wham Bar, forcing a nasally tone and pretending to push a pair of glasses up the bridge of his nose as he flicked a piece of garlic bread at the girl, which bounced off her head - bits of it clinging to her hair that she probably spent a fortune on styling earlier that day.

'Would you ever fuck off, would ya?' muttered Begs, although he cracked a smile as the piece of bread flew passed him.

'Jaysus lads, I'm fair gonna miss this when we're all away for college. Just the craic, yano?' said Wham Bar.