I'd Like to be Somebody Else

Chapter 74

When Kenzie opened the door she knew exactly why I was visiting her, it was written all over her face. She assumed I'd believed Noel and that meant I didn't trust her.

I just needed the truth.

A few days had passed since Maine Road, the whole thing, even Liam's heart to heart felt like a distant memory already.

"What did he tell you then?" she asked as she let me in.

"Said he came round here and slept with you." It was much easier to say than I thought it would be, I really didn't believe him.

"He got the first part right." she shook her head. "D'you want a cuppa or anything?"

We went and made the obligatory cups of tea as she explained that night.

"He came round here in a right fucking state, shouldn't have let him in but I guess I felt sorry for him and he was trying to knock the door down... nearly woke the girls."

"Sorry." I sighed, I was going to have to apologise a lot for this.

"Yeah, I let him in and he tried to throw himself at me, trying to kiss me and that like of course I just would cos the bloody Chief wants it... He got a blanket and the sofa to sleep on, stupid twat." She gave her version of events.

She'd trusted me and been there for me so many times that I had to trust her and take her story over Noel's. "I'm sorry he bothered you, sorry I bothered you."

"What did you do to set him off?" she asked. "He wouldn't say, not even in the morning."

"Y'know Emily's mate Anna?"

She cringed. "How, what was she doing there and with you?"

"Her, Amy and Jenny were there. I don't know." I shrugged. "I don't know how I pulled a straight lass. Guis' gave me an E."

"Why d'you keep going off with birds? You're not a lesbian, are you?" she questioned.

Somewhere in my subconscious I believed it wouldn't cause trouble where kissing a lad would but I didn't know why. I was not a lesbian. "You gave me a taste for it, I guess."

"You're a Mam now, you can't just think about what you want." she lectured. "What if Noel decided that was the last straw and you ended up like me?"

"He won't, he loves Jimmyi too much." If we really did break up, I wouldn't stay around. I knew that. "Even if I couldn't be trusted to be faithful, he couldn't get rid of me without getting rid of his son."

"Where is Jimmyi? Noel's version of protective custody?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at me.

"He likes his Dad way more than he likes me and Noel feels like he has to make up for when he was on tour." I wasn't saying it in depressed paranoia, it was just true.

"How long's he got until the next one?"

"As far as I know, they're free until Knebworth. We're staying up here for the football then it's back to Supernova Heights." I said nonchalantly, trying to avoid the game that was now a week away.

"Oh God." she knew exactly which game we were waiting for. "We are going down, d'you really want to watch that?"

I shrugged. "They're expecting a miracle or something will save them."

...

May the 5th was the last day of the 1995/96 Premier League season. It had come around extremely quickly. We were all gathered at Liam's to watch City's final game.