Unhappy Coincidence

Dead

The floodlights burn my eyes as I stumble up the field towards the car, aware that the others are following me. I feel like I'm running but I know that's illogical drunk me thinking because I'm really just wobbling like a snail after a rollercoster ride. There's a white marque at the bottom of the field, with multicoloured LED's igniting the sky. I see the flames too. Even with the entire thing behind me I can see it, I can feel the heat burning my back, I know it's there. 

We're far away now. At the top of the field to be exact. It's not like it's our fault but we sit, like terrible, sad people watching the scene unfold. 500 teenagers in that marque. We didn't help anyone get out. We just ran.Selfish? probably.  We brought our alcohol with us and we came all the way up to my car. I'm far to drunk to drive but I sit behind the wheel anyway. Out of the 5 of us that sit there I am the only one who has a full drivers license anyway.

The night had started out fine. I wasn't really up for going to the results party because I hadn't got what I'd hoped so it wasn't worth celebrating really, but Tom had begged me to go; he said I wasn't much fun anymore. So I did it. I went, I took the car because I wasn't going to drink and I certainly wasn't staying late. Once we all got there though,  I really got into the mood of things and did some shots with Cags who I hadn't seen since prom, and then Molly talked me into a couple of Jack Daniels and that was it. I was already on it, so why stop now? I was going to crash in the car, because I always have a pillow, blanket and water because yes, I used to do this all the time. It was very normal, and everyone was so excited to see me. I haven't been out for a while and there was so many hugs and people telling me they loved me. 

I won't lie I missed this a little bit. I had been more focused on my love life and my work and trying to make it to University, I think in the mess of it I forgot how to have fun. But I was back. Parties are my thing because I love to dance, and I love the atmosphere, and best of all I can hold my drinks well. 

It turns out that I didn't need to crash in the car, because as I was busy Grinding on some lad who's name I'd already forgotten,  a car came tumbling into the back of the marque, The people in it were blind drunk, and the ground was damp anyway. They obviously lost control and tumbled the car.

 It was almost like slow motion as it hit the DJ booth and the whole thing started to spark. It was a matter of seconds before it went up in flames but I felt like it was hours. So we ran as soon as our legs could move. We ran. And now we sit watching as people we knew where burning in there. I would have cried but I was just relieved. I told the others I wanted to run before the police came. We all knew they would. And they certainly wouldn't let me drive and they'd want a statement. My parents didn't even know I was here for fucks sake. They thought I was at my eldest sisters, because she'd cover for me if they called and I knew that. 

I started up my car, and drove. Immy, who was in the back, wedged between Tom and Callum, reminded me that her house was free, and as it's only 3.17 am we could still have drinks at hers. I wanted to get obliterated after what had just happened, so I put my foot down and we were at hers in a matter of minuets. 

I don't know what I was planning to do, or how we could fix this mess but once we'd all had a few shots, just to settle the shock, I really saw the cracks in these people. Molly, Tom, Callum and Immy. We'd been best friends since year 7. We all had our 'Emo phase' together, we were all there to sit our GCSE'S together and now we were here. 5 years of friendship and I felt like everything was sitting on what move we made next. 

I didn't expect it to be Callum that cried. He was always the 'cool one'. He was the only 'fuck boy' I wanted to be associated with because we can't lie, He has game. But he cried. He told us all that he thinks we were selfish. That at least he tried to pull Cags away. Maybe we were selfish. I don't know. 

The room was silent as so I put the T.V on and put it on BBC so we could hear the news. We didn't have to wait, it was 6 am and we all knew what was coming. Their was footage of the field, and the marque, which was now black. There was no colourful party LED lights, just bright white police floods and blue flashers. There were people we knew huddled into shiny tinfoil blankets. There was 5 ambulances on the T.V. One parked exactly where my ford fiesta had been only a couple of hours ago. 

29 presumed dead. Those were the people that were on the entry list but hadn't been found. As they read out their names 5 familiar ones struck me. Immy Legget, Callum Murphey, Molly Gawne, Tom Wayne-McKenzie and Joe Mires. Joe Mires. That's me. They all think we're Dead. All 5 of us should be gone, they can't account for us. I stare at my friends, as it registers with them i notice each one has a small bit of hope in their expression. I wonder if they'll do it. Or if they'll tell on me if I do it.