Upside Down

Chapter 5: Would I Lie?

                Brad and I stood at the back of the group, hands in our pockets.

                “Do you lot always go out this late?” I asked.

                “No,” Brad replied, “James and Tris are spontaneous around women.”

                “Figures,” I mumbled.

                It wasn’t particularly cold, but I wasn’t in love with the idea of wandering around London near midnight. I rarely even left work this late, and my nan would skin me if she knew I’d been out this late.

                Connor had turned back a few times to make sure Brad and I were still alive and not frozen into popsicles. Eventually he came to walk beside Brad, and had started a conversation about Christmas holiday. For the majority of the conversation I was staring at my feet or at the back of Georgie’s coat, and I couldn’t help but notice that Connor would glance at me once and a while. Maybe he wanted me to go to the gig, not James.

            “Andie? Are you even listening?” Brad asked, stepping on my foot, then muttering an apology.

                “What?” I asked.

                “Have you got holiday plans?” Connor said quietly.

                “Me and Nan normally celebrate with Georgie’s family,” I said, “Once we rented a home in the Isle of Wight, but that was when I was twelve or thirteen. We haven’t done it in a while, but Nan’s entertaining the idea.”

                “We wanted to get a house down in Eastbourne, the lads and our families,” Brad said, “It wouldn’t be a problem if you and your nan stayed with us.”

                “I’ll ask nan. I doubt she’d say no. She always liked you, Brad,” I smiled.

                “I’m fantastic, I expected nothing less,” Brad smiled brightly.

                “Hey!” James shouted from ahead, “How about a trip to the bar, yeah?”

                “I can’t drink,” Connor and I said at the same time. We both looked at each other, then to James. Tristan turned to Georgie, who looked back at me. Georgie was two years older than me, so she was legal. I was seventeen, nearly eighteen, but even then, I wouldn’t be legal. Apparently, neither would Connor.

                “Oh, then let’s stop at a sit in then, get some chips, yeah?” Tristan said. Connor perked up at the idea of food. James frowned, seeming very set on an ice cold Guinness. He nodded grudgingly, and Tristan strolled across the street, Georgie’s hand shoved into his left pocket with his.

                “Georgie seems to fancy Tris, then,” Brad said quietly.

                “She fancies blondes,” I said quietly, “She’s a sucker for blondes.”

                “So are you,” Brad laughed. Connor chuckled quietly.

                “I wouldn’t say that,” I laughed, gently shoving him.

                “I would, most of the boys you dated were-“

                I smacked Brad as we walked into a small chip shop a few blocks from Brad’s house. It was small, horrendously decorated, and smelled of cigarettes. It was well past eleven, and a group of deadbeats sat at a bench at the far end of the narrow diner. I was clinging to Brad for dear life. I hated being out this late. We all sat by the window, close to the door after Brad noticed I was leaving claw marks on his leather jacket. We had the weirdest conversations, most of which I can barely remember. I just know there was a lot of laughing, and chips ended up all over Connor’s lap.