Happiness in Misery

Here's where it all began

I first met Daisy at the back of a Frank Turner show. The room was darkly lit and there was an atmosphere of sweat, rebellion and general f**king of the system. It was a small venue, there couldn't have been more than 200 people in attendance yet the noise produced by such few people was intense. I was there on my own; my best mate Will was meant to go with me but he had 'family commitments'. We both knew that this meant he was hanging out with his new girlfriend but I said nothing. Perhaps if Will had been there I wouldn't have met Daisy, we would have been closer to the front as Will is better at pushing through the crowds than I am.

I didn't notice her standing next to me at first but as the calamitous chorus of 'Four Simple Words' kicked in, the crowd seemed to explode, knocking her to the floor. 

"Careful," I shouted over the music as I helped her to her feet.

"Thank you," she said, slightly embarrassed about falling over. "I like your T-shirt." She pointed at my favourite Frank Turner T shirt, which I noticed had a ketchup stain running down the middle.

"Thanks," I smiled awkwardly.

"I'm Daisy," she said.

"Ryan," I replied.

She had long black hair which seemed to glow a gentle red in the lights beaming from the stage. Her pale skin was obvious even in the dimly lit room. I noticed she had a nose and lip piercing as well as stretchers in both her ears and her arms were wrapped in bracelets, just as my arms were. I'll never forget the first time I saw her eyes. They were bright blue and there was a slight twinkle in them, like sunlight dancing across a lake. 

I froze for a moment staring at her. It was like a scene from a crappy romantic film when everything seems to move in slow motion. However I was soon thrown back to reality when the riotous crowd surged forward again, knocking us both to the floor. We spent the rest of the gig dancing around and screaming the lyrics to songs together. I don't know how two people can click so suddenly. I don't think anyone does. But we did. 

The cold night air was refreshing after spending the best part of three hours in the cramped music hall. I walked along the street with Daisy past the rows of closed charity shops and late night kebab cafes. Daisy had gone to the gig alone too, and just like me, her friend had ditched her to 'see a guy'. I couldn't help but wonder whether that guy was Will.  We walked a while, telling each other about ourselves and soon I felt like I'd known her all my life. Eventually we arrived at a path that ran alongside a gently flowing river. She took my hand and we sat down and let our legs dangle over the edge just above the water. I picked up a stone and threw it into the smooth oasis of water and the moonlight lit the ripples that emerged from the stone's splash. Daisy reached into the pocket of her leather jacket, which appeared distressed and slightly worn out. She produced a packet of cigarettes and she seemed surprised that I didn't smoke. We carried on talking about nothing and everything until Daisy looked at the watch that was nestled amongst her bracelets. We'd become so engrossed in our conversation that time seemed to have dissolved into nothing and we'd become blissfully unaware that midnight was fast approaching. 

"I've got to go," she said with a distinct tone of sorrow apparent in her voice. "My parents will be wondering where I am." She took a short pencil stub out of her pocket and quickly scribbled something on the back of the now empty cigarette packet. She dropped the packet in my lap, kissed me on the cheek and rose to her feet. I watched her as she strolled away into the night. She walked with confidence and as she disappeared into the dark, I listened to the echo of her footsteps until they too faded into the distance. I then looked at the cigarette packet. Scrawled on the back was a phone number and the words CALL ME with a smiley face. 

So that's how it began, the first time I met Daisy. The start of something so amazing yet so sad, that would change my life forever. 

So I felt moved to write a little bit at the end of this part to explain a few things. I borrowed the title of the story from the lyrics to I Don't Care by Fall Out Boy because it's one of my favourite songs and also because I'm honestly not the great with titles. I obviously don't own any of the songs or artists etc. mentioned in the story and everyone featuring in the story is completely fictional. I know some of the story might be a bit cheesy and I haven't written a story for a long time so I don't know how good this is or will be, but hey, thanks for reading.