Gravity

Chapter 1 - March 2019

Do you ever think about what you would do if you got a second chance at something?

Like, if you could go back in time, would you do anything different?

Of course you would. We all would. At least we've all thought about it, right?

If you knew that girl you asked out was going to say no, you wouldn't ask, right?

If you knew that road was all backed up thanks to a huge car crash, you'd go a different way, wouldn't you?

If you knew your lactose intolerance wouldn't be able to handle that ice cream without you spending the next three hours on the toilet then . . . well you get the idea.

Well my story is a little bit like all of these things all thrown together into one huge, giant mess.This is the story about how I got my perfect second chance. And how I completely, and utterly, screwed it up . . .

*

It all started years and years ago at high school, but we're not going to go all the way back then.

Well at least not straight away. Acne, baggy t-shirts and bad hairstyles that really need to stay in the early two thousands. Dark days indeed.

No, there's no time like the present. So we're going to start things off in the most exciting way possible. . .

*

"I'm trying to sleep here!" Joe slurred loudly as his head slowly raised off the table, only to yo-yo back down again straight away.

"Come on big guy," I urged, trying to lift him by his armpits, hoping that it wouldn't look too obvious to the barman that my best friend was totally wasted.

"Has he passed out?" The alert barman yelled at me. Well that didn't work.

"No, no he's just resting his eyes," I shrugged.

"I'm just resting my eyes!" Joe screeched, drawing annoyed glances from the small amount of other drinkers, and a furious glare from the now fast approaching manager.

"We're going! We're going!" I pleaded, hoping that he wouldn't hurt me. He was a big guy and had tattoos all over both of his arms and a beard down to his balls. This guy looked like he could fuck you up.

Thankfully though, he shoved past me and lifted up my heavyset friend easily and carried him over to the exit and pretty much dropped him out of the door.

"Thank you," Was all I could think to say.

"Fuck off, ya prick," He calmly uttered towards me before shoving past and returning to his station to serve his more sensible patrons.

"Thank you," I said again for an unknown reason.

I skittishly went to retrieve Joe and found once again that I couldn't lift him off the ground.

"Fucking hell, man," I groaned in between attempted lifts.

"Michael!" A woman's voice suddenly interrupted my embarrassment.

Turning round I saw Evelyn's smiling face sticking out of the window of her red Fiesta, her dark brown hair blowing in the wind that I hadn't even noticed until now. I should have known better than to wear just a t-shirt in the early schizophrenic Scottish spring.

"Finally! I called you like half an hour ago!" I moaned.

"I'm sorry, I forgot I was the slave at your beck and call," She remarked sarcastically. "Please forgive me, master."

"Whatever, just help me get him up will you?"

Leaving the engine running, she climbed out and after a bit of back and forth, we managed to stuff him into the back seat of the car.