Happy Little Pill ✖ HOOD

3% ; glass

Calum Hood was drunk. Which would’ve been fine, if it hadn’t been that he was with his drunk friends and drunk. Ashton Irwin, Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford and he were unreservedly intoxicated by the time they were pushed out of their local bar at midnight and none had a single notion of what they were saying or doing as they said it or did it, which unsurprisingly was rather a shaky foundation for their decency staying intact.

It’s not important who suggested it. The suggestion itself is the important thing. And, as ordinary as these boys were beforehand with their individual love for music, happy families and trips down to the beach after work, the suggestion from one belligerent, drunken boy and the unspoken agreement of the other three changed them, changed their friendship, changed the course of their lives.

None of them had ever robbed a service station before. Luke had once taken a ten-dollar note from his classmate in the third grade after it had dropped from the others boy’s pocket as he played on the swings. Ashton once nicked a Pokémon trading card from his best-friend’s collection. Mikey had the worst offence, taking a chocolate bar from the fish and chip shop on the corner of his street when he was eleven. So, thieving wasn’t exactly their strongest suit.

And, in case you’re wondering, thieving under the influence of a severe quantity of alcohol wasn’t any more likely to make the list of ‘things the boys are good at’; they blundered into the building, all at once, stumbling through the automatic door, accidently bumping stands of crisps and magazines. Mikey, who was by far the most aggressive drunk, made a beeline (albeit, a zig-zag one with his drunken footwork) for the chubby middle-aged woman stood behind the counter who, in turn, was watching the four adolescents with anxious eyes. He slurred something at her in an incoherent dribble that meant ‘give us money.’

When she just shook her head, confused as to what he wanted, Michael became extremely frustrated. Turning to the first shelf stacked with confectionary, he charged at it, hands outstretched and proudly stood as it toppled over, colliding with the next shelf and the next. He burst into fits of laughter at this newfound fun. Ashton and Calum began to giggle at the incredible amount of havoc their friend had managed to create in mere moments but Luke was excited and started knocking over newspaper stands and the cardboard cutouts of coke bottles.

Mikey was quick to move on, running towards the fridges, opening the glass doors after an awkward pull-or-push issue, and scooped at the contents, sending milk and juice cartons crashing to ground, resulting in the mix of liquids upon the floor.

Unsurprisingly, the woman behind the counter was neither impressed or comfortable and began flailing her hands wildly and screaming as she ran into the back room as the boys got louder and more daring – all except Calum; he had watched her outburst and with blurred vision and slurred speech, his thoughts suddenly came together and toppled onto each other much like dominoes and his face fell in confusion and shame. What was he doing?

 

“Stop,” he said quietly to Luke who was snatching up a bag of M&Ms. Luke didn’t stop and Calum began to feel dizzy. “Stop,” he said to his own menacing brain as much as Luke, slightly louder. He knew this was completely out of control. Reality didn’t seem like his own anymore. He stumbled unevenly out of the sliding door, sat himself down on the small curb and assessed the rows of petrol pumps in the midst of the empty court.

The cop vehicles arrived in a haze of blue and red, with squealing sirens that became louder and louder along with his fear. He was going to vomit.

Calum felt the boys run past him, fleeing from the store at the sound of approaching police. “It’s time to go, dude,” Mikey half-yelled in an attempt to help his friend, who remained sitting on cold concrete watching the fuzzy glow of colours drawing in on the station. Mikey stared at Calum, his eyes wild and alarmed before darting off after Ashton.

Tears welled up in his eyes, though he wasn’t sad – not even scared. Calum felt like he had when his cousin had found him crying on the steps outside his aunt and uncle’s house because he had wet his pants. He had no need to be sad or scared. He was just embarrassed, and as, the police cars halted in a scattered pattern allowing no escape for him, he realized just how embarrassing this was. He was sat crossed-legged, hunched over and bawling into the silence between the absurd sirens.

“C’mon buddy,” the police officer somewhat sympathetic said, clapping a hand on Calum’s shoulder and looking at the tragic state of the store, “there’s no use in crying over spilt milk.”

The younger officer sniggered at the play on words and led the boy and his slurred drunken pleas and mumblings to the police car. Calum’s head hung low as the door was closed beside him and this signaled the closing of many other doors for his future. He pressed his hot face against the cold window and allowed the glass to comfort him.

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This is Chapter One, and how exCITINGG?! CAL is arrested AND ASH and MIkey bailed on him -rubbish friends!- BUT where is LUKe?!? heheheh (( ADD THIS BISH TO UR READING LISTS OMFG PLS ))

I finished high school officially yesterday and now I'm on holidays for like two months and omg, frick yea. gonna be so chill. but i desperately need a job. because concerts and music festivals cost money, which is the worst thing that i have eva come to learn. 

ANYWAY i wanna get this updating frequently so stay tuned and stay groovy ! ily, x