✔️Soundtrack to My Youth (18+)

Harpoon

"It will take some explaining but I think you will agree, there's no use pretending that there's hope for You and Me" - Harpoon, Jebediah, 1997

"I can't believe I was able to buy swim wear, a towel and new make up with just $20" I excitedly announce to Kate and Bridget as we walk down the path towards Sam's backyard where I can already hear the party is in full swing. "I should film my haul and put it up on YouTube"

I watch Bridget and Kate exchange looks, "What's Youtube?" Kate ask me curiously, followed by Bridget, "How would you film it? We don't even own a video camera and who would even want to watch that? Oh here's some things I bought at Target". You would watch it Bridget.

So many times now I've caught Bridget trolling YouTube for such videos on a Saturday night, it's like she falls into a deep rabbit hole, one that she has known to spend hours lost in.

I push open the gate and step into the crowded backyard, scanning the faces, I recognise some of them but can only recall the names of about half of them. How is it that I spent 12 years of my life, 5 days a week, 6 hours a day with these people yet I cant remember a single thing about any of them?

"I'm going to find Amber" Bridget calls out as she makes her way into the sea of teens. Amber was familiar at least, she's been Bridget's best friend since they were in the eighth grade, a sweet, quiet girl with an untapped wild side when she stumbled across tequila years later.  

I turn my attention to Kate, who is now digging through her backpack, she pulls out three new compilation CDs, you know the ones which have about 20 tracks on them, 10 of which will be anything that is charting in the top 40 at that moment and the other 10 are songs you've never even heard before, that the record company just threw on there to expose unknown artists.Kate loved buying these CDs, she would listen to them on repeat and then forget about them once the new one was released. Kate was always a great source for gaining new music and at the age of 17 we shared a love for clean cut boy bands, it was more about their looks over their talent but we'd never admit that.

As Kate made her way over to the stereo my eyes fell upon a couple laying on a towel together by the pool, she was on top of him, their lips locked together in a moment of passion as his hands roamed down the curve of her body. To any outsider taking in the scene they would look like any young couple, expressing their love, he wasn't exactly hiding his affection and for those who knew the truth they wouldn't say a word, they knew that there was a pecking order and that Lucas Stephenson was at the top. Kristen knew this all too well, that's why she had set her sights on my boyfriend.

I could go over there, scream, cry, shout profanities but I had already done all of that, the first time around and it got me nowhere really. People don't sympathise with the girlfriend who was wronged, not when their status of popularity is at stake, I had learnt that the hard way. I would need to handle this differently, I owed that to my 17 year old self.

I slipped inside the almost empty house, making my way to the kitchen. I knew Sam's house well, I had stayed here often enough with Lucas. Sam lived with his Father, an orthopaedic specialist who often working late nights as he was on call to the local hospital, leaving his son to fend for himself, not that Sam minded. His father was different to most other parents I knew, he had a level of respect and trust for his son. Sam was never berated about where he had been, what he had been doing and if the questions were asked they were merely Dr Lions taking an interest in his son's life and Sam would reward him with open communication, nothing was hidden from Dr Lions. I was somewhat jealous of the relationship Sam had with his Father, to be able to open up and know that what you had said was not being gathered as evidence to use against you at a later date, my Mother had often lead me into a false trap of "You can tell me anything" and then twisted my words.