Lay Low

Chapter Thirty

We were sat out in the cold night air. Liam was swinging around on the swings with two girls from school I barely knew and Greg another Drama club member from our year. Freddie was lying on the slide making out with his girlfriend Cleo. We had been here for an hour or so. The portable iPod player was playing out some tunes as we drank and smoked. I was propped on the merry go round, rolling up a joint. Happy with it I put it to my lips and stoked it up. I took a swig of vodka to go with it and sighed. I was pretty wasted now and my legs had that familiar numb like feeling. I liked it.

My phone rang.

"Hey Babe" It was Lyla.

"Hey" She replied. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the rec."

"Oh. Your Dad rang me looking for you. He said you weren't answering your phone. He said you told him you were at mine. We were hoping you would show up...."

I had ignored his calls.

"I'd like it if you were here with me" I replied flirtingly, "Come down."

"Who are you with?"

"Just some people from Drama"

"Liam and Freddie?" Her tone showed disapproval.

"Amongst others..."

There was silence.

"So, you coming?"

"No, it's late Jake." I heard a deep voice at her end.

"Who is with you?"

"Chris" I heard a distant call of "Hey Mate".

"Just the two of you?" I asked suspiciously.

"We thought you were coming to meet us. We talked about going to the cinema, remember?"

I didn't really.

"Er..."

"We were meeting at my house at 6. We waited for ages and Chris rang to see where you were but you didn't answer."

I remembered getting a call from him. "Oh yeah"

"So we went without you." She was getting cross now.

"The two of you went to the cinema, together."

"Yes Jake. The two of us."

"How lovely" I said sarcastically.

"Look just call your Dad, ok? He sounded worried."

I grunted. "Yeah, right. So are you coming down?"

"No Jake."

"Why not?" I asked aggressively.

"I don't like them and I don't want to get wasted." She made me feel like a loser with the spliff in my hand.

"Fine. Have it your way" I snapped, "I hope the two of you enjoy your romantic evening in."

"Jake!" I heard her say as I snapped the phone shut.

I ignored the conflicting feelings churning inside me and shoved the phone into my pocket. I stood up and began necking the vodka.

The girls noticed and began chanting from the swings. "Down it, down it, down it!"

Spurred on I finished the end of the bottle and held it aloft.

"Woohoo!" They cheered.

Fired up, I turned and pitched the empty bottle at the back of a nearby fence. It smashed and they 'Woohooed' again at the noise. I bowed deeply and then plonked myself on the floor, pulling on the spliff.