chapter 29

I sat down at the table and looked at the meal before me. It was my favourite meatballs and pasta. This meal always brought me comfort and the way my mum made it always tasted amazing. As we ate I slowly mulled over the events from the day in my head and couldn't believe how much my life had changed in such a short time. I also had to try and think how i was going to balance my new social group with my existing social group i didn't want to lose my friendship with mick as we had grown up together but at the same time i also didn't want to loose my new friends because they thought i was a loser for hanging out with mick. This was going to be a precarious road that I had to walk. I tried to plan in my head. Maybe if I hung out with Mick for a few days and then Josh for a few i could divide the holidays between both groups and keep them both happy, then i realised i would need to do the same thing at school when we went back. Maybe I could just slowly cut off contact with mick and just say we drifted apart. I knew deep down this would be a lie but it was the only way I could think that I wouldn't be pushed out of my new social status. I also thought about how Abbey would fit in with all of this. Maybe I could introduce her to Josh as my girlfriend and they would accept her into the group, though I had no clue how she would feel about the “job” we did for jordan. As I was thinking things through I hadn't realised my mum was talking to me. She repeated herself to me clearly being able to tell i was lost deep in thought

“ so what are your plans for the holidays sweetie you gonna be hanging out with mick and your dragon thingy friends”

I looked up and replied

“ well i'm gonna spend some time with them and my new friends as well”

“Why not introduce mick to your new friends im sure they will all get along”

She suggested

If only she knew how wrong this statement was. Secondary school was a tightrope walk and mick just didn't belong with the “cool” kids. I didn't voice these thoughts to my mum and at this point my sister looked up from her phone.

“I hear you have a new girlfriend”

I saw my mum look up and smile slightly

“ That's nice. Who is she? Maybe we could meet her?”

I shrugged and said

“ yeah me and abbey are a thing now i guess”

My sister quickly responded

“ you guess how can you not be sure everyone in my text group knows your a thing maybe you should be more certain girls dont like guys who dont know”

She laughed as if the advice she had just given me was gold dust

“ we are seeing how things go plus how do you know we have only been together for like a2 days at most”

She curtly replied

“ i have my sources and they are never wrong”

I didn't reply, instead I finished my tea and excused myself. I went upstairs and grabbed my rolling items from the hiding place in my bedside table and quickly slid them into my pocket as I headed downstairs. I quickly said goodbye to my mum as I headed out the door and made my way to the abandoned garages. This was a place I knew no one would be and I would have some peace. I put my headphones in and started playing music as I made my way to where I was heading. As I got to the garages I made my way to one of the ones that still had a roof where I had previously practised rolling and set out my utensils and rolled myself a small joint. I took my lighter and kept my headphones in. I began to smoke feeling the hot smoke rush into my lungs with each inhale. I took my time to smoke and relax listening to my music. As I finished my smoke I checked the time and saw that I still had a couple of hours left until my new curfew time. I decided I would just take a stroll around the estate hoping the smell of cannabis would drift away. After about an hour of walking around I made my way home. As I got into the front door the house was in darkness. I thought I saw a shape move on the stairs and just played it off as my sister going to her room from the bathroom. I entered my room and again hid my smoke and tobacco in my bed side table in a smell proof container I had found in my room. It had at one point been used to house a gooey alien I had as a child but had since been thrown away leaving just the container. I placed the pungent weed into this container and then rolled it up in a pair of socks. Once i had done this i sent a text to Abbey