Faded Memories

Chapter 2

After trying to ring Joe multiple times throughout the day, I gave up. Ever since my older brother made the choice to join the army, I rarely got hold of him when I wanted to. Joe was only 2 years older, meaning that as much as we bickered as children, we have always been really close. The distance definitely made us strangely closer, too.

I was currently blow drying my hair, beginning to get ready for the party 4 hours before Liam was picking me up as I had nothing better to be doing. I straightened my hair next, mimicking the way my mum straightened it as a child by sectioning it off. I was always overly conscious of my hair being frizzy, so my mum pretended to straighten my hair as a child without actually turning the plug on. It might have done nothing, but my 6 year old self felt as though it made a world of difference. Ever since then, I had always straightened my hair the way my mum did it.

I took my time on my makeup, wanting to make sure that I looked as good as I could in order to make my new friends. First impressions were everything, especially around girls. If I was going to survive a few months at this school before I left, I wanted it to be a good few months that I would remember. I would make my imprint on that school if it killed me. But deep down, I was hoping that Joe would ring me back and say that Liam was just pranking me.

I did not want to go back to school.

I eventually settled on a short black dress, nice enough that I would fit in at a teenage party but not too revealing that I would make the girls hate me. After all, I was here to make some solid girl friends, not enemies. And, my wardrobe was definitely lacking options since all of the moving that I have done. One suitcase is not nearly enough to fit your life's worth of stuff in.

I did a once over of myself in the mirror, feeling quite excited to be unaware of my actions for the next few hours, when my phone buzzed. It was finally time to leave, after the last few hours had dragged so profoundly.

L: Outside.

Ah, Liam. Short but sweet. Ever the gentleman. I grabbed my small bum bag, not wanting a loose bag because I know that I would put it down and lose it. I've done it many times before. A bum bag meant that I didn't even have to take it off to go to the toilet, so providing my drunk self just ignored it, I should come home with the few possessions that I was leaving with.

I grabbed my keys and locked the house up, before running over to Liam's car and climbing in the back. His car was an old grey box, but it was definitely better than my invisible car, and because of that I was very grateful for the lift tonight.

"Boys." I smirked at the two boys sat up front, heavily drenched in aftershave. "Lee, is Mackayla coming tonight by any chance?" I teased, as Liam's fingers tapped away at the steering wheel. I could feel his nerves from back here, and we weren't even there yet.

"Don't call me Lee-"

"She didn't reply to his text." Evan interrupted, the brunette boy turning around to face me in the back. I had only met Evan a handful of times, as he moved here shortly after we stopped visiting the beach house, but he seemed nice. "But I'm assuming she is coming, she would never miss a party."

Liam grunted, shifting in his seat as we sat at a red light. He was never much of a talker, but I knew I could trust him with my life. Between the two of them and Joe, as a child I never felt alone. I followed them everywhere like a lost puppy, and even with Joe gone it appeared I was doing the same thing. I was going to try my hardest to not follow him around at the party, but it was just so hard when I had no friends to talk to. I just wanted a friend. Just one.

We pulled up at the party, already in full swing as the lads loved to be late. I didn't mind though, the drunker the people, the more likely I would be to find a friend. I climbed out of the car by myself, neither of the boys opening my door with the courteous manners that the boys in movies show, pulling down my dress slightly so that I wasn't showing everything off.