nothing. I thought they probably wouldn’t tell me.
I thought maybe I should ring Larry’s family, because if something bad had happened to him, the police would have told them. So I looked up the number and called them, but it just went to Larry’s mum’s voice on the answerphone. I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t leave a message. I thought if I left a message asking if Larry was okay, and he’d just stayed out at a mate’s or something, he’d be really mad at me for making his mum get all worried. I didn’t want him to have something else to be mad at me for.
So I just stayed in the house all day. I didn’t really feel like eating nothing, but I thought maybe I should, ’cause Mum always says it’s really important to get three meals a day, even though she’s always on a diet. But when I looked in the cupboard, we was all out of bread and stuff, so I didn’t bother.
I didn’t know what to do. I watched TV for a bit, but I kept forgetting what I was watching. Then I put on a Charlie Chaplin DVD, but it just made me sad. I didn’t feel much like painting or nothing, even, but I thought maybe if I drew Larry from memory it’d make me feel better, so I went up to the studio to get my stuff, but I forgot Ren’s picture would be there.
There was all kinds of stuff going round in my head. It wasn’t nice stuff. It made my chest hurt and my eyes go all funny. I think if Ren had been there, I’d have hit him. I don’t know what I’d have done if Larry had been there. I think I’d have wanted him to hit me, because it would have hurt less.
When it got dark I didn’t want to stay in the house on my own no more, so I called up Phil to ask if he’d go for a drink with me. Then I remembered it was Saturday night, so he’d be out anyway. I went up to the pub on my own, and he was there with Daz and some other blokes. I think I had a lot of beers. I don’t remember everything that happened, but there was this bloke what kept getting in my face, and I think we went outside, and then his mates were everywhere, and there was three of them on top of me, and I think I passed out.
When I woke up I was in A&E, and Phil was sitting by my bed. My head hurt. So did lots of other bits.
“Bloody hell, Al,” Phil said. “You look like shit.”
I thought that was fair enough, ’cause I felt like shit. “Am I in trouble?”
“Not sure. I swore blind to the fuzz it was them what started it. Think you might get a Drunk and Disorderly. Least nobody glassed no one. You hardly hit no one, anyway. It was like you couldn’t be arsed. If I get my hands on that posh tosser boyfriend of yours—bleedin’ hell, Al! Lie the fuck down!”
“You shouldn’t ought to say stuff about Larry,” I said, but it came out a bit funny ’cause my head felt like someone hit it with a sledgehammer, and I was trying not to be sick. I lay back down.
“All right, keep your hair on,” Phil said. “If you ask me, though, he’s being a—all right, all right, I’m not saying nothing more, right?”
The doctor said I didn’t have to stay in no more, so Phil took me home, back to Larry’s house. I thought maybe Larry might be there by then, but he wasn’t. “You want me to take you round your mum’s?” Phil asked.
I didn’t want my mum to know I’d been in a fight, so I said no. Phil hung around a bit and did some shopping. Then he made us beans on toast ’cause that’s all he can cook. He had to go shopping first. “You going to be all right if I leave you?” he asked afterwards. “’Cause I’m s’posed to be over at Leanne’s.”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I said. I didn’t want him to get in trouble with Leanne from Lidl, ’cause they’d only just got back together last night. So he went, and I thought I’d be okay, but the house felt really empty with only me in it. Which is weird, ’cause Larry doesn’t take up a lot of space.
Then the doorbell rang. I went to answer it, and it was
I thought maybe I should ring Larry’s family, because if something bad had happened to him, the police would have told them. So I looked up the number and called them, but it just went to Larry’s mum’s voice on the answerphone. I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t leave a message. I thought if I left a message asking if Larry was okay, and he’d just stayed out at a mate’s or something, he’d be really mad at me for making his mum get all worried. I didn’t want him to have something else to be mad at me for.
So I just stayed in the house all day. I didn’t really feel like eating nothing, but I thought maybe I should, ’cause Mum always says it’s really important to get three meals a day, even though she’s always on a diet. But when I looked in the cupboard, we was all out of bread and stuff, so I didn’t bother.
I didn’t know what to do. I watched TV for a bit, but I kept forgetting what I was watching. Then I put on a Charlie Chaplin DVD, but it just made me sad. I didn’t feel much like painting or nothing, even, but I thought maybe if I drew Larry from memory it’d make me feel better, so I went up to the studio to get my stuff, but I forgot Ren’s picture would be there.
There was all kinds of stuff going round in my head. It wasn’t nice stuff. It made my chest hurt and my eyes go all funny. I think if Ren had been there, I’d have hit him. I don’t know what I’d have done if Larry had been there. I think I’d have wanted him to hit me, because it would have hurt less.
When it got dark I didn’t want to stay in the house on my own no more, so I called up Phil to ask if he’d go for a drink with me. Then I remembered it was Saturday night, so he’d be out anyway. I went up to the pub on my own, and he was there with Daz and some other blokes. I think I had a lot of beers. I don’t remember everything that happened, but there was this bloke what kept getting in my face, and I think we went outside, and then his mates were everywhere, and there was three of them on top of me, and I think I passed out.
When I woke up I was in A&E, and Phil was sitting by my bed. My head hurt. So did lots of other bits.
“Bloody hell, Al,” Phil said. “You look like shit.”
I thought that was fair enough, ’cause I felt like shit. “Am I in trouble?”
“Not sure. I swore blind to the fuzz it was them what started it. Think you might get a Drunk and Disorderly. Least nobody glassed no one. You hardly hit no one, anyway. It was like you couldn’t be arsed. If I get my hands on that posh tosser boyfriend of yours—bleedin’ hell, Al! Lie the fuck down!”
“You shouldn’t ought to say stuff about Larry,” I said, but it came out a bit funny ’cause my head felt like someone hit it with a sledgehammer, and I was trying not to be sick. I lay back down.
“All right, keep your hair on,” Phil said. “If you ask me, though, he’s being a—all right, all right, I’m not saying nothing more, right?”
The doctor said I didn’t have to stay in no more, so Phil took me home, back to Larry’s house. I thought maybe Larry might be there by then, but he wasn’t. “You want me to take you round your mum’s?” Phil asked.
I didn’t want my mum to know I’d been in a fight, so I said no. Phil hung around a bit and did some shopping. Then he made us beans on toast ’cause that’s all he can cook. He had to go shopping first. “You going to be all right if I leave you?” he asked afterwards. “’Cause I’m s’posed to be over at Leanne’s.”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I said. I didn’t want him to get in trouble with Leanne from Lidl, ’cause they’d only just got back together last night. So he went, and I thought I’d be okay, but the house felt really empty with only me in it. Which is weird, ’cause Larry doesn’t take up a lot of space.
Then the doorbell rang. I went to answer it, and it was
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