The four of us are sitting around Brandons tiny tiny apartment sharing a bottle of cheap wine and talking crap. Adams has just served his short jail sentence for drink driving again so were celebrating by having a few drinks, hopefully Adams not planning on driving home tonight. He doesnt look much different. His greasy brown hair is now long enough to put back in a pony tail and hes got a safety pin through his left ear. Sitting next to him is Brandon who owns this tiny tiny apartment with dishes stacked up to the ceiling and dirty clothes thrown across the floor. His doesnt like to talk about it but we all know his mum threw him out for smoking pot. Brandon used to be pretty sm ...view middle of the document...
Were actually a pretty decent band and get a few local gigs at crappy pubs and clubs. I give up studying for my HSC, the others all dropped out of school awhile ago so we have a lot of free time to practice. The moneys not much but its better then nothing.
Its at one of our gigs that I realize I am starting to go crazy. I dont mention this to anyone but I begin making up this story in my head. Its about a girl my age in boarding school. I sit around all day thinking about this girl. I give her a name, Sara and I watch her go about her daily things in my mind. I make up dialogue for her to say and I surround her with friends. Shes beautiful and popular but shes no angel. She has a boyfriend who resembles a perfect version of me. I even create a family for her but I wont go into that, shes my private thought not yours. Shes my golden girl. Im sitting around thinking about her when I find out Nikkis left Adam. Its been a month. One bloody month.
A year goes by and nothing much has changed. Im creating a scene in my mind where Sara is meeting up with her mother who has been in prison for the last 4 years. Ive actually watched this same scene about 5 times before but I never get tired of it. Were sitting around again at Brandons place waiting for Adam to show up. I snap out of my daydream when he arrives.
I got a tattoo, he says. Whoa. He pulls down his jeans just a little and reveals 5 little black letters on his hip, they say Nikki I dont know what to say. She dumped you man Joel says in disbelief. Sometimes, little things leave long impressions dont they?Nobody says anything. I try to fill the silence I bet it hurt nowhere near as much as the heartbreak did I say and then instantly regret it. Weve never discussed how much Adam is hurting but Adam laughs for just a second, I smile like an idiot, I cant help it. I dont think Adam has laughed since Nikki left; it makes me feel human again.
My thoughts are still occupied with this girl and her life. Its all I think about. I stop watching TV, I stop going out, I stop sleeping but more importantly I start beginning to think its real, I start believing that this world Id made up in my head is real. The band falls though because I cant see to turn up for band rehearsals or gigs. Somehow weeks pass by and suddenly I find myself outside Adams house. The four of us sitting on his front lawn. I cant remember how I got here. Dude, Joel says, What is that?Its a cat you idiot.
A cat?A cat. Its a small brown cat, with white spots, and its got a little pink nose. Its sweet. Adam grabs the cat with...