Beer

(bîr)

noun = A fermented alcoholic beverage fermented brewed from malt and flavoured with hops

I really didn't care for beer, especially warm beer from a plastic cup.

"Oi, Dave, why don't you ever pick up the good shit" I slurred in the general direction of my older brother.

"Next time buy your own then." came the reply through the haze, as well as the sniggers.

"Cheers" I raised my cup, slopping most over me and the few people who were still brave enough to be standing next to me. Techno music thudded my ears, as I pondered a stain across my new pink shirt. Pink because Kellie had told me it took a confident man to pull off pink, and I dearly wanted to be Kellie's confident man.

"Shit" I half whisphered to myself, could it be sauce, friggen sauce so bloody hard to get out. I felt a hand clasp over my shoulder, and knew instinctively it was Dave's.

"I think you've had enough solider" always the big brother.

"I'm fine, let me be"

"I don't think so" he carefully removed the cup from my hand, "On your way."

Somehow I stumbled up the stairs, pushing past a tall blonde girl with puffy eyes. Sarah, I think, one of Tommo's girls. The cute ones always were. Removing my socks proved quite difficult as I teetered on the edge on the bed. Shiny black, friggen anklets that itched like crazy. Screw it. Socks could be dealt with in the morning.

I was three, and I was falling, slowly. My hands reached out holding tightly to the air above my head. The sinking swelled inside. Soon I would reach out and grasp something to stop me falling. "He's only little" a warm voice echoed. "He couldn't have known" another, more distressed. "It doesn't matter now" a third, more familiar. "I see the stars mummy, I see the stars" a younger me shouted gleefully. I could see my brown hair being ruffled by a solid hand. "Aunty is here, she's here" me again drifting off into the distance. "Come back" I shouted, "Come back!" But I was still falling, falling away.

The solid thud of my unconscious body hitting the floor drew back a foggy awareness that I had been dreaming. My nose was resting on a foul smelling object. Examining it closer it was my sock. Well at least thats one good thing that has already happened today. No need to remove or locate socks.