My Lifeline

45

Will's POV
RIVER'S BIRTHDAY

Lola and Isla are picking River up while the others and I set out the snacks and drinks. There are alcoholic beverages for Beck, Lola and Ryan, and soft drinks for the rest of us who are choosing to stay sober.

Isla hasn't had a sip of alcohol for years after struggling with it at a young age. Her parents went away on business trips to support the family and earn money, but they forgot about the most important part of parenting. Caring. Lola didn't really mind about the absence of her parents, she usually distracted herself by going out with friends and trying to build a name for herself. Isla took it harder. Since no one was around to show her otherwise and help to steer her away from trouble, she got involved with peers who introduced her to bad habits. At fifteen, Isla was skipping school almost everyday, only to spend that time partying and putting herself in danger. Lola had been part of our friendship ground since we first started secondary, but Isla wasn't as close. Not until she was around sixteen, and that's when she started to change her life for the better. Her parents found out about her new lifestyle and we're not impressed in the slightest, so sent her to therapy and hoped for the best. It helped in some ways, but Isla was the one who pulled herself out of the rut. We tried to help as much as we could along the way, and that's what helped to make us grow closer with her.

Brains is always up for a drink, so it's strange that he's sitting this one out purely for Isla. It's kind of him to do that for his friend, but something about it seems odd, like he's doing it for another reason. I can tell just by looking at Isla that she doesn't like Brains more than a friend. She likes both men and women, so he still has a chance, but I highly doubt he's her type. He's always joking and extremely annoying in some cases, whereas she is more calm and laid back.

"Oi," Ryan says, gaining all of our attention. He grins at us and pulls up his sleeve, showing off the ink on his arm. "What do you think?"

"You got a new tattoo?" I ask, scanning over the small cactus on his arm.

"Yep." He rubs his finger over the tattoo. "Last night, Lola and I went into town to get some drinks. Ended up getting one each."

Brains snorts with laughter and slams the palm of his hand against the counter that he's stood behind. "You got a matching tattoo with Lola?"

"We were pretty tipsy, plus we felt a bit loved up in the moment."

"I swear you're not even dating," Beck says.

"We're not. It was a spur of the moment decision."

"Dumb decision," Brains corrects.

Ryan flips his off before taking a sip of whisky and grimacing his face at the taste.

"Never get matching tattoos with someone. What about when you have a wife one day? That's going to be an awkward conversation. She's definitely going to make you wear a top when you're getting down to business."

Even though Ryan is trying to play it off cool, I can tell that there's a tiny part of him that regrets getting it done. I don't blame him. Even though I love River and I can't imagine being with anyone other than her, I would never get a matching tattoo. Matching jewellery sounds like a better fit for us, however I doubt she'd ever wear it. She'd most likely find it too embarrassing, because River finds everything embarrassing. It's hilarious to witness.