Risky Woohoo

11 | The Stars (Are Out Tonight)

1957, June
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And a month later it was Paul's birthday.

First I thought I'd give him the harmonica (back), but he didn't deserve that. Instead I found a pack of some bloody expensive pencils and a sketchbook.

I woke up, and this time his arm was strewn across my chest. It felt like he was in a new position every morning. It had become the norm for one of us to crawl into the other's bed in the evening, just because it felt better. Since my mother's death, Paul had always been there to comfort me when I suddenly felt blue. And I couldn't be more happy about it.

I shook the sleeping beauty beside me. "Paul." I whispered. He stirred, slowly fluttering his eyes open. He looked at me, expecting a reason for this sudden awakening. I didn't answer, instead I reached for the gift underneath my bed and handed it to him. He looked confused for a second, sitting up against the wall and studying the wrapped present. "Happy birthday!" He grinned and suddenly there was wrapping paper all over the floor.

When he saw what he had received he looked really pleased. I giggled as he opened the packet of pencils and pulled them out, one by one, looking at them in awe. "These are different." I nodded. They were bloody pricy. He put them down and dragged me into a hug. I was imprisoned by his arms for a while then. Ultimately I had to pry him off and convince him we had to go downstairs for breakfast.

I could smell eggs being cooked and expected seeing William by the stove again, but when we stood in the doorway I was taken by surprise. Jim turned around with the pan in his hand. "Happy birthday." He said towards Paul, stretching out a thin smile. I looked to Paul who seemed to be nearly blown away, running around the table to his dad and giving him a quick hug, and then immediately beginning to feast on the contents at the table.
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He reached the bottle over to his son, shaking it suggestively under his nose, splashing a few drops onto his lap in the process.

"Come on, son. Yer old enough." "You're drunk, da."

Instead of retracting his arm, he pushed the bottle into Paul's chest and abruptly left the room, the echoes of his stomps lingering long after they had led him out of the house.
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Throughout the day I had tried to get some sort of celebration going, but Paul had insisted we laid off. Besides, Will wasn't at home.

Later in the evening he asked if I wanted to come with him to the roof, which after a little hesitation I said yes to. At midnight, when we were sure the others were sleeping, we crawled out the bedroom window and hopped onto the roof shadowing the patio. We laid down on our backs and gazed up on the night sky.

After we'd lied silently on the seemingly steady bricks for a while, Paul retrieved a bottle out of his jacket. I watched him lean on his elbow as he took a swig. "What's that?" I wondered. "Dunno." He handed the beverage to me, but I shook my head. He leaned back and clutched the bottle to his chest.

I looked at him in worry. I could tell it was some sort of alcohol he had gotten a hold of, that was obvious, but how? I was sure Jim didn't just have booze laying around, he'd be more careful than that, especially with three teenagers in the house.

"Will you run away with me, Ann?" The words came quickly out of Paul's mouth. My heart stopped for a second as I looked at him, and he looked back with a serious look. I searched for some amusement in his expression, or even just his eyes, but he seemed to be genuine. I tried to chuckle it off, which he frowned to. "I'm being serious." "Why?"

He sighed heavily. "I thought you knew." "Knew what, Paul?" We were sitting upright now, embracing our knees. He pondered for a minute, and then said in a whisper: "Dad hasn't been the same."

I scooted closer to him, putting my hand on his. He looked down at my gesture for a second, then took a long swig of his drink, staring out into darkness. "He's been drinking, got this from him actually. Says I'm old enough." He said, chugging the bottle into the backyard. The sound of glass breaking making me cringe. I was amazed we hadn't awoken the neighbours yet.

"I've never seen-" "But you're always upstairs, aren't you?" Paul sighed as he intertwined our fingers. "Besides, he goes out when he does it."

"Don't you always play for him?" I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Sometimes."

"The other times?"

"I just practice, he doesn't listen anyway." We stayed silent for a while.

"I thought he'd finally brightened up when I saw how he was this morning." Paul muttered finally.

"I thought so too. But is that a reason to run away?"

"Maybe I worded it wrong. Just a little holiday, sort of. Just you and me."

I couldn't help but grin at his proposal. "We're only so old, Paul."

"We're fifteen."

"And fifteen year olds don't get that far." Paul shrugged. "So?"

"We can't."

"Why not? We can stay over at one of me aunts, you know I got lots of those." I giggled. It was true. "And we're on summer break soon, Ann."

"Can't we just stay here for the summer, Paulie?" He sighed. "Is your da' really that bad?"

Paul turned his head away and squeezed my hand. "He hasn't hurt you has he?" He quickly shook his head turned back to me.

"Come on, just a day in Blackpool or something? Please?" He practically pleaded as he maximised his puppy eyes.

I couldn't help but laugh at his childlike behaviour. "Alright, anything for the birthday boy." I teased, poking his nose.

After a while we climbed through the window when the cold air hit us. We settled for my bed.

I pondered far into the night about this new information about Jim. And I thought that if we did "run away" together, it would all be good. So much we could escape. And maybe I could figure out this feeling Paul was giving me.

His hand laid on my abdomen, while the rest of his sleeping body was pressed firmly behind me, his chin on my shoulder.

I traced his fingers under the covers. The hand on my stomach securing all the butterflies in place.
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I know I missed the chance to post this on Paul's actual birthday but ohhhh wellll

This was bad, but I just want to get this story going let's GO