you look lovely,’ I say.
Diana turns to me. I hate the look she gives. ‘Hello, Erin.’ I watch her eyes take in the black mini dress I’m wearing. She has that same disapproving look I’ve seen in Dad’s eyes. Before she can say anything else, Louise is hugging us and thanking us for coming.
As more guests arrive and the adults return to their conversation, we make our way over to rescue Shane, who has been cornered by an elderly relative.
‘Thanks, man,’ he says as we bundle him away. ‘I hope the others get here soon. Much as I love the olds, I can’t do any more small talk.’
Within an hour The Smugglers’ function room is filling up and the party gets going. The DJ starts off with some rather more party-like songs that get some of the older guests up dancing. I have to say, Louise and Max Wright are pretty cool on the dance floor. They are having an absolute whale of a time. Everyone is watching them.
Someone nudges my shoulder. I turn and inwardly groan. It’s Jody Wright.
‘All right, Bunny?’ he shouts in my ear above the noise of the music. He peers around me and nods at Niall. ‘Want to come outside, for a bit of, you know, fresh air?’
‘Okay,’ says Niall and takes my hand. ‘Come on. Don’t want to leave you alone. You might get dragged onto the dance floor with Max.’ He grins as Max and Louise are now literally in the throes of a very energetic jive. At least, that’s want I think it is.
The night air cuts through the lace sleeves of my dress, sending little goosebumps along my arms. Shane, Roisin and Rebecca, a girl in the year below us at school, are already there. We huddle round the corner, away from prying eyes. There’s also a blond boy there who I don’t recognise. He’s laughing with Shane about something as they share a cigarette. I wonder for a minute if it’s one of Jody’s brothers, but I think they’re older than Shane and this one looks about the same sort of age. He looks over and nods at us but doesn’t break his conversation.
As we stand there, I’m very aware everyone is smoking except for me. This is Jody’s idea of fresh air.
‘Do you want some?’ Roisin holds out her half-smoked cigarette in my direction.
‘No, I’m good, thanks,’ I reply. I really don’t want to smoke. I don’t care if others do; it’s something that has never appealed to me.
‘Goody Two Shoes,’ Roisin says. She masks the remark with a smile. ‘What about a drink?’ she adds, as she rummages in her bag. She pulls out a large plastic bottle.
‘Cola?’ I ask and then immediately regret it as Roisin and Jody snigger.
‘Yeah, cola,’ says Roisin, ‘and vodka. Jesus, Erin, I wonder at you sometimes.’
‘I thought it was just cola too,’ says Rebecca. She tosses her long black hair with pink-tinted ends behind her shoulder. ‘Easy mistake to make.’
She looks over and smiles at me. I return the smile.
The bottle is passed around and this time I do participate.
The boy talking to Shane pulls a tobacco pouch from his pocket. ‘Anyone want a proper smoke now?’
To the encouraging agreement from the others, he unfolds the pouch and, crouching down, begins to roll a cigarette. It’s at this point I realise it’s not a normal cigarette, not with those large papers and the extra sprinkling of green he mixes with the tobacco.
He stands up, lights the joint and takes a draw, long and slow. He puts his head back and closes his eyes. After a moment he lets the smoke drift out of his mouth. He blinks a couple of times, refocuses and looks appreciatively at the roll-up between his fingers. ‘That’s good,’ he says. He offers the joint around.
‘Cheers, Kerry,’ says Jody, before taking an equally long draw. ‘Now that’s why I love my cousin. He gets seriously good gear.’ He gives Kerry a friendly punch on the upper arm.
So the boy is Jody and Shane’s cousin. That would explain the blond hair and ease with each other. Looking at the three of them, I can see the family likeness now.
The joint finds its way to me. I debate whether to take a drag, just to pacify them, as I’m sure there will be some comment if I don’t.
‘No big deal if you don’t want to,’ says Kerry. ‘It’s cool.’ He sends a look in Jody and Roisin’s direction and then the decision is taken away from me as Kerry reaches over and, taking the joint from my fingers, passes it on to Niall.
Kerry smiles at me briefly and I am thankful the moment has passed.
Niall, on the other hand, has clearly done this before. I don’t know whether I’m shocked or not. I suppose I am a little bit. I know he smokes, but he’s never mentioned weed before. I’m not sure how I feel about this as his eyes glaze over.
The vodka and coke is following the joint round our little group. I take a larger gulp than before, conscious the others are getting merrily stoned and drunk while I’m not feeling the effects of anything. I don’t want to be the only one sober; it makes the night less fun. Nothing is quite so funny when you’ve not had a drink but everyone else has.
Suddenly the sound of the door to the function room can be heard as it clatters open. The dull beat of the music is now sharper as the sound escapes into the night air but not so loud that we don’t hear footsteps crunch purposefully across the gritted car park. Roisin pops her head around the corner and almost chokes on the vodka and coke she has just swigged. She dives back.
‘Feck! It’s Mam,’ she hisses and thrusts the bottle into my hands. There’s a flurry of activity as Niall drops his cigarette and crunches it underneath his foot.
I’m left holding the bottle of alcohol. I turn, looking for somewhere to hide it, but there’s nowhere.
‘Oh God, what shall I do with the bottle? Niall?’
He shakes his head. The bottle is then snatched from my hands just as Diana appears. I look over at Kerry, who now has it. Diana isn’t stupid. She scans our faces. Her eyes rest on the bottle and then flick to me. I’m sure she saw Kerry take it.
‘I hope that’s just coke in there,’ she says, her eyes still trained on me. ‘And I can smell cigarettes.’ This time Roisin is under scrutiny.
‘That will be me,’ says Kerry, holding up his cigarette, which fortunately is a normal one. I have no idea where the joint has gone.
I don’t think Diana believes him but she can’t prove otherwise. ‘Shane, your mother was wondering where you were. She wants you back in. Now.’
‘Right you are,’ says Shane. He turns to us. ‘Come on, we’d better go in. Don’t want to upset me mam.’
‘I’ll say,’ says Kerry.
We make a move and head back into the hall. Diana is at the helm. I link my arm through Niall’s, but behind me I can hear a barrage of whispered swear words and scuffling. I glance back over my shoulder as Kerry extracts the joint from his pocket and is frantically flapping at his jacket with the palm of his hand.
Jody is smothering a laugh. ‘He hid it in
