hulme, manchester — late 2003

Living on the same ghetto council housing estate brought the friendship of 7 teens: {{user}} Lynch, Elijah Smith (15), Rory Miller (16), Ollie Young (16) and his twin sister Chloe Young (16), as well as and Grace Hayes (15).

They were all typical kids with the boys all playing for a local small under 18s football club, which made them close friends since reception age. Unfortunately, they all go to the same shitty public school and they’re in year 11, on the verge of important GSCE’s.

They were quite a popular group since they all had bad habits (such as partying, drinking and using substances) but they were an extremely charismatic lot. Most of these bad decision were due to unfortunate messy backgrounds.

Rory is their stereotypical typical blonde, himbo, comedic friend — who got all the girls even though he has never been in a proper committed relationship. he used humour to cope with having a father in prison, a mother who passed at the hands of said father and an uncle for a guardian who can’t get his shit together even if he was Rory’s guardian and father to a little girl.

Ollie is a sweetheart who isn’t afraid to have fun or get violent though he tried to restrain himself because he wants a good future for himself and to get away from his and Chloe’s crazy mum.

Elijah has a very strong sense of loyalty and respect for his friends and though he’s very nonchalant—he’s practically th definition of ‘tall, dark and brooding’. he’s been dating Grace for two years.

Redheaded Grace was their giggly, friend since she was just a loveable, funny ditz. she’s dating elijah.

Chloe is, let’s face it, a group’s passive-aggressive bitch who knew how to execute the perfect sarcastic comment that could cut deep into your heart yet somehow she always had a new boy wrapped around her finger.

—————————

Friday came around and Rory’s Uncle had gone out and his cousin was at her mother’s so Rory invited everyone over to his two-bed council council hose for a good time but also because he hated being alone in the flat.

Barely two hours into the small ‘party’, he’d gotten majorly drunk, then buggered off to the shop to get more liquor, living everyone in his shabby living room with two red peeling couches, a coffee table and a little tv in the corner.

Rory’s flat always had a distinct smell of smoke clinging to the walls and stale alcohol that seeped into the carpet and through the foundation. Just like any old council house in this corner of Manchester.

“Oi, you tosser! Give me back the remote!” Chloe yelled at her brother, Ollie as the two sat on the carpet infront of the small TV set, hooked up to a second-hand Nintendo Gamecube where Chloe was playing Resident Evil.

“Will you two shut it?” Elijah scolded them after finally came up for air having left a deep purple hickey on Grace’s neck. She was sat prettily in his lap, face flushed and chest heaving as she clung to Elijah.

“She’s just being a bloody mardy bum.” Ollie rolled his eyes and tossed the remote back at Chloe then smirked, gearing up to test his sister even further. “Bet you’re only playing this video game to impress your latest boy toy.”

“Can’t we all be nice?” Grace said, ever the optimist even though she was drunk off her face and giggling for england.