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“You’re never kissed, anyone?” The three boys sat staring at me in disbelief. “Miles, we’re changing that this weekend,” Matt exclaimed and Nick, who was sat beside him, nodded. I rubbed my sweaty palms against my jean-clad thighs.“Look, how about you come to mine tomorrow. We can have a… gathering and we can set you up with someone. You’re almost eighteen mate, it’s about bloody time.” Nick said with a grin and I rolled my eyes. “Oh don’t be like that! Come, it’ll be a laugh.” He said with a grin, Jamie elbowing me in the ribs.Six weeks earlier I had moved to Sheffield and started at Barnsley College, unintentionally secluding myself by spending most of my free time on my own in the study room or the music room. Joining the school’s football team had been my mum’s idea, deciding that it would be a great way to make myself some friend. I had always been fairly decent at football, growing up I had been the goalie for my primary school’s team and we’d won the county championships but I’d not kicked a ball let alone try and save one in a number of years.But as it turned out, I was better than ever and had soon found myself as the school’s goalie after Nick had decided to have a go in defence, something he was surprisingly good at and the team were already into the final 32 in South Sheffield. I had been taken under Nick, Jamie, Matt and Alex’s wing within days of joining the football team and, whilst I still spent a lot of my time in the music rooms writing and messing about with the catalogue of guitars on offer, the boys often joined me for lunch or dragged me through to the common room to socialise with their mates rather than shutting myself off. I appreciated their company and their genuine want to make sure I was always happy, and already knew I had made very close friends in them.“Mi, can I ask you something?” Matt had asked one afternoon when we were had our free period together. It had been chucking it down outside and we were sodden from getting caught in the rain during our lunchtime game of footie. I had pressed as close to the radiator as possible and Matt sat across the table from me. I’d nodded, placing my pen down on the table and smiling at him. “Look, some lad from your old school found my Facebook and messaged me… And know this ain't going to change our friendship in any way, but are you gay?” I stared at him, briefly confused and then slowly nodded.“Yeah, who the fuck messaged you?” I exclaimed and swallowed when a few people turned to look at us. “I mean, I was open at me secondary school and none of yous have mentioned anythin’ about girls or the like so it never came up. And I know Al’s into guys and you lot still like him.” I had babbled and Matt had just smiled.“Some Greg guy thought it would make me hate you or something.” He rolled his eyes alone and picked his pen up. “You got the hots for our Al then, eh?” I chucked my pen lid at him and he’d cackled a laugh, going back to his psychology homework.Alex had joined the four of us mid-party chatter, plonking himself down beside me and slinging his arms over the back of the plastic sofas as he listened to what we were wanging on about, piping up when Matt made a comment about taking me shopping to find a shirt that would make me alluring to whatever man I fancied.“Not that Mi needs sprucing up at all but what’s with you lot coddling him?” He’d asked, looking to me and then Matt suspiciously.“Miles here has never been kissed,” Nick informed him and I looked up at him, my cheeks reddening. Alex seemed incredibly surprised and grinned at me, ruffling my air and letting out an ‘aww’ as I whacked his chest with the back of my hand and smirked at him. “So, tomorrow night I am hosting the biggest ‘get Miles a snog’ party the world has ever seen.” He chimed and my blush increased, the four chuckling to themselves.“What could go wrong,” I said with a roll of my eyes and picked up my mug of tea that was resting on the coffee table.I stood in front of my bedroom mirror, straightening my shirt and trying to work out if I should have two or three buttons undone. I had fluffed up my hair with a bit of salt spray and now stood inspecting myself. You look very handsome, darling my mum had informed me when she came into my bedroom with my dinner and had found me trying to flatten down the collar of my shirt. I had smothered myself in the expensive aftershave Matt had leant me and had decided a little bit of brown eyeliner wouldn’t hurt, and it seemed to make my eyes look brighter and bigger than normal. I felt abnormally confident, the garish red Lacoste polo Matt had picked out earlier that day snugly fitting my biceps and chest. He had argued that it was a good look, make me look top dollar and I was struggling to disagree. Whilst I wasn’t that bothered about finding someone to snog at the party, I knew I would end up hooking up with someone just to please the boys.I sat down on my bed, picking up my fake ID from the bedside table and staring at it. Jamie had managed to get it for me through one of his mates and it seemed pretty legit, having compared it to my genuine provisional licence I could hardly tell the difference. Whilst checking out the little picture of myself on the back my phone buzzed in my back pocket and I fished it out.
Don’t forget the vodka!!!!! Pre-drinks at mine. Matt x
I grabbed my shoes and backpack and hurried downstairs, lacing up my trainers and poking my head into the living room to say goodbye to my parents, being met by a call of be safe baby and have fun. From my mum who was laying on the sofa watching The X Factor, dad stood doing the ironing with his walkman earphones in.I left, grabbing my bike and then heading towards the supermarket a fifteen-minute cycle down the road. It was already dark but the street lights were bright enough to ensure I could see where I was going, weaving in and out of parked cars as I made my way through to the woody cut through that would take me from our estate to the next one where the little shop was. I had cycled the path many times since moving to Sheffield and happily made my way through the trees, humming to myself as I did so and looking up at the bright stars which were lighting up the sky as the sticks cracked under my wheels and the mud splashed over my Reeboks. The moon was particularly bright that evening and I spent a little while admiring it whilst following the path, excitement growing for the night ahead.Though, I didn’t notice the tree stump I was about to hit. My wheel buckled upon contact and I was sent flying over the handlebars, foot getting stuck in the gears of my bike, and head and arm roughly hitting the tree only a few centimetres beside me. I cried out in pain as I landed with a thud, my arm in an awkward position and foot aching. I looked around me and saw nothing but the shadows of the tall trees which were whistling in the wind, hissing and creaking in a way that was only ever terrifying in the dark.I managed to sit up against the tree, unclipping my dented helmet and throwing it to the ground beside me, my shoulder and left arm throbbing and presumably broken. My foot was in the worst pain, though. I could see that my trainer was ripped open and my sock was dark and damp with blood. I couldn’t move my toes and I instantly realised the chain had wrapped around my foot and sent it slamming into the gear cogs, ripping through my foot. I was just in too much shock to register quite what was going on but began to call out for help, looking around frantically. It was half six and everybody would be at home, tucked up safe and sound in their warm living rooms, watching crap telly rather than wandering through Sheffield’s premier creepy forest. I yelled out again and then groaned, holding my arm close to my body and huffing in defeat, ears pricking up when I heard a shout.“Someone there? Where are ya? Hello?” The voice called again and I cleared my throat.“I’m through ‘ere,” I yelled, shrugging my bag off one shoulder and fishing through for my phone so I could flick on the torch. It soon lit up and I could hear the rustle of leaves beneath heavy footsteps getting louder. The bright torchlight then lit up the person who was coming to my rescue. “Alex?” I asked, tilting my phone down as he covered his eyes to block out the bright light. “Well, you’re the last person I was expecting to see.” I said with a chuckle and, before I knew it, he was using the torch on his phone to give me a once over, his attention immediately on my foot. Still not having said a word to me, he took off his jumper and pressed it to where the blood was seeping from, making me yelp in pain.“Sorry, sorry.” He mumbled, propping his phone up so we were both illuminated. “What the 'ell was you doing comin' through 'ere? It’s pitch black.” He scalded as he tightly knotted his jumper and then pulled his jacket back on, shivering in the cold breeze that hissed through the branches above us.“While I could ask ya the same thing, I was just on my way to get some drink, then I fucked my bike on that.” I gestured to the tree stump. “Think I’ve broke me arm too,” I said, looking at him as he sat back on his shins and sighed. “Not really what I was planning for tonight.”“I was too. Matt text me to say they needed more beer, I was heading to Tesco to get some. Your foot looks pretty nasty, I’ll phone for an ambulance.” He said, picking up his phone and dialling 999. “Your arm alright?” He asked, nodding to my arm which remained limply pinned to my chest by my other hand. I could still wiggle my fingers but I knew that I had, at the very least, fractured something. I was just glad it was my left arm rather than my right, although injuring neither was particularly great when it came to playing the guitar.“I’m sure it’ll be alright,” I answered and carefully moved my leg into a position that was far more comfortable. Alex placed a hand on my calf to gently help me get in position as he spoke to the paramedic, my foot clicking as he did so. We both hissed at the noise and he moved to sit beside me, satisfied that the bleeding was under control.“Probably best you talk to the medics.” He told me, then handing me his phone which I put to my ear. “Think you’ve broken that good and proper, mate.” He told me and I looked up at him with a slight smile.“You don’t need to tell me that,” I grunted, immediately regretting quite how blunt I had been. I went to apologise when the medic began to speak to me, asking a multitude of questions which I didn’t really see a point to. All I knew was that I was a few minutes away from having the adrenaline wear off, and therefore a few minutes away from laying down and screaming in pain. Perhaps Alex should have gone to get us something to drink, at least he could have got me drunk and shut me up. But he seemed far too content with sitting with his arm around me, trying to keep us both warm and protected from the wind instead, not phased by my somewhat harsh comment moments before.“They’ll be here in twenty minutes,” I informed him once I hung up, handing him his phone. “There’s been an accident on the motorway so all the ambulances and medics are at that at the moment but they said they’ll try and get someone to us.” He frowned at that and then looked at my foot.“But you’re half a minute away from having your foot break in two.” He said quietly and I rolled my eyes, rubbing my aching head gently to try and soothe the migraine that was forming. “I ain’t joking, I think it’s just the jumper keeping it together now.” I could hear the amusement in his voice, clearly trying to lighten the mood, and we were soon both sat laughing, mainly due to the fact I knew that if I stopped, I would begin to cry.We eventually composed ourselves and Alex phoned Nick, informing him that neither of us would be attending the party. He explained what had happened, repeatedly telling him not to panic and that I was going to be okay, to go on with the party as planned. By the end of the phone call, my foot was throbbing again and I couldn’t help but begin to cry in pain. I pressed face pressed against Alex’s bicep, earning a soft sigh and his large hand gently begin to rub my back to trying to soothe me, reassuring me that it would all end well and that I would be fine once we’d gotten to a hospital.He let me shuffle into his Adidas jacket covered arm and not once stopped rubbing my back, gently resting his cheek against the top of my head as I bit my lip, trying to ignore the hot throbs that made my entire body quake.“Matt said you two have been working on a song together… You should play it to me sometime, once you’re all better.” Alex said after a little while, his fingers combing through my hair gently as I tried to compose myself. “The lads and I are thinking of trying to make the band thing really happen… I’ve got an offer to do English Manchester but I wanna be out there, performing. Not over-analysing novels for the next three years.” He murmured and I looked up at him, wiping my eyes and nose with the back of my hand.“You’ve gotta do what you’re passionate about, Al. You’re only young once and that EP you released has gone down really well, ain’t it? If it means anything, I really believe in you lot, think you can make it big.” I told him, a warm smile filling his face as we sat side by side, his arm around me, keeping me close.”That means a lot, Miles. And you should keep going with your music. From what I’ve heard during lessons and that you’re epic.” He said and fluffed up my hair, making me smile and briefly distracting me from the pain spots littered around my body. My smile was met with a quick conversation chance. “Anything you want me to do? You comfortable? Warm?” He asked and I nodded, watching with interest as he leant over and tightened his now blood-soaked Nike jumper, then settling again as I rested my head against his shoulder.“Are you warm?” I asked him and felt his hair tickle my chin as he shook his head, laughing. “You should go get that bottle of vodka for me, that’ll warm you up,” I suggested and he winked at me, grabbing his backpack and pulling out a bottle of Smirnoff. He unscrewed the cap and then had a glug, soon handing me the bottle. I had some, gagging at the disgusting taste of it and earning a loud laugh from Alex. We kept passing the bottle to each other until, ten minutes later, it was empty and my entire body felt like it was statically charged. I was alright on beer and cider, but spirits wrecked me almost instantly, let alone half a bottle shared between soft questions to make sure we were both alright.Alex threw the bottle back into his bag and shut his eyes, his head resting on my shoulder as I placed my cheek on the crown of his head like he had done to me, his arm still around me, keeping me close. I looked at him, watching the way his chest softly rose and fell, in time with the soft hums he was letting out. His face was hard to make out in the low light but the bright moonlight was enough to pour a shadow across his face that made every inch of him look angelic.“Al, can I ask you something?” His eyes peeked open and he hummed a groggy yes and rubbed his face against my hair. “I know you’re into guys but have you ever done anything with one?” He was silent and I knew I had fucked it, letting the vodka speak rather than myself.“Yeah, I have. But I've never dated a guy. Just been one night things, to be honest.” He told me, voice soft and fingertips rubbing his tired eyes, the vodka clearly having kicked him into sleepy mode. “Why, you offering?” He asked, clearly joking but I couldn’t help but bite back a smirk.“Would if be such a bad thing if I were?” He sat up, eyes open and staring at me in surprise. He smiled at me lazily. “Tonight was meant to be the night I got my first kiss, so…” He laughed and rolled his eyes before grabbing the collar of my polo and pulling me close, lips pressing against mine in a slow, soft kiss. I was surprised by quite how eager he was but he pulled away and licked his lips.“I’ve been waiting to do that since I first set eyes on you; when you came into English in that red leather jacket of yours and that tight black t-shirt… Wasn’t until that dickhead from your old school popped up and told us you were gay I realised I had a chance.” He said quietly, kissing my jaw sweetly and then pulling away. “Although don’t think I don’t see you when you stare at my arse in the showers after footie. You’re not subtle, Kane.” I laughed and shrugged.“You’ve got a good arse, what can I say?” I admitted and he kissed me once again, hand clasping my cheek as our mouthed moved together in perfect rhythm. I shut my eyes, hand reaching to cup his cheek as he held the side of my neck gently. We kissed until both breathless, Alex’s fringe a little messy as he sat back beside me and giggled to himself, hands running through his hair.“And you’re sure you’ve never kissed anyone before?” He asked, him resting on my shoulder as he looked up at me with his great brown eyes, a content smile on his face. I nodded, groaning in pain as I shifted my leg slightly and he looked at it in surprise, clearly having forgotten just what had happened. “This would have been far more romantic if you weren’t severely injured.” He joked and I laughed warmly and wrapped my arm around him, shutting my eyes and focusing all my attention on the warm body cuddled up to me.“At least we can tell the boys I’ve been kissed now.” I murmured and he hummed, resting his lips against my temple. I was beginning to feel sick, knowing the vodka had done nothing good for me and was instead just beginning to make me feel groggy and incredibly dizzy. I rubbed my eyes and turned my head in surprise when shouting began to come from somewhere in the forest, getting closer and closer to us. Al? Miles? Where are you? “It’s Matt,” Alex exclaimed and scrambled to his feet, grabbing his phone and stumbling to the path, waving the torch around and calling out to the boys. Matt and Nick appearing and looking at me in surprise.“‘Ello lads.” I hummed, waving at them awkwardly as Matt peered at my foot and then cringed, Nick sitting down beside me. “The ambulance will be here soon, you didn’t need to come, I had Al for company too,” I said as Alex sat back down next to me and Matt inspected the damage to my bike.“Well, we wanted to make sure you two were safe. We bought you both jumpers and something to eat.” Nick shrugged off his backpack and passed us both a sweatshirt and a cereal bar. Alex was quick to pull the soft navy hoodie on and sighed, clearly content. “Plus we bought painkillers.” He passed me a water bottle and a box of paracetamol.“That’s very thoughtful of you,” I said, and Nick just shrugged, my eyes wandering over to Matt. “Oh, and the polo shirt worked,” I said, making him turn to look at me with a face that perfectly conveyed complete shock and elation. I grinned at him and then looked back to Alex who was already smiling at me, then giving me a quick peck to the lips.“About bloody time, but it does mean Jamie wins the bet.” Nick sulked and both Alex and I looked at him, confused. “How long it would take for you two to hook up. I said three weeks, Matt said a week and Jamie said two months. He’s closest.”“And here’s me thinking you had good intentions.” I tutted and the three sniggered. “Still, maybe you know something that we don’t,” I added and looked back to Alex as he instinctively gave me a bruising kiss, Matt and Nick groaning and turning away as I grinned against his lips and he held me close.“I could get used to your kisses,” Alex mumbled between breaths and I looked at him with a smile, his eyes glittering and hands gripping my polo tightly.“I think I could get used to yours too,” I replied as he kissed me again and the sound of sirens began to hum in the background, though we were both too entangled in our drunk little world to notice.