"Jane Anne O'Neill. Do you swear to say the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"
I do.
"Tell us your story, from the very beginning"....
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Midnight. A time for drunks and gangs to wander. I am in a gang. Can't say I'm too proud of it, with our reputation and all but I'm in one none the less. I'm a towny. A classic towny. Messy hair, ragged clothes, cursing too much, ye get the picture. I'm the only girl in the gang. Pretty fun I guess. The rich ones are called the Crown Jewels. Mainly rich kids from up north that go to the posh private school that has a rep for being smart, but with how they acted, they were smart arse bastards that thought they knew everything. I go to that school. Me brothers don't. They go to Celt's and the eldest goes to the local college.
I love my family. Me Da is a drunk. He's a knacker as said in the words of anyone who doesn't know them, but I agree. "I'll slit ye!" or "I'll stab ye!" and that was only in a drunk mood. I'm used to it, I've heard it all before, the stupid bastard. Mam used to be a teacher. She fell for dad and couldn't take care of us all so she left teaching in my first year of secondary school. I'm the only towny in my class and school, that was fine, but whenever I'm around, everyone acts like they're the dog's bollocks. I never wore me jumper to school. It was too posh. I wore me top, blazer, tie and trousers. (The teachers were raging if I hadn't a skirt on me)
I hated school, but when the school bell rang, I skipped the lockers and sprinted down the avenue. I'd meet up with the lads. They went to either Celt's or St. Éamon's. I don't usually like Éamon's ones, but some of them are sound enough. Like Sean, Connor, Matty or Mickey. They were sound. Then there's the two from Celt's. Me brothers, Fritz and Ash (his real name is Oisín but we call him Ash) and then the eldest, my brother, Ronan. He smoked but that was as far as he got rebellious. The rest of us drank, robbed, mugged and fought as well as smoked. Never killed. I mean, Sean did. Once. We don't talk about that any more.
"Well Jamie, what's up with ya?" It was Ash. He flung his tattered bag halfway across the room, leapt onto the sattee and went gawking at the telly. "Nothing much. Didn't have detention this time." I sighed. Ash didn't take his eyes of the telly. "Ah sure that's good." I turned to the clock and looked back at him. "What the fuck are you doing wandering back this hour of the night?" I ask. Ash snorts. "Couldnt give a rat's arse-" he's was cut off by Ro in the hallway smokin' a fag. "Well I could dipshit." I let out a chuckle in response to Ash's poor luck and go to grab a can of the black shtuff. It was an ole man's drink, but I loved it.
I crack it open and slurp. I take out me pack of fags and light one up, sitting back down, breathin' the smoke out. In no time, the two lads we're fightin' and I was there sittin' gettin' drunker by the gulp. Before I know it, I have two cans down me, two open and half drank. I finish me fag and throw the cans away. I'm absolutely knackered.
I leap onto my bed and just lie there. The front door opens but doesn't close. There was a muffled 'hushing' goin' on for a wee bit and then a big slam. It's either Sean comin' back from robbin' or Connor just comin' round. My door swings open and all the lads are there. They jump on to my bed. "They're high!" But my thoughts got cut off by the cracking of my bed. It fell to the ground and we went with it. "Ah for fucks sake! Why are you even here lads, don't ye have any robbin' to do?!" They laugh and Matty comes forward. "Haven't got a clue. Yer two older fellas are takin' the heads of each other so we came into your room. Ya got any cans?" Typical of ole Matty. I get up and lead them to the busted fridge and threw a can to everyone in sight. I try to ignore Ro andnAsh fightin' but that is a normal thing here. "Wah hey!" Mickey screamed. "There we go!" Slowly,they got drunk. Not Matty. Never Matty. He never ever passed out. He's too used to the drink. That's what he'd always say. I never believed him though.
"Why are yas even here?" I turn and see Ro smokin' yet another fag in the doorway. Our house is the hang out area and I fuckin' hated it. See, I was in the gang since I was seven or eight because I'd be able to distract shopkeepers whenever the boys felt like nickin' somethin'. Then I started and I haven't stopped. Nearly did, when the Gardaí caught me, but I went back to me ole ways.
"Dunno. We wanted to drink but our ole ones wouldn't let is and we figured that you'd have drink cause of the young, up and coming alcoholic sittin' right there." He pointed to me and winked after. I stuck out me tongue and earned a chuckle in response. "Well I'm flabbergasted that yawn scrawny fuck Oli isn't here." Oli is an arse bandit. No one likes him 'cept for everyone in our gang. Personally I don't like him, but I can't talk badly about people behind their backs. That's what Ro said he'd kill me for. All the illegal things I do and that's the thing he'd end me for?
"Nah. He's off shiftin' some lassy behind the bike shed." Matty responds. I think of something clever and don't miss an opportunity. I never do. "Ach. Cop yourself on! Sure Cillet Bang wouldn't shift him!" Matty spits out his drink laughing and all the lads are out cold. "Ye got a wee bitter one here Ro! Ye wee cute whore ya!" I don't know why, but the Irish use insults as compliments. Don't ask me why. "Ah yeah. Them wee posh fucks from up North-"
"They're not from Northern Ireland Matt."
"Well wherever the fuck the wee bastards come from, the wanted a fight so I told them to go fuck themselves. Smashed a bottle, grabbed a knife and off the wee fuckers went." I loved fightin' them. Absolute cunts. Whenever there'd be a fight comin' up, I'd stay home and when it's over, there'd be an even bigger fight at school. I'd fight back and get sent home by the principal. He didn't like me. No one did to be honest here.
"Bollocks." Ro sighed takin' another swig of his fag. "Here Jane, pass me a can." I shoot him a glare and he knows what he's done. "Ach. Jamie, gimme a can!" Jane is my real name. Don't like it. Too girly so I changed it. I throw Ro a can and he gets it down him almost immediately, chucking the empty can across the kitchen into the bin. He puffs his fag and sits on the counter.
Oli runs in the door then. He's panting and has a burnin' hand mark across his face. "Ya copped an unfortunate one, eh Oliver?" I laugh. The other two ignore and keep on talkin'. "Yeah I might've Jane." Oli retaliates. I'd slit him if I could. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a black lighter. He pushes his greasy blonde hair out of his face and his hazel eyes are focused on the fag gettin' lit. "How'd ya get slapped anyway?" I ask. He puffs out a big cloud of smoke and sighs. "Ye know the wee slut down the road? Up in Ballyduff!"
"Clare?"
"No."
"Rosín?"
"No."
Kathy?"
"No."
"Amy?"
"That's it! Her fella caught me givin' her a shag and slapped me. She's single now so she can fuck right off cause I don't want her."
Shaggin'? He was shaggin' the wee lass? What if she got up the Duff?! What'd happen then?!
Oli throws a bag of monster munch at me. "Here. I got these for ye." He says. I pick them up and stare at him. "Did ye buy them or Rob them?" The few moments silence was all I needed for my answer. I still didn't like him, but I felt bad for him. His folks passed away when he we're just a wee one. Some day, I might need that wee fucker. I'm gonna need him to cheer me up. I dunno when, but I will need him. Well need each other. We're all like that in the gang. We are there for everyone. Even if that means we have to kill.