I showed up an hour late to my shift the next day because of a violent hangover. I was always told when I first started drinking that hangovers only ever got you when you were older, but I think that was mainly aimed at people who started drinking at a legal age.
In fact I had started drinking at the age of 14, smoking weed at 12, and more recently shroom trips at 17. One thing I can say in honourable defence of myself is that I have never tried the super hard stuff like Crack and Heroin.
Unlike Mercedes, the girl I worked with. Who was notorious for hanging with the wrong crowd and making air headed decisions. As I mustered up the energy to make my third coffee order of the day I felt her hawking eyes judging me as my hands shook and my eyes itched.
I would rather be anywhere than here, I thought. In fact I'd pay not to show up to work for this one day and just lay in bed wasting it.
"I know what you did." Mercedes muttered behind my back.
"What did I do?" I asked, pouring a cup of frothed milk.
"You stole the canisters and gave them to Ack." She muttered some more.
"Oh yeah? Where'd you get that idea." I laughed quietly, capping a latte to go.
"He told me." Mercedes finished, snatching the drink off of me and passing it to my customer, "Thank You very much, have a great day!" she smiled.
The customer grinned and left with their coffee, leaving only an elderly couple sitting at a table in the back, engaged in a conversation of their own.
"You know if you wanna destroy yourself that's to be expected, but Ack's a good guy, he doesn't need people like you and the rest of them bringing him down!" she cursed under her breath.
"Yeah I know Ack's a good guy, that's why we're boys. I don't give him anything he wouldn't take on his own and unlike you we like to keep it green, not white." I smirked.
Mercedes squinted her eyes, "I could get you fired for what you've done."
"I didn't do shit." I said, resting my arms on the counter.
"You do realise I'm the one that does stock count, I noticed the missing boxes. If you don't stay away from Ack, you're getting fired." Mercedes scorned, adjusting herself as a customer walked in.
I worked my way through the hangover, all the way until I was seated on Kong's outdoor couch beside the notorious 'Ack Fainting' situation.
"She's gonna play that card?" asked Kong, dragging on his cigarette.
I took a sip of my beverage, "I don't know, can never trust anything that comes out of her mouth, I wish Ack would see that."
"That's the thing with chicks, deep down we know their flaws, but something in us keeps us coming back for more." said Kong, as we cheers'd our drinks.
"Speaking of which, where is he?" I asked.
Kong finished his sip, "Fuck knows, probably getting his nuts stomped by Mercedes."
"You hate to see it." I agreed, taking another glug. I looked over at Kong's commodore and admired its beauty, "Should we take the old girl out for a spin?"
Kong shook his head, "Can't risk a DUI."
"I'll drive then." As I took a strong gully.
"That's my Dads old car, you're dreaming." laughed Kong, finishing off his can, "Should we give old Ack a call then, see if he'll let us meet his wife?"
My eyes grew wide, "Nah mate, fuck that, she hates me."
"It's probably because she doesn't know you well." laughed Kong.
"Nah man, she knows enough." I replied, sipping on my drink.
"I'm giving him a call, hold up." Kong pressed his phone to his ear. "Hey mate…yeah, nah nothing much just on the piss how about you?..Oh yeah, chillin' with the misso? You guys should come round here and meet us…yeah, we'd all like to meet her, even Warick's keen…alright then, later bro." He hung his phone up.
I took my hands away from my eyes, "So what's happening?"
"They'll be over in Ten." grinned Kong.
My jaw dropped, "Fuck ya, you've done it this time mate, you know she's trouble. Next thing you know Wade and his crackhead followers will rock up."
"Wades stuck in Mexico." laughed Kong, cracking open another can.
"He's stuck in Mexico?" I repeated.
"Didn't ya hear? He went for a trip through South America and ended up in Mexico. He can't get back because the plane has to stop in America and because of his record they won't let him in." grinned Kong.
"What? So he's just stuck over there?" I grinned.
"Fuckin' aye, he is." said Kong, offering me a can, "Drink up, we've got a lot to get through."
I cracked my can open and skulked the first gully, today was a good day, even if everyday wasn't, today was a good day.
After some time Ack around with Mercedes on his hand.
I gave a brief smile, but she didn't return the favour. We began talking in circles catching up since last night.
"Yeah Brent's copped a massive hiding from his old man, not sure when he'll be round again." said Kong, asking his cigarette.
"You'd think he'd just come stay down here for a while. You've always got a couch to crash on." said Ack.
"Not anymore I don't, ever since Max chunnied on the couch, Mums insisted that no one stay over." Kong laughed.
Mercedes pulled a face, and shuffled about on her sofa seat.
Kong dragged on his cigarette, "Don't worry, it was the one in the lounge, not that one."
Warwick opened the house door and looked around, quickly locking eyes on Mercedes. He pulled a stool from the garage next to the couch and sparked a cigarette.
"Hey, my name's Mercedes, nice to meet you." She greeted Warick.
Warick raised his eyebrows, "Sorry, what was that, love?"
Kong placed his index against his head, looked at Mercedes and then looked over at his stepdad, "Don't get your hopes up, Warick."
I snickered under my breath.
Warick locked eyes with me, "What'd ya get in a fight with a lawnmower?"
I scratched the bald sides of my head, 'What'd ya get in a fight with Janine again.' I thought to myself as I noticed a mattress on the floor of the garage.
"Do you remember me from school, Mercedes?" asked Kong, sipping his drink.
"Yeah, I remember you." she stated, looking around the front porch, "So this is what you guys do all day?"
"Yeah." grinned Kong, "It's more fun if you have a drink." he added, offering her a can.
"I'm all good." She replied.
I put down my drink, "Do you do anything?"
"I keep it green." she replied, pulling a bag of weed from her purse.
"Not too shabby." I said, reaching for her bag of weed.
Mercedes passed the weed over her shoulder to Ack, who grabbed a couple nugs and dropped them into a hand grinder.
Ack unscrewed his grinders lid, "Can I gank some tobacco, Kong?"
"Nah, I'm down to crumbs." said Kong, showing the contents of his pouch.
"Do you smoke?" asked Mercedes, passing Ack a paper.
"Nah, not my thing." said Kong, drinking from his can.
"If I lived with Warick I'd be scabbing off him all the time." I laughed.
"Maybe that's why he chooses to pester my mum instead of yours." Kong replied, finishing off his can.
Mercedes rolled a joint and passed it to Ack. She rolled another and gave it to herself. Then Ack put his grinder away.
I frowned, "Hey, where's mine?"
"Go steal some of Russell's eggs and give them to Ricky." laughed Kong.
"Yeah hard bro, he's probably sloshed now, so even 6 will do." Ack replied, sparking his joint.
I eyeballed Ack's joint, "Give us a puff after you."
"Ask Mercedes, it's her weed." he replied, exhaling.
I turned my gaze to the ice cold witch I was forced to endure 5 out of 7 days, swallowed my pride and asked; "Mercedes, can I have a puff?"
"Get your own, Max." answered Ack.
I clicked my tongue, "Fuckin' typical. Look at you aye Ack, whipped as butter."
Ack rolled his eyes and kept on puffing.
Mercedes exhaled and asked Kong, "So why do they call you Kong now, Brayden?"
"You sure you wanna know?" Kong smirked.
Ack's eyes grew, "Don't!"
"This is why," Kong slipped his cigarette into his mouth and lifted his shirt up with the other, revealing the phrase 'King Kong' tattooed crudely along the area below his belly button.
"Fuck me!" Ack winced, shutting his eyes.
"No thankyou." replied Kong, dropping his shirt, "Have you got any hot mates Mercedes?" Kong added as he took a seat.
"None that'd go near either of you's." laughed Ack.
Mercedes slowly turned to Ack, "You calling my friends hot?"
Ack swallowed some guilt, "No! No! Not at all!"
"I think I'll leave you to chill with these animals, goodnight, Ack." Mercedes pulled her elbow free from Ack's grip and walked herself off of Kong's porch and up the driveway.
Ack hurried after her, "Babe! Babe, come back!"
"Fuck off!" she cursed, making her way down the street.
Kong and I cheers'd drinks and watched as yet another night ended in a bitter catastrophe.