Noel was in his room, digging through his wardrobe.
“Where is it, he grumbled. “Where the fook is my good shirt.”
Liam was sat on Noel’s bed, doing his best to pretend he was reading a math’s review sheet for school, peeking over at Noel ever so often.
“What’s the big deal Noel, your just studying it’s not a date,” Liam said trying his hardest to sound uninterested. “I don’t see why you gotta dress..”
Noel turned around, several shirts in his hands, frowning.
“This is Cindy we’re talking about, I don’t give a fook about studying. If all goes well I’ll be getting off with her.”
Liam frowned and put down his homework review.
“You’re supposed to be watching..”
“Watching you? For fooks sake Liam, you’re a big boy! I don’t know why mam insists Paul has to watch you and then Paul insists on me watching you for him.”
“Noel…”
“She’ll be here any minute and I look like shit.”
“But Noel..”
“Just stay in the room and be quiet.”
“Can you at least..”
“No.”
“You don’t even know what I was gonna say..”
“No Liam. Just stay here.”
“I’m hungry,” Liam added as Noel changed into hi third shirt.
“Then you should’ve eaten earlier.”
Just then the doorbell rang.
Noe checked himself in the mirror and left.
A few seconds later he popped his head back in.
“I know I said I’d play football with ya, but ya know.. maybe next time.”
Liam started to pout.
“Just stay in the room alright.”
And he was gone.
Liam sat there for what seemed like ages.
Noel wasn;t going to get away with it.
He’d get even with him.
“Oh I guess I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time,” Noel said in mock interest. When Noel invited her over to-study he didn’t actually think she meant study. “Refresh your drink?”
“No thank you. I really think you’re starting to get this,” the girl smiled kindly.
Thump, thump.
“What was that?”
“For fucks sake,” Noel. “It’s just my little brother being a brat.”
Liam was kicking the football at the wall expecting Noel to come storming in, yelling, fighting, noticing his existence… but after a few minutes of nothing Liam stopped. So he decided to up the ante.
How could he annoy and embarrass Noel?
“I think it’s time for a study break, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” the girl smiled coyly.
“Noel!”
“Oh who’s this cute little fella?”
“I’m Liam and your the girl Noely’s trying to make it with.”
“Liam!” Noel yelled. “He’s doesn’t know what the fook he’s saying, he’s always been a bit mental our Liam.”
“I’m not mental I’m hungry, you can’t just lock me in my room..”
“No one locked you in your room you runt,” Noel responded after seeing the horrified look on the girls face.
“Yes you did, you said you’d beat me up if I left..”
“Shut the fook up!”
“I think I better go,” the girl said. “It’s getting late. See ya at school Noel.”
Noel picked up her things and walked her to the door and closed it.
“Liam!”
Liam started running up the stairs laughing.
“Liam, you’re gonna get it this time.”
“You can’t touch me our mam will kill ya!” Liam added slamming and locking their bedroom door behind him.
“Liam open up!”
“No, why didn’t you play with me, why didn’t you feed me you cunt!”
“Watch your language you snot nose brat!”
“You’re scaring me stop hitting the door!”
“Open up Liam!”
“Only if you promise..”
“Promise what?”
“Not to hit me.”
“Just open the fookin’ door.”
“Only if you play with me.”
“Alright get yer shoes on we’re going outside.”
*****************************************************
“Why has he got to go with us, he’’ only slow us down,” an irate Paul questioned his younger sibling as they walked down the street.
“I reckon she send our kid along to spy on us,” Noel added, picking up the pace.
“Slow down, I can’t keep u with you!” Liam huffed, trying to keep up.
“If you want to hang you gotta be quick,” Paul teased.
“Yeah stop bein’ a lazy cunt!” Noel chortled.
“It’s not fair, my legs are shorter than yours!”
Paul and Noel turned to each other, smiling, and started running.
“Hey!” Liam yelled trying to keep up.
They turned the corner than waited by the bus stop, where Liam was finally able to catch up to them.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Liam huffed catching his breath. “I could’ve gotten lost!”
“How the fook could you ‘ave gotten lost,” spat Paul. “We’re a few blocks from home you dimwit.”
“'ey, leave our kid alone, it’s no his fault he’s a scared little baby.”
“You two stop,” Liam said with tears starting to form in his eyes.
“Fookin’ 'ell,” Noel said reaching into his coat pocket taking out a half eaten chocolate bar and motioning it towards Liam. “ 'ere ya go, don’t tell mam, you know you’re not allowed chocolate..”
Liam snatched the chocolate from Noel’s hand and his tear miraculously disappeared.
“Fookin’ liability he is,” Paul said under his breathe.
“Alright, leave our kid alone,” Noel said ruffling Liam’s hair, much to the younger brothers distaste.
“Where we goin’?” Liam asked wiping what was left of the chocolate from his mouth.
“Shut it,” Noel and Paul said in unison.
“I’m bored, the bus is takin’ forever, I’m tired..”
“Then why the fook did you want to tag along?” an irritated Paul asked.
“I was bored.”
Another five minutes passed with little chatter until the bus came.
Liam pushed in front of them wanting to get on the bus first.
“Noely sit with me!”
Noel rolled his eyes and satdown next to Liam.
He smiled and Noel noticed he had chocolate on his nose which made him turn to Paul. They both laughed.
“Who are you two laughin’ at?”
“Nothing,” they said in unison.
“Noel how much longer have we got to go?”
“Not much further pipe down,” Noel said putting his headphones back on.
It wasn’t long before he felt a tug at his sleeve.
“What?”
“What are you listening to?”
“Rolling Stones.”
“What a daft name, can I listen?”
“If you shut your mouth yes,” he said handing him one earpiece.
Liam settled back, finally leaning on Noel’s shoulder, have falling asleep.
“Get up!”Paul and Noel yelled, startling Liam who had dozed off.
“What 'orrible music you listen to Noel,” Liam quipped as they got off the bus.
“Shut up, the fook would you know 'bot music pint sized.”
“Make sure to get good one’s our kid,” Noel said to Paul.
They entered the record shop and went their separate ways. Noel went straight for the girl working the cash box and Paul to the ska section leaving Liam alone and bored.
Liam flipped through records by Paul.
“What’s this one?”
“Buffalo Springfield.”
“This?”
“T.Rex.”
“What’s this?”
“Fuck can’t you read Liam?”
He then walked to Noel busy flirting with the girl as Paul hid records under his jacket.
“So when you off?”
“I don’t get out til six,” the girl blushed.
“Noel why’s Paul stuffin’ records in his shirt, don’t he gotta pay for 'em?”
“You bastards!” the girl yelled as Paul, Noel and Liam made a run for the door, dropping a display and a few 45’s.
They ran a few blocks down and caught the first bus back home, all three o them remaining silent.
“What the fook Liam!?” Paul finally said. “Now we can’t show our mugs 'round that shop again!”
“That was the only record shop with decent records to nick,” Noel said gloomily, “but,” he said turning to Liam, who looked a bit put out, “it was a riot!”
Liam immediately smiled.
“Did you see the way she screamed? And our Liam managed to take down a whole display case. He’s definitely one of us,” Noel added.
“Well it was a hoot, but he’s still a slow cheeky bastard,” Paul said ruffling Liam’s hair.
“Don’t tell our mam what happened today ok kid,” Paul said with disingenuous sweetness.
“Only if I can have the records you nicked.”
“You don’t even like music you runt!”
“Just give it to him Paul.”
Paul reluctantly handed Liam the stolen goods.
The three entered the house and were welcomed by their mum.
“Oh, I see you three went record shopping.”
“Look mam, look what my brothers nicked for me!”
“Liam!” Noel and Paul yelled again, in unison.
*****************************************************
“Get back 'ere you runt!” Noel was chasing his little brother around the living room.
“You can’t catch me! You can’t catch me!” the little boy gleefully shrieked.
“You need yer bath, if our mam comes home from work with you all filthy I’ll get in trouble.”
Liam just laughed and ran up the stairs.
“Fuck this,” Noel muttered, tired.
Another day of baysitting. Although he wasn’t the eldest he was often left with all the responsibilities. Even if it was Paul’s duty to watch them he often left it to Noel opting to go out and play football with his friends, only reappearing to help eat dinner and go to bed before their mum came home.
This night Noel was tired. After attempting to do his homework with a hyperactive little brother he now had the task of getting Liam all cleaned up before dinner time. Tonight he felt he didn’t have it in him to do it all, again.
Noel sat on the couch wondering if other 12 year old’s life’s was like this. At least their father wasn’t home that day. He rather face Liam than him.
Liam’s laughter could still be heard upstairs, it sounded like he was jumping on the beds.
Noel just sat their for a few minutes, biting his nails.
What would it be like to be carefree, to play outside, to not fear your own home.
As Noel came out of his reverie he noticed the house was very quite. No laughing or jumping, not a peep.
“Liam!” Noel yelled running up the stairs, heart nearly pounding out of his chest.
He looked in his room, nothing. He looked in Paul’s room, nothing. He looked in his mum’s room, nothing.
Noel ran down the stairs, checked the door, it was still locked.
He opened the back door onto the backyard, still nothing.
What was he gonna do. All he had to do was watch Liam and now he had disappeared.
How the fuck was he going to explain this…
Then he heard a little giggle.
Noel walked back into his room, and he heard it again. It sounded like it was coming from the trunk at the foot of the bed.
Noel crept up and put his hands on the top and quickly flipped it open.
Liam let out a scream of surprise but was laughing.
“There you are!” Noel said tickling the younger brother. “I caught you now in the bath you go!”
“No Noel, no!” Liam giggled as his brother picked him up, carrying him into the bathroom.
“There you go was that s bad?” Noel asked as he help Liam into his footsie pajamas and taking him by the hand downstairs to fix him a bowl of cereal.
“Noel, can you always take care of me?” Liam asked coyly. “I don’t want dad coming back.”
“You’ll be fine,” Noel said pouring the milk. “As long as I’m here, now shut up and eat.”
****************************************************************************
Noel was very grumpy. He had been woken up early and dressed up, he hadn’t had breakfast yet.
Their father was surly and didn’t say much. Their mum was nowhere to be found. He hustled them into the car, still not speaking.
He saw his older brother sitting next to him.
“Where we headed?”
“We’re gonna see our mam at the hospital.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She got that thing in her belly remo–”
“Oi, shut up back there, I’m trying to drive!”
Paul and Noel quickly shut up and stayed quiet the whole drive to the hospital.
Their father parked and hurried them out of the car, taking them by the hands, dragging them in.
“What’s wrong with our mam?” asked Noel who was more courageous than his elder brother.
“Nothin’ wrong she’s just had yer baby brother.”
“Brother?”
Noel didn’t know how to feel, he had always been the baby.
“We’ve come to see 'em but only for a bit, I gotta go back to work, no time to waste 'round here.”
“I don’t want him,” Noel said. “Can’t we take him back?”
Their father just scoffed and took them into the room.
They saw a few family members, some gifts for the baby and a few balloons.
“Why has the baby got all this stuff, he can’t even do anything,” Noel said peering at the small bundle in his mum’s arms. “He’s awful ugly too.”
“Hush,” his mum said. “He’s sleeping.”
“Why 'ave I got to be quiet? Why is he all puffy?”Noel said poking him in the face which prompted the baby to open it’s eyes for a second.
“He looked at me!”
“I think he likes you.” his mum continued. “You want to hold him?”
So they brought the baby down and passed it to both Paul and Noel.
“Has he got a name?”
“We should name him Ugly, coz he’s ugly and bald.”
“No his name is William.”
“William?” Noel asked with a look of bewilderment. “What an 'orrible name, it suites him!” and he gave the baby a little kiss on the forehead.