The day after the night before

Bright green eyes followed duller green leaves, as they drifted past Tom’s vision, carried by a sharp breeze. They then continued to spiral upwards, settling on the grey sky above him. Yawning loudly, he put his head back, skywards, and closed his eyes. Lazy arms rested limply on the park bench either side of him. He was thinking about things as per-usual. About everything and anything. About his friends and the different ones he might have had, had he made different choices about colleges, courses and life in general. Various scenes, scenarios, and ‘what could have been’s’ spun round in his mind, making him feel slightly nauseous.
          
The last thing he though he would miss was his home town. Or more accurately, the people within it. Only two of his schoolmates had been accepted to the same college as him, much to everyone’s shock, especially theirs’. Some went to other places, most never to set foot in the town again. But Tom, for whatever reason, felt guilty, as if he’d left the others behind. He’d played out scenes in his head, over and over. Scenes of them thinking that he believed he was too good for that little town and too good for them. Of course he would never think anything close to that, but that didn’t stop his unoccupied imagination from running away with him.
          
He suddenly sat forward, his head in his hands, trying to block out a monstrous headache, the irritating whistling of the breeze through the trees and the constant lapping of the murky water in the rather pathetic pond.
         
A warm hand on his black-shirted shoulder made him jump slightly. Taking one hand down from his face and turning his head, his heartbeat returned to normal as he surveyed one of his best mates sitting next to him. Unspoken concern could be seen in Mike’s warm, brown eyes. His voice was deeper than usual, one of the after effects of last nights house party.
“Been lookin’ everywhere for ya mate, how long you been here?”
Tom let out another jaw-breaking yawn, slumping back against the bench. He dragged a cold hand over his bloodshot eyes, struggling to think of a response.
“I dunno”, was the best he could do at that moment. “N’ hour or two, not sure. Why, what’s the problem?” Mike took his comforting hand of his friends shoulder, putting up both in mock defence.
“Nuthin’, just wonderin’ where ya were at”. He paused, as if stopping himself from saying something. “And now I know, so …..”. He trailed off quietly, putting his arms back down.
“So?” asked Tom, raising an eyebrow, an ever so slightly amused smirk appeared on his lips.
“Nuthin’ “, he said again, sighing loudly and stuffing his hands into his ancient jeans. They sat quietly for a while, both minds drifting off to other thing they really should’ve been doing, essays, projects and the like. Tom shuddered violently, breathing into his hands and rubbing them together, trying in vain to produce some warmth.
“Wanna stop off at the caf’?” suggested Mike, “Bloody freezing’ “
“Sure, could do with a fry up”.
Mike smiled, standing up.
“Don’t expect me to pay again, I’m flat broke”
Tom smirked back at him, as they both walked out of the park gates, turning left to head into town.
“You’re always broke, that was just a once off, let it go!”
“Once off, my ass” muttered Mike.
         
The tinkle of the bell above the café door greeted them as they arrived. They absorbed the smell of coffee and fried bacon with greed. Choosing their usual spot beside the window, they slumped into the corner seat, exhausted from the general bustle of the day.
“Two full English’s with coffee, extra tomatoes on one, cheers”, Mike watched the waitress wind her way back around the other tables, before turning back to Tom. He was holding his head up with both hands, struggling to keep his drooping eyelids from closing. He then let out, yet another, rather loud yawn. After a few moments of people watching through the slightly steamed up window, Tom turned to speak. His voice cracked now and then as he spoke.
“Mikey?” he asked,
Mike smirked at the use of this childhood nickname, flicking his eyes over to meet Tom’s.
“Yea?”
Tom’s brow creased with a deep frown, the effort of trying to formulate an answer proving difficult.
“Do…..do you ever regret comin’ here?”
Mike looked around thoughtfully, scratching his unshaven jaw.
“Nah, I’ve always like this caf’, why? You wanna go somewhere else?”
His friend sniggered, shaking his head, but stopping shortly afterwards, as it just increased his headache. He tried again.
“No, no. I mean this town, this college” he glanced to see if Mike was following his train of thought. Receiving a short nod, he continued.“I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately”. He gave a bark like laugh. “Probably too much really. I just worry I’ve made some wrong choices, you know?”
Mike was about to reply, when their food arrived.
“Thanks love” he said shortly, taking a long gulp of streaming coffee.
Tom decided to go on.
“I miss the town, the old gang back home…..” he stopped again, still finding it hard to construct a simple sentence. “There was a kind of, safety there, you know? I know it was a bit dull at times but…..”
Mike nearly spilled his coffee everywhere.
“A bit dull!, mate, it was bloody awful! There was ,literally nothing to do. We had a park to hang around in, that was about the height of it”
Tom shrugged, gnawing at his bottom lip. Mike sighed loudly.
“Eat your fry Tommy..”, nodding towards Tom’s still full plate. “Or I will”
Tom pushed his baked beans around on his plate, having no desire to eat anything.
“Don’t you ever feel like…..like”
The mound of scrambled egg on Mike’s fork ground to a halt, half way to his mouth.
“Like what?”
Tom absentmindedly scratched the back of his neck, seeming to be uncomfortable.
“……like, we’ve left them behind. We were all really close friends for so long, and then one day we just, get up and go”
“Well….” pondered Mike, finally putting down his knife and fork with a clatter onto his clean plate and sitting back. “They could’ve left if they really wanted to. They had the same chances as we had. We must’ve just worked harder to get outta there”
After a few second silence, they both burst out laughing.
“Worked harder?!” exclaimed Tom, inbetween giggles. “It was more about bloody luck and chance than work Mikey!”. He paused again, the smile falling from his face. “I just feel kinda guilty is all”
Mike pushed his plate forward, leaning his elbows on the tea stained table.
“Look…”, he said quietly, trying his best to reassure his almost distraught looking friend. “Your choices are half chance mate, and so are everybody else’s”
Tom couldn’t help letting a small smile creep onto his lips.
“Why do ya always have to quote from that bleedin’ song?” he asked, still smiling. Mike knew that that song always had that effect on him, no matter how he had felt minutes before.
“Cause it does that!” laughed Mike, indicating to Tom’s smile. “We all have doubts at one point or another Tommy, but thinking about every single scenario that could of happened? That’ll send you mad mate!”
Tom smirked again, turning to observe his reflection in the café window.
His eyes traced out black, spiked hair, his own wild green eyes, his overly loose black shirt, the silver necklace that hung over it and around his think neck and several coloured bracelets of various designs around both his wrists.
Still smiling, he turned back to his friend,
“I think that ship’s sailed mate”