Page 51 of Inbetweeners
“Well, what do you want to call them?” Phoenix asked. “Harrys?”
“Hey!” Harry protested.
“Inbetweeners is fine,” Emmett mumbled.
“Was that a compliment?” Phoenix asked. “Two now. Iamcounting. Hope the praise doesn’t go to my head.”
“You’re such an arsehole,” Emmett muttered.
“You’re such a dickhead.”
“Ah, you two are so sweet,” Harry said.
Phoenix chuckled. “And you’re an idiot.”
“I’m sure you could be nice if you tried, Nix.” Harry leaned between them. “I can see that you want to be nice. Does sucking up make me marginally less annoying?”
“No,” Phoenix and Emmett said at the same time.
“See! You have lots in common.” Harry sat back on the seat.
Emmett exchanged a look with Phoenix.
“What happened before you were stabbed?” Phoenix asked Harry.
“I told you I don’t want to talk about it.”
Phoenix turned to look at him. “Too bad. Tell us, you little dickwad, or we’ll dump you.”
“If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything,” Harry muttered. “I think that’s one of life’s good sayings.”
“Except you’re dead and so are we,” Phoenix pointed out.
“Please, Harry,” Emmett said. “It would really help us.”
Harry sighed. “Don’t judge, right?”
“I wouldn’t,” Emmett said.
Phoenix laughed. “Really?”
Emmett told himself not to rise to the bait.
“Just tell us,” Phoenix said.
“I needed money. I was sleeping rough,” Harry mumbled. “I’d just…” His voice had grown quieter. “I’d given a guy a blowjob. He paid me, and I walked away, and then something thumped me in the back, and I…died.”
Emmett glanced in the mirror. “We’re not judging.”
“Since you gave up your memories, for all you know, that’s what you were doing too,” Phoenix said. “Giving a guy a blowjob.”
Emmett jolted, but he was right.
“It’s really shit not remembering anything.” Harry patted Emmett on the shoulder. “Even stuff that’s shit. I mean, how can you learn from your mistakes if you can’t remember what you’ve done? Your lifeismemories. I mean, that’s what it’s all about. You build on them, you cling to the ones that make you happy and you learn to get over the ones that don’t. I’d never give up my memories.”
Phoenix chuckled and Emmett bit down on his cheeks.
“Though I wish I could forget that I got paid for a blowjob. I wish I hadn’t done that.”
