It’s 12.45pm on a hot summer’s day, and I am bored in my home economics class. Being a twelve-year-old, the only focus now is the countdown to lunchtime. To pass the time, I’m in a conversation with my best friend Terry. He pulls out a can of Pepsi from his bag.
“Look this is going to taste sooo good” he proclaims, gleefully “I’m gonna enjoy lunch!”
“Yeah it looks good” I mutter with a tingle of jealousy.
“Feel how cold it is!”
I reach over with a deliciously envious touch; I feel the lush cool can with the palm of my hand and wrap my fingers around it. I imagine myself drinking the can. The cool sweet taste of fizzy liquid gold pouring into my mouth. Caressing my tongue. Gushing down the back of my throat. The feeling of satisfaction as it heads towards my stomach. I feel like I am walking in heaven.
“I bet you would love to have Pepsi right now” chuckles Terry merrily.
“Yeah Terry. I would.”
“Bet you would love this one”.
“Yeah whatever.” I mutter pretending not to care.
Some people love Coca Cola, but for me it’s always been Pepsi. Terry and I are in joyful agreement, and that is why we are best friend. Me and Terry go back a few years when he came to London from Birmingham and joined our school. We had an instant connection from the first moment we spoke. We do everything together, walk to school together, play football together, go lunch together, walk home together. We spend most of our time in each other’s company. We feel like two peas in a pod.
The bell rings and everyone bundles out of class and off to lunch. Me and Terry walk to the McDonalds at the top of the road almost every day for lunch. Walking along the road, Terry reaches into his bag. As he rummages around the look of confusion and panic comes across his face.
“My Pepsi’s gone” he announces distraughtly.
Psssstt, as I crack open my can of Pepsi.
“Is that mine” he responds confused.
“No, it’s mine, maybe you dropped yours” I proclaimed satisfyingly.
I’ve always had a canny knack of negotiating a five-finger discount; a slick talent which Terry, to this day, doesn’t know existed back then!