Chapter 3: A New Study Group

Aapi approached me at lunchtime on Friday, wanting directions to Robyn’s. I told him to meet me after school so we could walk there together.

“I’ve got my bike.” That was a surprise. Kids were allowed to bike to school, but most either walked from the upmarket suburbs nearby, or came from further afield by bus. Cars and motorbikes were banned, except for prefects, though a few other senior students had them, and took good care to park well away from the school.

“Walk with me tonight. Wheel the bike. You can ride once you know where Robyn lives.”

Mrs Thomas was welcoming, Aapi was shy, and so were Alison and Pauline, the two girls Robyn had recruited. They were both shortish, skinny, and to my fourteen-year-old eyes, undeveloped as far as curves went. Physically, they were pretty much a matching pair, except for their colour. Alison had a vaguely oriental look, but her thick glasses made it hard to tell whether her eyes went with her yellowish skin and straight black hair. Pauline was blondish with a ginger tint, and her nose and cheeks were dusted with freckles.

After introductions all round, we set up in the dining room. The three girls had a History assignment they needed to work on, and Aapi and I had a lab report for Chemistry. We put in a solid hour. The girls seemed happy with their progress, and I fairly quickly determined that Aapi was quite a bit smarter than me when it came to understanding new stuff. Good!

Around quarter to five, Mrs Thomas delivered tea, cordial, and biscuits before returning to her quilting. That changed the dynamic slightly. We had all related fairly easily when there was schoolwork to discuss, but Aapi and the new girls got shy again when it was break time. I remembered Frank’s advice and followed it.

“We’re going to be spending quite a lot of time together if this study group works out, so let’s get to know one another a bit better.” Robyn pushed it.

“What did you have in mind?” Her leer made it quite clear what she was thinking. Aapi and Alison looked embarrassed; Pauline giggled.

“Down girl! I was thinking about a two-minute biography.” I looked around and saw some relieved nods, so I started.

“I’m an only child. Dad’s a surveyor. His parents and Uncle Frank live locally. Frank’s going out with Robyn’s aunt. Him and me are pretty close and I work for him sometimes. Mum was a cook until she had me. Her family have a farm in the King Country, her dad is dead and my Uncle Bruce runs it. I usually go there for a couple of weeks every summer. I play soccer and cricket and I’m in the Second Eleven for both. Robyn’s my temporary girlfriend. No promises or troo lurve stuff!” The last bit earned me an elbow from Robyn. Pauline giggled and again Aapi and Alison looked slightly embarrassed.

I was surprised that Alison jumped in next, perhaps to cover her discomfort.

“My great grandfather came to the Otago goldfields from Guangdong. My grandmother was an ‘accident’ and her family wanted nothing to do with him, so I don’t know anything about my Chinese side. I have an older brother who is a shepherd in Canterbury, four uncles, three aunts, and six cousins so far. Both sets of grandparents are dead. Dad is a commercial traveller, and Mum is in the office at Smith and Caughey’s. I play chess.” Robyn snorted.

“More than just play! Auckland Primary schools Champion. Runner up Auckland Junior Champion!” Alison ignored her.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, and I don’t really have time for one.” She looked around at the rest of us with what I took to be a slightly defiant expression. Robyn cut in again.

“We haven’t really got time to be proper boyfriend and girlfriend either.” Alison relaxed a little, and Aapi astonished me.

“According to all the rumours at school, his relationships with girls are highly improper!” His shyness had been replaced by a cheeky grin. We all laughed, and Aapi went on.

“Anyway, my proper name is Aperamo Talamasina. Our branch of the family is distantly related to the current royal lot, but there was trouble a couple of generations back, and everyone who has come down here to Godzone has shortened the name to Tala. Aapi’s easier too. Dad’s a matai back in Samoa, and runs a fish export business. I have four older brothers and two older sisters. They’ve all left home. I was chosen to come down here for school, and everyone’s hoping I can get a scholarship for University. I board with my cousin, Tavita. He’s a foreman in the Breakfast Foods Section at Sanitarium. His wife, Heather, is Palangi.” The girls looked puzzled.

“Sorry – Pakeha – white – European! They’ve got three kids. The oldest is Sina. She’s just thirteen. First year at Onehunga High” Aapi paused. “Is that my two minutes?” I was puzzled.

“You have church on Sundays, but your cousin works for the Seventh Day Adventists? I thought all their management at Sanitarium were from their church?”

“Maybe used to be, but now nearly all their workforce is Pacifica, and they need people like my cousin.”

“I’ll go next.” Robyn was obviously keen. “My dad was killed about five years back. Mum married Allan Thomas and we moved here a couple of months before I started High School. I’m an only child, but I have quite a lot of contact with Mum’s younger sister. Aunt Emmy is sort of like an older sister to me. Mum used to manage a craft shop, but she’s cut back her hours and makes quilts now.” She nodded at me. “He used to be with Bronwyn Reed, but now we’re in a temporary relationship.” She laughed. “Like he said – no promises, no ‘happily ever after’, no troo lurve!” Pauline giggled.

“What about sex?” There was a sharp intake of breath from Alison, and Aapi got very interested in the cover of his lab notebook. This ‘getting to know you’ discussion was getting very personal, very fast! Robyn wasn’t bothered.

“We are just starting out and we haven’t done much. You can certainly have a temporary relationship without getting sexy.” She paused. “Or - if you both want to, you can go all the way. Or anywhere in between, But not while we are studying!” We all laughed, but Aapi was thoughtful.

“That’s what I need – a temporary girlfriend in the study group.” I intuited there was something he wasn’t saying.

“Why? Apart from the obvious!” Aapi drew a big breath.

“Sina. She’s all over me whenever she gets a chance. Tavita and Heather work long hours, and so there’s lotsa times when there are no adults around. She runs around half naked and flashes her tits at me. She says she wants to fuck me and asks to see my cock.” He took a big breath and squirmed a little in his chair. “Last week she offered to suck me off!”

Alison gasped and reddened, I thanked God there were two closed doors between us and Mrs Thomas in the sunroom, and Pauline sparkled and leaned forward.

“Why don’t you let her? She won’t get pregnant like that! My brother certainly wouldn’t turn down an offer like that from me!” Alison banged down her mug quite noisily, and for a moment I thought she was going to run out of the room.

“No way! Tavita and Heather would kill me and bury me in the backyard, and then my parents would get on a plane and come down here, dig me up, and kill me again!” Alison faced him.

“But you’d like to.” It wasn’t a question. her voice was flat, and her face was stony. Aapi looked slightly surprised.

“Of course!”

“She’s just thirteen! And she’s your cousin!” Alison was clearly horrified, but Aapi didn’t seem to be feeling guilty about that aspect of the situation or his own response.

“She’s been wearing a bra since she was ten. She’s my second cousin. We could legally marry.” He paused. Alison stayed stony faced, and Aapi went on. “The problem is that I’m a guest in Tavita and Heather’s house, and it would be just wrong to betray their trust. As far as they are concerned, the church forbids sex before marriage anyway, specially for girls.”

Robyn, Pauline, and Alison snorted in unison, but Alison’s derision had an edge.

I didn’t know what to say. This study group was going sideways fast. There was clearly something going on with Alison in response to Aapi’s revelation, but should we go there? Should I ask? And if so – how? Robyn short circuited my musings.

“So if you could tell Sina you had a girlfriend, she would leave you alone?”

“Dunno for sure, but it would probably help. She keeps asking why I won’t do sexy stuff with her, and asking whether I think she’s ugly.” Pauline got it.

“She’s wanting reassurance she’s attractive - at least partly anyway.” Aapi looked interested. “There’s also lotsa hormones stirring both of you up. Her excitement is genuine, so’s yours, and you’re each responding to that.” Robyn nodded, and Alison relaxed a little. Pauline took a breath and went on.

“She’ll also be practicing flirting, and probably enjoying her power to tease you and give you stiffies!” Alison stood up. She was clearly upset.

“I don’t want to talk about this stuff any more! I came here to study!” Robyn reached out to put her hand on Alison’s arm.

“It’s okay. No one should ever be pressured to do anything they don’t want to. Let’s do some maths!” We did.

Mr Thomas came home shortly after five thirty and we quit. I wondered about Sunday.

“Aapi has church on Sunday. Are you guys on for a study session?” I looked around and got three nods. “How about you come to my place?” More nods. I gave them the address, we thanked Mr and Mrs Thomas, and said our goodbyes on the porch. I ignored Aapi’s and Alison’s mild embarrassment and had a brief goodbye smooch with Robyn. Pauline was a lot more interested than embarrassed. I told Mum about our Sunday study plans as soon as I got home. She was pleased to have the opportunity to meet the girls and promised scones for morning tea.