Chapter 14

After the breakdown ending our strategy meeting, Charlie dragged Tiff a way for a ‘girls time out’. There was a defiant edge to Charlie’s jaw as though Tiff and I were going to have to learn to live with Charlie’s plans for her perfect, marital baby bliss.

And I felt spare. I followed mum back home. Mum had been off work for ‘family matters’, since the tabloids had got involved.

“You’re a bit young to be getting married,” mum looked concerned, now we were alone. “Don’t go rushing into things. Believe me, I know all about bad choices.”

“Gee thanks,” I joked. “Was I such a bad choice?”

“You know what I mean,” she grinned; I was so predictable sometimes.

“Anyway, it’s not like that” I replied defensively, “I’ve only had a girlfriend, eh, two girlfriends, for a couple of months, now. I’ve only known them three! And I’ve never even kissed a girl before that.”

“So you’re saying you’re not ready,” mum stated, looking determined.

“I’m not saying anything like that!” my voice cracked, “Let me finish! These might be my first real girlfriends, but they are the real thing. Like, it’s so different from how I expected, mum! I love them. And when we’re together, we forget all about being sixteen and we think like grown ups., Honest! It feels like I’ve known them forever and we’ve been together forever. In a really good way.”

Mum didn’t look convinced, but she bit her lip and went and started making lunch. Ragu again.

“You see any of your old friends, ever?” mum piped up. I joined her in the kitchen. I just shrugged a ‘no’, so she continued. “Only, don’t ignore them. It’s really normal, when you first get a girlfriend, to completely forget about all your other friends. And then, one day you wake up and realise how you’ve pushed everyone else away. Just think how forgetful you’ve been, with two girlfriends.”

That was food for thought. I hadn’t even talked to Stan or Luke in a month. When was the last time I played a computer game?

“Oh, the little runty one, what’s his name - Luke?” I nodded, and mum went on “I met him just the other day. In BigSaver, with his mum. She scowled and told me I ought be ashamed, bringing you up like I have, but Luke said you were lucky,” mum smirked, reliving the exchange.

“Are you ashamed?” I was suddenly worried. We’d even been called perverts as we walked about town.

“Ashamed? Huh, no, why would I be ashamed?” mum smiled. “All I care about is that you treat them properly. And I know you do. Believe me, if you weren’t, I’d soon hear about it.” Mum glanced at her phone as though expecting a WhatsItApp warning message from my girlfriends imminently, complaining about my behaviour.

“Sam, something serious, though. I’m getting tired of eating my way through all this Ragu. I know you’ve basically moved out, but you are sixteen. Can you kind of contribute to the rent and stuff?” Mum watched me warily, “Sorry.”

I smiled, suddenly pleased to be given a way to help someone. Why hadn’t I even thought about offering? “Of course,” I nodded happily, “I’ll talk to Charlie. She manages all our money.”

Mercifully, the press had moved on and I was alone at the school gates when lessons ended and my old classmates spilled out. Both Luke and Stan went to sixth-form, so I just had to hang around the gate I knew they’d have to pass through.

The smaller kids kept their heads down and didn’t glance at me as they filed past. They only saw me as some menacing yob. They probably wouldn’t have recognised me if they’d looked.

No such luck with the older kids, though. I wasn’t so intimidating to them, so they looked at me curiously and then even those I never knew began to recognise me.

“Lookie there! There’s that shit!” a big rugby-player shouted from across the quad and then he and some of his mates started to push roughly through the crowd to reach me.

Shit, I hadn’t anticipated problems. Suddenly I thought I was about to be beaten up. And what for? For being successful? For shagging Charlie?

I didn’t recognise these big boys. I was face-blind, of course, but I had also spent my past four years at the school carefully avoiding the bigger boys. I noticed that a couple of his friends had gently grabbed his biceps as the leader kicked through the crowd to get to me. Were they holding him back?

“Well, if it isn’t the poncy shit!”

“You’ve gotta admit though, he is one lucky little shit,” one of the restraining friends joked.

“Yeah, are you really shagging them both?” the other laughed, defusing the situation.

I nodded, still trembling. I knew my legs wouldn’t obey any command to move. I could kind of sense that perhaps nothing might happen, but I was still scared to bits and didn’t trust myself to speak. I think my voice would have squeaked.

“How’s our Charlie?” It was a girl’s voice, and I turned a bit to see a crowd of sixth-formers forming around me. One of the trendy, pretty girls was asking.

“Oh, she’s great,” I found my voice.

“Great in the sack,” a restrainer joked, and all the boys laughed automatically.

“Hey, don’t talk about my girlfriend like that!” I snarled, forgetting the danger in my sudden anger.

“See, he’s a gentleman. That’s why he’s getting some,” a little girl jibed, defusing everything. “Say, Sam, see you around? Give us a call?” and she held up her hand to her ear like a phone mime.

The girls flowed around the boys and surrounded me. Dozens of girls. There was lots of chatter and giggling as several of Charlie’s gang jostled to get beside me, in-frame in their selfies. Someone pinched my bottom and I jumped and all the girls laughed. I looked accusingly over my shoulder, but saw nobody, then realised that it was that short girl who’d told everyone I was a gentleman. She looked up at me and grinned cheekily and, staring unblinkingly into my eyes, slipped her hand down into my back pocket and gave me a squeeze! Before I could react she pulled it out and then patted my bottom gently. “Call me,” she mouthed and then she was gone, her cheeks reddening as she fled.

I looked around wildly, trying to work out what was going on. There, in the crowd, edging towards me, were Stan and Luke. I tried to push towards them but the girls were too tightly packed. It took a while for them to become bored with me and disperse. Eventually the girls tired of all my noncommittal and evasive answers about my new-found wealth, my exotic holidays and my unconventional and very public love life. By then, it was just Stan and Luke left.

So, we strolled home from school together, like we used to.

“So are you going tonight?” Stan queried.

“Oh? What’s tonight?”

“The school disco.”

“We’ve never gone to a school disco in our lives!” I grinned disbelievingly.

“Yeah, but now you’re a babe magnet. We might get some leftovers,” Stan had the decency to look sheepish. “Think about it, okay? Let us know?”

I nodded. I’d have to see what the girls would say. They probably already knew there was a school disco tonight.

“I reckon Tiff’s quite pretty too,” Luke announced thoughtfully. Sometimes he didn’t know when to be quiet. I just gave him a hard stare. But then I grinned. Just like old times, in a way.

“So how was your day, sweetie?” Charlie grinned, the grin of an interrogator who knew something I didn’t.

“Oh, kinda normal. Well, as normal as not being with you two can be.” I might have sounded calm, but inside I was getting an unsettled feeling.

Charlie was right in front of me now, invading my personal space. I felt her hands begin to snake around my shoulders and neck as she started to put soft gentle, distracting kisses all over my face. “Have you missed me?” she whispered huskily. I kissed her back hungrily.

“Busted!” she pushed away from me triumphantly. I felt the pressure go from my bottom as her hand momentarily snagged on the hem of my back pocket. I hadn’t even registered her hand sneaking down there. She was holding out a small piece of paper.

“Tiff, I think we have a problem,” she tried to look serious and accusing.

“Oh, what is it?” Tiff asked curiously as she dumped some shopping bags down by the door.

“This is Heidi The Hobbit’s phone number!” Charlie announced gleefully. “Our stud has strayed!”

“Oooh, the crafty little minx is up to her usual tricks!” Tiff laughed. “I bet she told everybody, too!”

Charlie grinned back, her eyes twinkling. “You think you need this?” she waved the slip of paper in front of me playfully.

“You go put the kettle on, sweetie, and I’ll give our stud a reason not to stray,” Tiff slipped between us and bumped Charlie back with a flick of her bum. “Come on, Sam, now I’m going to cash in all that fruit I’ve been feeding you”. Tiff glanced sharply over her shoulder at Charlie, who put her hands up in surrender and started to inch backwards towards the kitchen with a resigned grin on her face.

Having sex, making love or fucking? Tiff managed to make it an intense synergy of all three. I guess this was her way of making sure I wasn’t about to elope with Charlie or some hobbit and get married, after all?

“Shoulders back, Tiff. Come on, honey, we can do this” Charlie encouraged under her breath. “This is your big night! No more Miss Shy Girl! You own this school! Lets show these shits whose a success and who isn’t!”

Tiff’s legs, which had been a bit stiff and hesitant, slowly eased up and, pinned between us, she became easier to march bravely forwards.

Stan and Luke met us by the school hall emergency exit, which tonight was the entrance. A crowd of Charlie’s friends greeted her at the same time. Stan and Luke looked at them longingly. They were being a bit obvious. We filed in.

Ms Duncan was one of the staff manning the door. She seemed surprised to see us. “So you three haven’t left us yet?” she grinned warmly as she took our thick winter coats.

Charlie was wearing a bright red bra with frilly lacing that could be seen poking out the top of her tiny tank top with spaghetti straps. Her denim skirt barely qualified as a belt. Her bare legs were silky smooth; I’d seen the creams and things she used in our bathroom. And I knew she was wearing a thong, the exact red colour as the bra, because she’d flashed me when I’d stood behind her as she’d bent over to ease on her stilettos earlier. She’d glanced back up at me, catching me. She always knew. As she’d warned me before, she always knew. She’d grinned and winked encouragingly.

If Charlie looked exactly as I’d have imagined she’d dress, Tiff took me completely by surprise.

Down below, Tiff wore the same lantern trouser-skirt thingy with the intricate gold and blue elephant pattern as she’d worn on our date night on holiday. And she was wearing ballet shoes.

It was Tiff’s top that was surprising. Tiff was wearing a one-piece top that seemed to combine under-wear with over-bra. It was blue, electric blue, with no arms and a plunging neckline that went all the way down between her breasts. Her boobs were actually held in some kind of stiff cup each side of the plunging neck! And these cups somehow coaxed a tiny bit of swell from her boobs, so it was obvious she had actual breasts! Of course, no amount of padding and armour was enough to keep her rock hard nipples from poking through slightly. For the first time ever, Tiff was at school with her super-fit body on display. It was mesmerizing.

She smiled shyly. There was nothing shy about this outfit. “You like?” she grinned. I nodded and we kissed, a full-on steamy brave exhibition kiss, right in front of Ms Duncan and the queue for the cloakroom.