Chapter 3

Tabitha looked up casually as the shivering woman approached, her coat held round her. A coat marked with dust and dirt from where it had been on the ground, where it had been trampled on as if it was a discarded rug. “You took your time,” said the girl casually. She was alone and the paper cup of some fizzy drink in front of the girl looked empty. There was no sign of Gary. “You look a mess. People are staring at you. Anyway, go and get me another one of these,” the girl said as she indicated her cup.

“I can’t, Tabitha. I’m all wet.” That was true, for the woman’s top had been darkened by the other woman; the urine stream where it had run out of Ariel’s open mouth had caught the bunched-up folds of her sweater and some of her skirt too. Ariel eased her coat open to show the stains, which made Tabitha laugh.

“Whoever it was should have pissed all over you. Hair too. Might improve it,” snorted the girl.

Ariel bit her lip. Fortunately, the pissing woman hadn’t held much pee or Ariel would have been drenched. “But there’s more ... I’ve been robbed.”

“Really? Cool.” A slow smile crept over the girl’s face. Then she sniffed the air. “You really do smell of pee. You have all the fun, don’t you?”

“No! I’m serious,” hissed Ariel. “The woman who used me after you left ... she took all my money, while I was tied up. She urinated on me then went through my pockets.”

Tabitha shrugged as if that was the sort of the thing that happened to people. “She get much?”

“Yes. Everything.” Anger flared in Ariel. “Before I got free ... after she made me, um, drink her ... her piss, she made me feel bad. I had to thank her; tell her I was paying for being toilet. I hated it.”

“But you did it. Like a good slut does.”

“I don’t know what’s come over me,” said Ariel. She felt both terrible and excited. She sat down on a seat facing the girl and ran a weary hand over her face. “I’m not like this. This isn’t me.”

“But it is now,” chuckled Tabitha. “Quite the naughty old lady, aren’t you?”

“I’m not old. I’m just me. I just wanted some fun. I didn’t know what that was.” Ariel wanted to cry but crying in front of teen-age girl would be shameful. Then she remembered the Love Lottery ticket in her coat pocket and pulled it out. “It was this. It made me do it.” She tossed the crumpled lottery ticket on the table.

“A piece of paper? Really?” Tabitha picked it up and read it. “I see.” The girl turned it over and read the back and broke into big grin. “You’ve been had, cunt face. This is a scam. See, on the back, it says there: ‘This is not a promise or an official lottery. It is a donation to charity, monies gathered to be used for good causes. Thank you for buying this and making better the lives of others less fortunate.”

“No! It has prizes!” Ariel wanted the snatch the ticket from the girl but she didn’t dare.

Tabitha shook her head. “So, if it is a lottery ticket it would have some number on it, right? Something to show who had what ticket.” Tabitha held up the piece of pink paper and she was smirking as she did so “Can you see a number? Anything on this stupid bit of paper to show this is yours? No? That’s because you are dumb. See, idiot: no number, no identity. Not even anyone you can call and check. Fuck, when I used you, I thought you might have some brains as well as a pair of big knockers. Apparently not.”

“Tabitha, please.” Ariel felt desperate. “You don’t understand.”

“Understand what? You got Gary to feel your tits. Seduced him, got it? He has no idea what to do with a girl but you showed him. I wouldn’t let him even touch me, but you went crazy and gave yourself. Feel me up, Scotty,” the girl laughed. “Then you were happy to use your tongue on me. In my bum-hole, too. I mean, wow. Not even the slaggy girls at my school would do that. I even spat on you and then some other woman pisses on you. Excuse me, bitch, but am I missing something here?”

“No, well, yes. I don’t normally let strangers do things to me. It’s not the real me.”

“But you bought this so-called ticket and never looked at it and then went crazy for any sex. Three people have had you, or parts of you. Absolutely fucking amazing. If I were you, I’d go home and frame this lottery ticket as a reminder how stupid you are.” The girl half-tossed the piece of paper to the table. It lay between them because Ariel didn’t want to pick it up and say she would frame it. So that her husband Colin could ask what it was, or that Serena could sneer at it as she always did.

“I hate this,” said Ariel.

“No, you don’t. I can tell. Anyone can tell,” said Tabitha with a shake of her head. “I bet you couldn’t even sell your body: you can only give it away. Come and use me, free.”

A shadow fell over the table and both Tabitha and Ariel looked up. There was the big figure of Mrs Delilah Blacking standing over them both. “Mrs Constance,” intoned the woman. “You look a mess. And who is you little friend here?”

“Oh, Mrs Blacking ... hello. Um, this is ... this is my friend Tabitha.” Ariel felt horrified she had been seen by the woman again. What was a day of disaster was turning out to be getting worse, if that was possible? Everything in her was saying, run away now, but she couldn’t move.

“I see. And what is your relationship with this child?” demanded the big woman, giving the girl in the road hoodie a glare.

“Her relationship,” said Tabitha, looking back the woman without blinking, “is she offered herself to me. So, I used her. You know the sort of thing, tongue up my bum-hole.”

“What?” The big woman looked thunderstruck.

“No, Tabitha’s joking,” said Ariel but her combined look of shock and burning red face told a different story. “No one does that!”

“Funny. You did, before I tied you up,” chuckled Tabitha. She clearly didn’t care who this newcomer was but was enjoying seeing Ariel squirm.

Mrs Blacking pulled out a chair and sat down at the table, leaning forward with her hands clasped in front of her as if in prayer. “I feel you have the need to confess to me, Mrs Constance.” Then her eyes lit on the Love Lottery ticket. She picked it and stared at it. “Perhaps explain this to me, too. I am sure the church ladies would be interested to hear your story, via myself.”

“That bit of paper,” said Tabitha, “has turned your friend here into slag. She does anything.”

“Not my friend,” frowned Delilah.

“Well, you’d be surprised how friendly she can be, lady. I hear she’s been pissed on. Go on, slut, show her your stinky wet clothes.”

“Please, no,” said Ariel, but with both Tabitha and Delilah looking at her she relented and opened her coat a little. “It was probably an accident. I don’t think the woman meant it. It was ... she was trying to help me get untied. That was a game between me and Tabitha—”

“Fucking liar,” said the girl. “Tell the truth, cunt. You let my friend Gary feel your tits, then you used your tongue on me and let me tie your hands behind you with your bra ... wait, you haven’t got it on, have you?”

“Um, no. The bra was, well, ruined. I couldn’t put it back on.”

“You aren’t wearing underwear?” Delilah was frowning, her glare frightening. “You walk around a public place in a state of undress?”

“It was only a bra. I can get another,” protested Ariel as she pulled her coat round herself tight.

“See,” shrugged Tabitha. “Cow doesn’t know what she’s doing. Mind you, if I was you lady, I’d punish her. Make her realise what’s right and wrong.”

“What?” Ariel gulped and looked at the girl. Then she looked at Mrs Blacking, who incredibly was smiling. It was the first time Ariel had seen the august, sombre woman show any positive emotion. She didn’t know she could even feel joy, let alone show it.

“Yes, I believe young lady you are right.” The smile on the older woman’s face grew bigger. “I think many women like our Mrs Constance here need a good thrashing. I would be happy to administer the right correction.”

“Go for it,” said Tabitha. “Mind if I watch? Would be good to see the cow being hurt.”

“No,” begged Ariel. “You can’t.”

“Listen, cunt,” said the girl. “We can do what we want with you. You bought that ticket for love and you’re getting it, hard. That’s what you want. You said so.”