Chapter 3

The second half of that term rushed by. Amelie was now heading towards her exams, as they had been the previous year, but seemed totally unworried. She worked hard but didn’t panic. It was true that she was bright, but also that her character was just not the worrying kind. It seemed to work for her. Easter arrived and the trip day came up.

The trip activities were to last from Monday to Friday, the plan was to leave on Sunday afternoon and drive up, each girl was to have money for something to eat at the Lake District services – Tebay. These were a ‘better class of services’ compared to the normal ones, with prices to match; but they were generally approved by the parents. Even this would be a new experience for some of the girls, who had never had to decide for themselves what to eat before.

All the girls, including Mary and Amelie, were in Girl Guide uniform. The blue skirts and tight blue shirts made Rupert doubt his earlier promise. There was no doubt that they looked very sexy, even on some of the youngest girls. He focussed on not focussing on the skirt hems above their knees and wondering what they wore underneath. Instead, he made a point of talking to parents who had come to see their girls off on their adventure. Some were pleased that there was a ‘man’ with them to help with practical stuff. Some didn’t seem to think anything of it. Two pairs of parents were clearly concerned, he talked a lot to them; never addressing their fears directly, (saying ‘I won’t be invading little Emily’s bed when she’s asleep and introducing her to my boner’ was not reassuring since it showed that you had thought if it and discarded the idea, for now) but talking round the subject in ways that hopefully meant they realised that they had nothing to fear.

Their bags were piled up in the boot, Rupert helped with this, carefully loading all the bags and then putting the food in on top. They would get some food up in the Lake District; again this was deliberate. Aside from food for lunch, each group as the designated cooks would be given a budget and told to buy food for the evening. It was all part of the self-reliance training.

Rupe also opted to sit at the back and let Mary and Amelie sit on the bench seat in the front with their mother. Being a boy had to confer no special privileges. He got talking to an eleven year old who had never been away in her life before and was alternating between over chatty excitement and homesickness even as they left their town behind. It was going to be a long journey.

The twenty person minibus was a monster. Mairead had passed her PSV licence years ago but hardly used it, now she was driving what felt like a massive bus. Abigail and Rupert helped with girls who wanted to eat too much chocolate, girls who felt sick (often the same girls – surprise!), girls who needed a wee (it took time for them to admit that to a boy), girls who needed more than a wee. The first stop was only fifty miles out of town. Then they pushed on.

At Tebay services, Juliet High-Stevens went to the shop and was going to buy packets of Ritz crackers, crisps, sweets. That was going to be her tea. “Oh no, Juliet isn’t it? No, come on, put them back.” Rupert said it with such authority that the girl just did it. As she bent over to put the crackers and crisps on the shelves, she was entirely unaware of the rising skirt hem behind, Rupe didn’t flinch, he ignored the exposed thigh and led the fourteen year old to the restaurant. She said there was nothing she liked, even before she looked. “Okay, well even a plate of chips would be better than what you were thinking of.” He finally persuaded her to add a beefy sausage roll to the plate. Unaware that he had been watched, he led the girl to the till and sent her in the direction of the growing group of chirruping girls making more noise than the rest of the restaurant put together. Abigail and Mary had wanted to see what he would do, they were pleased to see him taking a clear and hands free approach. Amelie wanted to just have soup. “No! More than that. You need to eat more.” Amelie eventually had soup and jam sponge pudding. It was better than nothing. Rupert, for his part, went for a vege burger and fries. The fact that he chose a vegetarian option pleased several of the girls.

Mary stole several of his chips: “They don’t count against a diet if they are on someone else’s plate.” He made some comment like she shouldn’t eat chips. “You saying I’m fat!?”

“Not at all, you are a very commendable shape. Especially in that Guide uniform.”

“I know, right? I haven’t worn in for two years. It kind of stretches over my top and barely covers my bottom.”

“No complaints here.” he replied. She couldn’t think of a reply suitable for a public space.

They didn’t arrive until late. First there was a crash which held them up for an hour, then there was road works on the road into the Southern Lakes. It had been planned to finish by Easter, but had overrun so now they were working 24/7 to get it completed by the main rush of tourists in a few more days. They didn’t get to the hostel until ten. “Right these are the numbers of the pods. off you go.” The two groups of four had been arranged, others had been encouraged to pair up. Naturally Mary and Amelie were to share. Naturally Abigail was told that her first choice (Rupert) was out of bounds. She found herself sharing with a thirteen year old who had recently joined the Guides and had made no special friends.

“Oh! Shoot!” Mairead said, which was her equivalent of extreme swearing. “Oh Sugar!”

“What is it? I’m just waiting to see which pod doesn’t get selected, then I’ll take that.” he and Mairead were to have their own single pods.