Chapter 10

Mum came down to look at the invite with a wry smile. "Why not dear?" She read the front of the card and nodded as Abi shook her head. "I think it is up to Abi," Mum replied, putting a hand on my lover.

"I was going to go with her, make sure she is OK."

Mum waved her finger at me. "I'm not sure about that, Andy. You are hardly good at staying calm in ... well in situations like these, are you?"

"But this is Abi's family. Abi, please, for me?"

Abi wiped her eyes. "Andy, could you go and check on dinner," Mum told me firmly. "Don't let it boil dry."

I sighed. "But..."

"Go," she snapped, and then smiled. "I'll talk to Abi, but it is her decision and you respect that, right?"

"Right," I muttered and trooped off up the stairs towards the interconnecting door and a bubbling pan of rice.

"Hello stranger," whispered a seductive, silky voice in my ear as its owner gently caressed my neck. I looked up from the park bench to get caught in Sarah's wavy hair that she brushed back to kiss me properly, albeit from an upside-down position.

"Hello," I greeted her, smiling as we parted tongues. "You know we should stop meeting like this," I joked and got up. Sarah looped her arm in mine and we walked towards the cinema.

Sarah was in Aylesbury with her parents and had been given permission to meet me, so as we were half-an-hour early for the film, Sarah and myself ambled into the White Lion and went up to the bar. "One lemonade and what do you want?" She asked me.

I looked around the pub but did not see the barman who had banned me a few weeks previous. "Lemonade for me too," I said and put a five pound note on the wooden bar. Sarah scoffed at me as she had her purse out but with a gentle raise of the eyebrows, she reluctantly put it away with a "I'm buying the popcorn then" in response, which from my perspective, was still totally negotiable.

It was a nice day so we sat down outside by the canal and Sarah smiled at me looking around the crowded terrace and beer garden. "So where were you when you rowed with Donna?"

I pointed out a set of tables in the corner and Sarah grinned at me, playfully looking towards me out of the corner of her eye. "What?" I asked and she laughed.

"I have never known anyone to be barred from a pub at our age," she said. "You must be a proper bad boy," she teased.

"That is true. But then I don't know anyone who has been arrested at the age of fourteen. You must be a proper bad girl," I returned and Sarah smirked. "What time do you have to be back?"

"Bad girls don't have curfews," she joked.

"And bad boys won't keep to them anyhow."

"Mum said she will meet me at the station at six," Sarah eventually admitted and we began chatting about our exams. There was a playfulness as we teased each other and drank our cold drinks and Sarah and I held hands across the table. We probably looked like lovers or partners, even though we were not, but there was a warmth and a connection that was plain for everyone to see.

"YOU!" I heard a shouted voice from behind me. "You are banned from here." I closed my eyes and Sarah chortled at me. I turned to see the barman a few feet away and closing in on me.

"Are you serious?" I asked incredulously. I was not causing a problem, so why would he want to evict me now, especially as I had already drunk two-thirds of my lemonade?

"Get up," he barked and then turned to Sarah. "And you too, Missy." He went over to her and tugged at her shoulders.

"Get your hands off of her," I yelled and the remaining patrons of the beer garden turned to watch. He glared at me as Sarah stood up but did not remove his hands from her shoulder, tugging her as she scrambled to her feet. "I said, get off of her."

I could feel my shoulders tightening and fists clenching. He sneered at me as I breathed out aggressively and I picked up the nearest item to hand, the empty ashtray and held it in my fist. I made a jerking movement instinctively and he let go of Sarah to duck. Even Sarah flinched but the ceramic pot never left my hand and I threw it back on the table with the loud thud. "Now leave her alone," I shouted at him, my eyes not leaving his face.

"Get out of my pub. You're barred. Both of you. You're trouble," he barked and I glared at him.

"Trouble? We've come in for a quiet drink. We've caused no trouble. You've caused trouble by kicking off and manhandling my girl-" I stopped mid-sentence. I was about to refer to Sarah as my girlfriend and her eyes looked at me, willing me to continue. "My friend," I finished, still shouting at the barman and Sarah sighed.

"Come on Andy, let's go," Sarah implored, her face etched with concern.

"No. I want to finish my drink," I told her but she gave a gentle tug of my sleeve.

"Do as the young lady says and don't come back," the barman warned as I turned and I spun back around to face him.

"Or what? What will you do?" I shouted, my face inches from his.

"Andy," Sarah begged me and I let out a huge sigh and we walked out of the pub, with me kicking the Specials board in anger across the flowers and it crashing with a splintering sound against the wall behind.

"Stupid, fucking, twatty cunt," I muttered angrily as I did it and Sarah gave me a kiss on the cheek as soon as we reached the road.

"Calm down," she soothed with a grin. "I've not seen you so angry since you shouted at me for turning up in the rain. You're a madman when you get angry. Just calm down." She put her arms on my shoulders and rubbed my upper arms before kissing me again. She looked into my eyes and smiled. "You know, I'm banned from the pub too now."

I let out a nervous laugh, but I was still annoyed, and we ambled across to the cinema that was unreasonably crowded. The film we wanted to watch, 'There is something about Mary, ' was playing on two screens and we bought a ticket for the earlier screening as our trip to the pub being cut short meant that we could go and watch it in Screen 1 instead of waiting for Screen 2.

Sarah was quiet but insisted on buying the popcorn, and we got a big bag to share between us. Sarah smirked as we sat down at the back of the auditorium and she whispered in my ear that this film, as a comedy, better cheer me up and I should relax.

We took a few handfuls of the popcorn and the adverts for the local businesses started. We had the obligatory old man standing in front of his carpet shop as the pictures of his business zoomed in and the crackles on the speakers as the poor-quality audio on his marketing material showed when there was an almighty bang from right behind us and the screen went black.

Sarah had jumped so much she had spilt most of the popcorn and the emergency lighting came on immediately. I looked behind to see a wisp of smoke coming from the projection unit.

I turned to Sarah. "Are you OK?" I asked.

"Fine," she replied. "What the hell was that?"

"Something up there," I muttered and the patrons of the crowded cinema were all looking at the wall behind me.

About ten seconds later, a flustered cinema employee came in and looked up. "Please can you go back to the foyer," he yelled and grudgingly we got up. Sarah glared at me as I muttered something under my breath and smiled.

"You need to learn to calm down," she whispered in my ear and I shook my head. "Don't take life so seriously."

"Well it's..."

"It's not a problem," she told me and kissed me on the cheek. "We'll watch it in the next screen or come back another day. I am sure we can find something to do for a couple of hours," she told me. "Aggression is such a turn-off Andy. You make me scared when you do."

I grumbled and we got up, walking down the stairs to the foyer, which was now packed with annoyed cinema-goers. The harassed cinema employee was busy directing the staff on the reception as we queued up for refunds. By the time Sarah and I reached the front of the queue, twenty minutes had passed, as my patience was wearing thin. The last two tickets for the later viewing had just been given to the couple in front of us and they refused to refund the popcorn as more than half of it was missing.

"Get me the manager," I told the poor girl and she looked around her.

"He is not here," she told me and I shrugged.

"Well go find him. And quickly."

Sarah looked up at me. "Haven't you calmed down yet? It's only popcorn."

"No. Stupid bloody prats," I moaned and a suited gentleman arrived behind the diminutive, skinny Sales Assistant.

"I'm sorry Sir," he said pulling me to one side so the Sales Assistant could continue to process refunds, "but as you've eaten more than half we couldn't give a refund. That is..."

"We spilt it when the projection unit exploded," I shouted at him. "Go and check on our seats. It's bloody everywhere." I gestured with my hands at him and he recoiled at my aggression. I was frustrated and annoyed: Sarah was restricted in what she could do given the level of parental discipline being enforced and they spoilt our afternoon and wanted us to pay for the privilege. They were being unfair.

"I'm sorry, but we've started to clean that auditorium now. If you had said so five minutes ago..."

"Andy, please," Sarah pleaded but I ignored her.

"We've been queueing for twenty-fucking minutes. If you hadn't have let us wait for twenty minutes while you are fucking about then maybe, just fucking maybe, you could have seen."

He shifted against a closed till having backed off from me and shook his head. "I'm sorry it's company policy."

I raised my hands up in annoyance and he immediately ducked, thinking I was about to strike him. I heard a noise and saw Sarah running towards the exit.

"I haven't finished with you," I warned him and went running after her. She had had a good ten second head-start, and played football so she was not easy to catch, but she was not looking behind her and slowed, leaving me able to catch up.

"Sarah," I panted, and looked at the crying girl who was leaning against a small wall outside a church. "I know they wouldn't give us a refund but..."

"It's not them, it's you," she screeched and I put my hand on her shoulder. She shook it off and her eyes puffy, she turned to face me. "How many times did I have to tell you to calm down? It's not worth it."

"OK I'm sorry," I snapped exasperatedly and she shook her head. "But..."

"No. No you're not," she yelled at me. "You're just a bully, you no better than the rest of them."

"What?" I asked and reached out but she pushed my outstretched arm away.

"Leave me alone, Andy," she said coldly and walked away leaving me standing there. "Just leave me alone."

"Sarah?" I called but she shook her head and was gone.

"You're in a bad mood," Rhea said as I stormed into the room and I glared at her.

"Not today, Rhea."

Rhea grinned, not noticing the look on my face. "Ahhh, has someone..."

"Shut up Rhea," I snapped.

"So which of your girls isn't sucking your..."

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP," I shouted and Rhea looked over at Mum coming into the lounge.

"I don't want to hear that language in my home," she told me and I pushed past her and went upstairs. I regretted the exchange immediately but threw myself on the bed – why was I losing my temper so easily?

I stared up at the ceiling and wondered. There was no reason for me to be so angry with everyone and I just half-knew I was overreacting but there was an inane frustration inside of me that I just couldn't shake off. Mum came up ten minutes later and asked me what the matter was but when I wouldn't discuss it, I got a lecture about my behaviour. I sighed in resignation at this and made a mental note to apologise to Rhea, although she did bring it on herself.

Rhea was sat on the sofa when I came downstairs with Simon and she excused herself to go into the kitchen. I went to the phone and hovered over it for a few seconds thinking about what I was going to say to Sarah. How was I going to apologise to her and know she would accept it? I didn't know. I didn't even know if she was home.

My throat was dry with anticipation and Rhea came back with three tall glasses of red fizzy pop. "Yeah, cheers Rhea," I grunted and she raised her eyebrows at me before returning to her friend on the couch, saying nothing to me.

I took a couple of long gulps of the drink and closed my eyes thinking about how I would apologise. I didn't want to lose her as a friend, I enjoyed her company too much and knew I could have dealt with it better but was she overreacting? But something felt wrong, during my deliberations, my throat felt tight. My mouth was dry and on fire.

It was agony, pure and simple excruciating pain. The back of my throat and mouth were burning. Not just burning, but on fire. A raging inferno. My stomach heaved and I grunted and looked at the drink in my hand.

Rhea was smirking, leaning over the back of the couch. "A whole bottle of Tabasco. You do not speak to me..."

"FUCKING HELL, RHEA," I screamed and ran towards the kitchen pulling the nearest vessel – a pint glass – and filling it with water that I drank immediately. I repeated again and again and again.

Panting, I laid over the kitchen sink as I tried to exhale the fiery pain from my lungs.

"As I said," I heard a voice from behind me. "You do not speak to me like that. Next time you shout at me, you will be sorry."

I spun my head around, still panting over the sink "You've poisoned me. You fucking spiteful bitch," I moaned and walked off to find a bathroom. I felt sick. "I'll fucking get you for this."

It was rather fortunate I did vomit but the few sips I took burnt considerably coming back up – even after they had been diluted with water. I did not fancy the inevitable diarrhoea I would have had if I had not puked up the poisonous drink my sister had given me. Rhea was not remorseful in the slightest and the violent shouting match we had was interrupted by Mum who was far from impressed with Rhea's attempts at vigilantism. Simon was sent home, and Mum chastised Rhea for her "assault" on her unloved brother.

I tried to ring Sarah that evening but she told her mum that she did not want to speak to me and that she would not be coming to the phone, no matter how much I pleaded. I did not demean myself to stoop to begging and accepted that it was Sarah's choice but wished that sometimes she could be less dogmatic and more cooperative.

I had lost every chance I had at Sarah. I stared up at my ceiling and felt sick again, only this time it was not the Tabasco.

I slept little that night and went from despair to anger (with myself) back to despair and then to determination. I liked Sarah, I liked her a lot and my friendship with her might have been quite new but it was worth fighting for. I was still highly perplexed why I was getting so angry and what was different with my life than how it was a few months previous? Was it Paula? Was she the one that kept me sane? I didn't know, but I wanted Sarah as a friend, or maybe even as a girlfriend, and her not talking to me was not good for either.

I got up at 7am, showered and was at the Supermarket for 8am buying the biggest box of chocolates they had and a "Sorry" card with a little teddy bear on the front. I had a look at the flowers, but knew that the florist next door to the club would be open and they did better bouquets anyway.

I ambled back towards Castle Street and walked into the florist – I was their first customer of the day – and the gentleman behind the desk was busy wrapping some flowers in cellophane.

We exchanged greetings and I asked for a "big bunch" of flowers. I knew what I wanted but it had been a good few months since I worked in the shop and I had forgotten what to call them. Paula did most of that side of the business anyway, I just did as she instructed.

He smiled and looked at me. I felt the need to introduce myself as their neighbour and as a former employee and then set about describing what I wanted if not naming it. He made up a bouquet of white tulips and red Gerberas with a single dark red rose and a smattering of seasonal flowers. It looked wonderful and I exchanged it for two twenty pound notes.

The journey to Wendover was crowded as it was rush hour and I had to warn a fellow commuter when they leant against the flowers in my hand, but I took a deep breath and did not shout or lose my temper. I signed the card at Wendover station and agonised for awhile over what to write. In the end, I said what I wanted to say; "Dear Sarah, I am so sorry for my behaviour yesterday. I know I was wrong and please forgive me. I miss you already. Lots of love, Andy."

I began the short, torturous walk to Sarah's house. It was a nice day and didn't take long but it felt like ages.

I worried myself, what would Sarah say or do? What should I say? I began to plan a little speech in my head but kept rethinking and rewording it. I knew I had to apologise, she asked me to calm down and I lost it. I overreacted, plain and simple.

I knocked on the door to Sarah's house and her mum answered, her hair all over the place. She was getting ready to go to work and smiled when she saw me and beckoned me into the hallway with her hairbrush. I hesitated for a moment, but came in as she shouted up the stairs to Sarah.

"Tell him to go away. I don't want to speak to him," the stubborn teenager shouted from the upper floor of the house and still in her bedroom.

Angela sized me up. "If you go up, you promise not to row?" She asked and I shrugged.

"I don't want to upset her again. I did enough of that yesterday," I said quietly and wiped the tear away from my eyes. "Please can you give her these and tell her that I want to see her when she wants to see me."

Angela returned me a weak smile and I left the house. I ambled down the drive and got to the end of the road, wiping my eyes again and looking back down the road. I wondered if I would ever feel the need to see it again, and I felt sick to the pit of my stomach. Why did I mess things up with Sarah?

I leant against the sign for a moment, and retied my shoelace, and then set off back to the station in resignation that I had probably lost one of the most exciting friendships I had had for years.

"Andy" I heard a voice from behind me, and saw Sarah barefooted and running in her dressing gown tearing down the road. She got to me in no time, and noticed the smile on my face immediately. I was expecting a hug; I got a slap across my right cheek with all the force she could muster.

"Owwww," I cried out as my face stung from her hand.

"That is for being such an unreasonable prick yesterday," she told me and smiled. She turned and gave me a lingering kiss on the other cheek.

"And that?" I asked and she looked at me still smiling.

"That is for realising it," she replied. "Have you had breakfast?"

I shook my head and she held out her arm. "Am I forgiven then?"

She turned to look at me as I went to hold her hand. "This once yes, do it again then no. I mean it Andy, you really frighten me. I keep wondering what would happen when you lose your temper with me. Will you hit me?"

I looked at her aghast. "I would never hit you," I said horrified, and she raised her eyebrows. "Come on Sarah, I would never, ever hit you."

"Maybe, but I was scared. I shouldn't be scared of my friends. Especially not of you." She watched my facial expression and straightened my jacket. "Come on, let's go have some breakfast and we can talk."

I followed her back into the house and her mum gave us a smile. She bade Sarah goodbye and I followed my friend into the kitchen where she poured two bowls of cereal and made two cups of tea.

"We have to talk is not normally the start of something good," I joked but Sarah only smiled weakly.

She waved her spoon at me as she sat down and looked at me. "Why are you so argumentative and aggressive at times, and so calm at others?"

I shrugged and looked at my corn flakes in the bowl I had just been given. "I dunno. I think it's a bit of a family trait. Rhea is awful for it."

Sarah nodded and narrowed her eyes. "She might be, but normally you are rational and calm but then you just lose it and I am terrified."

"Well I will try and hold onto my temper," I promised.

"You betta Master Williams. You are really calm when it comes to other people but the moment you have a problem then you go skitz."

"Well I never said I was perfect," I grumbled and looked at Sarah staring at me.

"No, I didn't either. Snoring I can cope with, threatening to hit a barman and then a cinema manager in the space of thirty minutes, I can't."

"I know ... I know, I went too far. I'm sorry."

Sarah flashed a smile and shovelled another mouthful of cereal into her mouth. "I know, now eat your corn flakes."

Sarah cleared the bowls away after we finished and put them in the sink before grabbing my hand as she left the room. "What are you doing?" I asked and she led me up the stairs.

She put her finger over my mouth and pushed me up against the landing wall, kissing me on the lips. "We have the house to ourselves all day."

"I have to get back and do the club," I warned her and she sighed.

"Really? Well I have a job for you, before you go."

Sarah walked into the bathroom and got a towel, a blue can and filled a bowl up with warm water. She guided me to her room opposite and put the towel on the single bed.

Sarah's room was long and thin, but still a good seven foot across and easily double that in length. The last couple of feet, the roof sloped so that it was only three foot high at the end, but Sarah's bed was underneath and a small window was in the corner of the short wall. She had a massive window alongside her bed, framed by dark yellow curtains, for half the length of the room that looked out over her expansive garden.

She had a couple of pictures on her built-in wardrobe doors and another couple of the white walls of football stars. I looked at them, and Sarah smiled.

"Zidane, Beckham, Shearer and Richard Johnson," Sarah explained spinning around.

"Richard who?"

"Richard Johnson. Watford midfielder. Awesome set of legs. I gaze at him every morning when I wake up. Just like you do with that tennis girl."

I shifted awkwardly and Sarah disrobed. "Sarah?" I asked and she laid back on the towel.

"Shave me," she said and I looked at her hairless crotch.

"Pardon?" I asked and she sat up smiling.

"I haven't shaved for a couple of days. I am thinking of getting it waxed as I am fed up of shaving every other day, but waxing hurts. I have a bit of stubble and it just needs shaving. Go on."

I raised my eyebrows and knelt on the floor, next to the bed. I felt a rush of blood to my cock and took the blue can of shaving foam. "Well?" I asked

"Put a little bit on your hand and rub it over my pubic hair and down the sides," Sarah told me and I squirted some of the white foam onto my left hand before smearing it over her genitals. Sarah cooed at me as I did, her expression expectant.

"OK," I said and Sarah pulled out a razor and a small bowl of water from her bedside table, and passed it to me.

"Now glide it gently over my pubic area towards me."

I put the razor on the top of her slit and slid it upwards but barely pressed down on it and left most of the foam behind.

"Press harder," Sarah explained and I sighed.

"Well I don't want to cut you."

"You aren't going to cut anything unless it makes contact with my skin." Sarah took the razor off of me and did a stroke before returning me the razor and telling me to wash it in the bowl of warm water. I rinsed the razor and repeated Sarah's movements until her mons was bare. She leant back and slid her bottom forward, with her feet resting flat on the bed, instead of the floor.

"Now, take some more shaving foam and apply it down the sides." My erection, already straining at my shorts was now bursting to escape from all of its cotton housing. I looked at her slit in awe and Sarah chuckled.

"Well I've never seen you so close and just looked at it," I reasoned. "I'd love to photograph it, it's..."

" ... full of stubble."

I laughed and spread some more of the foam over her labia, trying to ensure that as little of the foam touched her sensitive, but strangely moistening slit. "You have been this close," she reasoned.

"Yes, but I've never taken the time to look. Just taste."

She giggled and instructed me to gently remove the hair and foam, and I pulled her skin taught. She held her breath as I slowly dragged the razor over her. I repeated this for the remainder of the foam and she pulled out some moisturiser and slapped a generous amount over her mons.

"See not that hard?" She told me, not realising the state my cock was in; the bed was helpfully obscuring her vision. I looked at her shaven genitals past the moisturised and glistening mons to the puffy red labia, happily exhibiting Sarah's charms to me. "I am going to have a shower, I need one, but when I return I need you to ensure that every hair has been removed?"

"I looked," I told her and helped her to her feet.

"Oh no," she replied with mock seriousness. "That's no good. There is only one way to be absolutely certain. I need your tongue." My mind whirred with possibilities. Only twelve hours earlier I was scared that Sarah would never look at me again and now Sarah wanted me to explore her pussy with my tongue. I felt, and was, extremely lucky.

I exhaled sharply and Sarah kissed me before disappearing to the bathroom next door. I took the time to look around her room; she had an impressive array of salacious books proudly displayed on her bookshelf, next to an impossibly large amount of text books. There were two pictures on her desk of her playing football in a scarlet top and black shorts.

I recognised a couple of other girls in the team photo but I didn't think many of them went to our school. She returned five minutes later as I was flicking through an erotic story with her hair not wet, but her body glistening all over. She giggled as she saw what I had in my hand and licked her lips. "It's a good book," she told me with a smirk and grinned at my guilty, expectant expression. She walked over and without hesitation pushed me back on the bed, throwing the tatty book onto the floor.

Sarah rubbed her crotch and legs with her towel as I scooted up the bed a bit more, and then without a single thought Sarah threw her legs over my head and placed her vaginal lips on mine.

She was not as fragrant or as aromatic as before, the shower had washed away her muskiness, but her engorged labia had a welcoming aura about it and I planted my tongue up her slit. She clenched her buttocks and I put my hands on her shoulders before guiding her into a more upright position.

I had done this with Abi the night I had lost my virginity and I felt more secure and more satisfied when I was completely underneath Abi. I felt the same with Sarah; I liked her in this position.

Sarah didn't object. My fingers darted over her erect nipples as I flicked and kneaded her slick labia with my lips and tongue. Sarah groaned. She leant forward to undo the fastening on my shorts but I moved her hands away. I didn't want to spoil it by climaxing too soon and I was very aroused.

Sarah moaned in annoyance and then sucked in a deep breath through her teeth as my tongue located her clitoris and glided around it. She sighed and bucked her hips, grinding my head into her mattress relentlessly.

"Oh Andy," she squealed. "Oh fuck..."

I sucked on her clitoris poking out of its hood and then glided my tongue down her gushing slit to her hole. I felt a wetness on my face as she pushed down. There was the feint taste of the familiar tanginess to her juices that I adored, her sweetness lingering on the nose like a fine wine, and I flicked her clitoris faster and faster. She squealed, her muscles contracted and she slumped forward.

I glided my tongue away from her clit and poked her hole a couple of times, before flicking her anus. She shuddered and froze.

"Andy..." she called as the tip of my tongue quivered against her. She adjusted her body so it was out of my reach and I put my hands on her thighs.

"Let me," I told her loins, and guided her body back to my waiting tongue. I flicked her anus and rolled my tongue into a cylindrical shape and began probing her arse. She was tense at first, but as my fingers rolled over the breasts and rubbed her nipples she relaxed her muscles and my tongue could do more than just glide over her bud.

She sighed and squealed. She pushed her body against my tongue and mewed. Her legs trembled and I kneaded her nipples quicker. She cried out and panted, more than Abi who had confessed she loved being "rimmed."

I delved as deep as I could with my tongue and curled the tip to poke the inside of her anus and her body shook, quivering. She lifted her body off of me as she did and turned to look at me. Her face was flushed and she was beaming. "You are a dirty, kinky bastard. And I love you," she told me panting. "Rinse your mouth out in the bathroom and come back."