Chapter 8

"Church," I replied seriously.

Rhea laughed. "No where are you going?" she asked persistently, not hiding any of her teenage body.

"Church."

"No, you're not. The last time you were in church was my Christening and you pissed all over one of the gravestones. Mum and Dad were very embarrassed, they keep reminding you."

I smiled. "Given that I was two you can't really blame me. I am off to Church."

"You're not. Who are you going to see. Is it Abi? Or Sarah? Or..."

"God?" I suggested with raised eyebrows.

"Andy ... tell me. I bet it's..."

I cut her off. "Why don't you get dressed and I'll take you" I said with a glint in my eye that went unnoticed.

"You're not going to Church Andy. You going to see one of your birds," she said, her eyes gleaming.

"Abi is asleep as she was working and Sarah is grounded. I am going to Church, but as you don't believe me, come along. I will take you if you want," I promised her. "Just get dressed smartly. But be quick. I got to leave in five minutes."

Rhea stopped and pondered this for a moment and then raced upstairs. I scrawled Mum a note and left it by the kettle before Rhea emerged in jeans and T-Shirt.

Rhea was insistent we were not going to Church and that this was a secret rendezvous with Sarah or Abi or even an unknown girlfriend. I smirked at her creativity but led her across Aylesbury, past our old primary school to the Church of St Barnabas. "Why so glum?" I asked her when she peered up at the place of worship.

"It's a Church," she moaned. "You've actually brought me to Church."

"I think you'll find," I said smirking at her, "that this is exactly where I said we were going"

"But Andy. It's a Church."

"Yeah, I know."

"Why?" she asked.

"Well you can repent for all your sins. And that'll keep you busy for the rest of the year!"

Rhea threw a moue at me but followed me inside the building to the sounds of organ music and I took two hymn books from the lady distributing them. Rhea snatched one of the books from me with all the ill grace she could muster and we sat at the back.

"Why are we at Church?" Rhea asked as we seated. I scanned the church hall for Zoe and saw her at the front but she did not see me and the service began with that question unanswered. I didn't actually know.

There were many reasons I could give: I was certainly still missing the close confidante I had in Paula, and with Ray seemingly distracted with Donna, there was only one other person I trusted who could fill that void, and that was Zoe. Of course, with Zoe being close to Sarah, it certainly helped matters: I needed a friend who both Sarah and I liked, especially what with the problems with Donna. Mostly though, Zoe and I had always been good friends in school and I just wanted to see her. What with the breakup of Ray and Rosie I had somewhat neglected her and wanted to make some sort of amends.

Rhea was clearly bored and spent most of the service kicking the hassocks hanging on the back of the pew in front of us. When it came to the hymns she adopted an unsuitable game of trying to sing it in an unusual voice that drew a few disapproving glances from the elderly woman directly in front. She even managed to sneak some inappropriate words into her recital of some of the hymns but no-one apart from me noticed and a jab in the ribs stopped her. I didn't fancy being thrown out of church in the same way I was thrown out of the White Lion. I was sure Rhea was destined to Hell, only I wasn't completely sure if that was as a torment for her, or a further punishment for Satan!

At the end of the service, Rhea wanted to leave immediately but I told her to mingle with the congregation for awhile outside and this irritated her further. She was only placated when I promised that I would take her to a café for lunch.

I waved at Zoe when I saw her and she came over. Rhea made a snide comment when she saw my friend but I ignored her. "I thought you didn't come to Church," Zoe said the moment greetings and introductions had been completed.

"He doesn't. He is here on the prowl," Rhea added before I could speak. I shrugged.

"I don't normally but you told me to come once to try it. Remember?"

"And you brought along your sister," Zoe replied, beaming.

"Yeah, she wanted to come."

"I did not!" Rhea replied indignantly. "You tricked me."

Zoe and I laughed. "I did not trick you. I told you I was coming to church and I came to the church. You wanted to come with me as you thought I was going to meet a young lady."

Rhea grinned. "And you did. You've come to meet her. Have you two come to confess for something naughty you did?"

I gave Zoe an apologetic look and she smiled. "It's OK. I remember your sister," she told me. "Everyone does."

Rhea pouted at me and tugged on my sleeves. "Right. Now you've met her can we get something to eat now, I'm hungry."

I looked at Zoe. "You fancy something to eat? Remember, café? You promised!" I teased.

Zoe shifted awkwardly. "I'll go ask Mum. She is doing Sunday school in a minute so I should be able to go."

Rhea's eyes bored into me the moment Zoe had left. "I knew there was a girl involved. You are a dirty, filthy rodent Andy Williams. Ever since Paula's left it's been one after the other. I'm surprised you don't just get a bloody conveyor belt to bring 'em up to your room."

I sighed. "Will you..."

"You could have them strapped down, legs parted, all ready for you by the time they get up there."

"It's Zoe. She is Sarah's friend and my old schoolmate from Grove House. Met her for the first time in weeks on Friday. She is deeply devout, conservative and would deeply disapprove of Abi and the club so keep quiet. I used to see her loads but not so much recently," I told Rhea, answering all of her questions at once. "And she is not interested in me, and I am not in her."

"Oh good. Can we go bowling and get something to eat in there" she asked.

"You're grounded," I reminded her.

"Yeah, but if I am not occupied, I might say something ... regrettable. By accident, of course. Abi might just slip out." Rhea replied and I groaned. "But if we go bowling..."

"Why do you have to make my life so difficult?" I asked Rhea with a scowl and she smiled leaning into me.

"Because I am your little sister. It's my job."

Zoe returned a few moments later with a tall wiry boy with brown hair and deep blue eyes, wearing a blue checked shirt and lightweight white trousers. He scowled when he saw me, standing next my little sister and I wondered what I had done.

"Mum said yes, but my brother has to come too. You remember Simon, don't you?"

I nodded and went to introduce Rhea but he spoke. "Rhea Williams?" he replied sharply.

"Oh you two know each other?" I asked and Simon nodded.

"I wanna go back with Mum. I am not spending an hour in her company," he said firmly and Zoe scowled at him. "She's evil."

"Whoa," I told him and looked at Rhea. "She's not that bad."

"Well Mum said you are to come so you are coming," Zoe told him sharply and he puffed. "She wants to do Sunday School in peace. You'd football in the hall last time and..."

"You know I hate her, you know what I think of her. Why do I have to come along? Just so you can spend time with your boyfriend I have to put up with her? I'm not doing it Zoe."

Zoe wagged a finger at her brother and spoke firmly. "She used to be your friend, remember?" I tried to place him – I certainly knew Simon but he had grown up quite a bit since I had last seen him – but had no idea what my sister had done to upset him so much.

"Well I don't really want to be with you either," Rhea spat back and after much disagreement and scowling, Zoe and I walked out of the Church grounds with two frowning siblings behind us.

"I'm surprised he recognised you with your clothes on," I teased Rhea after two minutes of her sulking and Zoe looked at me in surprise. "Rhea is going naked at home to protest at parental discipline being enforced," I said, choosing my words carefully.

"Rhea having discipline? First time for everything." Simon muttered and Zoe and I looked back at the angry teenagers deliberately walking as far apart from each other as they could.

"Shut up," Rhea snapped. "Or I'll give you something to fuckin' whine about." Rhea rolled her hands into fist and held it out threateningly.

Zoe and I talked quite happily about Rhea's protest and then our exams on the way into town, but neither Rhea or Simon spoke a word to each other than Rhea demanding an apology for a previous incident between them. When this was not forthcoming, she kicked a stone that hit Simon on the shin, although she claimed that it was accidental. I could tell from her expression that I shouldn't believe her.

Zoe was happy to go the café in the bowling alley and then play a game, and as the bowling alley was situated not far from the Church so we didn't have too far to walk.

"Before we go in, what is with you two?" I asked Simon and Rhea, and Simon shrugged.

"Ask her" Simon replied quickly and I looked at Rhea.

"You know when I got suspended from Grove House..."

"You mean, when you ran amok with items from that joke shop we found on holiday?"

Rhea smirked. "Well that little cunt grassed me up."

Simon shrugged. "I got asked who did it. They guessed it was you anyway. And there was no need to try and drown me."

"It was an accident," Rhea answered loftily with rolled eyes. "I told you before it was an accident. I just tripped and accidentally pushed you."

"You had me in a head-lock before throwing me in to the pond," exclaimed Simon. "And then held my head under the water." Zoe and I looked at each other apologetically.

"Is this really worth fighting over?" I asked Rhea and she nodded.

"I want an apology from him." Simon spluttered and I laughed.

"The moment you apologise to me for trying to kill me," he told her and Rhea screwed up her face.

"Rhea, please. Don't spoil a nice afternoon with pettiness. Let's go have something to eat and let bygones be bygones," I begged of Rhea but she shook her head.

"Not until he says sorry. I will be civil and forget the incident when he says sorry."

I groaned in desperation and admitting defeat we went inside. The café inside the bowling alley did decent hot food at a reasonable price and we sat down to order. Rhea and I ordered burgers while Simon got a hot dog and Zoe ordered a salad.

"Rhea, what exactly did you do to get suspended?" Zoe asked and Rhea went from kicking her chair to smirking with nostalgic memories.

"Oh, this was a Rhea classic," I told Zoe and Rhea slapped me on the arm.

"My story," she warned gleefully with an outstretched finger. "When we were on holiday we went to Filey, and we found a joke shop. I bought a few items that I used one day in my last week of school. First off, was the dog poo aerosol. It comes out and looks like proper dog shit so I put a few of those 'round the school before morning break and the teachers and dinner ladies were looking for a stray dog all day. I even excused myself to go to the toilet and put a nice turd in the teachers staff room."

Zoe laughed and even Simon smirked.

"I also put the Krap-Alot sugar in the sugar bowl but I am not sure if anyone used it." She hummed and smiled in reminiscence. "Then I swapped Mr Samuel's pen for an electric shock pen, you know, the dirty fucker from Year 6. God, I hated him and we all heard his screams during afternoon register." She smiled at this and Zoe looked at me with a shocked expression on her face. "Then there was Annie's chewing gum to turn her mouth blue. I threw stink-bombs into the playground at afternoon break."

"Weren't you seen?" Zoe asked and Rhea shook her head.

"I didn't want to get caught. I chucked 'em from the other side of the school, over the school building and down into the playground. By the time they had run 'round to see who did it I was back through the fire door I had propped open and was hiding in the girls' bogs"

Zoe giggled.

"Finally, I got some smoke-bombs and threw them into the boys' toilets only I was seen doing it." Rhea stared at Simon who looked sheepish for a moment. "And was grassed up by a filthy, stinking, nasty tell-tale"

"Yeah, but ... Rhea ... you must have expected to have been caught?" I told her and she shook her head.

"Everything was planned to the letter. I wanted the end of the school year to go with a bang."

"It did go with a bang. Mum exploded," I replied and Zoe sniggered.

"Yeah. But I would have got away with it, if I hadn't have been grassed up."

"It was still two years ago. Don't you think it's time to let it go?" I asked and Simon nodded.

"No. I got suspended. Mum still brings it up now whenever I am in trouble. I should have had Tuesday and Wednesday to enjoy myself but was suspended for Tuesday and Mum took all my joke stuff away and I was grounded for the entire of the Summer Holidays." Rhea looked defiant, but her mood had certainly lightened now that she got to be the centre of attention. She continued recalling her transgressions at primary school, some which I had not heard before until our food arrived. The burger was nice, but I gave Zoe some of my chips as her salad did not come with any and Rhea shot me a mischievous look.

By the time we had finished, and I had paid for the food, we wandered over to the bowling alley to set up a game. Zoe tried to give me some money, but I was feeling unusually generous and told her not to. She half-relented and bought us all a lemonade to drink while we were bowling.

Rhea hit a strike on her first ball that arced perfectly down the lane to smash into the ten pins and smirked at us, stroking back her long brown hair that had become displaced as she threw her ball.

"She used to be on the Bowling team, until she got thrown off of it for cheating," I explained to Zoe and Simon as she sauntered back to the row of seats.

"That wasn't my fault!" Rhea claimed as she sat down on the spare chair next to Simon.

"Rhea, you and I both know that's an outright lie."

Rhea smirked a little. "Yeah but, that Bruce was a smarmy, patronising bastard. He deserved it for the things he said about me."

I turned to Zoe, smiling. "She sprayed baby oil or olive oil or something at the head of the alley of the opposing team. This guy turns to bowl, loses his footing and cascades down the runway"

Zoe laughed as I gestured with my hands.

"He deserved it. And I heard his fingers apparently healed quite nicely after a couple of months or so," Rhea added.

I felt a little guilty when I got a spare and Zoe managed only four. Simon managed even less, hitting the gutter both times.

"Have you bowled before?" I asked Zoe and she nodded. "But it was awhile ago. Quite awhile ago."

"Mum doesn't like it so we don't go as a family," Simon added. "Occasionally as friends but we prefer the cinema."

"I'll show you. On your next go," I promised Zoe as Rhea hit another strike. I managed nine and then stood behind Zoe and did exactly what I did with Sarah, guiding her arm and positioning her body. She bowled eight and then one.

"Go on, show Simon," I told Rhea who shook her head.

"Not until he apologises," she said resolutely. "He owes me an apology."

"I'm not saying sorry. Not after she tried to drown me." Simon replied and I buried my hands.

"Rhea. It's two years ago. Come on," but Rhea shook her head and Simon bowled a measly two.

I shot Rhea a dirty look and she shrugged her shoulders before hitting six pins, which Zoe and I both followed up with strikes.

Simon's ball hit the gutter and he, dejectedly, walked to the Ball Return for his second ball.

"OK, Rhea, I'm sorry I grassed you up," he grumbled and Rhea looked up.

"I suppose I better show you then," she replied and jumped down from her seat.

"Shouldn't you say something too, Rhea?" I asked and she shook her head. I glared at her for a moment and then she muttered something to Simon. She repeated what I had done with Zoe. I noticed that she was a little touchy-feely, happy to guide him repeatedly with her hands.

She watched him bowl eight and returned his smile.

Thereafter, Rhea became a lot happier and lot more enjoyable to be with. She won at the bowling by an absolute canter, which helped her mood and she conversed a lot more with Simon. They had elected to do similar subjects at GCSE and there was a strong likelihood they would be in the same classes, for some of those subjects at least, when they returned to school in September. As we walked back, Simon and Rhea were a few paces behind talking about some Maths project due in that week, at the end of term, and that neither of them had completed while Zoe and I made idle chit-chat.

It wasn't sexually-charged or flirtatious like my chats with Sarah, but Zoe was good company and it made a change having some sort of female companionship that didn't lead to sex of some kind. I enjoyed the sex, and I wanted it. But I also wanted female friends who I could be with where there wasn't that complication or tension.

We reached the Church and we parted. There wasn't the hug, kiss, or awkward goodbye just a standard parting of two friends, like Ray and I would do. Rhea and Simon, on the other hand, did hug and Rhea was still smiling when she got home.

Mum however, was not.

"I've just had Sarah's mum on the phone," she said the moment I got through the door. "What were you doing on Friday night?"

I scrunched up my face in surprise. "We had a meal ... ummm ... six of us. Then Zoe said she needed to be home by ten, so we left at eight thirty, got something to eat from the kebab-house. I walked her home and you saw me."

"No Andy, I was working," she said dismissively.

"The bloke who had a heart-attack. I was there when the ambulance arrived." Mum thought back for a moment and then nodded.

"Yeah sorry, that was Friday. That was what, ten fifteen?"

"Given that Sarah lives twenty minutes from the station and Zoe lives near our old school, eight fifteen - eight thirty would be about right?"

"Did you drink any alcohol?"

"No" I replied quickly and then thought. "Actually, Sarah put a dash of Baileys in everyone's coffee"

Mum looked exasperated. "Did you touch the vodka, whiskey or wine?"

I shook my head. "No."

Mum stared at me. "Truthfully?"

"No. I didn't have any," I said quite resolutely and waved my hands in an animated fashion. "Sarah's mum wasn't there anyway so why is she saying that I did? When Zoe and I left we were sober. Why don't you ask her if you don't believe me."

Mum wiped her face and looked at me exasperated. "I do believe you, just Sarah's Mum came back today, to find four drunken teenagers in her house, all of her alcohol drunk and the place an absolute tip so she wants to know what went on, and your name got mentioned."

"Well I haven't been there all weekend. I was here and then I've been to church today," I replied a little annoyed.

Rhea, who had been silent the entire time spoke. "That is true. We have been to church. The smarmy basket tricked me."

Mum looked at me inquisitively for a moment and turned to look at Rhea who had just finished undressing. "Are you still doing that?"

"Of course. I fight for my principles," she said resolutely and she then turned back to me as Rhea ran upstairs, her clothes in her hands, and sighed.

"It's this Sarah again," she said strongly. "I said she was trouble. You stay away from her."

My heart sank. There was no way I wanted to stop seeing Sarah and blurted out, "It'll be her boyfriend that drank them all. He was there and he opened the whisky as we were leaving"

Mum shook her head and extended her finger. "She is bad news Andy. Mark my words."

I groaned and she peered up at me with raised eyebrows. She strode back to the phone, dialling a number on a piece of paper. Sarah's mum clearly answered as Mum spoke firmly that although I had been there during Friday, I was home by 10:15 and did not partake in drinking of her spirits. Mum also said that I had told her that Sarah's boyfriend was solely responsible for raiding the bar cabinet (which is not quite what I said) and that I had left as they started doing this. This seemed to shorten the conversation and Mum signed off pleasantly enough.

I got the keys from Mum and cleaned the club before returning at 6pm for our Sunday meal. Mum didn't speak much over dinner and I was left with my thoughts of Sarah, although the unclothed Rhea more than made up for my silence by telling Mum that I had dragged her down to Church to repent for her sins.

This caused a wry smile from Mum, who seemed not to have minded Rhea going gallivanting off to church when she was grounded. Our peace was shattered by the front door closing and steps running up the stairs.

"Look at this Mum ... I'm engaged!" Julie screamed when she reached the dining room, proudly displaying her diamond ring for all to see.

However, despite my elder sister's excitement, I am ashamed to say I didn't actually care too much. I was too worried about Sarah.

That evening, Mum seemed to forget all about Sarah, Rhea and me, and concentrated solely on Julie and Oliver. Mum rang Oliver's parents and invited them down for the night so we could "go out for a meal" and as they were due to fly out from Heathrow Airport that Saturday, it made sense for them to travel from Derby on Friday to Aylesbury, stay in the guest bedroom overnight and go out for a meal, before going on holiday.

Rhea, dressed in just an open dressing gown (it was a cooler evening and I think Mum had turned down the thermostat), inevitably asked if Annabella could come as well and Mum turned to me.

"Is there anyone you want to take?" I painfully looked at her and she shook her head. "No Andy. Not Sarah"

"Then no," I replied coldly. "But she really isn't as bad as you think she is."

Julie asked inquisitively but neither Mum nor I would tell her, and shortly afterwards I went to my bedroom to brood.

Why did Kevin need to ruin my friendship with Sarah? It was so unfair that Mum wouldn't listen. I hated him more than ever.

Mum and I hardly spoke all morning. I was annoyed with her and I think she detected this and did not want to cause a scene. I wasn't rude or curt but there was an underlying hardness to my voice and an aggression that normally wasn't there.

The post came as I was making my sandwich. The film I had sent off from the trip to the woods had arrived and I gleefully opened the packet and filed the duplicated prints upstairs. When I got a film developed I often asked for two copies, it cost a couple of quid more, but the subject of the photographs often liked to have a copy.

This gave me a reason to go to Wendover and with Mum not around to object I walked out of the house with my sandwich and down to Aylesbury station.

I thought about little else on the train – all of a sudden two very charming, beautiful girls had wandered into my life – and they were both making my life unreasonably complex. That said, I wouldn't have changed either of them for the world.

Sarah was a weird case, she seemed to attract problems to her – just liked Rhea – but was as flirtatious and bouncy as any girl I knew. I felt sorry for her as I knew she had told Kevin to put the alcohol down, but she had clearly failed to get him to listen. "I'm sorry Andy, she is grounded," Angela said when she answered the door to me. "She shouldn't have invited you over."

"She hasn't. Can I see her for five minutes?" I asked. "Julie has got engaged."

Angela showed me into her familiar conservatory and called Sarah. Sarah had been crying, her eyes were red and she looked dowdy and dishevelled.

"What's up?" I asked the moment Sarah had closed the door.

"It's mum and Kevin and Donna and everyone," she cried and I put my arms around her, holding her closely for a few moments.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"Not here."

I fished out the photos from my bag and passed them to her. "I've sorted them out. These are yours."

Sarah opened them and had to wipe her eyes. "This was so long ago." I nodded and smiled.

"Not that long ago. But you've ... er ... had some problems since"

I told her about Julie's engagement but she seemed a little preoccupied, and before long Angela asked me to go home.

Angela apologised for ringing Mum but I told her not to worry and left her house to ponder. I found it somewhat interesting that Sarah was upset about Kevin, but then rationalised that this did not mean that I was suddenly in with a chance of dating the complex girl. I just wanted everything to be easy and uncomplicated in my life, which was an impossibility with Rhea, Abi and Sarah all going out of their way to do the exact opposite.

Mum was not surprised and had guessed where I was when I returned home. She annoyingly repeated her warning that Sarah was "trouble" and that I would do well to avoid her. This definitely riled me, as Mum did not know her or know what was going on, and I replied to her aggressively.

"You know, about eighteen months ago, you and I used to argue a lot? When Julian was here. Everything I did was wrong?" I told her a little too firmly. "What I went through then, is what Sarah is going through now. Only it's not because of a step-dad she dislikes, it's because of a manipulative boyfriend" Mum, who was cooking as I spoke, passed me some bread to butter. "No, Andy, no-one can be that manipulative. What about taking responsibility for your own actions?"

"He is an absolute prick" I blurted out and Mum shot me a disapproving look. "Sorry. Well whenever Sarah and him meet he forces her into rough sex. Her parents found out about the hotels and that's what the fight was about that night. I met him on Friday and he was controlling and patronising and so up-himself even blaming Sarah for them not being able to meet. Sarah even told him to put the whisky back as we were leaving and he ignored her. It's him not Sarah"

"It takes two to tango," she replied uttering one of her favourite sayings and looked up at me.

"I know. She knows that as well and she definitely regrets what's happening. But it's not physical pressure it's emotional and mental pressure. He has gone bananas at Sarah for them not being able to meet any more and says it is Sarah's fault and she is feeling a bit guilty because of it. If I could have got away with thumping him I would have done. What he is doing to Sarah is nasty."

I felt the heat of Mum's glare the back of my neck as I buttered the last piece of bread.

"Only it is Sarah who is getting everyone else into trouble, isn't it?"

"She is going through a tough time at the moment. She can't talk to her boyfriend about it and doesn't think her parents will understand. Her best friend is totally preoccupied with her own relationship at the moment. The only people she has is Zoe and me, and Zoe probably wouldn't understand. So I know I might get my fingers burned but, if she needs me I want to be there for her."

"Is she worth it?" she asked me and I nodded.

"Definitely. She is my friend. Just like Abi is," I replied, my voice unwavering and eyes fixed on her. "And Ray. And Paula. They all have their foibles and their flaws. But they are my friends, just as they put up with my character flaws. She is my friend. You always told me to stick by my friends. So I will do."

"You've known her for a couple of weeks, that's all Andy."

"I know. But I spent so much time with Paula when she was here that I barely had time for anyone else. I didn't realise that at the time but we were always together and I get on well with Sarah and we shared a bed so I very much see her as my friend."

Mum grinned and looked across. "I also told you to stay away from trouble," she responded. "Paula was no problem. Sarah is a nightmare."

"Then, I'll not be in the company of Rhea. To the best of my knowledge, Sarah has never been suspended from school. She is not bad news or trouble, she is just ... well ... Sarah."

Mum laughed. "You know, that makes no sense, but I think I know what you mean. I still think you'll be well advised to think about what you are getting into."

"Well she is grounded, so she probably couldn't come anyway" I replied a bit sullenly.

"It is probably for the best, anyhow"

I hummed; I didn't vocally disagree with her, but Mum was wrong.

I was awoken on Monday night (or Tuesday morning) by a warm body cuddling up to me.

"Hello Abi," I told her in my dreamy state and felt her soft hands glide over me.

"Hello, sexy" she replied in a pronounced and enticing Scottish accent that she put on deliberately for me. "Ah didnae fancy goin' back tae me cold flat aloon when there with a nice warm bed for me here."