Paul felt his shoulders sag in disappointment. ‘What am I going to do?’

‘Who says you need to do anything? Just go with the flow,’ encouraged Brian.

Paul paused for a minute, thinking about Claire. The last time he’d tried to take things further she’d gently removed his hand. He’d been too nervous to try again but he knew soon he wasn’t going to be able to stop himself.

He looked up at Brian. ‘Can you ask him again tonight?’

‘I dunno, Paul, he just takes the piss… I can’t get an answer out of him.’

‘Please?’

Brian looked at him for a few seconds longer than was comfortable.

‘You really like this girl, eh?’ said Brian, quietly.

‘Yep. She’s the one.’

‘Okay, I’ll try again but no promises,’ relented Brian.

Paul’s relief was instant, and he looked at his friend gratefully before adding, ‘You? In a headlock? Really?’

‘Really,’ replied Brian, grimly. ‘Bastard.’

‘Thanks, Brian – I owe you,’ said Paul, knowing his friend would most likely end up tussling again with his brother on his behalf. But once he and Claire had reached fourth base, he knew nothing would keep them apart and Gavin and his mates could go and jump.

December 1989

26

The school had been deserted, staff and students leaving as quickly as they could to avoid the torrential downpour. Sports practices had been cancelled and Charlotte had postponed the Queen Bee meeting to the weekend. Drama room three had seemed such a good idea at the time. Afterwards, Claire wondered how she could have been so stupid, so reckless. She’d thought it would be safe, where nothing bad would happen.

As Paul lay on top of her, she wasn’t thinking straight. It was like when she was in the pool, the water filling her ears, blocking out everything and anything. But then a shriek had pierced the film of water that was Paul, his body covering every inch of hers, and then suddenly she was weightless, her skirt shoved up and her knickers around her ankles like the elastic game she used to play at primary school. England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Inside, Outside, Puppy Dog Tails.

*

Everything had happened so quickly; the hands that grabbed Paul and pulled him off her, her speechless shock, his pleading cries. Her shame lay open for everyone to see, raw and exposed. The singular voice that had interrupted them had grown into several and amongst them, Claire could hear Mrs Harrington, her usual confident baritone laced with panic as she instructed one of the girls to go and get the head teacher.