So, when Paul had touched her leg under the table in the library that Friday afternoon, she’d felt utterly in control when she took his other hand across the table. There was no one around, no one to see them. Still holding his hand, she stood up and led him to a quiet corner of the library behind some bookshelves. She kissed him, and he responded immediately, wrapping his arms around her. She leant in to him, her whole body pressed against his, and she could feel his hardness. She was excited and curious. She wanted more. She pulled away and he stared at her in confusion.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked concerned.

She smiled at him and saw him relax. ‘Let’s go and find a place,’ she whispered. He knew exactly what she meant.

‘There’s nowhere private here,’ he said.

Claire thought. ‘I know one place,’ she replied mysteriously. ‘And it’s got a lock.’

Drama room three would be empty. There was no meeting because of the rain, which threatened to flood everywhere, and the school was pretty much deserted. Instead they were meeting on Saturday morning at Charlotte’s house.

Claire and Paul grabbed their bags and practically ran through the empty corridors, Claire leading the way until they came to the old classroom.

‘Never been here before,’ commented Paul.

‘It’s never used,’ replied Claire not wanting to share any more details about the Queen Bees. She opened the door and led him inside.

Paul walked in and looked around while Claire shut the door behind them. She went to lock it, but strangely the key wasn’t there. Claire wavered. It was too risky. But then she saw Paul waiting for her and she knew she didn’t want to wait. No one knew about the room anyway except for the girls and they’d all gone home. She saw Paul pick up a T-shirt and hold it up, the words Queen Bee written across the front. Shit. She went up to him and playfully snatched the T-shirt away and he pulled her towards him.

Within seconds, they were kissing, their hands exploring each other’s bodies and Claire forgot about the unlocked door. She’d never felt anything like it before. She assumed, like her, that this would be his first time and a thrill went through her. She’d kissed other boys of course and the odd fumble but this… this was like having fireworks going off inside her.

Between kisses, she indicated the old sofa and they moved awkwardly towards it eventually collapsing onto the cushions in a pile of nervous giggles. But then the laughter had subsided, replaced with an urgency to explore something new. They were moving together, sometimes out of sync, inexperienced, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. As he lay on top of her, his fingers about to unzip her skirt, he stopped and stared at her intently.