sleeve. ‘I wish I hadn’t seen – that.’ She jerked her head towards the phone. ‘I’m not ... what they say. Jeremy’s the only boy I’ve been with. My friends know that. They used to tease me about being frigid.’
Jess pulled a chair from under the other side of the table and sat down. ‘With friends like them you don’t need enemies.’
‘They didn’t mean anything by it,’ Tegan said quickly, still unwilling to accept how brutally the people she trusted had betrayed her. ‘They were trying to do me a favour.’
‘Oh? How?’
Tegan tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘They said nobody enjoys it the first time so best to get it out of the way. But that made it sound like it didn’t mean anything and it should.’ Tegan’s look was wary and defiant.
‘You’re right.’
‘They laughed at me for wanting to wait and do it with someone special.’ Renewed misery brought fresh tears.
The tissue box on the dresser was empty so Jess tore off a sheet of kitchen towel and passed it across the table then sat down again.
Tegan nodded. ‘I really loved Jeremy.’
‘Jeremy?’ Jess prompted gently.
‘Jeremy Stanton. His dad’s an architect in Truro. I thought – I believed he –’ She wiped her nose. ‘I know he never actually said – But he did tell me I was beautiful. He said no other girl had ever made him feel like I did. He said if I loved him I would – do what he wanted.’
Jess clenched her teeth and swallowed her temper.
‘He –’ Tegan’s voice faded. ‘He said it would be safe.’
‘Do you still love him?’
Tegan hesitated then shook her head. Jess had never seen such naked anguish. ‘He only had me for a bet.’
‘ What ?’
‘Amber texted me. She heard him talking to two of his mates in the car park after school. He told them where and when we’d done it and said they owed him the new Warcraft game.’
‘Oh, Tegan.’ Jess wondered why Amber, presumably a friend, had thought it necessary to pass on something so hurtful.
Tegan shook her head, tears flowing again. ‘I can’t believe he did that. He’s ever so good-looking and all the girls fancy him. When he started coming on to me it made me feel like I was special. Now they’re all laughing and I feel so stupid . We only did it once but I’m having a baby and people are saying horrible things about me. I wanted to tell Nan but I couldn’t because I’m not s’posed to go online.’
The knowledge that, despite his handsome appearance and expensive education, Jeremy Stanton was selfish, shallow, and totally untrustworthy would prove a valuable lesson for Tegan. But not yet: not while the wound was still raw and bleeding.
‘Trolls and bullies are cowards, Tegan. They hide behind their computers because they haven’t got the guts to admit who they really are. Nor would they dare to say these things to your face. But that doesn’t mean they can get away with it. I want you to take screenshots of all those posts, then forward them to me.’ She picked up a biro and used envelope from the clutter on the table and wrote down her email address. ‘Then delete your Facebook account.’
‘Why? What are you going to do?’
‘I’m going to get this stopped.’
‘How?’
‘I’ll tell you after. It won’t rebound on you, I promise.’ Getting up, Jess pushed the chair under the table. ‘When your nan gets home you must tell her about these horrible comments. You don’t have to show her or even tell her what they said. Just explain that they are the reason you’ve been so upset.’
‘She’ll be mad at me for going on the net.’
‘I expect she will. And that’s fair enough because she was right, wasn’t she?’
Tegan hiccupped as a sob caught in her chest, then nodded.
‘But most of all she’ll be relieved to know what has made you so unhappy.’ Jess studied the girl’s bent head. ‘Is there something else?’
After a long moment, Tegan nodded. ‘I did want to tell her. But I was
Jess pulled a chair from under the other side of the table and sat down. ‘With friends like them you don’t need enemies.’
‘They didn’t mean anything by it,’ Tegan said quickly, still unwilling to accept how brutally the people she trusted had betrayed her. ‘They were trying to do me a favour.’
‘Oh? How?’
Tegan tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘They said nobody enjoys it the first time so best to get it out of the way. But that made it sound like it didn’t mean anything and it should.’ Tegan’s look was wary and defiant.
‘You’re right.’
‘They laughed at me for wanting to wait and do it with someone special.’ Renewed misery brought fresh tears.
The tissue box on the dresser was empty so Jess tore off a sheet of kitchen towel and passed it across the table then sat down again.
Tegan nodded. ‘I really loved Jeremy.’
‘Jeremy?’ Jess prompted gently.
‘Jeremy Stanton. His dad’s an architect in Truro. I thought – I believed he –’ She wiped her nose. ‘I know he never actually said – But he did tell me I was beautiful. He said no other girl had ever made him feel like I did. He said if I loved him I would – do what he wanted.’
Jess clenched her teeth and swallowed her temper.
‘He –’ Tegan’s voice faded. ‘He said it would be safe.’
‘Do you still love him?’
Tegan hesitated then shook her head. Jess had never seen such naked anguish. ‘He only had me for a bet.’
‘ What ?’
‘Amber texted me. She heard him talking to two of his mates in the car park after school. He told them where and when we’d done it and said they owed him the new Warcraft game.’
‘Oh, Tegan.’ Jess wondered why Amber, presumably a friend, had thought it necessary to pass on something so hurtful.
Tegan shook her head, tears flowing again. ‘I can’t believe he did that. He’s ever so good-looking and all the girls fancy him. When he started coming on to me it made me feel like I was special. Now they’re all laughing and I feel so stupid . We only did it once but I’m having a baby and people are saying horrible things about me. I wanted to tell Nan but I couldn’t because I’m not s’posed to go online.’
The knowledge that, despite his handsome appearance and expensive education, Jeremy Stanton was selfish, shallow, and totally untrustworthy would prove a valuable lesson for Tegan. But not yet: not while the wound was still raw and bleeding.
‘Trolls and bullies are cowards, Tegan. They hide behind their computers because they haven’t got the guts to admit who they really are. Nor would they dare to say these things to your face. But that doesn’t mean they can get away with it. I want you to take screenshots of all those posts, then forward them to me.’ She picked up a biro and used envelope from the clutter on the table and wrote down her email address. ‘Then delete your Facebook account.’
‘Why? What are you going to do?’
‘I’m going to get this stopped.’
‘How?’
‘I’ll tell you after. It won’t rebound on you, I promise.’ Getting up, Jess pushed the chair under the table. ‘When your nan gets home you must tell her about these horrible comments. You don’t have to show her or even tell her what they said. Just explain that they are the reason you’ve been so upset.’
‘She’ll be mad at me for going on the net.’
‘I expect she will. And that’s fair enough because she was right, wasn’t she?’
Tegan hiccupped as a sob caught in her chest, then nodded.
‘But most of all she’ll be relieved to know what has made you so unhappy.’ Jess studied the girl’s bent head. ‘Is there something else?’
After a long moment, Tegan nodded. ‘I did want to tell her. But I was
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