only.
She asked her Magic 8- Ball over and over again, ‘Is Tom thinking about me now?’ and its answer, quite creepily was always…
IT IS CERTAIN.
But really how far could you trust a fortune telling piece of retro plastic suspended in water?
Of course it didn’t stop her from asking a second question though, ‘Will I ever have sex with him?’
She turned it over and watched the many sided shape float to the surface…
SIGNS POINT TO YES.
God, how did four words have the power to make her stomach jump and goose bumps pop out all over her skin? She wanted to ask the same question again just for confirmation but feared it would say OUTLOOK NOT SO GOOD this time so she left it alone. Realising how crazy she looked she turned to her clothes again.
What could she wear to entice a grown man in the freezing cold?
She had no idea?
Her mind flitted between random subjects. Should she just forget it and agree to go out on a date with Steve, a boy from her business studies class who liked her. He had asked her out twice in two weeks and before Mr Chambers had arrived she would’ve considered it. He was funny and popular and unless she wanted to look like a virgin forever then she should really start dating. But with the feelings she had for Tom, there was no way she could do that, this thing would end up breaking her heart though, she was quite sure of it.
‘You’re taking those to Hill End?’ Stephanie stuck her head round the door as Alice was stuffing a pair of denim hot pants into her bag.
‘No, and why do you care anyway?’ Alice said quickly pulling them out again.
‘What’s going on with you, Alice? Are you seeing someone and not told me?’
‘Of course not, do you think I have time for boys whilst doing five A-levels?’
Alice stood with her hands on her hips facing her sister and couldn’t let the truth push its way out of her mouth, no matter how much she wanted to share it.
That was the other thing that puzzled her, if she didn’t truly believe that deep down this thing might actually be mutual, why was she so afraid to utter a word of it to anyone?
‘Jeez it only takes ten minutes Alice, you make it sound like sex will take you all the way up to revision week,’ she replied sarcastically, shrugging her shoulders. Just before she disappeared back round the door she added, ‘You know I’ve got that really cute red halter neck top that would just drive him crazy! Whoever he is, if you want to borrow it?’ Laughing she left the room.
Alice laughed too. Her sister really was a nightmare. But that red top was pretty nice. It wasn’t a cat suit admittedly, but hell who likes being seen in the same thing twice anyway?
HILL END
Tuesday 7 th November
M r Chambers raised the axe again and sent it chopping powerfully through the heavy piece of wood resting on the block in front of him.
Alice sat transfixed unable to look away. The flames of the campfire danced in front of her, lapping at the air and its crackling voice cut through the chatter of the people around her.
She could see only him.
Students were milling around, filling mugs with hot coffee and roasting sausages on skewers. Old tree trunks had been placed like benches around the fire and the night well and truly had set in.
It was cold, but sitting there beside the fires wonderful and seductive heat you couldn’t feel it. Across the clearing, a little way away from her, in perfect view… Tom worked steadily at his task.
He appeared different away from the classroom, from behind a desk, more real but also more distant. Like he actually had an existence beyond teaching, which of course he did.
She watched as he crouched down to gather the wood into a large pile. His denim jeans pulling snugly against his bum and thighs. He wore heavy walking boots and a blue and white check shirt with its sleeves rolled up to the elbow. Despite it being freezing he didn’t look cold at all, he looked at home.
Alice imagined him chopping wood in
She asked her Magic 8- Ball over and over again, ‘Is Tom thinking about me now?’ and its answer, quite creepily was always…
IT IS CERTAIN.
But really how far could you trust a fortune telling piece of retro plastic suspended in water?
Of course it didn’t stop her from asking a second question though, ‘Will I ever have sex with him?’
She turned it over and watched the many sided shape float to the surface…
SIGNS POINT TO YES.
God, how did four words have the power to make her stomach jump and goose bumps pop out all over her skin? She wanted to ask the same question again just for confirmation but feared it would say OUTLOOK NOT SO GOOD this time so she left it alone. Realising how crazy she looked she turned to her clothes again.
What could she wear to entice a grown man in the freezing cold?
She had no idea?
Her mind flitted between random subjects. Should she just forget it and agree to go out on a date with Steve, a boy from her business studies class who liked her. He had asked her out twice in two weeks and before Mr Chambers had arrived she would’ve considered it. He was funny and popular and unless she wanted to look like a virgin forever then she should really start dating. But with the feelings she had for Tom, there was no way she could do that, this thing would end up breaking her heart though, she was quite sure of it.
‘You’re taking those to Hill End?’ Stephanie stuck her head round the door as Alice was stuffing a pair of denim hot pants into her bag.
‘No, and why do you care anyway?’ Alice said quickly pulling them out again.
‘What’s going on with you, Alice? Are you seeing someone and not told me?’
‘Of course not, do you think I have time for boys whilst doing five A-levels?’
Alice stood with her hands on her hips facing her sister and couldn’t let the truth push its way out of her mouth, no matter how much she wanted to share it.
That was the other thing that puzzled her, if she didn’t truly believe that deep down this thing might actually be mutual, why was she so afraid to utter a word of it to anyone?
‘Jeez it only takes ten minutes Alice, you make it sound like sex will take you all the way up to revision week,’ she replied sarcastically, shrugging her shoulders. Just before she disappeared back round the door she added, ‘You know I’ve got that really cute red halter neck top that would just drive him crazy! Whoever he is, if you want to borrow it?’ Laughing she left the room.
Alice laughed too. Her sister really was a nightmare. But that red top was pretty nice. It wasn’t a cat suit admittedly, but hell who likes being seen in the same thing twice anyway?
HILL END
Tuesday 7 th November
M r Chambers raised the axe again and sent it chopping powerfully through the heavy piece of wood resting on the block in front of him.
Alice sat transfixed unable to look away. The flames of the campfire danced in front of her, lapping at the air and its crackling voice cut through the chatter of the people around her.
She could see only him.
Students were milling around, filling mugs with hot coffee and roasting sausages on skewers. Old tree trunks had been placed like benches around the fire and the night well and truly had set in.
It was cold, but sitting there beside the fires wonderful and seductive heat you couldn’t feel it. Across the clearing, a little way away from her, in perfect view… Tom worked steadily at his task.
He appeared different away from the classroom, from behind a desk, more real but also more distant. Like he actually had an existence beyond teaching, which of course he did.
She watched as he crouched down to gather the wood into a large pile. His denim jeans pulling snugly against his bum and thighs. He wore heavy walking boots and a blue and white check shirt with its sleeves rolled up to the elbow. Despite it being freezing he didn’t look cold at all, he looked at home.
Alice imagined him chopping wood in
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