Ruby by Heather Burnside (carter reed txt) 📗

They and a group of friends hid out in a clearing behind some bushes and guzzled from cans of cider, chatting and giggling till they felt merry.

‘So, go on, tell me, how was last night?’ Trina asked.

A mischievous smile lit up Nicole’s face. ‘It was great. We started snogging first but then he wanted to go further so we did.’

‘What, you mean, all the way?’

‘Yeah, why not? It’s not like it’s the first time, is it?’

‘Did you use anything?’ asked Trina.

‘No, he pulled out just in time.’

‘Jesus, Nicole; you wanna be careful! You don’t want to end up pregnant.’

‘Don’t worry, I won’t. He’s bringing some condoms with him next time.’

‘What was it like?’ asked Trina.

‘Fuckin’ brilliant! I loved it.’

Just then they were joined by two other friends, Emma and Clare, who were carrying a plastic bag containing several bottles of alcopop, a drink that Trina had never seen before, and puffing on cigarettes. They stopped and pulled two bottles from the bag then started drinking from them.

‘Why are you drinking fruit juice?’ asked Trina.

‘It’s not,’ said Emma. ‘It’s booze but it’s got fruit in it. Do you want to try some?’

Trina took a swig from one of the bottles. ‘Eh, that’s nice,’ she said. ‘Can I have a bottle? I’ll let you have some of our cider.’

They did a trade-off, then Trina soon returned to the conversation she had been having with Nicole before the two friends arrived.

‘Hey, have you two done it?’ asked Trina.

‘Done what?’ they both responded.

‘Had sex?’

‘Yeah,’ said Emma but Clare stayed quiet.

‘Fuckin’ brilliant innit?’ said Nicole.

‘Ew no, I didn’t like it,’ said Emma. ‘It fuckin’ hurt and then he came all over my legs and made a right mess.’

The other three giggled then Nicole said, ‘That’s because he’s crap at it. You need to do it with someone who’s good. Alex is brilliant.’ Then she turned to Trina and asked, ‘Why haven’t you and Zac done it yet?’

Zac Poole was a friend of Alex. He was a year older than Trina and one of the cool kids of his year. With boyish good looks, and a reputation for fighting, Trina had been overjoyed when he’d bumped into her in the park and asked to take her out. Not only did all the girls fancy him, but it also felt good to be the girlfriend of someone with his reputation.

‘I dunno. We’ve done other stuff but we’ve not gone all the way yet.’

‘You wanna watch he doesn’t go off with someone else. He could have any girl he wants. Alex told me there’s a girl he fancies in his year and if he doesn’t get sex with you, he’s gonna ask her out.’

Trina didn’t comment but thoughts were cascading around in her head. Although it felt good to be linked to Zac, Trina still had a profound mistrust of the opposite sex, which stemmed back to her childhood. Memories of her errant father, the seedy rent collector, her cocky cousins and the vicious boys who had attacked her were always at the back of her mind. But she didn’t feel comfortable confiding in her friends about all of that.

After they had been drinking for a while, and Trina was feeling more drunk than usual, they saw Zac and Alex appear through a gap in the bushes. The boys knew where Trina and Nicole hung out by now, and they had come to see them.

Nicole walked straight over to Alex, draped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, and it wasn’t long before they left the space in the clearing to find a more private spot. Zac approached Trina, and the other girls stood to one side, giving them some space.

‘You wanna come for a walk?’ he asked, and Trina nodded then followed him out of the clearing.

As they walked along the pathway he handed her a cigarette then took one for himself and lit them both. They smoked while they walked along arm in arm. Trina missed her footing a few times and giggled when Zac helped her to regain her balance. She felt euphoric, partly from the effects of the booze and partly because she was getting attention from Zac Poole.

‘Where are we going?’ she asked.

Zac nodded towards the park building in the distance, and smiled. ‘In there. We can have a sit down.’

‘Oh, OK,’ said Trina.

They eventually reached the building. It was open at the front with a bench running along the back of it. They sat side by side, concealed in the shadows. Zac hadn’t made much of an effort at conversation on the way there but now he reached across and put his arm around her shoulder.

‘Come on, let’s have a snog,’ he said, pulling her towards him till their lips met.

Trina complied with his wishes and as they kissed, she felt his hand on her breast. It gave her a shiver and she longed for him to go further. His hand soon moved to her neckline then slid under her top and inside her bra. When Trina felt his hand brush against her nipple a shiver of pleasure ran through her and she pushed her body against him, yearning for more.

He pulled away from the kiss but kept his hand inside her clothing, teasing each of her nipples in turn. ‘You like that, don’t you?’ he said, and Trina nodded, her inhibitions lost to the alcohol.

His other hand was soon inside her jeans, venturing downwards till he found her vagina and slipped a finger inside. Trina let out a squeal. The pleasure felt so intense and she continued to push against him till she was writhing in ecstasy on the bench.

‘Come on, let’s do it,’ he said.

In Trina’s alcohol fuddled mind, she wanted sex. It felt so good with him that she wanted to carry on and she also knew it was what he wanted. It would keep him with her and boost her standing amongst her friends. But when he entered her, it was a let-down.

Trina yelped as she