they disapproved?
"Well…" she began, not sure how even to start.
"Brace yourselves," Susie said. "This is a big one."
Margery looked at them both in bewilderment. "What’s going on?"
Laura couldn’t take a deep breath because her chest felt so tense she could hardly get any air in. Staring at the floor, she said quickly and quietly:
"I spent the weekend with Mr Rydell."
There was a pause. Margery frowned and Charlotte burst out laughing. "Yeah, right."
"No, I really did. At his place."
Charlotte looked at Susie who was smiling like the Sphinx and then back at Laura. She saw how pale Laura looked, and the nervousness in her eyes.
"Christ, Christ, Christ on a bike. Bloody Hell. You’re not joking? What and when and how and why, and why didn’t you tell us?"
When had it started? Laura wasn’t even sure where to begin.
She did her best. How she’d liked him from the start and felt a connection with him. How he’d stopped and talked with her several times. How they’d been alone in his classroom. How it had suddenly… just happened. And how he had asked her to stay with him that weekend. She didn’t even get to the details of what happened.
"He’s your teacher, Laura. He’s so old. It’s just wrong." Margery was distressed and confused.
Charlotte was shocked but fascinated. "He is so gorgeous. I just can’t believe he would go for someone not even in the sixth form. This is true right? I mean this isn’t some joke between you and Susie?"
Susie was getting impatient. "So did it go well this weekend? Did you guys do it? Was he any good?"
Laura went red.
"Welcome to the club then," Susie said. "You can give us a detailed account when you’re ready." What she meant was when Margery wasn’t there, as Margery would only be horrified rather than intrigued by the details.
She left the room, and Charlotte fired dozens more questions at Laura, mainly pertaining to the early days of the affair. "I just can’t figure out how it could all have been going on under my nose."
Laura did her best to answer her questions. She was relieved that Charlotte wasn’t aggrieved at being kept in the dark, and didn’t seem to be against it all, unlike Margery.
"Nothing was actually happening, so there was nothing to see."
"But there must have been all these hidden undercurrents. Why didn’t anyone else pick up on it?"
Laura cast a glance at Margery, who was folding away clothes. "I noticed him always staring at her," Margery said. "But I never thought anything like this would happen."
She was actually upset. She genuinely disapproved. Laura felt a pang.
"Neither did I, not in a million years. It just got to the point that nothing else mattered." She wanted Margery to understand. But Margery had never been in love, let alone reciprocally.
"He kissed you in his classroom. What if someone had seen you?"
This was what Laura had been trying to explain. How when it happened that wasn’t even a consideration, not in the moment. Afterwards of course it became a terrifying concern.
Charlotte wanted to ask Laura for more of the juicy details of the past weekend, but Margery was putting a dampener on things. She and Susie would have to wait until they could get Laura alone.
* * *
"You’re not going to sleep for hours, are you?" Susie said to Laura when they were in the bathroom. There was a shared area with a row of basins separate from the bath and shower rooms. "Me neither, but then I never do. Let’s go out on the fire escape again."
Outside it was freezing cold, but they had wrapped up with dressing gowns and sat huddled on the hard ironwork of the stairs.
"So tell me all about it," Susie said. "I assume you actually did it. Was he any good?"
"I don’t really have anything to compare it to."
"Did you enjoy it? Did he get you off?"
Laura covered her face in her hands, feeling embarrassed.
"I’ll take that as a yes," Susie said. "At least with a older guy they should have some idea of what
"Well…" she began, not sure how even to start.
"Brace yourselves," Susie said. "This is a big one."
Margery looked at them both in bewilderment. "What’s going on?"
Laura couldn’t take a deep breath because her chest felt so tense she could hardly get any air in. Staring at the floor, she said quickly and quietly:
"I spent the weekend with Mr Rydell."
There was a pause. Margery frowned and Charlotte burst out laughing. "Yeah, right."
"No, I really did. At his place."
Charlotte looked at Susie who was smiling like the Sphinx and then back at Laura. She saw how pale Laura looked, and the nervousness in her eyes.
"Christ, Christ, Christ on a bike. Bloody Hell. You’re not joking? What and when and how and why, and why didn’t you tell us?"
When had it started? Laura wasn’t even sure where to begin.
She did her best. How she’d liked him from the start and felt a connection with him. How he’d stopped and talked with her several times. How they’d been alone in his classroom. How it had suddenly… just happened. And how he had asked her to stay with him that weekend. She didn’t even get to the details of what happened.
"He’s your teacher, Laura. He’s so old. It’s just wrong." Margery was distressed and confused.
Charlotte was shocked but fascinated. "He is so gorgeous. I just can’t believe he would go for someone not even in the sixth form. This is true right? I mean this isn’t some joke between you and Susie?"
Susie was getting impatient. "So did it go well this weekend? Did you guys do it? Was he any good?"
Laura went red.
"Welcome to the club then," Susie said. "You can give us a detailed account when you’re ready." What she meant was when Margery wasn’t there, as Margery would only be horrified rather than intrigued by the details.
She left the room, and Charlotte fired dozens more questions at Laura, mainly pertaining to the early days of the affair. "I just can’t figure out how it could all have been going on under my nose."
Laura did her best to answer her questions. She was relieved that Charlotte wasn’t aggrieved at being kept in the dark, and didn’t seem to be against it all, unlike Margery.
"Nothing was actually happening, so there was nothing to see."
"But there must have been all these hidden undercurrents. Why didn’t anyone else pick up on it?"
Laura cast a glance at Margery, who was folding away clothes. "I noticed him always staring at her," Margery said. "But I never thought anything like this would happen."
She was actually upset. She genuinely disapproved. Laura felt a pang.
"Neither did I, not in a million years. It just got to the point that nothing else mattered." She wanted Margery to understand. But Margery had never been in love, let alone reciprocally.
"He kissed you in his classroom. What if someone had seen you?"
This was what Laura had been trying to explain. How when it happened that wasn’t even a consideration, not in the moment. Afterwards of course it became a terrifying concern.
Charlotte wanted to ask Laura for more of the juicy details of the past weekend, but Margery was putting a dampener on things. She and Susie would have to wait until they could get Laura alone.
* * *
"You’re not going to sleep for hours, are you?" Susie said to Laura when they were in the bathroom. There was a shared area with a row of basins separate from the bath and shower rooms. "Me neither, but then I never do. Let’s go out on the fire escape again."
Outside it was freezing cold, but they had wrapped up with dressing gowns and sat huddled on the hard ironwork of the stairs.
"So tell me all about it," Susie said. "I assume you actually did it. Was he any good?"
"I don’t really have anything to compare it to."
"Did you enjoy it? Did he get you off?"
Laura covered her face in her hands, feeling embarrassed.
"I’ll take that as a yes," Susie said. "At least with a older guy they should have some idea of what
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