Summer's Edge (11 page)

Alice knew she should really head home and revise. Maybe an hour or so wouldn’t kill her so long as she didn’t drink anything.

"What do you reckon Becky?" She’d let Becky decide.

Becky was obviously keen to see Brett and Jules didn’t have an exam the next day so was up for it.

"Maybe," she told the cricketer. He looked slightly familiar. Perhaps she’d seen him in a bar.

He grinned at her and returned his focus to the game.

"He is really fit," Jules said. "You should go for it."

"I’m just not interested."

"Well I would be. If it wasn’t for Leafy obviously." The fact that Jules admitted this gave Alice her first ray of hope since the whole Leafy and crusties thing had begun. Old Jules was still in there somewhere.

"I told Brett we’d have to leave early because of Biology tomorrow. Do you think it will look too keen if we all go and hang out in the bar now?" Becky was fretting.

"I think you’re past that stage now," Jules said. "It’s not like you have to tiptoe around any more. You are his girlfriend now, officially."

Becky looked embarrassed but happy. "OK then."

They sat back to watch the final play. The dark-haired cricketer had been moved to a different location and since there was no one directly near them on the boundary, Alice got out her notes and did a bit more revision. She’d read it all a thousand times but you never knew. Maybe some critical fact or formula would stick in her mind just that much bit more with repeat readings.

* * *

They were the centre of attention in the bar after the match. The dark-haired cricketer zoned straight in on them bringing others with him including Graeme.

"You’re only on mineral water?" he asked Alice. "Driving?"

"Exam tomorrow."

"School or university? Where do you go?"

"School." If they were out on the pull they usually lied and said college but all the Gloucestershire players knew their ages because of Brett and Becky. "In Cheltenham."

"Really? That’s where I’m from, I went to school there too. Fairmount," he said.

"Same. You must have left a while ago, I don’t remember you."

"My little brother’s still there, doing his A-levels too."

The penny dropped for Jules. "You’re Joe Jackson aren’t you? Can’t believe I didn’t realise earlier. I heard you played for Worcestershire."

He smiled showing white, even teeth. "Big cricket fan then?"

"No, my dad is. But everyone’s heard about you because of Mike. Plus your name’s up on a plaque of glorious old boys."

Joe got a ribbing from the other players for this but laughed it off.

"Are you all coming to this party on Saturday night?" Graeme asked. It was at someone's house in Gloucester and everyone seemed to be going. It was a Bank Holiday weekend.

"Hopefully," Alice said.

"Look forward to seeing you there then," Joe told her. 

"You still going to be around?" Jules asked, thinking that the Worcester team would have moved on by then.

"We're playing in Birmingham, so not far." It was about an hour's drive down the motorway from Gloucester.

"You missed a huge night in Stroud the other week," Jules told Graeme.

"So I heard. And that your Headmaster was there too." He looked slyly at Alice when he said this.

"Mr Francis?" Joe asked, surprised. Fairmount still had the same Headmaster as in his day.

"Not their actual Headmaster. A mate of Chris's who's coaching at the school. Has a thing for Alice." Joe raised his eyebrows at this.

Alice wanted to sink through the floor, even more so when the man in question entered the bar the exact same moment.

"And here he is. Your round, Stewie?"

She dreaded to think how she looked to him, sitting at the bar surrounded by a load of guys. She looked at him but his expression was impassive, he gave her no signal whatsoever.

Jules was biting her lip trying not to laugh.

"You’re coaching my brother?" Joe asked him. "Mike Jackson?"

"Yes, he’s a good kid. Got some talent," Mr Walker said.

"Don’t tell him that, he’s as cocky enough as it is." Joe was sitting there with his arm on the bar in such a way that it was half around Alice. She saw Mr Walker notice this, briefly flick his eyes to hers and then look away. Her heart sank.

She didn’t know if Joe was deliberately trying to play up and annoy him, but he leaned slightly closer to Alice and even brushed her arm when he reached for a drink. He also made a point of getting her a new drink. Alice felt incredibly uncomfortable and hemmed in. She also felt guilty even though it wasn’t her fault.

Joe also brought up various reminiscences and anecdotes of former events and teachers at Fairmount, deliberately trying to establish a rapport with Alice and cut Mr Walker out. Joe was completely focused on her and it was hard for her not to respond without seeming rude.

Alice wasn’t sure if he liked the challenge, was trying to score against the more experienced man, or was acting out of some misguided rescue instinct.

She had always imagined that having two men contend over you would be hugely flattering, particularly when they were both so attractive. The reality was just awkward and embarrassing. She felt annoyed with Joe and bad for Mr Walker, and she was panicked that he might think that she was encouraging it.
 

He completely ignored her, not saying a single word to her. She couldn’t even try to include him in the conversation because he eventually sat apart from their group drinking with Chris.

It was a relief to finally leave.

"That was a bit of a chest baring," Jules said as they drove back afterwards.

"What do you mean?" Becky had been oblivious, wrapped up in Brett as usual.

"Joe Jackson putting the moves on Alice deliberately to rile you-know-who. I wonder if there’ll be a fight on Saturday?"

"I’m sure Mr Walker’s not going to the party." Alice said.

Jules laughed. "Of course he will. They’re all going. And more importantly, you’re going to be there."

"They won’t really fight will they?" Becky asked.

"I hope so," Jules said. "And that someone gets it on camera."

With the first exams done and dusted and no more for nearly another two weeks, they were ready for fun. The party that night was being thrown by one of the players in Gloucester. "It’s practically a mansion," Becky had told them.

"They don’t have mansions in Gloucester, it’s a hole," Jules said. She had been persuaded to come as Leafy was somewhere else roaming around the countryside in a convoy. The festival they had been heading to in Avon was cancelled and everyone had been driven away by the police.
 

Now they were all looking for somewhere else to go. There were news reports every night about travellers’ vehicles getting turned away all over the country. Mush, Leafy and their crew were currently stuck somewhere in a lay-by near Stroud.

"Let’s get dressed up tonight," Becky said. If they all glammed up it would be ok. Just one of them in a little dress if the others wore jeans would look odd.

Alice was tempted to go shopping for a new outfit but she also wanted to save her money for her trip. Particularly as her veterinary job was on hold until exams were over.

Becky being petite could get away with anything and had loads of great clothes passed down from her sister as well as her own wardrobe. She was spoilt for choice and willing to lend but everything was too small a size for the others. Jules and Alice could just about swap clothes though Jules was taller.

"Is this too nightclub?" Becky asked about a white frock she was trying on.

The problem with parties in summer was that they started ages before the sun went down. Nightclubs were easy, they never went until around pub closing time when it was long after dark. Alice didn’t want to look too sweet or too slutty. If Mr Walker was there - and in her heart of hearts she knew he would be - she wanted to make the right impression. He had only ever seen her in school uniform or jeans. And her tennis skirt, she remembered in embarrassment.

"White is more day, but it’s shiny-ish so you’re fine," Jules said.

Alice picked something short, black and backless. From the front it looked relatively demure. From the back it was anything but. If it turned out to be over the top she could just stand with her back to a wall.
 

"You can practically see your arse in that dress. I presume it’s for lover-boy’s benefit?" Jules herself was wearing something tight and purple she’d bought from Top Shop ages ago and the others had to beg her not to pair it with Doc Martens. Instead she was forced into a pair of Becky’s sister’s old heels that were half a size too small.

"You do look amazing Alice," Becky said. "Like a popstar or something."

Alice tried to protest out of embarrassment but even Jules agreed. "You are way more attractive than Maddy or any of those girls. They only get all the boys because of who they are at school. Plus everyone knows Maddy’s easy. But a guy like Joe Jackson isn’t going to be all over just anyone like he was over you the other day."

What Jules said about Maddy was true. If you weren’t in the top echelon of cool at school you simply didn’t date anyone else there. The premier clique dated one another, everyone else looked on. Alice’s former boyfriend had been from a different school.

"Won’t it be great to be past all that?" she said. "I can’t imagine anyone cares about that stuff at university." There would still be different social sets that formed but at least they’d get to start from scratch.

Because the party was too far for a taxi and they didn’t want the mortification of a parental lift, Alice offered to drive. It meant staying sober unless they all ended up crashing somewhere, but that had its benefits. If she’d made an idiot of herself in front of him when she was high at least she wouldn’t do so again.

"Graeme still likes you," Becky said to Jules. "He’s always asking about you."

"Just because Leafy’s not here it doesn’t mean I’m going to get off with someone else."

* * *

Happily the party was already in full swing by the time they arrived. It wasn’t exactly what Alice would consider a mansion but it was a pretty large house. She wondered who owned it and how trashed it would be by the next day.

Becky immediately went off with Brett when she found him and Alice and Jules ended up talking with a group of Somerset players.

"Are there any good clubs around here?" one of them asked.

"Rockefellas, if you like hairdressers and flinty looking fifteen year olds from Gloucester High," Jules said.

Alice was on edge wondering if Mr Walker was here already and if not when he would come, and if he would come at all.

Her dress was causing a bit of sensation. Some of the guys viewed it as an open invitation to grope her back. She might have found it funny if she’d had a few to drink and she wasn’t stressing about Mr Walker seeing her with a load of men again.

Rescue came in the form of Joe Jackson, who swooped in and put a protective arm around her.

"Hands off."

"Is this your girlfriend?" The Somerset players were apologetic.

"She goes to my little brother’s school. I’m her bodyguard for the night." He planned to be more than that though, Alice thought, judging by where his hand was.
 

Joe was caressing the base of her spine - no one could see, thank god - and she was trying to not like it. His fingers were trailing a really sensitive spot and making her skin shiver. Feeling guilty, she tried to arch her back and break the contact.
 

He laughed and put his arm further round her body, grasping her hip. This was worse. It actually looked like she was with him.

At any other time of her life she would have been over the moon about this. A guy a bit older than her, really good looking, a successful sportsman. But she wanted something different now, someone else.

They were plied with drinks on all sides and it was a struggle to stick to soft drinks. She kept telling people she was driving but the drunker they got the less they remembered or the less they cared.

Jules rolled her eyes. "Just have one Alice and we’ll figure out another way home. Your car will be ok here overnight."

Alice supposed Jules was right so accepted the next drink offered. Beer was pretty much the only option available.

"Going to finally get you drunk, am I?" Joe was really trying to put the hard word on her.
 

Of course it would be exactly at that moment that she saw Mr Walker. He was wearing a light blue shirt that matched his eyes and he looked amazing having been out in the sun all day. He had the kind of skin that went gold rather than sunburnt.

She tried to squirm away from Joe once again but it only made it worse as he grabbed her to him, thinking she was messing around. Mr Walker saw everything.

Jules was no help because Graeme had made a beeline for her and was chatting her up in the corner.

"It’s the Coach!" Joe said. "Is he still after you, Alice?" He called him over but Mr Walker just nodded and left the room. Alice was desolate.

"I have to find the bathroom." She slipped out of Joe’s grasp and headed in the direction that Mr Walker had gone.
 

Finally able to approach him she had absolutely no idea what to say. "Hi. I wasn’t sure if you’d be here."

He looked down at her. Even with her wearing heels he was far taller than her.

"Did you come with Chris?" she asked.

"I think you should get back to your boyfriend, Alice." He was firmly in school coach mode or trying to be.

"He’s not my boyfriend."

"He seemed to appreciate your dress." He let that one slip, she thought, and felt a tiny surge of joy.

"We only met the other day. I know his brother." It’s not how it looks, she wanted to say, but that was such a cliché. She wished Mr Walker would run his hand down her back. It was pretty much the only reason she had worn the dress.

Maybe if she just went to kiss him he would yield? Something held her back though, given there were so many other people around. It wasn’t that she minded them seeing but she didn’t want to embarrass and annoy him.