Open Writing

Bryony Palfrey was fifteen the first time she had imagined herself to be in love. On that occasion she was smitten with Kevin, a mechanic at the local garage. Whether it was pumping up her bike tyres or just buying some chewing gum, she’d found an excuse to hang out there to talk to him. At first he’d seemed flattered she was paying him so much attention, but after a few weeks he’d become fed up and had told her she was a silly little girl and to go away.

She didn’t really care, because by then she was deeply in love with Dave who worked on the railway station. Like Kevin, he’d initially seemed quite keen, but once he’d learned how old she was, he‘d told her she was gaol bait and to bugger off!

Then she fell in love with Jason who was in her class at school. She’d gone with him around the back of the bike shed and he’d kissed her. Not just any old kiss, but a real grown up kiss, like those she’d seen in the movies. Although, when he’d put his tongue in her mouth, she’d thought it a bit gross. It crossed her mind that maybe they should discuss the way she felt about it, but before she could say anything two other kids came there to have a fag. Then the bell to go back to class rang and the moment was lost.

She’d always had a good rapport with her mother and had been encouraged to believe there wasn’t a thing they couldn’t discuss. So when she got home from school, she’d told her she was in love with Jason and about the kiss. Her mother had really freaked. She’d said she was far too young to have a boyfriend and she was not to have anything further to do with Jason.

“But Mum I love him,” Bryony cried.

“The trouble with you, young lady, is you’re in love with the idea of being in love,” her mother replied.

Bryony thought her mother just didn’t understand and she wasn’t going to take any notice of what she’d said. She loved Jason and would go on seeing him if she wanted to.

The next day at school she handed Jason a note arranging to meet him around the back of the bike sheds at lunch break. This time she thought she would try putting her tongue in his mouth, to see if she liked it any better. When lunch time arrived she waited for Jason as arranged. He was ten minutes late and didn’t look too happy. “You silly cow,” he sneered, “why’d you tell your Mum? She rang up mine and told her to tell me I was to stay away from her precious daughter. We could have had a good thing going, but I’m not interested in a girl who blabs to her mother about everything she does.”

After that Bryony decided falling in love just wasn’t worth the hassle.

The following term she had a new Maths teacher, Mr Cameron. Paul Cameron. She liked that name. It had a sort of dignity about it and he was gorgeous. She rapidly felt herself falling in love with him. Bryony hated Maths. She was absolutely hopeless at it, but Mr Cameron always seemed to direct questions to her. She felt sure this must be because he was attracted to her. She decided to do something about it and this time she wouldn’t tell her mother. She was almost sixteen now so she could do as she liked.

“Mr Cameron,” she said, “do you think if I stayed back after school you could give me extra Maths tuition?”

Paul Cameron was relatively new to teaching and was naive enough to not realise how inappropriate it was to be alone after school with a fifteen year old girl. Instead he was delighted. This is what I have come into teaching for, he thought, to help students who really wanted to learn. “You could certainly do with some extra tuition,” he said, “we could start right now if you like.” Bryony took this as a sign he couldn’t wait to be alone with her.

“Come and sit up at my desk, we can spread your books out better there.”

Bryony placed her chair really close to his. She could smell his aftershave. It was lovely. She admired his long slim fingers and imagined them touching her. She rubbed her leg on his and was shocked when he pulled away. Maybe she should take the bull by the horns and tell him she knew how he felt about her.

“Paul,” she said, looking up into his eyes, “you do lust after me, don’t you? That’s why you agreed to meet me here?”

Paul Cameron spluttered. He stood up and backed away from her. “Let me see your school timetable,” he said.

This wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. She rummaged in her bag for her timetable and handed it to him. “I think,” he said,” rather than having extra tuition, it would be better if you were transferred into Miss Farrar’s Maths class. It is a lower streamed class which takes things a little more slowly. It would mean missing your free period on Friday and you would miss the arts and crafts class on Tuesday, but you’d get two extra periods of maths each week. Now I really must get going I have to go home, to my wife. “

That was not the outcome she had expected. Now she was stuck with two extra periods of Maths from old ferret face, Farrar. Anyway she didn’t think much of Mr Cameron now she’d seen him up close. He looked really old. She reckoned he must be about 30.

On the way home she sat next to a boy on the bus who went to ‘St Pats’. He told her his name was Craig and he was in year 13. He said he was going to university to do a double major in Computer Studies and Mathematics, next year. Briony thought this sounded a bit nerdy, but when he smiled she could see he had big dimples and nice straight white teeth. In fact when he smiled he looked very sexy. It made her feel hot all over.

“Gosh, you are going to study maths at university,” she said, “you must be frightfully clever.”

Craig smiled at her again and she was engulfed by a sense of weakness. “I’m hopeless at maths,” she told him. “I wonder could you come around to my place to give me some extra tuition on a Saturday morning. I’m sure my parents would pay you for it.”

“Sorry”, he said, “I play Rugby on Saturdays. I’m Captain of the first 15.”

“Oh wow! I just love rugby,” swooned Bryony. She didn’t really, she hated all sports. “I never miss a game on TV. Maybe I could come and watch you play.”

Craig smiled at her, “that would be great. If you like I could tutor you in maths on Sunday.”

Bryony had completely forgotten about Mr Cameron now. This was a chance encounter. Fate had brought her and Craig together. He had a few pimples around his chin, but he had that lovely smile and she just knew if she tried very hard, she could fall in love with him.