Andy's Shorties - 1. Prompt #199

“Here we go again,” Marcus said.

“What do you mean by that?” Peter asked.

“You! You look as though you’ve just been kicked square in the arse by the love bug.”

“So what if I have. I mean look at her; she’s gorgeous.”

“You don’t have to tell me; I’m gay, I’m not blind. I know she’s gorgeous, but so were Marcia, Stephanie, Karla-”

“Just what are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying, that you my friend, is what is colloquially known as a skirt junkie. All that it takes is a cute butt and smile and you’re anyone’s. Well, maybe not anyone’s,” Marcus added as he winked at his friend.

“You know I’m straight, Marcus.”

“And what a damned shame that is.”

Peter had never had a problem with Marcus being gay; it wasn’t even all that uncommon for the two of them to engage in some harmless flirting from time to time since Peter knew Marcus would never take it too far.

“Who is she Marcus? I’ve never seen her around before?”

“New girl, I guess. I certainly don’t recall seeing her before.”

The school bell sounded five minutes later and everyone filed in to their respective classrooms for morning registration.

“Good morning class,” said their teacher. “Now before we begin the day, I’d like to introduce a new student. This is Christine Summers.” Turning to the petite fourteen year old brunette who had so easily caught Peter’s attention, their teacher continued. “Christine, would you tell us a little about yourself.”

“I used to live in Caerfyrddin, but my parents and I moved here a few weeks ago as my dad was transferred to his company’s local branch.” Peter instantly fell in love with her soft Welsh accent. He now considered her to be absolutely perfect; lovely butt, lovely smile and lovely accent. As she continued talking, it was clear she was very shy; which as far as Peter was concerned, only added to her allure.

He didn’t hear anything else she said, as he slipped into a daydream fantasizing about her and the things he one day hoped to do with her, which only enhanced when he caught a whiff of her perfume; it was Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium. Opium was not usually a favourite of Peter’s as he found it far too overpowering, but somehow on this Welsh angel, it worked.

After Christine had finished introducing herself, she walked towards the back of the classroom to the only empty seat. Peter was mesmerised as she passed by him and then she accidentally brushed up against him, causing him to inhale sharply and get a noseful of her perfume.

His heart started racing and he could feel the blood pounding in his ears; could he actually be falling in love?

The school’s biggest fan of the ladies?

The boy who promised himself he’d never allow himself to feel anything but passing affection for any girl?

The boy who pledged he’d never allow himself to be in a situation that would allow him to be treated as badly by a girl, as his mum had treated his dad?

He knew he was falling in love; he was falling hard and fast. He was beginning to feel the first genuine spark of love for a girl in his life, and he was terrified by it. He started thinking all sorts of crazy things.

“What if she doesn’t like me back?”

“What if her parents don’t let me ask her out?”

“What if she already has a boyfriend?”

Then he thought something that was quite possibly the most bizarre thing he’d ever thought, and wondered where the hell it had even come from. “What if she has a girlfriend?”

Marcus kicked him underneath the table and he looked up.

“What?” Peter whispered.

“Close your mouth, you’re drooling.”

“I am not.” Peter unconsciously wiped around his chin.

“Damn, you do have it bad. Is this going to be a Joanna Nixen thing again? Because if it is, then I wanna get off this ride before it even begins.”

“No, this is not ‘going to be a Joanna Nixen thing again’. I think this is it.”

“What do you mean ‘it’?”

“I mean, I think I want her to be my first girlfriend.” Marcus rolled his eyes. “Marcus, you know what I mean. I want us to be boyfriend and girlfriend, you know and do all the romance stuff.”

Marcus let out a half-laugh half-sigh and said, “Damn, you really do have it bad.”

Registration finished and the kids all went off to their first class of the day. Peter and Christine had a double period of English Lit, so headed off to the third floor; while Marcus had a double period of chemistry, so he headed off to the lab block.

“Good morning class. Today I have a special treat for you all.” The class immediately perked up. A treat! Surely not? “Today, we start Shakespeare. We are going to be reading Romeo and Juliet.” The entire class groaned their disappointment; everyone that is, with the exception of Christine. “Just be thankful that this is a mixed school; imagine reading this in an all boys school.”

The only good part of the morning’s class as far as Peter was concerned, was that he got to read Romeo, while Christine got to read Juliet. Peter tried making polite conversation with Christine during lulls in the class; but she really was shy, barely saying more than two words at a time.

The bell sounded and the class was dismissed for morning break.

“Peter, so how’d it go? You made first contact yet?”

“I don’t know to be honest, she’s so shy.”

“When have you ever let a girl being shy stop you before?”

“I know, but this is different. Christine is different. I don’t want to just talk into it. I want her to like me, to feel for me what I feel for her.”

“Come on lover boy, let’s go play a game or something; I really don’t wanna spend break talking about your love life.”

Peter and Marcus spent the rest of morning break playing football with a few of the boys from their class.

After morning break ended, Peter realised to his horror that he wouldn’t be in class with Christine for the rest of the morning. He headed off to the lab block for chemistry, whilst Marcus and Christine headed off to their history lesson.

As the class settled in for a lengthy history lesson, Christine deliberately took a seat next to Marcus.

“Excuse me, it’s Marcus isn’t it?”

“Yeah. How’s your first day going so far?”

“Not as bad as I thought it might. You’re friends with Peter right?”

“For my sins. What’s up?”

Christine giggled. “He’s been . . . friendly towards me.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“I get the impression he’s after more than just being friends.”

“He might be. You’re a very attractive girl, and surely he can’t be the first boy who’s noticed you?” It was obvious to Marcus that he had said something to make Christine uncomfortable as she squirmed a little in her chair. “I’m sorry; did I say something to upset up?”

“I’m not very comfortable being noticed. I’ve had a few boys ask me out, but they always want something I can’t give them.”

“Christine, that’s nothing to be ashamed off. You’re fourteen years old, that kind of thing should be the furthest thing from your mind.”

“Oh God, I’m not talking about sex!”

“I’m sorry, I just assumed. You were asking me about Peter.” “Smart move” he thought himself, “change the subject”.

“Is he . . . interested? It’s just that I’ve heard things from some of the other girls in the class about him.”

“How do I handle this” Marcus thought to himself. “Yes, he’s interested. I can’t comment on what you may have been told about him, he is my best friend after all, but I will say this. I think he is genuine about wanting to get to know you better. I only ask that you give him a chance, and not let the school’s rumour mill guide you. He does have a reputation, and probably most of it deserved, but if he does ask you out, I ask that you give him a fair chance.”

The rest of the lesson passed quickly, as did lunch. For the last period of the day, all three of them were in separate classes, so Peter didn’t get a chance to pursue Christine any further, and Christine didn’t get the chance to tell Peter that she wouldn’t mind if he wanted to pursue her further.

Christine slowly walked home by herself, since nobody else in school she had met seemed to live anywhere near where did. She played over everything she had been told about Peter.

“He’s only interested in himself and what he can get”

“He wouldn’t know a genuine feeling if it walked up to him and kicked him in the balls”

“He’s not interested in a serious commitment”

“He just wants to cop a quick feel”

“That boy is only interested in what his dick can get”

It seemed that what Marcus had told her was right, “He does have a reputation, and probably most of it deserved”, but he had also said “if he does ask you out, I ask that you give him a fair chance”.

She wondered if was just Marcus being his friend, or if Marcus knew something. She had never had a serious boyfriend before. Yes, she was only fourteen, but friends of hers had boyfriends when they were twelve. She just wasn’t sure if she was ready to even think about something that serious. Of course she wanted a boyfriend, and she knew that one day she would have one; but from what she’d heard, she really wasn’t sure that Peter Macintyre was the right boy for her to have as her first. He certainly didn’t sound mature enough for some of what was to come.

Christine arrived back home twenty minutes later and let herself in the back door.

“Hey, Chris,” said her mum, Kerys.

“Hi, Mam.” God she hated it when her mum called her Chris, but she’d long since given up trying to change her mother’s ingrained habits.

“How was your first day at school?”

“It was okay, Mam. I just hated lying to everyone as to why we moved here.”

“I know, honey. You know why you need to lie though don’t you.”

“Yes, Mam. I really don’t want a repeat of what happened last year. I’m going to my room to do my homework. My first day at school and they’ve already buried me in it.”

“I’ll give you a shout when dinner’s ready.” Christine had just started to go upstairs when her mum added, “Oh, and Chris. Please don’t use my perfume in future without asking.”

“Sorry Mam, but you’d already left for work, or I would have asked.” She wondered what her mum’s problem was; after all, it’s not as though she had showered in the stuff.

She entered her bedroom and started changing from her school uniform into a sweater and tracksuit leggings.

She removed the butterfly hair clips she had worn all day, and then started removing her thin layer of make-up. She hung her school skirt back in the wardrobe, and threw her blouse into her laundry basket.

She tossed her bra and her two hated prostheses onto her bed. “God, I’ll be glad once I can stop stuffing my bra with these damn things and have breasts of my own” she thought to herself.

“Dinner’s ready, Chris! Come on down before it gets cold.”

“Coming Mam!” She then thought to herself “Would it really hurt to call me Christine once in a while, Mam”.

Kerys looked over as she walked into the dining room, and thought something that she knew she could never ever say to her only child.

“There’s my handsome boy. Now if only you could be happy being the boy that God made you.”

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