her clothes. She fancied Jonathon something rotten but never thought she stood a chance. They had so much in common. She and Jon spent ages happily chatting together at school but they’d never seen each other out of it. She’d dreamed that something might happen at the party, but never thought it would. The way he’d leaped on her! She’d actually gasped with surprise. It might have been just a party snog, but he’d been so enthusiastic – it had to mean something. No one had ever told her that a stiff knob means a stiff knob and no more.
‘It was just a snog,’ Jonathon told Dino in the kitchen a little later.
Dino pulled a face. ‘I don’t know how you could do it, that’s just gross,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘Gross.’
‘What’s gross about it?’
‘She’s fat.’
‘She’s not that fat,’ he said, and Dino replied,
‘Fat enough.’
Jonathon tried to be dismissive. ‘A snog’s a snog, so what?’ he said. He thought of suggesting she had nice tits – something he’d heard people say dismissively about a girl they’d been with they didn’t fancy – but he just couldn’t do that to her.
‘She still has feelings you know,’ said Ben severely. ‘Just because she’s overweight …’
‘Fat,’ said Dino. ‘She’s fat.’
‘She’s plump,’ said Ben. ‘Some people find that very attractive.’
‘People like Jonathon,’ said Dino, and Ben snorted in amusement.
‘Better than Jackie the beanpole,’ said Jonathon.
Dino rolled his eyes. Who did he think he was kidding?
‘She’s a nice person and she’s very fond of you, just don’t hurt her, that’s all,’ said Ben.
‘Fat’s fat. That’s all there is to it,’ pointed out Dino.
‘She has feelings.’
‘Just fat feelings, though,’ said Jonathon, who was utterly unable to resist a joke; and then felt awful the way both of them looked at him. His head was whirling. At that moment Jackie and Sue emerged meaningfully out of the crowd and cornered him.
‘Are you serious about Debs?’ asked Sue.
‘What?’
‘Are you serious about her?’
‘What?’
‘Don’t keep saying “What!”’
‘Do you really fancy her?’ asked Jackie severely.
Jonathon was horrified. Part of him refused to give Dino the pleasure of thinking that he didn’t fancy Debs merely because she was fat; part of him was scared of Ben and the girls thinking he was just using her; and part of him genuinely liked Deborah and didn’t want to hurt her. He just didn’t fancy her, but he wasn’t sure he had any right not to.
‘Well? Do you?’
‘You’re being a bit quick, aren’t you?’ said Ben.
‘She’s really fond of you, do you know that? She really likes you,’ said Sue. ‘You don’t know how lucky you are, she’s such a nice person. You’re not just stringing her along, are you?’
‘No, of course I’m not …’
‘Do you fancy her then?’
Jonathon writhed, caught between Dino, Ben and these fearsome young women. ‘Well, yes of course I fancy her, I was kissing her, wasn’t I?’ On the tip of his tongue were the words, ‘But that doesn’t mean …’ But somehow they couldn’t emerge.
‘Good.’
‘You’ve done it now,’ said Dino after they’d left. ‘They’ve probably gone to tell her that you want to go out with her.’
‘I didn’t know you felt like that,’ said Ben.
‘Neither did I,’ said Jon. He pushed his way through the crowd to escape. He was definitely not in control of the situation.
‘So you like fat girls too, then,’ Dino told Ben, leering at him. Ben smiled blandly and slipped away to the back door.
The fact was, Ben was jealous. Not of Deborah herself, although he liked her. He was jealous of the sort of relationship she and Jon could have together. They got on well together. He thought how comfortable they’d looked on the stairs. He wished them well.
Bollocks, he thought to himself, as he stuck his head out into the garden and gulped down the cool air. All these lovely
‘It was just a snog,’ Jonathon told Dino in the kitchen a little later.
Dino pulled a face. ‘I don’t know how you could do it, that’s just gross,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘Gross.’
‘What’s gross about it?’
‘She’s fat.’
‘She’s not that fat,’ he said, and Dino replied,
‘Fat enough.’
Jonathon tried to be dismissive. ‘A snog’s a snog, so what?’ he said. He thought of suggesting she had nice tits – something he’d heard people say dismissively about a girl they’d been with they didn’t fancy – but he just couldn’t do that to her.
‘She still has feelings you know,’ said Ben severely. ‘Just because she’s overweight …’
‘Fat,’ said Dino. ‘She’s fat.’
‘She’s plump,’ said Ben. ‘Some people find that very attractive.’
‘People like Jonathon,’ said Dino, and Ben snorted in amusement.
‘Better than Jackie the beanpole,’ said Jonathon.
Dino rolled his eyes. Who did he think he was kidding?
‘She’s a nice person and she’s very fond of you, just don’t hurt her, that’s all,’ said Ben.
‘Fat’s fat. That’s all there is to it,’ pointed out Dino.
‘She has feelings.’
‘Just fat feelings, though,’ said Jonathon, who was utterly unable to resist a joke; and then felt awful the way both of them looked at him. His head was whirling. At that moment Jackie and Sue emerged meaningfully out of the crowd and cornered him.
‘Are you serious about Debs?’ asked Sue.
‘What?’
‘Are you serious about her?’
‘What?’
‘Don’t keep saying “What!”’
‘Do you really fancy her?’ asked Jackie severely.
Jonathon was horrified. Part of him refused to give Dino the pleasure of thinking that he didn’t fancy Debs merely because she was fat; part of him was scared of Ben and the girls thinking he was just using her; and part of him genuinely liked Deborah and didn’t want to hurt her. He just didn’t fancy her, but he wasn’t sure he had any right not to.
‘Well? Do you?’
‘You’re being a bit quick, aren’t you?’ said Ben.
‘She’s really fond of you, do you know that? She really likes you,’ said Sue. ‘You don’t know how lucky you are, she’s such a nice person. You’re not just stringing her along, are you?’
‘No, of course I’m not …’
‘Do you fancy her then?’
Jonathon writhed, caught between Dino, Ben and these fearsome young women. ‘Well, yes of course I fancy her, I was kissing her, wasn’t I?’ On the tip of his tongue were the words, ‘But that doesn’t mean …’ But somehow they couldn’t emerge.
‘Good.’
‘You’ve done it now,’ said Dino after they’d left. ‘They’ve probably gone to tell her that you want to go out with her.’
‘I didn’t know you felt like that,’ said Ben.
‘Neither did I,’ said Jon. He pushed his way through the crowd to escape. He was definitely not in control of the situation.
‘So you like fat girls too, then,’ Dino told Ben, leering at him. Ben smiled blandly and slipped away to the back door.
The fact was, Ben was jealous. Not of Deborah herself, although he liked her. He was jealous of the sort of relationship she and Jon could have together. They got on well together. He thought how comfortable they’d looked on the stairs. He wished them well.
Bollocks, he thought to himself, as he stuck his head out into the garden and gulped down the cool air. All these lovely
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