been straight with her.’ Elsie gave Jess a brief, fierce hug. ‘You’re some good friend.’
‘And you’ve got enough on your plate without this.’
‘I’ll go and get Tegan up. Like you say, she got a right to know what’s on.’
After closing the door on Elsie’s departing figure, Jess sat down and opened her laptop.
An hour later the three of them were sitting at Elsie’s kitchen table. Jess had her laptop open and read from the screen.
‘The law says that sexual activity is an offence if either or both people are under the age of sixteen.’
‘There –’ Elsie began. Jess raised a hand.
‘But it also says that the law is not intended to prosecute mutually agreed sexual activity between two young people of a similar age unless it involves abuse or exploitation.’ She looked at Tegan. ‘You agreed to what he wanted?’ She kept her tone gentle. The girl nodded. ‘He didn’t give you any alcohol? Didn’t offer you any kind of drug?’
Tegan shook her head.
‘These are questions the CPS – that’s the Crown Prosecution Service – will ask. Did you feel pressured?’
Tegan hesitated. ‘A bit. But I really liked him. He’d been following me for weeks. Nothing weird, just showing he was interested.’
‘What did you talk about?’
‘Films, music, video games.’ Her breath caught. She bit her lip and fought back tears. ‘Lots of girls liked him, but he chose me.’
‘How did that make you feel?’
‘Like I was special. He kept saying I was, and how he wanted us to –’ She gulped a breath. ‘That was on the Saturday. Then on the Monday he just ignored me.’
‘That must have hurt.’
Tegan nodded. ‘I made out it was my choice. That I’d gone off him. But Amber and the others could see I was hurt. I couldn’t understand why he’d changed. They said I must have done something to make him go off me. But I hadn’t.’
Watching her shred the tissue she was holding, Jess wondered how a boy on the verge of manhood could think that was acceptable, never mind amusing.
‘When you realised you might be pregnant what did you do?’
‘I bought one of those test kits. When it showed positive I did another test. I hoped it was a mistake. Then I thought if I told him maybe he’d be different.’ Tears slid down her cheeks. ‘He looked at me like – like I was dog mess he’d stepped in. He said it was my problem, nothing to do with him.’
As Elsie stiffened, Jess said, ‘I know it’s upsetting, Tegan. But these are questions the police will ask. Have you had any other boyfriends before or after him?’
Tegan shook her head as a sob wrenched her chest. ‘Like I told you, he was the first. After, when he wouldn’t speak to me, I felt such a fool. I just wanted to hide. I’ve never been with anyone else. He came on to me , I didn’t go chasing him. Yes, I liked him, but I never thought I stood a chance.’
Nor had she, not against a young man so clearly expert at manipulation. Jess could have wept. ‘Tegan, you were conned. You trusted someone who wasn’t worthy of it. That doesn’t make you a fool. It shows him up for the devious, lying bastard he is.’ She paused. ‘Unfortunately, because you agreed, and he didn’t use force, it’s unlikely the court would uphold a complaint.’
‘Well, that might be the law,’ Elsie said, stiff with fury, ‘but ’tis never justice. My little maid is the –’
‘Don’t call her a victim, Elsie,’ Jess interrupted. ‘That would give him power he doesn’t deserve.’
‘All right then. But it’s she who’ve been wronged. She’ve had all they wicked things said about her on the internet –’
‘About that,’ Jess said. ‘I asked Tegan to forward those messages to me.’ She glanced at Tegan. ‘Did you close your account?’
Tegan nodded. ‘I bet that hasn’t stopped people posting –’
‘No, but if you’re not reading them they can’t hurt you.’
‘What did you want them for?’
‘I sent
‘And you’ve got enough on your plate without this.’
‘I’ll go and get Tegan up. Like you say, she got a right to know what’s on.’
After closing the door on Elsie’s departing figure, Jess sat down and opened her laptop.
An hour later the three of them were sitting at Elsie’s kitchen table. Jess had her laptop open and read from the screen.
‘The law says that sexual activity is an offence if either or both people are under the age of sixteen.’
‘There –’ Elsie began. Jess raised a hand.
‘But it also says that the law is not intended to prosecute mutually agreed sexual activity between two young people of a similar age unless it involves abuse or exploitation.’ She looked at Tegan. ‘You agreed to what he wanted?’ She kept her tone gentle. The girl nodded. ‘He didn’t give you any alcohol? Didn’t offer you any kind of drug?’
Tegan shook her head.
‘These are questions the CPS – that’s the Crown Prosecution Service – will ask. Did you feel pressured?’
Tegan hesitated. ‘A bit. But I really liked him. He’d been following me for weeks. Nothing weird, just showing he was interested.’
‘What did you talk about?’
‘Films, music, video games.’ Her breath caught. She bit her lip and fought back tears. ‘Lots of girls liked him, but he chose me.’
‘How did that make you feel?’
‘Like I was special. He kept saying I was, and how he wanted us to –’ She gulped a breath. ‘That was on the Saturday. Then on the Monday he just ignored me.’
‘That must have hurt.’
Tegan nodded. ‘I made out it was my choice. That I’d gone off him. But Amber and the others could see I was hurt. I couldn’t understand why he’d changed. They said I must have done something to make him go off me. But I hadn’t.’
Watching her shred the tissue she was holding, Jess wondered how a boy on the verge of manhood could think that was acceptable, never mind amusing.
‘When you realised you might be pregnant what did you do?’
‘I bought one of those test kits. When it showed positive I did another test. I hoped it was a mistake. Then I thought if I told him maybe he’d be different.’ Tears slid down her cheeks. ‘He looked at me like – like I was dog mess he’d stepped in. He said it was my problem, nothing to do with him.’
As Elsie stiffened, Jess said, ‘I know it’s upsetting, Tegan. But these are questions the police will ask. Have you had any other boyfriends before or after him?’
Tegan shook her head as a sob wrenched her chest. ‘Like I told you, he was the first. After, when he wouldn’t speak to me, I felt such a fool. I just wanted to hide. I’ve never been with anyone else. He came on to me , I didn’t go chasing him. Yes, I liked him, but I never thought I stood a chance.’
Nor had she, not against a young man so clearly expert at manipulation. Jess could have wept. ‘Tegan, you were conned. You trusted someone who wasn’t worthy of it. That doesn’t make you a fool. It shows him up for the devious, lying bastard he is.’ She paused. ‘Unfortunately, because you agreed, and he didn’t use force, it’s unlikely the court would uphold a complaint.’
‘Well, that might be the law,’ Elsie said, stiff with fury, ‘but ’tis never justice. My little maid is the –’
‘Don’t call her a victim, Elsie,’ Jess interrupted. ‘That would give him power he doesn’t deserve.’
‘All right then. But it’s she who’ve been wronged. She’ve had all they wicked things said about her on the internet –’
‘About that,’ Jess said. ‘I asked Tegan to forward those messages to me.’ She glanced at Tegan. ‘Did you close your account?’
Tegan nodded. ‘I bet that hasn’t stopped people posting –’
‘No, but if you’re not reading them they can’t hurt you.’
‘What did you want them for?’
‘I sent
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