his weight, and I can feel just how turned on he is through his jeans. Almost in wonder and hardly believing my own daring, I reach down andbrush my hand between us, rubbing my palm over the bulge in his pants. Joe gasps and moves his hips away.
‘Ash, don’t, I’ll embarrass myself,’ he whispers in my ear, and I blush, realising just what he means. I scramble to sit up, not quite believing what I’ve just done, and straighten my top. My hands are trembling. He just sits there looking at me with a funny little smile on his face.
‘What?’ I ask, defensive.
‘You’re so hot,’ he says, and grins when I blush again, though inside there’s a little cheerleader shaking her pom poms. He thinks I’m hot! We sit and grin at each other for a few more minutes before I get out, nearly tripping because my legs are shaky.
‘I’ll see you tomorrow?’
‘Sure,’ I respond, which would sound a lot cooler if I wasn’t still grinning like I want to split my face. He gives me a little wave as he drives off and I practically run into my house. The dog bounces up to me with his tongue lolling and tail wagging, picking up on my mood.
I start to fix a sandwich, still thinking about Joe’s mouth and hands on me and the ‘hot’ comment, when Mum comes in from the door as fast as I did, looking like she’s just been laughing. I wave at her before it hits me that her hair is all mussed up and she’s got a silly grin on her face. Just like me, walking in after kissing Joe. I go past her into the hall and open the front door to see a car driving away that looks a lot like my dad’s. I crane my neck trying to see the number plate when Mum comes up behind me and takes the door, ushering me in.
‘Hurry up, it’s cold.’
‘Who were you out with again?’ I ask and she narrows her eyes at me.
‘Don’t question me, young lady, I should be asking you that. How did your date go anyway?’
She’s changing the subject on purpose, I just know it. My good mood deflated, I don’t want to talk to her about Joe, not even the good bits.
‘It was fine,’ I shrug. Mum looks disappointed and ruffles my hair, then goes into the kitchen. Normally I’d be getting twenty questions.
‘Night then,’ I say, and she turns and beams at me and offers her cheek for a kiss, but I know I’m right; there’s something going on. I hope it’s not Dad, I really do, but I don’t want to ask. Upstairs I take off my make-up, brush my teeth and throw myself on the bed, wanting to think about Joe but still worrying about Mum when my phone beeps. It’s him.
Home now. Nite gorgeous
.
And that’s all it takes to put the smile back on my face.
Chapter Four
Joe, Joe, Joe. He’s all I can think about, to the point that instead of taking notes in Sociology I’m doodling hearts and not very good flowers on the edge of the page, resisting temptation to scribble ‘Ash loves Joe’. I’m not fourteen anymore.
‘Ashley?’
I look up, puzzled, to see the teacher looking at me in bemusement and the rest of the class staring at me expectantly and realise he’s just asked me a question I didn’t even hear. Flushing, I desperately rack my brains to remember anything he’s said in the last five minutes, before he saves me any more embarrassment and moves on to someone else. The boy I’m sitting next to, Dwayne, looks at me and mouths, ‘are you okay?’ looking seriously concerned as if I might have a terminal illness or something. I just nod and cover my page with my arm, but he has already glanced at the hearts and looks away with a little smirk. I feel horribly exposed, and half turn my back to him. I like Dwayne and often eat lunch with him, but I’m not ready to share Joe just yet. Not even with Dannii, or perhaps least of all with her given her behaviour last night. She’s not in today, no doubt nursing a serious hangover.
This is different to any of my schoolgirl crushes; after all, something has actually happened. Every time I think
‘Ash, don’t, I’ll embarrass myself,’ he whispers in my ear, and I blush, realising just what he means. I scramble to sit up, not quite believing what I’ve just done, and straighten my top. My hands are trembling. He just sits there looking at me with a funny little smile on his face.
‘What?’ I ask, defensive.
‘You’re so hot,’ he says, and grins when I blush again, though inside there’s a little cheerleader shaking her pom poms. He thinks I’m hot! We sit and grin at each other for a few more minutes before I get out, nearly tripping because my legs are shaky.
‘I’ll see you tomorrow?’
‘Sure,’ I respond, which would sound a lot cooler if I wasn’t still grinning like I want to split my face. He gives me a little wave as he drives off and I practically run into my house. The dog bounces up to me with his tongue lolling and tail wagging, picking up on my mood.
I start to fix a sandwich, still thinking about Joe’s mouth and hands on me and the ‘hot’ comment, when Mum comes in from the door as fast as I did, looking like she’s just been laughing. I wave at her before it hits me that her hair is all mussed up and she’s got a silly grin on her face. Just like me, walking in after kissing Joe. I go past her into the hall and open the front door to see a car driving away that looks a lot like my dad’s. I crane my neck trying to see the number plate when Mum comes up behind me and takes the door, ushering me in.
‘Hurry up, it’s cold.’
‘Who were you out with again?’ I ask and she narrows her eyes at me.
‘Don’t question me, young lady, I should be asking you that. How did your date go anyway?’
She’s changing the subject on purpose, I just know it. My good mood deflated, I don’t want to talk to her about Joe, not even the good bits.
‘It was fine,’ I shrug. Mum looks disappointed and ruffles my hair, then goes into the kitchen. Normally I’d be getting twenty questions.
‘Night then,’ I say, and she turns and beams at me and offers her cheek for a kiss, but I know I’m right; there’s something going on. I hope it’s not Dad, I really do, but I don’t want to ask. Upstairs I take off my make-up, brush my teeth and throw myself on the bed, wanting to think about Joe but still worrying about Mum when my phone beeps. It’s him.
Home now. Nite gorgeous
.
And that’s all it takes to put the smile back on my face.
Chapter Four
Joe, Joe, Joe. He’s all I can think about, to the point that instead of taking notes in Sociology I’m doodling hearts and not very good flowers on the edge of the page, resisting temptation to scribble ‘Ash loves Joe’. I’m not fourteen anymore.
‘Ashley?’
I look up, puzzled, to see the teacher looking at me in bemusement and the rest of the class staring at me expectantly and realise he’s just asked me a question I didn’t even hear. Flushing, I desperately rack my brains to remember anything he’s said in the last five minutes, before he saves me any more embarrassment and moves on to someone else. The boy I’m sitting next to, Dwayne, looks at me and mouths, ‘are you okay?’ looking seriously concerned as if I might have a terminal illness or something. I just nod and cover my page with my arm, but he has already glanced at the hearts and looks away with a little smirk. I feel horribly exposed, and half turn my back to him. I like Dwayne and often eat lunch with him, but I’m not ready to share Joe just yet. Not even with Dannii, or perhaps least of all with her given her behaviour last night. She’s not in today, no doubt nursing a serious hangover.
This is different to any of my schoolgirl crushes; after all, something has actually happened. Every time I think
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