by Kiki Archer
‘May I join you?’ she asked directing her attention towards Freya.
‘Go for it girlfriend,’ jumped in Jodi. She stood up, not very far, she was only 5ft2, and pulled up her loose fit jeans, only a third of her branded pants now on show. ‘I was just nipping to the ladies. There is always a queue here, so I may be a while.’ Jodi scurried off making funny eye movements to Freya as the reflector strips on her tight t-shirt beamed light in all directions.
Freya sat motionless with the stunningly attractive woman about an inch away. A younger looking Elle McPherson with something unique, Jodi had declared when earlier assessing her beauty. Freya hadn’t commented, all she knew was that she had never seen anyone quite as beautiful as her before; and now she was sat here, next to her, looking at her with perfect blue eyes.
‘Hi, I’m Kat,’ she spoke in a warm and soft voice looking directly at her.
‘Freya,’ said Freya trying her best to stop her heart from jumping out of her slightly revealing black top.
Kat bit her bottom lip and looked in the direction that Jodi had just taken.
‘She’s my cousin.’
‘I thought maybe -’
‘No, no...’ she paused in an attempt to gain composure, ‘no she is just showing me the sights.’
‘And do you like what you see?’ The quick comment caused a deep wave of embarrassment to course across her cheeks. What on earth am I doing? She cursed herself, feeling devastatingly out of practice.
Freya propped herself up and urged her confidence to grow, ‘I think you know the answer to that.’
Kat’s heart started to pound, Freya was making her nervous. There was something about her green sparkling eyes that was drawing her in and controlling her gaze; the chemistry was incredible. She had been out of it for a while but this was unmistakable, a buzz of something new, something fresh, something real.
Freya met her warm blue eyes and whispered, ‘You are stunning.’
Kat could feel her heart growing and smiling inside; just go for it she told herself. She realised that she had never been a typical student and that her behaviour had been far from outrageous, so as she sat on her final weekend as a ‘student,’ she plucked up the courage and spoke softly, ‘I would really love to kiss you right now.’ Jess and Lucy would be proud.
Freya had never felt so much romance in such a direct way. She managed to nod her head slightly and Kat moved closer. It felt like slow motion. When the gentle lips touched her own Freya felt a sensation run all through her body, pure emotion, pure power, and pure lust. Kat kissed her slowly, softly parting her lips and feeling the warm mouth against her own. The feeling was so tender, so caring and yet so arousing. Kat kissed deeper and Freya responded kissing her back with as much meaning and passion as she had felt in a long time. Freya never wanted it to end. It was without doubt the best kiss she had ever had. It had so much energy without being hard, so much emotion without being soft and so much meaning. So much meaning for her because she knew in that one kiss that it was this she wanted, this was what she was, this was her, meaning brought to her life by this kiss.
Kat met Freya’s green eyes as she opened them after what seemed like an eternity. ‘I think I did this the wrong way round, but can I buy you a drink?’ she smiled a warm and genuine smile, completely embarrassed by her uncharacteristic forwardness.
‘Yes please,’ was all Freya could manage.
Kat made her way to the bar and noticed the winks from the other side of the dance floor where Lucy and Jess were now trying to do the Gaga.
Freya’s haze was rudely shattered by a sharp grab on the arm and a swift yank off the sofa. Jodi hauled her up and literally pushed her out of the open fire doors.
‘Go Go Go!’ she shouted, ‘Oh Shit if she catches me I am in the absolute shitter.’ Jodi was screeching as she rushed them onto the street and hailed a taxi throwing Freya inside.
‘What on earth are you doing?’ she cried finally catching her breath. Their black taxi pulled out of Lord Street and onto the Expressway.
Jodi glanced over each shoulder making sure the neon lights from the club were disappearing safely into the distance. She caught her breath. ‘My ex, Trina was in the queue and tried to corner me, I had to run, I can’t be dealing with all that shit again. She was literally chasing me. She is a psycho.’ Jodi relaxed as the bright lights of the expressway started to stream past her window. ‘Phew. Sorry babe. Are you ok?’
Freya didn’t know what to feel, what had just happened? All she knew was that she had just experienced the best moment of her life to date.
Monday 6th September 1.40pm
‘Right,’ said Kat, ‘we have a fantastic class size, just ten of us, so first of all I want to find out a bit more about all of you.’ She leant back slightly and perched gently on the edge of her wooden desk, ‘What you got in your History AS last year. What you hope to get this year and then maybe something interesting about yourself.’
Kat realised that she would be making quite accurate assessments of each of them in the next twenty minutes or so, as would they of her. She reached for her smart black register, ‘Ok, Harley Adams, you are first.’
Harley seemed to prune his hair every time he embarked on a sentence as if getting ready for the masses of dialogue to come. ‘Well, Miss Pendleton didn’t like me-’
‘Not interested in that,’ she cut in.
‘Sorry Miss, crikey you are firm but I love it! Anyway I got a C in AS, but then I had also just split up with my boyfriend, he is twenty three Miss, and there was stress, but anyway I need a B this year-’
‘Thank you Harley,’ she announced, firmly signalling the end of his time slot. Kat noticed the two lads sat at the middle desks, there could have been ten years between them, but both were looking incredibly shy. Tom Wood had a full, slightly ginger, goatee beard and Kat judged him to be at least 6ft1, completely taking over his chair and table. The other lad, Jason Sparrow, looked about twelve; fresh faced, keen, glasses, smart shirt and trousers, and very red cheeks. She hadn’t noticed their quiet exchange as Harley continued his monologue, both admitting to one another that their soldiers were saluting the new fit History teacher and they prayed they would not have to stand up and speak.
‘Ok, Beatrice Belshaw please.’
‘Hi Miss, it is Bea.’
Kat looked across the room and saw a beautifully exotic, naturally tanned girl with her hand raised. She noticed the clothes and bag, they did not flaunt their brand but she could tell they were highly expensive, pairing this with the model looks and pout Kat began to make a judgement; then Bea spoke again. ‘Ok, I’m Bea, I got a B last year, I love History, I want to get an A and I am willing to work really hard, and something interesting about me is that I love poetry,’ she enthused.
‘Yeah she won the young poet of the year competition last year,’ declared Harley, the fountain of all knowledge.
She smiled a soft shy smile that contradicted her dark passionate looks and Kat realised she had been wrong, Bea was actually thoughtful, sensible and nicely modest.
Friday 3rd September 10.45pm
‘Typical,’ laughed Kat, ‘a gorgeous girl, a perfect kisser and what happens ... she can’t get away from me fast enough.’ She scanned the busy room. ‘Did you see where she went?’ already realising that her two best friends had been far too busy throwing shapes on the dance floor to notice.
‘Nope, sorry hun. Plenty more dogs in the pound,’ shouted Lucy.
‘What?’ frowned Jess.
‘Oh you know what I mean, but I didn’t mean dog, she was stunning. Well done. Back in the saddle.’
Kat smiled, ‘That is the last time I take your advice!’ She shook her head and gently bit the inside of her lip. ‘She was lovely though, she had the most gorgeous green eyes-’ she snapped out of it. ‘Hey ho, nothing is spoiling my night, let’s dance ladies.’
Jess watched Kat’s blue eyes, they always told the real story, disclosed her true feelings and Jess could see no
w that she was trying to hide her disappointment and embarrassment. But as the night went on and the drinks continued to flow Kat concluded that the evening had been everything she had hoped for - fun, flirting and friends; she had everything and more. She was filled with pride and emotion, she had done it; she had made it.
‘The next chapter of my life starts in two days,’ she toasted, somewhat nervously.
Monday 6th September 1.45pm
‘Ok, next up,’ clapped Kat really relaxing into the lesson, ‘Freya Elton’.
Silence.
‘Is Freya here?’
A timid hand appeared in the far corner, someone had shuffled so far down into their seat that Kat had failed to notice them before. As Freya sat up, raised her hand and met her teacher’s eyes, Kat’s heart pounded. Oh Shit.
Chapter 2
‘What the friggidy frig am I going to do?’ hollered Kat as she swung open the weighted apartment door.
Jess and Lucy were stood at the large black ash table looking really pleased with themselves, presenting a buffet and wine, ‘Ta Dah! Happy first day Miss Spicer.’
The modern apartment was impeccable as always, lots of floor space, two large black leather sofas decorated with masses of red cushions, and a lovely high tech black kitchen - diner with splashes of red accessories complimenting the theme that ran through the open plan living area. They had three large double bedrooms all with roman blinds that opened to reveal stunning views of Coldfield Park.
‘Don’t girls, don’t!’ wailed Kat as she fell backwards onto the cold leather sofa, popping her head back up to say, ‘but thank you.’
‘What’s happened Hun, did they pick on you?’ exclaimed Jess in her most sympathetic, yet told you so tone of voice. Her red hair was bouncing around as curly as ever. ‘Obnoxious little nerds the lot of them!’ Jess worked with children and had since decided that she didn’t ever want any, the only area of dispute between her and Gary. She had quickly come to realise that her job as primary school secretary was much more than just typing and filing, constantly bombarded with children with body pains and playground grazes, all of which seemed remarkably healed with a slightly damp, green paper towel. There were children who wanted her to pull out their loose teeth, squabblers who were told to cool off right next to her hatch; they were everywhere. The paperwork side of the job was great, but the interaction with those clingy, little people - who clearly loved her to pieces - she could do without.
‘No it’s bloody worse than that, I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it. I am fired, they will fire me.’ Kat covered her face with a large red bobbly cushion. ‘I might as well just resign tomorrow!’
Jess signalled to Lucy that this must be serious. Rarely did their flatmate swear and rarely did she over dramatisize events. ‘What’s happened hun?’ she asked genuinely concerned.
‘Freya, the girl I kissed on Friday ... she is in my BLOODY CLASS!’
Jess took the party sausage back out of her mouth. ‘Which class?’
‘My school class today, my A - Level! She was sat in my BLOODY A - LEVEL CLASS!’ Kat wailed still in shock.
‘OH MY GOD!’ shouted Lucy leaving the buffet behind and racing to the black leather sofa. ‘This is hilarious!’
‘No it BLOODY isn’t.’
‘Oh shit, sorry mate,’ said Lucy shaking her blunt black fringe, trying desperately to compose herself.
‘Yes, oh shit.’ She breathed deeply, relieved to have finally been able to let off steam. It had been hard work to maintain her poise in the staffroom at the end of school when asked by Janet Louza how her first day had been.
‘Does anyone else know?’ asked Jess concerned, but still standing in close enough proximity to the buffet.
‘I don’t know, I don’t think so.’ She sat up and regained her composure. ‘I’m so sorry about the swearing, that just isn’t me. I just don’t know what to do, I can’t believe it. I am in absolute despair.’
Lucy clicked her fingers and grinned, ‘Ok, so let us get this straight,’ she liked to summarise and clarify everything, ‘the gorgeous brown haired lady ... who looked about twenty five ... that you snogged the face off on Friday night ... is actually a seventeen year old girl in your A - Level History class?!’ Lucy had to keep pausing in an attempt to stifle her giggles. ‘Well that’s put a fly in the dung.’ She loved using the little sayings that she had recently discovered in her Auntie’s pristine toilet. She thought they made her sound wise and endearing, and was intent on practising them so she sounded thoughtful and clever when Mr Right finally showed up.
‘Yes, what on earth am I going to do?’ whined Kat all hope lost. Three years training and she had lasted a day, fantastic.
‘Well what did you do?’ asked a pragmatic Jess, offering around a large packet of ever so moreish Hob Nobs.
Kat declined. ‘I just carried on. She introduced herself, said she was called Freya - like I didn’t know - said she got an A last year, which someone else told me was the only one in the class.’ She paused remembering Freya’s intense presence. ‘She seems really bright you know... and her eyes, they were so sharp, as if-’ she focused back on Jess, ‘... anyway, sorry, then she said she plays tennis for Coldfield Tennis Club-’
‘Kat you love tennis!’
‘Yes I know thanks Lucy. Anyway she just said she would work hard and try her best.’
‘Ah that’s sweet,’ said Lucy reaching for the depleted packet of biscuits.
‘So I just said hello back and carried on. I introduced the class to the 1834 New Poor Law, you know, the one which was passed by the government of Lord Melbourne and which largely implemented the findings of the Royal Commission...’
Lucy could see it in Kat’s eyes, she was off, enthusing about something no one else had ever heard of, something about old peasants or something like that. ‘What did she look like? Was she in uniform? Hit me baby one more time,’ she sung laughing at her own giggly excitement. ‘Sorry, sorry, I just think it’s quite funny. You weren’t to know.’
‘I know I wasn’t.’ She sighed with despair, ‘She is in Year thirteen and they wear what they want.’
Jess had so far made three return trips to the buffet table for just one more mouth sized sausage and now decided to make her way to the foot of the black leather sofa with the tray. ‘What was she wearing?’ She was just as nosy as Lucy but tried to sound objective.
‘Um,’ Kat didn’t have to remember, the vision of Freya was etched into her mind. ‘Just a pink shirt and pale blue skinny jeans. To be fair she looked great.’
‘Is she out?’
It had not even crossed her mind. ‘I don’t know.’
Jess knew Kat would be in turmoil. ‘What did you feel when you saw her?’
She took a deep breath and looked up at the high white ceiling. ‘Honestly it was shock, then just embarrassment, more for her than for me. Then I don’t know, regret I guess.’ Kat looked down, ‘I just felt awkward, poor girl.’
‘So no thoughts of snogging her again in your dimly lit store cupboard?’ probed Lucy, trying her hardest not to be titillating or shallow.
‘No!’ she exclaimed. ‘No, no, no, no, no.’ She was chopping her palm with her hand. ‘No way. It’s gone, it’s forgotten, I’m her teacher and that is how it has to stay.’ Kat didn’t mention the way Freya’s pretty green eyes seemed to ache as they met hers at the end of the lesson, and she was not ready to admit to herself, let alone her housemates, the way that had made her feel.
Jodi sat in absolute stunned silence as she heard the full unedited story from Freya. ‘You lucky bitch! That is my number one absolute fantasy.’ Jodi preened her bleach blonde quiff and shuddered with desire. ‘I once bumped into my French teacher in the swimming pool and spent the whole time, goggles on, under the water.’ Jodi closed her eyes dreamily, ‘I still remember now how her massive breasts bobbed up and down, and up and down -’
‘This is serious.’
‘Sorry babe. Ok what do you want me to s
ay?’ asked a calmer, more thoughtful, but very jealous Jodi.
Freya looked around the single room flat. It was cosy and warm, always reminding her of a little den. Jodi’s prized music posters hanging from the walls, the main feature piece of the room being the purpose brought super king size bed with red satin sheets. It was the perfect retreat for when Freya wanted to chill or gossip or just hang out. Jodi was good like that.
‘I want you to tell me everything will be ok. That she won’t think I misled her into kissing me. That she won’t think of me as some stupid schoolgirl,’ Freya went quiet and felt her heart quicken, ‘that she will like me.’ She pushed herself up against the red suede headboard, ‘She was just so vibrant today, so motivating, and so intelligent. Even big Tom thought he was capable of getting an A by the end of the lesson.’ She paused remembering the connection, ‘... and the kiss. I mean I have literally not stopped thinking about it.’ She closed her eyes and her whole body tingled as she re-lived Kat’s delicate smooth mouth pressed against hers, her touch, her perfume. It was a rich smell of flowers and amber and other things that she could not distinguish even today as she inhaled the same scent passing her on the way to the door.
Freya had actually thought she was going to faint when she saw Kat through the glass topped door adjusting her shirt and sorting her hair, neither of which needed altering; she had looked perfect. Freya literally stopped breathing and sank to the bottom of her seat in the corner of the classroom as Kat sashayed in with the same elegance and confidence that she had had when approaching her on Friday night. Freya didn’t know what she had hoped Kat would do when she finally realized she was there, in her class, in her school class. Did she want her to say, ‘Phew I thought I would never see you again?’ Or ‘Never mind that I am your teacher lets go out on Friday because there was an unmistakable chemistry between us?’ Freya was not stupid and could tell by the way Kat handled the class that she was the absolute professional. Firm but fair was the class’s initial assessment when debriefing their new teacher in the Sixth Form common room, oh and ‘Bloody gorgeous as well,’ Big Tom had added, promising not to miss a single class this year.