After a five-minute walk, Jed grabbed her hand and sat down by a tree. Not backwards in coming forwards, he pinned Frankie down on the sweet-smelling grass and plunged his tongue down the back of her throat.
Frankie succumbed to his kiss and then, as realisation kicked in, pushed him away. ‘I thought you wanted to talk,’ she said defensively.
Jed smiled. Her face was even prettier when she was angry. His mum was always trying to fix him up with fellow travelling girls. He’d slept with loads, but none of them had captured his heart. They were too common and tarty for him. Not like Frankie – she was feisty and beautiful.
Jed held her hand. ‘Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to be forward, but I had to kiss you. I remember you now. You were the little rawnie who stole my heart at Pat Murphy’s party. Memory like an elephant, me. I think you came to me dad’s house once and I sat in a car with ya.’
Frankie didn’t remember going to his house. ‘How comes we ain’t bumped into one another over the years, then? Your dad lives near me, don’t he?’ she asked.
‘I moved away. Me old mum caught me father at it, so we went to live in Basildon. Didn’t like it there much, although there was a good nightclub down the A127. Elliot’s it was called, but I think it’s shut down now. Shame, I could have taken you there for our first date.’
Frankie smiled. This boy was gorgeous. ‘What you trying to say? Do you want me to go out with you?’ she asked shyly.
Trying his luck again, Jed chuckled as he held her down. As he lay on top of her, he knew she was aware of his erect penis rubbing against her. ‘I’ll take you anywhere you want. I’ll treat you like a proper princess. Come out with me tomorrow.’
Frankie had never felt so sexual in her life. Richard Jones at school had tried to rub himself against her once. She had frozen and then punched him in the cock. Richard had screamed in agony and had never spoken to her again. With Jed it was different. His eyes, his cheeky smile, his erection – she was hooked by it all.
‘I can’t come out tomorrow. It’s mine and Joey’s sixteenth birthday today and me parents have organised this boring family barbecue for us.’
Feeling himself getting a little bit too excited, Jed rolled off her. ‘What about Sunday? Meet me Sunday.’
Frankie nodded. ‘OK. Where and when?’
Jed laughed. She wanted him and he knew it. ‘I’ve gotta mobile phone. I’ll give you me number and you can ring me tomorrow. Anyway, tonight’s not over yet.’
As he kissed her again, Frankie felt an unusual sensation wash over her. She had always known she wasn’t gay, like her brother, but most of the boys she had met had done nothing for her.
‘Just stroke it for me,’ Jed panted, placing her hand on his big, hard cock.
Frankie felt the fullness of it through his jeans. She had never really touched one before and it was massive, like a snake.
‘Do you wanna see it?’ Jed asked her.
‘Frankie, are you out here? Frankie, where are you?’
‘Shit – it’s me brother,’ Frankie said. She pushed Jed away, stood up and pulled herself together.
‘I’m over here, Joey. Just having a chat. I’m coming back in now.’
Joey glared at Frankie as she reappeared looking dishevelled. ‘What have you been doing?’ he whispered accusingly.
‘Nothing. Don’t fucking start on me. You bat the other way, remember?’ she spat back at him.
Annoyed, Joey grabbed Dominic’s arm. ‘Come on, leave her to it. We’re going back inside,’ he said.
Jed held Frankie’s hand as they walked towards the entrance of the club. ‘Dordie! Is he the other way, your brother?’
Frankie shook her head. ‘Not as far as I know. He’s had loads of girls,’ she lied.
Chuckling, Jed tilted her chin and kissed her with a passion. ‘I’ll think you’ll find he is, Frankie. I reckon that geezer with him is his boyfriend.’
Frankie shrugged. She wasn’t about to start discussing her brother’s private life with anyone.
As soon as they re-entered the Berwick, Jed went to get some more drinks and Frankie searched for Joey. ‘What you got the hump about? Where have the girls gone?’ she asked as she caught sight of him.
Joey spoke abruptly to her. ‘The girls have all gone to a party in Dagenham. They met some lads they knew. What was you doing with that boy? You were doing something, Frankie.’
‘Having a fucking kiss and cuddle, is that all right? Don’t go all psycho on me, Joey. I’m sure if I can accept the way you are and what you get up to, then you can accept that I’m only human, too.’
Feeling a bit silly, Joey hugged her. ‘I’m sorry, Frankie. You’ve never really had much track with boys and I was just worried about you. Who is he, anyway? He don’t come from round here, does he? He’s got a funny accent.’
Too frightened to spill the beans, Frankie lied. ‘His name’s John and I know him through an old friend of mine. I’m not sure where he comes from, but I think he’s from up north or somewhere.’
‘Me and Dom have had enough of it here now. We might go back to the B&B. Are you coming? You can bring John if you like. Dom’s got some drink,’ Joey said, hoping she had forgiven him.
Frankie smiled. ‘Give us five minutes and I’ll ask him if he wants to come.’
Jed laughed as Frankie repeated the story. ‘So I’ve gotta pretend I’m called fucking John, now, have I?’
‘Please. I’ve been thinking about that party years ago, and you knocked Joey out, if I remember rightly. I don’t want him to remember who you are.’
Desperate to get the beautiful Frankie alone in a bedroom, Jed promised he would keep his trap shut. ‘I’ll just say goodbye to me mates, give us a minute,’ he told Frankie.
‘Where are your mates? Shall I come with you?’ Frankie asked him.
‘My mates are vultures. They’ll take one look at you and they’ll all want you for themselves. Stay here and wait for me,’ Jed told her.
‘Are you ready?’ Joey said, spotting his sister standing alone.
Frankie looked around. Jed had been gone ages now and she was worried he’d had a change of heart. As she saw him bowling towards her, relief flooded through her body. ‘Here he is,’ she told her brother.
Outside the Berwick, Dominic jumped in a taxi.
‘I’ve got me pick-up truck here. Come with me,’ Jed told Frankie.
Unable to say no, Frankie told Dominic and Joey to go on ahead and climbed into the Toyota Hilux.
As Jed expertly swung out of the car park and followed the taxi, she smiled at him. ‘How old are you? When did you pass your test?’ she asked him, impressed.
Jed laughed. ‘I’m younger than you, you dinlo. Us travelling boys don’t need driving licences. We’re taught from an early age how to drive. I’ve been tugged before – got away with it, I did. I told the gavvers I was me brother. Me cousin gets hold of bent insurance certificates. Filled it out meself, I did. The gavvers are mugs, they know nothing.’
‘What’s gavvers mean?’ Frankie asked, bemused by his slang.
‘The police, you dinlo,’ Jed said laughing.
The B&B was a shit-hole bang opposite the A13. It wasn’t built to be paradise, but to serve a purpose for workmen and party-goers.
‘We’ll go in me brother’s room. His mate, Dom, has got a load of drink in there,’ Frankie informed Jed.
‘You go and grab the drink off them. I wanna spend some time alone with you, Frankie. We can’t chat properly in front of your brother.’
Dominic handed Frankie a bottle of vodka and two cartons of orange juice.
‘Are you sure you’re gonna be OK, Frankie? Please don’t do anything you’ll regret in the morning,’ Joey begged her.
Headstrong, Frankie waved away her brother’s fears. ‘Yous two have a good time. Don’t make the walls shake,’ she giggled as she shut their door.
Taking a deep breath, she entered the other room.
‘Come here, sexy,’ Jed said
, smiling at her.
As Frankie got under the flimsy quilt, she realised that Jed had taken his jeans and pants off. ‘Stop it,’she squealed as he put her hand on his penis. She had never felt a naked one before and it reminded her of the raw jumbo sausage that her dad cooked at barbecues.
Laughing, Jed poured out two large vodkas and handed her one. ‘You ever tried an E?’ he asked her.
Frankie shook her head. ‘I’ve heard about them, though,’ she replied casually.
She had to sound knowledgeable; she didn’t want Jed to think she was some stupid schoolgirl.
Jed lent out of the bed and pulled a small plastic bag out of his jeans. ‘I’ve gotta couple here. Shall we do one?’ he asked her.
‘I dunno. I’ve got to be home early,’ Frankie said awkwardly.
Jed put one on his tongue and washed it down with vodka. ‘Come on. It’s your birthday – enjoy yourself,’ he urged her.
Desperate not to look boring, Frankie took the white tablet from him and swallowed it.
‘There’s my girl. American burger, that is. They’re the bollocks, they are. Make you feel horny, they do.’
Frankie poured herself another vodka and orange. The tablet looked just like a paracetamol, and she was sure it wouldn’t do much to her.
Jed had a portable radio in the front of his truck and had brought it up to the room with him. ‘I need a slash, find a station,’ he asked Frankie, as he put his jeans back on.
Frankie got off the bed and felt herself go all weird. She felt happy, but very sick at the same time. As Jed came out the toilet, she raced towards it. ‘I feel funny, I think I’m gonna be sick,’ she mumbled.
Jed chuckled. ‘Bring it up. Looks like seaweed, it does. Once you’ve spewed, you’ll feel fine.’
Frankie’s heart was pounding as she looked at the weird-coloured stuff that had come from her stomach. ‘Wow,’ she said out loud. Jed wasn’t wrong, she now felt amazing.
Bounding out of the bathroom, Frankie grabbed his hand. ‘Turn the music up, let’s dance,’ she screamed.
Frankie and Jed’s high lasted all night.
At 6 a.m. Jed urged Frankie to lie on the bed with him. ‘I want you to be my woman, Frankie,’ he told her earnestly.
As his tongue connected with hers, Frankie let out a moan.
‘Let me fuck you,’ Jed whispered in her ear.
Frankie shook her head. She might be high, but she still knew what was right and wrong. ‘I do like you, Jed, but not tonight, not yet. I’ve only just met you.’
Jed couldn’t help himself. He usually got his own way with every bird he went for. He held his penis in his hand and tried to guide it inside Frankie.
‘No! I said no,’ Frankie said angrily.
‘Just let me put it in. If you don’t like it, I’ll pull it straight back out again,’ Jed pleaded with her.
As he tried to enter her, Frankie pushed him away. She wasn’t ready for this; it wasn’t right.
‘Please, let me do it,’ Jed begged her.
‘No. I said no and I mean fucking no,’ Frankie told him.
‘Just wank me off then, please,’ Jed said, grabbing Frankie’s hand.
Fuming, Frankie squeezed his balls as hard as she could.
Jed let out an almighty yelp. ‘Why did ya do that?’ he shouted.
‘I’ve had enough now, Jed. I’m going home,’ Frankie said, as she jumped out of the bed
‘I’m sorry. I couldn’t help meself. You make me so horny. Let me drive you home,’ Jed begged her. He liked this girl: she was so different from the others who always spread their legs so easily.
Frankie shook her head. ‘You stay here. I have to go home with Joey. My parents will go mad if we come home separately.’
Searching for the pen he always carried on him, Jed grabbed Frankie’s hand and wrote his number on her arm. ‘Please ring me, Frankie. I’m sorry if I was a bit forward, but it was only because I like you so much. Come out with me on Sunday? I’ll treat you like a princess, I promise.’
Frankie’s emotions were out of control. Meeting Jed had blown her mind, and her sensible side told her he was very wrong for her indeed. ‘I don’t know, Jed. My dad and your dad don’t get on. It ain’t gonna work,’ she told him bluntly.
Jed walked towards her and hugged her in a way she had never been hugged before. ‘Trust me, we’ll make it work. Fuck our dads, who cares what they think? I like you, you like me and nothing else matters. Let’s try and make a go of it, eh? What do you say?’
As Jed grinned, Frankie’s heart pounded. He wasn’t just trying it on – he actually was into her. With the E frazzling her brain, Frankie didn’t know if she was coming or going. How could she be with Jed? He had just tried to shag her without her consent. Desperate to get away from him, she picked up her jacket.
‘Goodbye, Jed. It was nice meeting ya. Take care of yourself.’
TWENTY-NINE
Jessica breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the front door close and the twins creep up the stairs. Joey had rung home last night, as promised, but it still hadn’t lessened her worry. She could never relax when the kids stayed out, and she’d lie awake imagining all sorts. Hearing a strange whining noise, she nudged her husband.
‘Ed, wake up. One of the dogs sounds like it’s crying. Go and make sure it’s OK.’
‘All dogs whine. It’ll be fine, Jess,’Eddie said grumpily. He had been in a deep sleep and wasn’t happy being woken.
‘Ah, listen to the poor little mite. Go and see to ’em, Ed. They might want to go out to do toilets. You brought them home. Go on, up you get.’
Mumbling obscenities to himself, Eddie threw on his trackie bottoms and stomped downstairs.
The twins lay top-to-toe in Joey’s bed. Neither of them were sleepy and they were whispering excitedly about the previous evening. As Frankie gabbled on, Joey sat up and stared at her. ‘You’ve taken something, ain’t you? Your pupils look massive and you’re talking all weird.’
‘No, I ain’t,’ Frankie said defensively. She could still feel the effects of the ecstasy tablet, and still felt quite high.
‘You’re lying. Did that fucking John give you drugs?’ Joey asked, his temper rising.
‘Sssh, Mum and Dad will hear. Do you wanna cause a riot? If you must know, I had half of one of them Es in the Berwick. Jed never gave it to me, somebody else did.’
Joey couldn’t believe how stupid she had been. If their parents found out, the pair of them would be grounded for life. ‘Don’t ever do that again, Frankie. You don’t know what’s in the bloody things. And who’s Jed? I thought the bloke you was with was called John.’
Frankie took a deep breath. She couldn’t tell anyone who Jed was – not yet, anyway. ‘I said John. You must be hearing things,’ she told Joey.
‘Are you gonna see him again?’ Joey asked.
‘I don’t know. I need to get some sleep now, I’m going back to me own room,’ Frankie replied haughtily.
Joey grabbed her arm. ‘You haven’t told me what happened yet. Did you do anything with him? You didn’t have sex with him, did you?’
‘No, of course I didn’t,’ Frankie replied, pulling her arm away. Joey questioning her was making her feel paranoid and she needed to be left alone. ‘I’ll tell you all the gory details later,’ she whispered, as she shut his bedroom door.
Frankie walked into her own room and quietly closed the door. She sat down at her dressing table and studied herself in the mirror. She looked out of it; her eyes were the giveaway. ‘Shit,’she mumbled, as she remembered the barbecue that was planned for later.
She cursed herself for having taken the bloody tablet in the first place. How was she meant to sit and be normal in front of her parents and grandparents when she felt totally out of her nut? She crawled into bed and shut her eyes. Jed’s face was at the forefront of her mind. He had been too forward for her liking, but no boy had ever made her feel the way he had.
Frankie had taken Jed’s number, but
she hadn’t given him hers. She shut her eyes and pictured Jed’s face. He had eyes that twinkled when he smiled. She loved his lopsided grin, his dark, wavy hair. Even his funny accent set her pulse racing.
Thinking of his rock-hard penis, Frankie shuddered with excitement. Jed might be bad news, but she had to see him again. It was the only way to get him out of her system.
Joyce and Stanley arrived promptly at one on the dot. ‘Are Raymond and Polly here yet?’ were the first words out of Joyce’s mouth.
‘No, they’re coming later,’ Jessica said, ushering her parents into the lounge.
‘Where are the twins?’ Stanley asked.
‘In bloody bed. Went out with their friends last night, they did, and they’re still in the land of nod,’ Jessica replied in annoyance.
‘What the hell is that?’ Joyce screamed as two bundles of fluff jumped onto her lap.
Eddie smiled at his mother-in-law’s horrified expression. ‘Meet Buster and Bruno, Joycie, the new additions to the Mitchell household.’
Begrudgingly stroking their heads, Joyce was appalled as Buster got a little overexcited and urinated on her dress. ‘Oh, look at me new frock! Get ’em off of me. Quick, take ’em away!’ she screamed.
Stanley and Eddie looked at one another and burst out laughing.
‘Don’t worry, Mum, I’ll get a cloth. It’ll come out – it’s only a little splash,’ Jessica said, glaring at the men.
Eddie followed Jessica into the kitchen. ‘I’ve got a bit of a confession to make, babe. I rang me Uncle Reg yesterday and invited him over for the barbie. I felt a bit guilty ’cause I ain’t seen much of him recently. I didn’t think he’d accept, but he rang me back and said Paulie and Ronny are coming too.’
Jessica was not impressed. ‘Oh, Ed, it’s meant to be the kids’ birthday party. They barely know your family.’
Eddie hugged his wife and kissed her on the forehead. ‘I’m sorry, it just escalated and I could hardly say no. Come on, cheer up. I picked another few trays of meat up, so we’ve got plenty of grub. It’s only one day, Jess, we can get through it, me and you.’
Jessica sighed. Eddie’s family turning up was the last thing she needed, but she could hardly tell him to uninvite them at this late stage. For years, Eddie had welcomed her family with open arms, so it wouldn’t exactly hurt her to entertain his for once. She smiled at him. ‘Don’t worry, Ed. We’ll all have a great day. Can you pour Mum and Dad some drinks while I go and wake our lazy children?’
The Feud Page 26