Gypsy Wedding (20 page)

What she also didn’t notice, however, was the fact that the more she ignored Chloe the more it riled her tormentor. She couldn’t have found a better way of irritating Chloe if she’d planned it especially.

It was about a week after her little chat with Kelly about sex that a particularly vile sick bug swept through the college. Half the students seemed to be absent with it and many of the staff. Lessons were cancelled and rescheduled as the administrators tried to minimise the disruption but with the timetables no longer being stuck to students were forced to check out the temporary arrangements every morning when they arrived. No longer could Vicky come in and cruise straight over to her class, instead, like everyone else, she had to check the notice boards which were on the wall down a side corridor.

She was standing in front of it, checking where she was supposed to be and at what time, when she felt a sharp jab in the ribs. She didn’t need to turn round to see who it was.

‘I don’t know why you’re here,’ said Chloe. ‘Pretending you can read and everything. Everyone knows that pikeys are as thick as pig shit.’

Vicky wasn’t going to get into an argument with her. She sighed and went to move away, but Chloe grabbed her shoulder and spun her round.

‘Don’t you ignore me,’ hissed Chloe. ‘Who do you think you are?’

She gave Vicky a shove, which propelled her into one of Chloe’s gang.

‘Watch where you’re going,’ sneered the girl and gave her another push, which made her cannon into someone behind her. Vicky realised that she was surrounded by Chloe’s mates and suddenly felt completely intimidated. Then one of the girls lashed out and kicked her shin. The pain was awful and Vicky felt tears well up.

‘Ooh, the gyppo’s crying,’ said another gang member.

Vicky looked over the girls’ shoulders for help. Where was a member of staff when you needed one – or Jordan? If he were here he wouldn’t let this happen. Maybe he was off sick. Maybe this was why Chloe had grabbed the opportunity to really have a go at her.

Then someone pulled her hair.

‘Ouch,’ she screeched. ‘Get off me.’ She swung her bag and caught one of the girls in the chest with it. In return she got another kick on the shins.

Her tears really began to flow, partly from the pain but also out of sheer fear. Unless someone else came along she was at the mercy of these girls.

‘Your mate Kelly’s not here to look out for you, is she,’ taunted Chloe.

‘If Jordan knew you were doing this he’d have something to say,’ said Vicky with a bravado she certainly didn’t feel.

‘Well, he doesn’t and you ain’t going to tell him, neither. Not if you know what’s good for you. Otherwise you’ll really get a slap.’ And to back up her words Chloe landed the flat of her hand on Vicky’s cheek. The crack rang down the corridor

‘Stop that!’

Chloe spun round, her face suddenly ashen. ‘Jordan!’

Vicky felt saggy with relief. The girls around her moved away and she took a step back so she could lean against the wall. Her knees were quivering so much she wasn’t sure if they’d hold her up.

‘What the fuck are you doing, Chloe?’ he stormed, his dark eyes blazing with anger.

‘Nothing. Just having a bit of fun, weren’t we, Vicky?’ Chloe tossed her hair defiantly. ‘That’s right, ain’t it?’

‘Fun?’ thundered Jordan. ‘I don’t think so. That’s your handprint on Vicky’s cheek.’

Vicky’s own hand flew to her cheek, which was wet with her streaming tears. It was still stinging.

‘I warned you, Chloe, I told you what I’d do if I caught you bullying Vicky. Well, you’ve gone too far this time. I did my best to keep you out of her way to save you from yourself but you just didn’t get the hint, did you. And the one time I’m not around you have a go. You’re sick, Chloe, and I want nothing more to do with you.’

‘You can go and fuck yourself, Jordan. You know what – I don’t know what I ever saw in you. You’re a loser. And you don’t dump me, you bastard, no one dumps me.’

She turned on her heel and stamped off, her gang of friends trailing after her all looking shamefaced.

Jordan turned his attention to Vicky. ‘You all right, babe?’

She nodded, still feeling shocked by the brutality and awfulness of Chloe’s attack.

‘Come here,’ said Jordan. He opened his arms and Vicky moved towards him. He enveloped her in a big comforting hug. She rested her head on his chest and felt her tears subside as she drew strength from him.

‘Did you really try to keep Chloe away from me?’ Her voice was muffled by his thick jersey.

‘Yeah, but I didn’t do a very good job, did I. Cocked up today and no mistake.’

‘Thank you.’

‘She really hates you, I don’t know why. Jealousy, maybe.’

‘That’s rich.’ Vicky turned her face upwards to look at Jordan. ‘What’s she got to be jealous of?’

‘Your looks.’ Jordan wiped away a tear on Vicky’s face with the ball of his thumb. ‘You’re beautiful.’

And then he kissed her. Not just a peck on the cheek, not a brushing of the lips, but a deep intense kiss, with his tongue at first gently probing her mouth and then growing in intensity. Vicky felt as if she was standing too close to an open fire as a wave of heat swept through her, pooling in her groin, and sensations she had never experienced before shook her. She felt herself melt against him and a tide of desire course through every vein and artery, down every nerve, leaving a wake of electric tingling throughout her body. Dear God, she’d never felt like this before. Even that first kiss from Liam when he’d asked her to marry him hadn’t been like this, hadn’t made her feel like this. Liam had just pressed his lips to hers, which had been nice, but this was something entirely different. This was just heaven.

‘Vicky?’ Kelly’s shriek from the end of the corridor brought Vicky back to reality.

Dear God, what was she doing, what was she thinking of? ‘No!’ She tore herself away from Jordan’s grip and stared at him, her eyes wide with shock as she realised just how badly she was behaving. She shouldn’t be kissing Jordan like this. This was almost like having sex with him. If word ever got back to Liam … ‘No!’

Kelly ran the ten yards to get to Vicky and confront her, but then she saw Vicky’s tear-stained face. ‘Vicky? What the hell …?’

‘Chill out, Kelly,’ said Jordan. ‘It was only a kiss. And anyway, what’s it to you?’

‘It wasn’t
only a kiss
, though, was it?’ said Kelly. ‘I saw the pair of you. You were practically shagging. And Vicky’s crying her eyes out. What the hell is going on?’

‘Chloe and a gang of her mates attacked Vick,’ explained Jordan. ‘She was really upset.’

‘So you thought that it would make her feel better if you tried to suck her face off.’ Kelly stood with her hands on her hips and glared at him.

Vicky glanced from one to the other, her face red with guilt.

Kelly turned her attention to her friend. ‘And you have every right to look as guilty as sin. What about your precious Liam?’

‘Liam? Who’s Liam?’ asked Jordan.

‘Her fiancé,’ Kelly replied.

‘Fiancé?’

‘She’s engaged, Jordan. She’s getting married in a few months’ time.’

Jordan turned to Vicky. ‘Married? You didn’t tell me.’

‘I … it’s …’

Jordan caught up her left hand. ‘You don’t even wear a ring,’ he said accusingly.

Silently Vicky pulled out the chain from under her blouse and showed him the diamond ring threaded on to it.

‘So why don’t you wear it? Are you ashamed or something?’

‘No, it’s … I got engaged when I was fifteen. I didn’t want awkward questions when I was at school so I only put the ring on at home. It’s sort of a habit now.’

‘Sounds more like a lie to me,’ said Jordan angrily. ‘All these years you’ve known me, all this time we’ve been friends, and you didn’t think you could trust me. All those times I’ve stood by you, tried to keep Chloe and her mates off your back, stuck up for you …’ He stared at her, confused, angry and upset. ‘I thought … I thought …’

‘You thought what, Jordan? That you were in with a chance with me? That I’d be so grateful I’d let you get off with me?’

‘No, nothing like that.’

‘Oh no, Jordan?’ chipped in Kelly. ‘I’ve seen the way you look at Vick. You’ve always fancied her rotten.’

‘Maybe I have, who wouldn’t, she’s a lovely girl.’

Kelly sighed. ‘But she’s not
your
lovely girl. She’s Liam’s.’

‘And I’m not taking her away from Liam. It was just a kiss. So what?’

But
, thought Vicky,
it wasn’t
just
a kiss
. It had been something far more mind-blowing than ‘just’ a kiss. That talk she’d had with Kelly, the way Kelly had described an orgasm, that warm and shaky feeling she’d been told about, was exactly what she’d experienced.
Is it possible
, she wondered,
to have an orgasm just by kissing?
Whatever, that kiss had been out of this world and she’d bet her last penny that Jordan had felt the same way.

‘Just a kiss, my arse,’ said Kelly with obvious disbelief.

Jordan, fed up with Kelly’s hostility, began to slope off. ‘And,’ he said, stopping after a couple of paces and turning, ‘if this is all the thanks I get, I’ll let Chloe carry on next time.’

‘Don’t, Jordan. I am grateful, really I am,’ said Vicky. ‘It was my fault too that it got out of hand.’ She turned to Kelly. ‘You’re right, Kelly, we shouldn’t have kissed. I was wrong.’ She took a step towards Jordan. ‘Thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been around. I owe you.’

Jordan shrugged. ‘Yeah, well. I’d keep out of Chloe’s way for a bit if I were you.’

‘Don’t worry, I will. She’s not going to be happy though, is she?’

‘You could report her for assault. I was a witness.’

Vicky gave an ironic laugh. ‘Oh yeah? Chloe and her mates would all swear I was lying and who would believe me – a pikey – against a bunch of nice middle-class college girls? Even with you on my side, it ain’t going to happen. Do me a favour.’

Jordan seemed to think about Vicky’s words, before saying, ‘I’ll warn Chloe that if she ever has another go at you I’ll make her name mud around the college. She isn’t the only one with a gang of mates, I’ve got friends too.’

‘Thanks, Jordan, but maybe it’s better to let it drop.’

‘If that’s what you want.’

Vicky nodded.

After Jordan had gone Kelly checked out the temporary timetable. ‘I don’t have a lesson till after the break. What about you?’

Vicky nodded. ‘The same.’

‘Fancy a coffee then? I need filling in on what Chloe did.’

The two girls made their way to the canteen and as they walked there Vicky told Kelly all about the attack.

‘The cow. How’s the cheek?’

Vicky rubbed it. ‘Still a bit sore. She didn’t half belt me.’

Kelly rolled her eyes and sighed. ‘I know what you said but that was a proper assault. Maybe you should see the principal about this.’

‘I don’t know. If I get Chloe into trouble she’ll just come after me again.’

‘If she hears about you kissing her boyfriend—’

‘Her ex-boyfriend,’ corrected Vicky. ‘Jordan dumped her on the spot. And she won’t hear anything about that though, will she. You won’t tell on me and I can’t see Jordan telling either.’

‘But still. She’s obviously a bit of a nutter. She really hates you.’

By now the girls had reached the canteen where they ordered two coffees and went to sit at a table by the window.

‘Kelly,’ said Vicky. ‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Depends.’

‘When your boyfriend kisses you, how do you feel?’

‘How do you mean?’

‘Do your insides go all jiggly?’ Vicky gave an embarrassed little laugh.

‘Sort of mushy like?’

‘Yes, that’s it.’

Kelly nodded. ‘Why you asking? Now, I mean.’

Vicky’s face coloured.

‘Oh, I get it.’ Kelly paused. ‘That kiss with Jordan. This is what it’s all about, isn’t it?’

Vicky nodded.

Kelly narrowed her eyes as she stared at Vicky. ‘But you and Liam … I mean, you’ve kissed
him
, haven’t you?’

Vicky shook her head slowly. ‘Not like that, not with … tongues.’

Kelly’s jaw sagged. ‘You’re joking me. I mean, I know you can’t go with him – not all the way – but you haven’t … you’ve never … shit, Vick, how on earth do you know that your marriage is going to work? If you’ve never even kissed him properly how do you know that you love him?’

‘I do love him, I’m sure I do, and marriages aren’t all about kissing and sex, you know.’

Kelly raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh no? There may be other things going on in a marriage but if you two can’t get it together successfully I reckon you’re going to have a pretty poor time of it. I can’t believe you’re not even allowed to kiss your fiancé. That’s awful.’

Vicky sighed. ‘Kissing is allowed, just not much. When a boy takes a fancy to you he’s allowed to grab you.’