Stolen Girl (10 page)

‘Yeah,' I gasped, my fingers fumbling deep down in my school bag to show him. I held it up in mid-air as if to prove it.

‘Great, give me your number, then I can text you.'

I told him my number and he tapped it quickly into the keypad.

‘Er, what's your name?' he asked suddenly.

‘Katie,' I replied, unable to wipe the grin off my face. ‘Katie Taylor.'

‘Katie,' he grinned. ‘Nice name.'

I swallowed my nerves and watched as he keyed in my name and stored it on his mobile phone. I could hardly believe this was happening.

‘Right, Katie, I'll call you, okay? Keep your phone near you so you can see when I text you. Have you got credit on it?'

‘Yep,' I nodded.

‘Great, well, I'll call you soon. And remember, keep your phone with you.'

I smiled back at him. It was a big, soppy grin but I couldn't help it or wipe it from my face. I was beside myself with excitement. Saying goodbye, I ran back along the dirt path towards the shops and the flat. My head was light and my heart so full of joy I thought it would burst. This boy had left school, he was all grown up, almost an adult, yet he fancied me.

I bet he could have any girl he wanted, yet he wants me,
I thought smugly to myself as I turned the key in the lock. I wished I could have seen the girls' faces at school – this would shut them up!

Mum was upstairs making a cup of tea as I reached the top of the flat stairs. Phil had his hands on her waist, the way my dad used to, and he was nuzzling small kisses into the side of her neck. She batted him away but all too soon she let him do it again and she squealed with joy when he did. Normally, I hated seeing them kiss like this but today I didn't mind because today, something good had happened to me. I had a secret but, I decided, I wouldn't tell a soul – this was mine to keep.

Today, I'd got myself a boyfriend and not just any boyfriend, this was a gorgeous older boy and he fancied me. Then I realised something: I didn't even know his name.

‘
I
’ve just realised, I never told you my name,’ the voice said on the other end of the line. It was the boy I’d met behind the shops, the one who said he’d fancied me.

‘No,’ I replied, trying to hide the excitement in my voice. I was sitting in my bedroom, whispering into my mobile so that Mum and Phil wouldn’t hear. I wanted to keep my secret boyfriend just that – a secret.

‘It’s Sarim,’ he replied.

I formed the word with my mouth and, in a silent whisper, I repeated it over and over to myself.

‘But my friends call me Sam for short,’ he added.

‘Are you still at school?’

‘Oh no,’ Sam replied, ‘I left a few years ago. I’m eighteen now and I work in a restaurant.’

I was impressed. Not only was my secret boyfriend loads older than all of my friends, he also earned his own money.

‘Wow!’ I gasped.

‘Listen,’ said Sam, ‘do you want to meet up sometime so we can hang out together?’

I could think of nothing else I’d rather do.

‘That’d be great!’

‘Good, I’ll call you tomorrow then. Okay?’

‘Yep,’ I replied. I liked the fact he was older, that he made decisions and took control. Not like Dean; he was still a kid.

‘See you then.’ Sam said and he hung up.

I pressed ‘end call’, held the phone against my chest and tried to steady my racing heart. I had a secret boyfriend and he was nothing like the other boys at school I knew. I was mesmerised. Sam was cool and grown up
and
he had a job! My whole body felt light. I didn’t really know what love was but I was beginning to wonder if this was it.

The following night I ran straight home from school. I lay on my bed with my mobile at the side of me, watching it, waiting for it to light up and ring. Around 5pm it did.

‘I’m outside behind the shops – see you in a minute,’ he said.

Pushing the phone into the back pocket of my jeans, I grabbed a hoodie and made for the door.

‘Where are you going?’ Mum asked. She was in the kitchen, stirring something in a pan.

‘I’m just going to call for Sophie, to see if she’s in.’ I lied.

Mum nodded approvingly. She’d been worried I’d not made any friends at the flat, so if I said I was meeting Sophie, I knew it’d keep her off my back for a while.

‘Okay, good. Don’t be long, though – your dinner will be ready in less than an hour.’

‘Okay,’ I yelled as I dashed downstairs to the door and the street below.

Sam was waiting for me when I ran up the dirt path.

‘Nice hoodie,’ he said, nodding in approval. I’d chosen it especially because I knew he was trendy and it was the coolest thing I owned.

‘Thanks,’ I said, a little breathless from all the running.

For the next hour Sam asked me about myself and how I’d ended up living above a shop.

‘It’s complicated,’ I sighed, and I began to explain all about Mum, Dad and Phil. Sam sat on the wall and listened intently to everything I said. He asked me questions too, as though he was really interested. It felt good to have someone to talk to, someone who was interested.

‘How about you?’ I asked, realising that I’d hijacked the entire conversation.

But he shrugged. It was clear he didn’t want to talk about himself or his family.

The time flew by and when I finally glanced down at my watch, I realised that I’d already been longer than an hour.

‘Sorry, Sam,’ I panicked. ‘I’ve got to go, I’m really late.’

‘Okay,’ he sighed, jumping down from the wall, ‘but I’ll see you again, won’t I?’

My heart leapt with joy.

‘Yeah, of course,’ I mumbled, flushing bright red at the attention.

Sam leaned in and put his hand around the back of my head. Soon our lips were touching as he kissed me. Other than Dean, it was the first time I’d been properly kissed and I felt unsure of myself because Sam was older. I was worried I’d do something wrong and look stupid. I didn’t want Sam to think I was an idiot schoolgirl because I didn’t feel like that when I was with him, I felt special and kind of grown up.

Moments later, he pulled away.

‘You better go; you don’t want to get into trouble,’ he smirked, giving me a playful shove.

‘See you tomorrow?’ I asked hopefully.

‘Sure.’

I turned and ran back home.

The following night we talked some more but this time we kissed for longer. I didn’t even mind when Sam eased his hand up inside my top and felt under my bra. This was what boyfriends and girlfriends did; this was normal.

I wanted to tell Lauren. She was my best friend and we didn’t keep secrets from one another but it was obvious that Sam hadn’t told anyone about me because he wouldn’t tell me anything about himself. He was a closed book, so I guessed he’d want to keep us a secret too.

A week or so later, I met him in the usual spot. His face lit up when I approached. It made me feel good. Suddenly, he pulled a large bunch of keys out from his back pocket and dangled them in front of my face.

‘What are they?’ I asked.

‘Keys to the restaurant. Do you want to come with me? It’ll be more private there.’

‘Okay,’ I shrugged.

I knew it’d be good to spend time somewhere nicer than the dirt path. A restaurant sounded lovely, romantic even. But first, Sam had some instructions for me. He’d set off, walking ahead, and I would follow but I couldn’t get too close to him in case people guessed we were together.

‘I’m not allowed to date white girls,’ he said by way of explanation.

‘Okay,’ I agreed, but part of me felt a little put out. I
wondered if he was ashamed to be seen with me. But I loved Sam and I wanted to make him happy so I shook the negative thoughts from my head.

Ten minutes later, after trailing through street after street, we reached the back of another parade of shops. Sam walked down a narrow alleyway and stopped at a black metal door. Finally, with a wave of his hand, he signalled over to me and beckoned me forward.

‘Over here,’ he whispered.

I dashed over to him and slipped in quickly through the metal door at the back of the restaurant. Once inside Sam closed the door tight and reached up above my head and slid a thick metal bolt across the top of it.

‘There,’ he said, turning to face me, ‘nice and private.’

He leaned in for a kiss and I giggled as I felt his mouth against my neck. His hands were roaming under my clothes and up and down my body but I didn’t mind. This was love and I was smitten with Sam; he was everything I wasn’t. He was sophisticated, good-looking and cool. I imagined the nasty girls and what they’d say if they saw me kissing this older boy. They’d be green with envy.

Soon, one thing had led to another and when Sam undid my jeans, I let him. Before long he’d undone his jeans too.

‘Do you know what a blow job is?’ he asked.

I covered my mouth and began to giggle. I knew what one was but I felt embarrassed.

‘Here,’ he said, guiding my head down to his crotch, ‘I’ll teach you how to do it.’

I was thirteen, and I knew I shouldn’t be doing things like this with a lad I hardly knew, but Sam was different. He was my boyfriend; he was kind and loving. He called me ‘babe’ and he
made me feel like one. He called me gorgeous, sexy and beautiful and told me I was special. I loved hearing those words. They made me feel good. I was still seeing Dean but our relationship seemed so immature compared to the one I now had with Sam. He was the real deal. I couldn’t help it; I knew I was falling in love with him. He made me feel older, sexy even, not like some stupid schoolgirl. With him I could leave my old life behind.

After we’d had oral sex, Sam sat down and pulled out a roll-up cigarette from his jacket pocket.

‘Do you know what this is?’ he asked, grinning as he played with the thin white cig between his fingertips.

‘A joint?’ I guessed.

‘Yeah, that’s right. It’s a joint. Have you ever had one before?’

I nodded. I hadn’t smoked a full joint but one of my brother’s friends had once let me have a puff on one when Dad was out. My parents would have gone crackers if they knew but I never told them and I knew that Andrew wouldn’t either.

‘Here,’ Sam said, handing me the joint, ‘Have some, it’ll relax you.’

As I inhaled the smoke I felt a sense of calm envelop me as if every muscle in my body had been switched off and tuned into chill-out mode. We smoked the joint, passing it between us until it was just a stub in my fingertips. Sam noticed and took out another one. He lit it and we smoked that one too.

Afterwards, my head swam and my body felt so light that I was certain I could float. Sam watched as my eyes rolled back in my head. He lifted me up onto a metal worktop and laid me down on top of it. He pulled out a condom from his pocket and rolled it on himself. His body felt hot and firm as he rested his weight upon me and we began to have sex. I was so stoned that I don’t remember much more about my first time with
Sam. But I didn’t care: Sam was a man and I still couldn’t believe that someone like him would fancy me.

When he’d finished, Sam jumped to his feet and dressed himself. He must have helped me put my clothes on again because as I came round, I realised that I was almost fully dressed again. He seemed in a rush.

‘I’ll take care of you,’ he said, finally caressing me in his big strong arms. ‘Do you hear me, Katie?’ he repeated. ‘I’ll take care of you.’

I believed him. That’s what I loved about Sam; he was the only person who wanted to take care of me. Sure, Mum fed me when I came in from school but she was so wrapped up in her new life that I doubt she’d have even noticed if I wasn’t there. I loved my dad but I hardly ever saw him now. Occasionally he would text or call me, and he’d come to the flat but it was always awkward because we’d have to stand outside talking. It felt uneasy, stilted and odd.

But Sam was different: he made me feel wanted and gave me the attention I so desperately craved. A few days later, when he told me that he loved me, I thought I’d burst with pure joy because I loved him too. I dreamed we’d get married and be together forever. I’d be Sam’s wife and everyone would look up to us, but for the moment I was enjoying the sensation of being in love. I realised this was what had been missing from my life – love. For the first time I felt complete, just like everyone else: I fitted in.

A few days later I was at school, struggling to keep up in a computer lesson, when one of the popular girls, Deborah, noticed.

‘Hey, look at Dumbo!’ she crowed, causing the others to turn and stare.

‘Shut up,’ I shouted back. I had Sam now, I wasn’t afraid of anyone anymore.

‘You can’t do it ’cos you’re thick!’ she jeered.

The whole class started to pick on me, with Deborah acting as ringleader.

‘Well, at least I’m not fat, like you!’ I hissed. The words left my mouth before I had a chance to think what I was saying.

Deborah rose up from her seat. The others watched open-mouthed as she strode over towards me. Bending down to look at me square-on, she pressed her face in front of mine.

‘You wanna watch your back,’ she sneered, ‘’cos I’ll be waiting for you at the school gates.’

I shrugged my shoulders as if I didn’t care but inside I was terrified. My stomach twisted in knots throughout the rest of the lesson. I dreaded the end of the day because I knew she’d be there.

Later that day, when I approached the school gate, a boy whizzed past me on his bike. He turned and broke sharply until he was blocking my exit.

‘You can’t go through,’ he insisted.

‘Yes, I can,’ I said, trying to shove past him. But he inched forward until his bike was right across the school gate.

‘You can’t pass until you’ve spoken to Deborah.’

My heart lurched. I looked behind the boy and spotted her. She was surrounded by a bunch of girls; they’d been waiting for me.

I was totally alone. I gulped back my nerves and kept my head down as I tried once more to walk through the gate.

‘No you don’t,’ Deborah said, standing in my way. ‘You haven’t said sorry.’

I looked up at her. ‘For what?’

‘For what you said earlier.’ She turned back to the crowd gathering behind her.

Then I felt a hand against my chest as she shoved me hard. I fell backwards.

‘Nope,’ she decided, ‘you can’t pass until you’ve said sorry.’

The crowd started to laugh and I felt stupid. I didn’t want to say sorry; I wanted to get home so that I could be with Sam. The thought of seeing him was the only thing that kept me going.

‘Sorry,’ I mumbled the word so quietly that I could barely hear myself.

‘What did you say?’ Deborah’s voice boomed jubilantly. ‘Repeat it loud enough so we can all hear.’

I looked directly into her eyes. She was a big, tough girl and she wasn’t someone to be messed with. My nerves jangled with fear.

‘Sorry,’ I stammered.

‘That’s better,’ she sneered, ‘but now you have to say “please” if you want to get past. In fact, you’ve got to say “pretty please”,’ she snorted. The others laughed along too.

But I didn’t want to say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’. I didn’t want to beg. I wasn’t the pathetic old Katie anymore; I was the confident, grown-up one and I had Sam. If I didn’t stand up to her, I knew she’d do it again and again. I turned to face her head on.

‘Get out of my way,’ I demanded. I was so fired-up that my fist clenched as I spoke.

‘What did you say?’ Deborah asked, her eyes widening.

She wasn’t used to anyone answering back. I shook a little when I noticed her body stiffen at the thought of a confrontation.

‘I said, get out of my way…now.’ I couldn’t back down now.

‘Ooh, I’m really frightened,’ she whined. ‘Everyone’s scared of Katie Taylor; everyone’s scared of the freak!’

I’d had enough. Even though my whole body was quivering with fear I tried to push her aside but it was no good, she was built like a brick wall – I didn’t stand a chance.

‘Don’t you dare,’ she said, smacking me in the face.

Her fist thudded hard against the side of my cheek and I bent over double as the pain set in.