REVENGE
When I walked into the sixth form common room, it went deadly silent. All eyes turned in my direction. There was contempt from some, leers from others.
‘What the hell is going on?’ I grilled my best friend, Kate.
‘Haven’t you seen Insta today?’
I hadn’t. Rob Bennett had given graphic detail of the favours he said I’d bestowed upon him.
Rob was in our year at St. Steven’s, but he left at the end of year eleven. He now worked with a road maintenance gang that had been repairing the potholes at the end of my street.
I’d had a crush on him and was flattered when he flirted with me as I walked past on my way to school.
‘How’s my favourite girl,’ he would call.
I’d responded. Of course I did. I hitched up my school skirt before I left the house and fluttered my eyelashes. I even agreed to a date. Now he was blackening my name.
Unwilling to face the smirks of my fellow students or the catcalls of the road crew, I feigned illness. It gave me a week’s grace, but I knew this wouldn’t go away on its own.
The following Monday, I had run out of excuses.
‘Is there a problem at school, love,’ Mum’s eyebrows
drooped as they did when she was worried. ‘Whatever it is,
it’s not worth sacrificing the grades you need to get into
journalism.’
I needed to act.
That morning, I dressed in my old school uniform. It was no longer obligatory. A few still used it, the geeks, but most of us wore tee-shirt and jeans. I tied my hair in bunches.
He was there, four feet down a hole, laying pipes. With a confidence I did not feel, I marched up to him. There were a couple of wolf whistles.
‘Hey, you,’ I called.
My elevated position was a godsend.
‘Stop spreading lies about me just because I stood you up. I
wouldn’t have you in a lucky bag.’
The other men stopped working to watch the fun. I went on until his face was as red as a Manchester United top and his mates were bent double. Then I flounced off with their laughter ringing in my ears. I heard later that his new nickname was ‘baby snatcher.
’
At school, I still had to finish the job. I waited until break when the common room was full. Then I stood on a chair and addressed those present.
‘Thank you to the ones who stuck by me and shame on
those who believed the lies of that toad, Rob Bennett. Rest
assured; he won’t be repeating them. Nor will any of you
unless you want my parents to sue for defamation of
character.’
Kate squeezed my hand.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ she purred, ‘that put paid to his lies.’
‘Between you and me, Kate,’ I grinned, ‘it wasn’t strictly
untrue. Pay back was for telling everyone.’
‘What the hell is going on?’ I grilled my best friend, Kate.
‘Haven’t you seen Insta today?’
I hadn’t. Rob Bennett had given graphic detail of the favours he said I’d bestowed upon him.
Rob was in our year at St. Steven’s, but he left at the end of year eleven. He now worked with a road maintenance gang that had been repairing the potholes at the end of my street.
I’d had a crush on him and was flattered when he flirted with me as I walked past on my way to school.
‘How’s my favourite girl,’ he would call.
I’d responded. Of course I did. I hitched up my school skirt before I left the house and fluttered my eyelashes. I even agreed to a date. Now he was blackening my name.
Unwilling to face the smirks of my fellow students or the catcalls of the road crew, I feigned illness. It gave me a week’s grace, but I knew this wouldn’t go away on its own.
The following Monday, I had run out of excuses.
‘Is there a problem at school, love,’ Mum’s eyebrows
drooped as they did when she was worried. ‘Whatever it is,
it’s not worth sacrificing the grades you need to get into
journalism.’
I needed to act.
That morning, I dressed in my old school uniform. It was no longer obligatory. A few still used it, the geeks, but most of us wore tee-shirt and jeans. I tied my hair in bunches.
He was there, four feet down a hole, laying pipes. With a confidence I did not feel, I marched up to him. There were a couple of wolf whistles.
‘Hey, you,’ I called.
My elevated position was a godsend.
‘Stop spreading lies about me just because I stood you up. I
wouldn’t have you in a lucky bag.’
The other men stopped working to watch the fun. I went on until his face was as red as a Manchester United top and his mates were bent double. Then I flounced off with their laughter ringing in my ears. I heard later that his new nickname was ‘baby snatcher.
’
At school, I still had to finish the job. I waited until break when the common room was full. Then I stood on a chair and addressed those present.
‘Thank you to the ones who stuck by me and shame on
those who believed the lies of that toad, Rob Bennett. Rest
assured; he won’t be repeating them. Nor will any of you
unless you want my parents to sue for defamation of
character.’
Kate squeezed my hand.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ she purred, ‘that put paid to his lies.’
‘Between you and me, Kate,’ I grinned, ‘it wasn’t strictly
untrue. Pay back was for telling everyone.’
