CHAPTER 3 - Troublesome Anecdotes.

"My god, you look terrible this morning. Did you have trouble sleeping?"

"Just some odd dreams, that's all. I'll be fine."

Katherine's mother made a sympathetic noise and buttered a slice of toast.

"Not bad ones, I hope? You used to get a lot of those when you were little."

"I'm too old for nightmares, Mum."

But there's no way I'll ever be old enough to tell you what I was really dreaming of. No way I could tell you why I woke up covered in perspiration with my heart absolutely racing.

She had hoped that yesterday's preoccupation with sex would have gone away once she started playing with herself. That her brain would realise that sex was actually a real and tangible thing and would thus stop thinking about it.

But it didn't work. Maybe because she didn't reach orgasm or maybe it was because masturbation turned out to be a LOT more enjoyable than she ever imagined, but her thoughts were now even more about sex than they were before.

Sex and the question of whether it would ever be something that could apply to her.

But, whatever turmoil was going on inside her brain, she still had to go to school. Being shocked that sex is a thing was probably not an acceptable reason for an absence.

To Katherine's great relief, she was able to throw herself into her first few classes. The work was interesting enough, and hard enough, that she could devote herself to it. The girl Katherine found herself sitting next to in English Lit was the same one she was next to in Chemistry the previous day, and she was pleasant to talk to. A little distant, possibly, but still friendlier than Katherine was used to. The bullies of her previous school were already starting to seem like a distant memory.

By lunchtime, she had all but forgotten her morning troubles and was wondering where she could sit that would be out of the way.

"HEY! HEY, KATHERINE! HEEEEYY!! KATH-ER-EEEN! OVER HERE!"

It was Terri, the raven-haired, short girl from yesterday. The one who had blithely confirmed that she and her friends often slept together. She was beckoning at Katherine from a table across the courtyard, her voice at full volume. Katherine felt her cheeks grow bright red in an instant.

She wasn't familiar enough with the layout of the school yet and hadn't realised that her path would take her right around the lunch hall... and into direct sight of the tables outside. Where her red hair would be easily visible to anybody looking out for it.

Sighing to herself, having set her hopes on a peaceful lunch all to herself, she made her way over.

As she carefully manoeuvred her way around the various other students between her and her destination, making sure not to risk upsetting anyone, Katherine saw that Terri was not on her own, and her heart sank. The only other person at the table was Claire. Claire the Ice Queen. Claire the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Nordic-nightmare that Katherine had been warned about. (She was convinced that the girl had Viking ancestry in her somewhere). Fiona and Yolanda, the other half of the foursome from yesterday, were missing for some reason.

So much for her peace and quiet.

"You stuck around for a second day then?" asked Terri with a laugh in her voice as Katherine joined them at the table.

"I guess. I mean I didn't have-" she began.

"Aw, that's great. I'm really glad. I was sayin' to Claire on the way home that I hoped we didn't scare you off or nothin'. Ain't that right?"

"I-" Claire started.

"I mean it's gotta be really hard changin' schools at the best of times but havin' to deal with us on your first day that's gotta be really tryin'."

"I wouldn't-" Katherine tried.

"But I'm really pleased to see you came back. I know we didn't talk much, me and you. Didn't really get the chance, did we? But I have a sense about people, don't I, Claire?"

"What are you-"

"And I sensed somethin' good about you. You seem like a nice person. Somebody with a good heart, know what I mean?"

Katherine said nothing, unsure whether an answer was needed or she'd even get a chance to say one. Terri apparently didn't need to stop to breathe. She just kept on going.

"Oh! My name's Terri," Terri continued brightly, "just in case you didn't remember."

And then the girl  grinned.

There was something about that grin. It was so big and so bright and so honest and so... so... genuinely, almost sickeningly, happy. It was impossible to do anything but feel your heart warm in return.

"Damn, Te. It was only yesterday."

Impossible if your name wasn't Claire, that is.

"No, no, I remember." Katherine countered. "I'm pretty good with names."

How could I forget what you all were called when I spent all night thinking about the four of you in bed together? she asked herself.

"Actually, that reminds me..." she added, gathering up her courage, "the stuff we talked about yesterday... was all that actually true?"

"The thing about my new shampoo?" Terri looked puzzled. "Yeah, definitely. I can lend you it if you like but I don't think it'll work with your hair type..."

"No. I meant the other stuff. The... er..." Katherine faltered, not knowing how to say the words in her head.

Claire made a half-laugh.

"You mean the sex stuff?" she asked with a smirk.

Katherine just nodded.

"Yup. It's true. That's what we do." Claire continued.

"It's one of the club's signature activities." added Terri, nodding authoritatively.

Claire rolled her eyes.

"This again? For the last time we are not a club. Not now, not never, no way."

"You're only sayin' that because you don't think you wanna pay for a newsletter."

Katherine knew she should leave it at that. But, now that she was face-to-face with people who had done it, people she could talk to, she found herself filled to overflowing with questions about how sex actually worked. Especially now she had started down that route herself. But she had many questions that she didn't know where to begin.

"So... er... is it just you four doing this?" she asked, picking something at random.

Terri, naturally, was first to answer.

"Yeah. Although we weren't once. But I suppose we hadn't really started then... not really... I know Yolanda and Fi were doin' things... but... it wasn't really until after that we... not that that's why we did it you unnerstand... 'course I don't know if..."

Terri trailed off. For the briefest of moments, so brief she wasn't quite sure it actually happened, Katherine could see the other girl's brown eyes lose focus as though recalling something deeply painful. Then they snapped back, and Terri smiled as though nothing had happened, her manner back to the perpetually cheerful person she'd been before.

"Yeah, nah, it's just us. Although..." she said, stretching out the word "me and Claire did nearly do a boy once."

"Oh god. Not this story." groaned Claire, putting her face in her hands.

"It's a good story!" came the protest. "It shows why girls are better to sleep with than boys."

Claire sighed.

"Well, that's true. Fine. Just spare the details. The poor girl hasn't eaten yet."

Katherine frowned. A boy? Did she want to hear about that? The boys she'd known in her last school had been immature and vile. Why the girls there had anything to do with them, she didn't know.

She realised that she'd really only been curious about the girls had sex with each other - men hadn't entered her mind at all. Even last night, at the height of her passion, she hadn't imagined anybody particularly male.

She wasn't sure that was something she was into.

Katherine also realised that, much to her annoyance, Claire was right about her lunch so she dug into her bag to retrieve her food.

"So picture the scene, right?" Terri said as Katherine unwrapped her sandwich. "Me and Claire, our parents go way back. They've been friends since, like, before we were born. So our families go on holiday together."

"Not all the time, though," interjected Claire.

"No, no. But a lot. And a little while ago, we went to this little place in France for a week."

"Big place, you mean. It was like a converted farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Very nicely done, too. Lots of attention to detail..."

"Yeah, okay. A big place. Wha'ever. You tellin' this story or am I?" protested Terri. "So anyway, where was I? Oh yes. So we were there for a couple of days when me and Claire ran into this boy in the local town. He was kinda cute and he liked us... and we kinda liked him."

"Wait, how did you know he liked you?" asked Katherine, thinking she'd spotted a hole in the story. "Was he on holiday as well?"

Terri chuckled. Katherine stared, she'd never heard anybody actually do that before. Another gap in her tatty social life.

"Nah," continued Terri, beaming proudly, "I speak fluent French. My mum comes from near Calais. So I'm bilingual AND bisexual. In fact, I'm technically a quad when you think about it."

"That's not actually a thing." Claire observed.

Katherine was surprised. Foreign languages were her worst subject. She just couldn't get to grips with them. Surely this had to be a lie, right?

"Really?" she said "You're kidding. Can you say something in French right now?"

She didn't know how she'd be able to tell if Terri actually was speaking French, or just making stuff up, but the other girl didn't even hesitate.

"Vos taches de rousseur vont jusqu'en bas?" Terri replied, her ever-present grin not wavering.

"Oh. Er. What does that mean?" asked Katherine, a little stunned. That certainly sounded genuine.

Claire shrugged in unconcerned ignorance.

"Nothing much. It just means I'm thirsty." answered Terri.

There was a water-bottle on the table by the girl's hand, Katherine noticed. It was bright-pink and half-full. But Terri didn't drink from it, choosing instead to continue her story.

"Anyway, we arranged to meet up in this field near the town for a bit of fun. Completely private, nice and sunny, perfect.'

Claire made a small, amused, snort at this for reasons Katherine didn't get. She looked at Claire but the blonde stayed quiet.

"Things are goin' great," Terri went on, "we're getting all hot and personal. Then, just as things are about to get interestin', a certain somebody goes and takes her top off."

Claire smiled but continued not to say anything.

"Now, I don't know if you know this," Terri continued, addressing Katherine, "but girls can last. They've got stamina, right? Quick recovery time. Can go for hours if they wanna. They don't just finish at the drop of a hat. Or a flash of a pair of tits, if you know what I mean."

"It wasn't his fault. You can't blame him, Te." Claire finally said, trying not to laugh, "I have magic boobs".

"I had a really beautiful sundress on." Terri grumbled, ignoring her. "I loved that thing. And he ruined it."

"He was just giving you a souvenir, Te." Claire had turned red with the effort of keeping her laughter in. "Something to remember him by."

Terri glared as Claire desperately clamped a hand over her mouth in a failed attempt to stop from laughing.

"Oh, I remembered alright. I remembered havin' to walk back lookin' like I'd been attacked by some sort of crazed ice-cream van. AND I never could get the stains out."

Katherine couldn't resist. The sound of Claire's muffled laughter combined with the excessively serious look on Terri's face was too infectious. And the grumpier Terri became the worse it got. She decided to try something.

"Did you try the 'cum' setting on the washing machine? Maybe there was a 'jism' button?" she suggested, feeling bold.

Tears started to roll down Claire's face.

"I tried everythin'. Absolutely everythin' I could think of'' grumbled an oblivious Terri. "But nothin' worked. My dress was totally killed by that boy. That boy and his... his... his damn DEMON semen!"

That was too much for Katherine. She and Claire both howled with laughter. It wasn't actually very funny, not really, but that didn't matter. It was just one of those moments when you have to laugh or you'll explode.

At the back of her mind, as she laughed uncontrollably, Katherine realised she must have drawn a lot of attention to herself. Lots of people must have been wondering what that strange redhead was doing. And she realised that, for the first time in a very long time, she really didn't care.

"An' what's the craic here, then?" asked a new, amused, voice.

As Katherine got control of herself and tried to get her breath back, Fiona and Yolanda arrived at the table and made themselves at home.

"Sorry about that," Fiona continued, "we got held up in the toilets. Some eejit sat in the cubicle next to us an' was on their phone for fecking ages."

"Huh, that's hygienic." commented Claire.

Katherine was confused.

"Sorry. But why would that cause a problem?" she asked.

"We were together." Yolanda said simply.

"Oh."

It was all she could say. Just ‘oh’. As Fiona went on to explain what happened, half-protesting at Yolanda's manhandling of her, ("Have any of ya tried not making any noise when somebody's forcing ya ta cum? It's fecking impossible!"), Katherine felt the half-crazed thoughts of yesterday start to return.

They've just had sex. she thought.

At school. she thought.

How the hell was that even possible? she thought.

For the rest of the day, those questions were never far from Katherine's mind. But they were joined by the memory of her lunchtime laughter as well as the memory of chatting to that girl from her English Literature class. Also, memories of Yolanda helping her in the Business Studies class they were both in after lunch (a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one).

She began to realise that, although things were different in her new school, they were definitely better. Two days had gone by and not a single negative thing had been said about her or her red hair. People liked her. They actually did.

In fact, she reminded herself, one of them liked her so much, they invited her to sit with them for lunch. That never, EVER, would have happened in her old school.

As the days went by, Katherine's cautiously hopeful feelings about the group of girls she lunched with proved to be accurate. They had accepted her as one of their own and she was firmly inside their social circle.

She finally had friends. And she was finally learning to be happy.

But there was still one thing they did that she did not. One thing that separated Katherine from being part of the so-called Bad Girls Club.

They had sex, she did not. She still wasn't even able to bring herself off, despite trying over and over again.

But it was on a Saturday, not long after Katherine moved to the area and started at the school, when that all started to change.