I didn’t know what to do; my friends convinced me I’d made the right decision—bad boys are just plain bad, and I should steer clear. My school head of year, Mr. T, must have heard of Ricky’s obsession. He said in a scribbled note, “Vicki, you’re too good for him.” He added, in the written passage of my leavers’ book, something that would probably get him fired today.
“You’ve blossomed from a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly with quite a nice tush (bottom), too.”
At the time, I thought nothing of it; I found his comment amusing. I’ve since wondered what attracted an intelligent male educator to the nice tush of a 15-year-old?
~
A girl, two years above us, named Vicky (same name, different spelling), who really wanted to go out with Ricky, became insanely jealous. She started calling me “Little Miss Plain Jane” in the school halls.
I quickly learned that jealousy could make people work in mysterious ways! Vicky went from taunting to bullying to calling me all kinds of nasty names and tripping me up in the school halls.
It went on for months. I was terrified. It got to the point that I felt afraid to go to school because the crazy Vicky frightened me.
The ordeal came to a head at a school disco. I was dancing to Mark Morrison’s classic, Return of the Mack, when Vicky wrapped her hands around my throat, trying to strangle me. “If you don’t leave him alone, I’ll kill you.”
Her actions sparked a raging fire I didn’t know existed. I lashed out, pushing her back in defence. Vicky was shocked that I’d fought back and walked off.
Ironically THAT Vicky taught THIS Vicki another valuable life lesson. Don’t let the fear of something paralyze you; always stand up for what you believe. I also learned something else: bullies are cowards. The Vicky incident made me stronger as a person. I never allowed anyone to push me around afterwards—until I met the devil.
6.
MY FIRST LOVE
“When I saw you, I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.”
― Arrigo Boito
1997…
Fake college ID’s and some partying led to a bloody foot and prince charming coming to the rescue.
I had two passions as a high school teenager; pass my school GCSE (a qualification taken by school students aged 14–16, at a level below A level) exams and continue to rock socially with sleepovers at my friend Lily’s house and our bowling nights.
Lily’s mum would drop us at the bowling alley, dressed in high heels, lips smeared with Rimmel Heather Shimmer glossy lipstick, and oozing CK One perfume, which reeked of orange, mandarin, papaya, bergamot, lemon, jasmine, nutmeg, and rose.
As soon as Lily’s mum was out of sight, we would head for our favorite local seafront bars and clubs: Mr. Bees, Steamrock, and Montana’s.
Lily’s mum never said a word about our bowling alley dress-ups. I assume she was either naïve or just decided to turn a blind eye—more likely the latter. Even the club bouncers appeared to fall for our glamorous makeovers and phony ID’s.
Our goal was to have a good time and spend no more than £20 for drinks and cloakroom. One summer night, we had been dancing up a storm in Montana’s to 90s classics; Mouse T, I’m Horny, Ultra Natee, I’m Free, and The Weather Girls, It’s Raining Men.
Someone accidentally dropped a glass on the dance floor and cut my foot open. I was oozing blood but couldn’t get into the ladies’ room because of the horrendous queue.
That’s how I met Will.
Will, whom I’d never seen before, was also at the club that night. He must have seen me bleeding and panicking because he arrived armed with a ton of tissues.
“Here, let me help you,” he said, offering a warm smile.
Gently, he cleaned up my foot and reassured me that I would be okay. He was utterly charming, and I felt butterflies in my tummy. I didn’t want him to leave, so I played the damsel-in-distress. It worked, we sat and talked for hours in a dimly lit booth, since dancing was out of the question.
The very next day, I was back working at the beach hut. Will again appeared like magic! I was surprised but pleased, very pleased. I must have mentioned where I worked during our chat.
“I just wanted to check on my patient,” he smiled. That’s when my heart skipped a beat for the first time.
The gesture was romantic, his smile and charm even more so. I thought to myself, “Goodness, the man is two years older, studying at college, and interested in little old me!”
I felt like the cat who got the cream. Will was more than a fun guy with piercing blue eyes and a fabulous laugh. He owned a cool car—a gold Ford Escort. (Remember I was a teenager.)
After a few dates, Will was convinced we had a special connection, and he asked me to be his “exclusive” girlfriend. I paused for two seconds and then said yes! He was over the moon.
And, so was I!
~
Mum and Dad adored Will; he became part of the family, always greeting Mum by a nickname; “Hey, Boss!” Mum found it funny, and I guess it added to his charm. I dated him through college while studying A-level qualifications and gaining my driving license.
I ended up gaining a part-time job with Will in Marks & Spencer in the food department. He would pick me up at 6.30 am—talk about dedication.
“Watch for the spiders in the bananas,” he would tease me. It would freak me out. I didn’t want to get bitten by a huge spider.
We became inseparable; I knew I had fallen in love for the very first time.
Will was perfect in every imaginable way. And everybody called us the perfect couple. Will was also the first man I was ever intimate with. When his soft hands caressed my skin, it felt electrifying, sending tingles all over my body. He was gentle and slow, and I didn’t feel at all afraid.
I knew that I could trust him, and I was happy that I’d reserved my ‘first time’ for someone truly special. Though, I wasn’t overly impressed by the uncomfortable ordeal.
Before long, I turned 18. I celebrated with a party and wore an electric blue dress and tiara and danced on the table with all my friends to Britney Spears, Baby One More Time.
I could see from the sheer volume of friends and family who attended that I was loved. I was a very lucky girl.
At Christmas, I opened a huge box. It was packed with gym weight discs and box after box inside to trick me.
When I finally discovered the gift, it was a solitaire diamond ring. It was special, but Will never actually popped the question. Still, I knew that I meant the world to him.
~
My goal was simple. I’d passed my A-levels at Bridgwater College and wanted
