This story is set in 1980 in Birmingham (UK). There was no social media, no mobile phones, and no internet porn. There's been a bit of a gap since the last chapter, so there is more exposition than I would otherwise have included, some of which is lifted from earlier stories. There will be at least two follow-up chapters, which should arrive in weeks rather than months. One will deal with the aftermath of the party, and the other with the events of the party from two different POVs. This chapter was long enough as it was without them.
Everyone described as being involved in sexual activity at the party is over 18. While there are some group scenes here, it's more of a mixed bag than the previous chapters. Some scenes involve reluctance rather than non-consent.
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It was the day of the joint birthday party, and Bess was apprehensive. Her friend Joanna, whom she had met at French Club before term started, had introduced Bess to Joanna's brother, George, who also went to St Thomas's Grammar School (known as St Tom's to the inmates). On hearing it was her birthday this month, he had added her to the joint hosts for the first major party of the new school year.
Bess had joined St Thomas's in the upper sixth, and she hoped that being a joint host would help her become accepted by the other sixth formers. She had previously been at an all-girls school in a different part of Britain, which had not been that academic. She had been lucky in that the teachers in her favourite subjects had encouraged her to learn, and she had a natural ability for French and loved reading. She had also been a day pupil in a school which mostly consisted of boarders.
Disaster struck when she came down with meningitis in the run-up to O levels and missed a year of school. When she returned, she did not know the girls with whom she was now taking the exams, while her best friends in her own year had left after O levels. The last two years at school had been rather lonely, and she had spent a lot of time in the library.
She hoped that St Tom's would be better for her, but the boys at St Tom's had known each other for six years, and the other girls had been at the school for a year. Although she was a year older than her new classmates, she felt younger and inexperienced. She was worried that she did not fit in and that she did not understand her new classmates.
Her new classmates had grown up in a big city. Even those who had been at single-sex schools until last year had met members of the opposite sex socially. Joanna had said that most of the women worth knowing had learnt at the age of sixteen how to pass themselves off as being at least eighteen so they could go to clubs and be bought drinks in pubs without being challenged. Bess had never been to a nightclub at all or even a pub with her mates.
Her parents and siblings were visiting her uncle, mother's older brother. Fortunately, her parents had agreed that going to the party was important for her to settle in at the new school and make friends. They had set off this morning after Mother had finished packing the food and drinks, which would be Bess's contribution to the party. Mother had muttered something to her about enjoying herself, being careful, and not getting hitched too early. Mother was clearly confused,
She had the house to herself until Sunday night--well, to herself and anyone she invited home after the party.
Bess would be getting off with someone tonight. It did not particularly matter who so long as they were good at snogging and all that led on from it. She had lost her virginity during the summer to an older man while on holiday in France and was eager for more experience. Before that night, she'd never even had a boyfriend with whom she had held hands.
Bess wanted her next forays into sex to be with a man nearer her own age but who also knew what he was doing. She was also on the pill, so pregnancy was not a worry.
The question was who (or was it whom). Even after Joanna had invited the four women from her crammer, there would be three men for every woman attending the party. She reckoned that there was a danger that they would get in each other's way, and besides, the best of them would be after Claire.
She knew George best and was attracted to him, but George would be applying to Oxford this term and studying would take up most of his free time. Certainly, the Oxbridge applicants had six extra lessons a week. She also had the impression that he wasn't experienced with women, and she didn't yet know enough to give him subtle cues.
The doorbell rang. Joanna's boyfriend, David, was on time. It had been agreed that he would collect the supplies of booze, soft drinks and party food from each of the joint hosts in the late morning and take them to the Latimer residence for a final making of plans for the party.
She was curious about the man and his friends and wanted to talk to him alone. Joanna had described him as a considerate man, both in and out of bed, and Bess hoped he might help her.
She opened the door and looked at David. He was about six feet tall, good-looking and had a lovely smile. He looked kind and said, "Bess, I presume. I'm David."
Bess imagined him in bed with Joanna and decided to try to shock him.
"Joanna's told me all about you. She says that you're the best lover she's ever had."
The man simply laughed and said, "I won't tell Joanna you told me that. She would be cross with you for risking inflating my ego. The most she says to me is that I'm the least worst. If you'd ever met Lionel, you'd know that wasn't a high hurdle, and he was apparently better than the.."
He paused, "I'm not certain whether Joanna would prefer people to think that she has had many lovers or only a select few. Let's just say that none of her boyfriends' chose to end the relationship themselves."
"Well, let's pretend that I said nothing beyond saying that she appreciates you."
"Agreed. Seriously, it helped that I knew what I was doing and had learnt enough to know that caring about the other person's enjoyment is, how should I put it, enlightened self-interest."
Bess nodded. Her older lover had known what he was doing with her. Half to herself, she murmured, "That's right."
The man looked at his watch. "Joanna said that you might be a little anxious about this evening. Why don't you make us some coffee while I load up the car and we can have a word."
She did as he suggested and watched him load the car. It was a Honda Civic, which seemed surprisingly spacious. The man smiled at her and explained that it was good in traffic and easy to park.
She explained over a cup of coffee and some chocolate digestives that she was feeling nervous because she didn't really know anyone at school apart from George and, to a certain extent, Claire and was worried about fitting in. She also explained about going to an all-girls school and the lost year.
He looked at her and said, "If it's any help, none of the embarrassing things I did as a sixth-former matter now. Few would have mattered then if I hadn't let them be more significant than they were."
"But I don't know anyone here. I don't understand their jokes or know the places they talk about."
"Try and look at the advantages of that. Your parents don't know their parents. They don't remember you when you were younger. You can be who you want to be."
He sipped his coffee and said, "I assume you intend to go to university. Unless you plan to come back to Brum afterwards, this is twelve months of your life which is separate from all the rest. Look at it as a dry run for university. None of the people here know you, and after the exams in June, you have no need to meet 95% of them if you don't wish to. So it's really nine months of your life. Even if they go to the same university as you, they won't be doing the same subject and you can avoid each other. Perhaps you can get the excesses most people do in the three months at university out of your system now."
She smiled at him and said, "Thanks for that."
