009.
Deborah.
Final bell, schools out. Another day done, just a shame it's Monday, the week just begun instead of nearly over.
Michelle lights a smoke, offers me one. Charlotte checks her phone. We loiter, a loose huddle waiting for Ashley, the leader of our six girl wolf pack.
Jody. Long curling brown hair and the largest bust in the group. Wears a skirt almost as often as Ashley.
Tasha. The tallest, skinny and flat chested. She plays netball alongside Ashley.
Michelle. Blonde hair always tied or plaited. Almost as busty as Jody.
Charlotte. Ginger haired, a size fourteen in a group of tens, plus Tasha's eight.
And me. A D cup like Michelle, with brown hair like Jody, only longer. We all, for various reasons, fell in with Ashley here at Blue Oaks.
"Stub that shit out."
"Sorry Ash." Michelle and me both mumble, pitching our half smoked fags away onto the floor. Better really to pinch them out, slide them back into Michelle's packet for later. Neither of us works, so, smokes, the cash to buy them, is a rarity. But if we go through all that fuss we'll be left behind.
Because Ashley doesn't slow, let alone stop. Like a ship under sail she sweeps through the gates, already angling for the woodland path, the quickest route home. For her.
The rest of us fall in behind. We'll likely be ignored. We likely won't even get a farewell, or a promise that she'll be out later. These days, the past two weeks and change, Ashley just isn't herself. She's, distracted I'd call it. Quick to anger towards the five of us. I'd almost say we'd done something to piss her off, though I can't think what? And none of us will dare ask, because asking might just flip that temper of hers over.
And then it'll be me, or Charlotte, one of us tied up somewhere.
And that's another part, another thing I, and a couple of the others I've held whispered talks with, have noticed. She hasn't bullied anyone in awhile. One girl in over half a month- some overweight eleven year old -and even then all Ashley did was bind the girls wrists.
Something. Is. Definitely. Up.
But. Maybe, I've just spied the solution.
"Hey." Jogging a half dozen paces, bringing me level with Ashley. I raise my voice, bringing the other girls in on it too. "Ash."
"Debs." Not looking across at me, I can see she has a small twig in her hand, is methodically stripping it of bark. The sort of thing a bored person does to kill time.
"Look." I point. Ashley doesn't even raise her head, so I tell her. "Isn't that." Pause, for dramatic effect. "Kayley? Up ahead of us. Isn't she." Another pause. "Heading into." Giving Ashley a small nudge. "Your woods?"
"What?" Michelle, coming up on one side of me. "Fucking Kayley?"
"In your woods Ash?" Jody, on the other side of Ash now, with Charlotte and Tasha paying attention too, all the girls alert to what I'm doing- trying to break Ashley from her funk -and either lending, or ready to lend, support.
I tut, loudly, several of other girls join me. "What do you say, Ash." Giving her as hard a nudge as I dare, trying on a smile. "Shall we help you teach Kayley a lesson?"
"Hmmm?" Ashley, finally, raises her head. I see her see Kayley, look right at her. And- good news -she smiles. "Come on Ash," Jody, giving our pack leader a small nudge too, "surely you've got some tape or something in your bag. Let's go put it to good use."
And. For just a moment the normal predatory set of her mouth, like a hunter showing just enough teeth to scare the prey, softens. For two, maybe three heartbeats, I'd swear Ashley's looking at Kayley with something like affection.
Certainly I've never seen her turn that smile on any of us.
And maybe she sees me see her smile, because her eyes flick to the side, at me. And all at once her face changes, the smile becoming more of a warning snarl, eyes narrowing, teeth bared. The sudden switch is enough to have me stumbling back a couple of paces, out of range.
Ashley stops. Abruptly. As she's want to do. "She's too far ahead." Gesturing, and, yes, Kayley is a fair way ahead. But. I feel like even two weeks ago no distance would've been too great if Kayley, or some other girl Ashley felt like bullying, were the prize. "And. Besides." Nodding to herself. "I need to stop by the shop. For Mum." Nodding again, like someone making shit up on the spot I'd swear, but dare not say. "To get. Milk."
"Will you. Um." Got to admire Jody's nerve. She's Ashley's oldest friend. And, we are all friends. We five, we hang out all the time, but, Ashley views us as friends too. Right? Jody gives Ashley a small smile, shrugs. "Will you be out later?"
"My Dad's got some leftover cans in the garage." Michelle, ever willing to please, and probably for reasons I doubt even she knows the most picked on of us by Ash. Pipes in.
"Fine." Like it's an effort, to come and hang with us. But she does smile. "I'll be at the skatepark."
She doesn't say what time. But at least we know which skatepark, since there's only one.
The next day, Tuesday, and Ashley's late coming out of school.
"Does she have detention?" I ask, my hands itchy from not having smoked all day. We- most of us since some of the other girls will smoke if there's drink doing the rounds -finished Michelle's pack off last night. I get my allowance at the weekend, which might as well be a year away for all the help that promised cash is right now.
"I." Michelle shakes her head. Shrugs. "Don't think so?"
"What did she have last?"
"Sports?" Charlotte, guessing. Between us we all share some lessons with Ashley, and each other. We're all together for Math, but sports is Tasha, who hasn't been in all day. "So she's just changing." I shrug. "So. We wait."
Of course we wait. And, whilst we wait, almost like deja vu I see.
"Kayley."
"Really?" Jody, following the line of my gaze. Tutting. "Thought she had sports too. You know." Waving a hand in the air. "Go Pharaohs."
"Must've changed quickly." Michelle, looking too whilst Charlotte and me giggle at Jody's mocking show of team solidarity. We all go to the games. We cheer whenever Ashley scores, we boo whenever Kayley gets the ball.
"Must've." I muse, watching Kayley wander towards the woods. "I." I actually click my fingers, like someone in the movies having a really good idea. I laugh, and grab Jody by the arm. "Come on."
"Hey." Almost being pulled over. "Debs. What?"
"Come on." Already a half dozen paces away. "After Kayley. Quickly."
"But." Smiling, taking a step to follow, my sudden energy proving infectious. Jody shakes her head. "We can't. Not without Ash."
"We're only going to slow her down. Maybe." I grin. I have a roll of thick tape in my bag. We, all of us girls, always carries something, because Ashley might need it. "Maybe just bind her to a tree. Just." I giggle. Putting finger and thumb close together. "Only a little tied up."
"Okay." Jody, nodding, grinning. "We'll slow her down." Pointing at the other two: Michelle and Charlotte, smiling too now, all four of us up for it. "You two bring Ash. Quick as she'll come."
And we're off. Near running. Bags. And it has to be said in Jody's case breasts, bouncing merrily along as we do.
Inside the woods I cut left. There's more then one path cut or trampled through, multiple rat runs, several ways of getting to the same exit. Of course Kayley, like always, will stick to the most convenient path, the shortest route towards home. Which means Jody and me, provided we keep up our speed, can out flank her.
Which we do, emerging back onto what you could call Kayley's path- having stopped for a half minute to catch our breath and tidy ourselves up -in front of the tall blonde.
"Oh." Kayley exclaims, looking up, spotting us. Stopping. She gives the two of us a puzzled frown, turns around to look behind her, then turns back to us.
"Nice day for it." I grin. Jody's smiling too. Kayley shakes her head. "You're early."
"Early?"
"I haven't reached the ditch yet."
"Well." Stumped. Ashley always does the talking. I look across at Jody, who takes a step forwards. "That's fine. We can always carry you the rest of the way."
"After you tie me up I suppose." Not asked, not made a question. Kayley smiles, like she just heard a good joke. "Where's the shepard then?"
"Who?"
"The boss." Shaking her head, still smiling. And it bugs me that I think she just managed to score a point.
It bugs me that her little joke just went over my head. Jody's too judging by her frown.
"Ashley's coming." Jody nods. "She's right behind us."
"Shouldn't she be behind me?"
"Huh?"
"Well." Kayley grins, shakes her head. "If she's coming from school, surely she'll be coming this way." Stepping to the side, gesturing off down the path behind her. "Which means she's behind me. Not you."
"Shut up." Jody, huffing, wagging a finger at Kayley. "Any more of that shit and I'll gag you."
"Promises promises."
"I will."
"Are you allowed to play unsupervised?" She's teasing Jody, teasing us both. Which makes me falter, for a moment. All the times I've been there when Ash has tied Kayley, she's never acted so.
Cocky.
"Fuck it." Nudging Jody, who looks as confused as I feel. I drop my bag onto the weed scattered floor, and pull out my roll of tape. It's time to reestablish the correct order here. "Come on." I smile, nod. "Let's just tie her to a fucking tree. Show the bitch who's in charge."
"Right." Jody grins back, dropping her own bag, rummaging inside and pulling out a matching roll of thick tape.
"For me?" Kayley grins. Holds up a hand. "Hang on. Stop." Which for some reason we do, pausing our advance. "Wait there." Kayley drops her own bag, out of which she pulls. A.
"Ta dah."
"What the actual." I burst out laughing. "Fuck. Is that?"
"A stick?" Shaking her head. Jody tuts. "What's it for?"
"Magic."
"Really?" This time we both laugh.
"Hold on." Nudging me, Jody points. "I've got it. She's going to do a spell to force us to tie her up."
"Or maybe to tie herself up." I laugh. "Save us the bother."
"Wrong." Kayley tuts. Smiling. "And. Wrong."
"Of course it's wrong." I half shout, Kayley's attitude, her unexpected confidence when I was sure she'd be worried. Or scared. Is getting to me. "We're wrong because you holding that stupid stick is wrong. Because." I pause, to take a breath. Jody jabs her roll of tape towards Kayley, apparently just as annoyed. "It's wrong because," Jody waves her tape at Kayley again, "magic. Isn't. Real."
"It's called Fury."
"What's called Fury?" Kayley opens her mouth. I hold up a hand, shake my head. "You know what. I don't fucking care. You." Pointing my own tape at Kayley. "Are getting tied up. Now. By us."
"Now be a good girl." Jody waves a hand to the right. "And go stand by that tree."
"Get fucked." Kayley tells us, calmly, shifting her stance, spreading her legs slightly and turning side on to Jody and me. She smiles, and brings her stick- held right handed -up in front of her.
"What the fuck are you do...." Jody begins as Kayley begins slashing and twirling her stick through the air between us. She's cut off mid sentence by a tremendous gust of wind. Strong like a localised hurricane, out of nowhere, buffeting the two of us. The wind steals any ability I have for coherent thought, any sense of my body as I thing I can control and move. It's like I've been frozen. For the, prehaps five seconds, that I'm engulfed, I honestly couldn't feel a thing except that wind, not even my own fingers. And whilst it was blowing I'm not sure I'd of even been able to tell you my name.
I'm on the floor. How? Was the wind really that strong? Something tight on my wrists and ankles. Something soft in my mouth. I squirm, something squirms behind me, pressed into me. A pair of blue Adidas fills my vision. I look up, finding Kayley towering giant like. She smiles, brushes a strand of hair off her face, back behind her ear, and hunkers down, knees bent, in front of me.
"Well." Nodding, tapping her stick, a piece of black bamboo I now see, on the floor by my nose. "I'd call that a success. Wouldn't you?"
"Mmmfppf mm...." I stop, confused. Why can't I talk?
"Ha." Grin widening. Kayley nods. Stands. "Well. I'll leave the two of you to figure this out." A mischievous look flashes across her face, and, before I realise it, she's pulled out her phone, taking a half dozen or more photos of me, moving quickly around, bending, capturing all the angles.
Of Jody too?
Leave the two of you? Is it Jody I felt behind me?
"Tell Ashley." Kayley looks thoughtful. Taps the stick against her lips. Smiles. "Tell her Kayley says hi. Tell her." Backing away. "Well." A shrug. "Doesnt matter. Have fun girls." Kayley waves, turns, and dissappears down the path.
Leaving me to, finally, discover what's been done to me.
My wrists are pinned behind me, lashed together by something. Something that's pinning them tight. My ankles are pinned too. Feeling around I find what I think are Jody's hands, close enough to mine that, and I can feel I think her feet pushing my feet too.
I think we've been tied back to back, her wrists and ankles bound to mine.
Somehow?
There's a gag too, some kind of cloth.
Plus, my- likely Jody's too -shirt is open. My tie has been undone and discarded, with my shirt hanging open all the way down to my waist, exposing my white bra and flat stomach.
And. The wind did this? Really? Because, and I'm fucked if I know how, but, lining all the ducks up in a neat row, everything points to this being Kayley's doing.
Kayley, who's barely left before Ashley, with Michelle and Charlotte trailing in her wake, comes around the corner.
"The fuck?" Stopping, mouth working, frowning. Ashley looks around whilst behind her Michelle's mouth is on the floor, and Charlotte's suppressing a giggle.
"Mmmffm ppfmfmfmm mmmmm." I wriggle, feeling Jody wriggle behind me, hearing her own gagged words, her own confusion matching mine. "Hold on." Ashley comes closer, hunkers down, pulls the knotted cloth from my mouth.
"Why," still looking around as she balances next to me, "are the two of you tied up?"
"Well."
"Because, I've got to say." Shaking her head. "This is not what I thought I was being bought to see."
"Mmmffppff mmmm..."
"Shush." Ashley leans forwards, swatting Jody on her bra covered breast. Shutting her up mid moan. "So. Debs." Focused back on me. "Care to explain?"
"It was Kayley."
To which Ashley doesn't laugh, doesn't tell me to fuck off and think up a better story. Only looks at me. Silent. Waiting.
"Um." I think. What else can I say. "I don't know how. Ash. But." Shaking my head. And, because I can't think of anything else, I've got no way of explaining any of this, so. I say whatever I can think of. "She had a stick. And."
"Stick?"
"Oh. Um." I nod. Ashley's face, the sudden change from mild disinterest to full attention has thrown me. "Yeah. Some black piece of bamboo. And. Anyway, she...."
"Did she say anything?"
"What?"
"Did." Slapping my breast. "She." Slap. "Say." Slap. "Anything."
"She said." The slaps weren't hard, it's more the humiliation. I've never been tied up by Ash. By anyone. Michelle has. Maybe Tasha? But not me, certainly not Jody. Laying here now though, breasts as good as out, Ashley doing as she pleases with the two of us, it feels humiliating to be so helpless. To have no control.
My brain feels sluggish, broken, unable to think clearly with me in this unexpected and unexplainable- to me -state. I shake my head. Ashley tuts, then comes down to join me. Sliding her skirt and school shirt clad body down onto the muddy ground, she lays lengthways with me, her feet down with mine, her eyes level with my eyes.
"Now." Reaching out, grasping my bra clad breast, squeezing. I whimper, Ashley smiles her predators grin, the one I've seen her turn on Kayley so many times. But never on us. Never on me. "Debs."
"Ash." I swallow. Being groped so forcefully, whilst tied up, is having a strange effect on my body. My nipples have gone hard, and I can feel a buzz of excitement between my legs. "Please. Let me go."
"Tell me what Kayley said."
"She said hi."
"Hi?" Squeezing my erect nipple between finger and thumb, Ashley frowns. "That's it?"
"Yes." My body squirms, feels like I've lost control over it, as though the wriggling is something Ashley can, and is, activating by twisting my nipple. Like turning up a dial. "She seemed upset you weren't here. Um." Think, Debs. "She called her stick Fury. And. Um." This all feels so silly, like I'm making shit up, but Ashley's looking at me with a strange intensity, as though every word matters. So.
"She. Um. There was a wind. And. Well. Then we were on the floor, like this. And. Kayley smiled. And. She. Told me to tell you hi." I close my eyes, suck in a breath. Squirm some more. "Please."
"Please?" Eyes open again. Ashley's smiling, a kind of far off look in her eyes. Then her expression turns hard. "No." Letting go. Pulling my gag back up, yanking the cloth behind my head. "She only said hi. Yes?"
"Mmmfmfm mmmmm." I nod, unable to talk now I've been gagged tightly again.
Ashley stands back up, brushes herself off. "I want you to know." Looking more at the sky then any of us girls stood or laid around her. "All of you." A brief smile quirks Ashley's mouth. "That getting tied up, especially by Kayley, is not something we should ever allow."
"Mmmfm ppffmfmmff mmmm." I hear Jody moan. Ashley nods. "Exactly." She smiles. "Prehaps I do need to have words with Kayley." She looks down at me, and, I'd swear her smile, for a moment, is the same one she wore yesterday when we spied Kayley entering the woods.
"Soon." Nodding, walking off, leaving the four of us girls behind, two of us tied, two not. Ashley offers no instructions on what she'd like done about mine and Jody's state. "Maybe tomorrow." I hear her muse, voice growing quieter. "We'll have to see."