The Prettiest Girl in School

There's not a lot of sex in this one so if that's what you're looking for you may want to move on, just so you know.

I'm not an expert in some of the areas I've written about so I hope you won't be too critical. Please remember it is just a story. The characters and their actions aren't real, they are simply the product of my imagination

As always constructive comments or criticism are welcome.

Please enjoy.

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Chapter 1 - Ashley

"Ambulance service. What is your emergency?"

The unruffled, reassuring voice of Ashley Morrant asked the anxious caller, then she paused for a second or two so she could listen to their response.

"Ok. We'll have an ambulance on its way to you as soon as we can."

Taking her time, she calmly went through a check list of questions that she had in front of her on the screen, as she attempted to ascertain exactly what the problem was and how she should respond.

"Can you tell me your phone number?"

"What is your exact location?"

"Is the casualty in any immediate danger?"

"Is the person conscious?"

Typing the answers to each one into the computer system in front of her as the person at the other end of the line relayed them to her she had, within the prescribed two minutes, dispatched an ambulance to the scene.

Then she continued to assist the caller as best she could, trying to reassure them, until the paramedic team arrived.

Once she was satisfied the situation was under the crew's control she disconnected the call and, taking a deep breath, she removed her headset. Sitting back she smiled, happy to have been able to help someone else. Ashley loved her job it was probably the most important thing in her life, and helped her get through the hardships she encountered outside of work.

Turning to her best friend Trisha Preston, she grinned, knowing she had been waiting impatiently for her to finish.

"Ok, I'm all done here for the minute."

"Good, now can we please go and get a coffee?" Trisha looked at her watch with a hint of concern, "Before our break is completely over and we have to get back to work."

"Stop panicking, we've got plenty of time."

Ashley smiled happily and pushed her wheelchair back from her workstation before following the other girl out of the door and down the corridor towards their small break room.

Just a couple of minutes later the pair were sat at a chipped, Formica topped table with two instant cappuccinos and an open packet of biscuits in front of them.

"So, how was your hot date on Saturday?" Ashley asked, dipping a digestive into the hot liquid and taking a bite, "With you know.... whatever his name was?"

Her friend shrugged non-committedly, "His name is Darren and it was ok, I guess."

"Just ok or ok and I'm not saying anything else?"

Trish pulled a face at her, "He didn't set my heart aflame if that's what you want to know."

"Are you going to see him again then?"

"I don't know. If he rings me I might give him another chance."

"So, no wedding bells on the horizon?" Ashley chuckled as she asked the question, knowing her best friend's desperation to get married.

Trisha was 28, three years older than Ashley and, feeling her biological clock was ticking, she made no secret of the fact that she wanted a husband and children.

"Nope, so don't you go buying a new hat." Her friend raised an eyebrow and took a mouthful of her coffee.

"Where'd he take you? Anywhere nice?"

Trisha pursed her lips, "The Coliseum. Do you know it?"

It was Ashley's turn to laugh, "Like I go out on dates. How would I know some fancy Italian restaurant?"

"Well, who's fault is that?" Trisha looked at her questioningly, "Only the other week that guy who came to fix the coffee machine asked you out."

"He was ancient." She snorted derisively, "And anyway he asked me before he saw I was disabled."

"No, he didn't." Her friend disagreed.

"Yes, he did and don't go there anyway. Just look at me, I'm stuck in this chair. Why would any normal guy want to go out with me unless it's out of pity? I don't need that in my life."

"Oh, come on Ash you're beautiful. Why does it have to be pity? And even if it was would it hurt you to go out for a coffee or a meal? In all the years I've known you you've never once been out with a guy."

Ashley took a mouthful of her cappuccino and nibbled on her biscuit but didn't answer, instead she stared blankly at the table top.

She knew she was pretty. She had always known it. It was just the fact that her damned legs didn't work that condemned her to a lonely, loveless existence.

Her long straight blonde hair framed a cute face dominated by piercing blue eyes which, along with her slightly upturned nose and full, heart shaped lips, always made guys look twice at her.

That was until they realised she was in a wheelchair.

Their eyes were always drawn to the wheels she used to get around and then they simply looked away, usually in disgust or pity, and didn't bother looking back.

They never even got as far as her slim girlish figure and firm pert B-cup breasts that were invariably hidden under the loose clothing that she almost always wore.

As soon as they saw she was disabled they lost interest. It was only the curious or weird guys that ever asked her out and she had long ago learned to say no to them.

It had bothered her when she was younger and at college but she had managed to hide the disappointment and pretend that she didn't want to find love. The odd platonic date she had had were always because the man felt sorry for her or simply out of kindness, never because they were interested in her.

There had also been a couple of creeps whose sole intention was to add a disabled girl to their scorecard but, fortunately, she had found them out before anything serious had happened.

It meant she was alone and, at 25, practically a virgin.

"Look, Darren has a friend. Maybe we could...."

"No thanks." Ashley snapped sharply and cut her off mid-sentence.

"Ok, ok, no need to get angry. It was just a suggestion."

"I don't need a boyfriend."

"Yes, you do." Trisha grumbled swallowing another mouthful of her coffee, "You need something in your life other than work."

She knew her friend was right but it was never going to happen, she was certain of that.

"We need to be getting back." Ashley curtly informed her, changing the subject and hurriedly finishing her own drink, "Break's just about over anyway."

"What time is it?"

"Err.... nearly two. Why?"

Trish chuckled naughtily and gave her a conspiratorial look.

"Gwen is showing the new paramedic guy around the control room this afternoon and I heard from Anita in HR that he's absolutely bloody gorgeous."

"I'm not interested." Rolling her eyes Ashley deposited her mug in the dishwasher.

"Well, I bloody well am." Trisha stated frankly, "He might be single."

"One of these days you'll actually find a man you really like and then you won't know what to do with him?" She told her cynically, waiting until her friend had done the same with her cup so they could head back to their workstations.

"Probably not, but I'll have a lot of fun finding out."

Her retort had them both laughing out loud as they got back to their desks.

It was just after 2.15 when their shift supervisor Gwen Oakley opened the door and several pairs of eyes looked up as she ushered the new starter into the room.

"Fuck. Anita wasn't kidding. He's bloody....."

Trisha chuckled and turned towards Ashley on the desk next to hers, stopping mid-sentence when she realised her friend had gone deathly pale and was staring open-mouthed at the newcomer.

"Ash.... what's up?"

"Cover for me. I... I need to... to go.... I'll... I'll be...."

Even as she said it Ashley was turning her wheelchair and heading out of the room as fast as she could, leaving her friend sitting dumbstruck gazing after her.

Trish was still wondering what was going on a minute or two later when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"And this is one of our senior call handlers, Trisha Preston."

Twisting around the brunette found herself staring into a pair of grey-blue eyes that immediately set her pulse racing.

"Trisha this is Ben McKendrick, our new paramedic."

"Pleased to meet you Trisha."

She thought that even his voice was sexy as it sent a shiver up her spine.

Taking the hand he held out to her, she smiled up at him, still wondering why her friend had suddenly rushed out of the room.

"Err... where's Ashley?" Gwen enquired looking around them.

"Oh she.... she had to err... go...."

The supervisor frowned, "Well hopefully she'll be able to meet Ben a bit later. He's going to be based at the station next door."

With that she moved the newcomer on to the next operator leaving Trish to make her excuses and go to find her friend.

Checking the break room first and finding it empty she went into the lady's bathroom to find Ashley sitting there looking like she had seen a ghost.

"What the fuck just happened Ash? What was that all about?"

"The guy that came in. What... what was his name?"

"You mean the really cute one with eyes that made you want to drop your panties?" Trish snorted.

"Blue grey ones?"

"How the hell do you know what colour his eyes are?"

"What's his name?" Not bothering to answer she asked her question again.

"Ben McKendrick. Why?"

Instead of responding Ashley Morrant buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

"Ash! What is it. What's up." Trish was immediately on her knees by her friend's wheelchair, holding her hand as she tried to comfort her.

"It... it's him... I..."

She stammered unable to finish what she was trying to say.

"The bastard. What did he do to you?"

Ashley shook her head and looked over at her friend, tears staining her cheeks, while her thoughts drifted back to her past.

"It... it wasn't him it was me. It was what I did to him."

"What? When? I'm.... I'm confused."

Wiping her eyes she stared blankly at the wall, remembering for a moment before she started to speak.

"It was a long time ago Trish. Before I started here."

"And?"

"And...." Taking a deep breath Ashley started her story.

Chapter 2 - Back to the Beginning

A thirteen-year-old Ashley Morrant was beyond excited as well as being nervous, scared and happy, all at the same time.

It felt a bit like Christmas Eve but infinitely better.

Now they had moved to a new home and she was a teenager, her parents had promised her that, despite all of their concerns over her well-being, she could finally start at school rather than being home educated.

An only child she had been confined to a wheelchair since birth and, with her welfare as their first priority, her mother and father had decided to employ a tutor for her.

A bright girl, the fact of having a teacher all to herself had meant that she had had an excellent education so far. Of course, the downside to that was that she had no real friends and little or no experience of socialising with other children.

As she grew up her biggest dream had been to go to a proper school and sit in a classroom, making friends with the other children. Gaining some independence would also mean that the prospect of going to college or university at some time in the future became a little more of a possibility for her.

While it might have been Ashley's dream it was her overprotective mother's worst nightmare.

Carol Morrant knew that her daughter would have to attend an educational establishment at some point in her life but all she could visualise were the problems and discrimination her condition would create for her.

It had been lengthy discourse but eventually, with the help of her father, the teenager had won and her mother had agreed, albeit reluctantly, to let her daughter have a terms trial at the local school.

As the great day approached they had all been gripped by a host of conflicting feelings; fear, excitement, worry, resignation, that came and went in varying degrees for the whole family.

It was the start of a new year and a new school for all the children and Ashley had wanted everything to be as normal as possible for her first day. But in the end she had capitulated to her mother's insistent requests that she be allowed to take her in to school early, so she was already safely in her classroom when everyone came in.

Ashley looked around her wide-eyed as she entered the room, finding it to be everything she imagined it would be. Large and airy, the windows covering most of one wall filling it with light while numerous posters and charts adorned two of the others. At the front was a desk and a white board with a smiling young woman standing waiting to greet them.

Pushing her forwards her mother introduced her to Miss Williamson, her teacher.

Irene Williamson seemed much older to a thirteen-year-old Ashley but in reality she was just twenty-three and only recently qualified. Immediately she made the teenager feel very welcome, spending some time talking to her as they were in class a good half-hour before anyone else.

Quickly moving the furniture around so that Ashley could position her wheelchair behind a desk the teacher took a minute or two to set things up for her. Then it was just a question of waiting, her mother fussing over her, while her excitement built.

As the time passed slowly by she nervously started to anticipate meeting her first ever class-mates.

"Please mum I'm fine. You can go now."

Finally, she had had enough of the fussing.

"Maybe I should...." Carol Morrant started to say.

"I'll be here Mrs Morrant. Ashley will be fine." Irene Williamson quickly interrupted her, seeing the youngster wanted to be left alone.

For a moment Carol went to argue, reluctant to leave her daughter, but seeing the firm expression on the young teacher's face she capitulated.

"Ok. But please ring me if there's anything." Ashley's mother reluctantly got to her feet, "Anything at all."

"I'll be fine mum." The teenager pleaded, desperate to be left alone, "Just go, please."

Sighing Carol kissed her daughter on the cheek, "I'll be back to collect you at 3.30."

It was just after 8.45 when Irene Williamson ushered in her new charges, telling the children to choose wherever they wanted to sit.

As they filed in Ashley sat, smiling hopefully, in her wheelchair with an empty chair alongside her wondering if anyone would take the seat next to her.

Most of the children looked at her curiously while a few of the girls simply stared dismissively at her, clearly noting her disability. All of them moving on to select a different seat and leaving her sitting all alone. By the time the last of them had come through the door the seat was still empty. She tried determinedly not to cry as, once again, she felt like an outcast.

It was just as the door was about to close that a tall, extremely cute, dark-haired boy rushed in, breathing heavily.

"Sorry I'm late Miss, our.... our car wouldn't start."

"Always the same Ben." The teacher simply smiled, "Just take a seat anywhere."

He looked around at the several empty spaces before his eyes settled on Ashley.

"Would you mind if I sat here?" He asked much to her amazement.

"Oh... err... no, I mean yes.... yes that would be fine."

Her cheeks coloured as she looked into a pair of blue-grey eyes that seemed to overwhelm her.

"Thanks. I'm Ben."

His smile made her stomach lurch and sent her pulse racing although, for the life of her, she couldn't have told anyone why.

"I... I'm Ashley."

There wasn't much time to talk but throughout the morning, as they paid attention to the lesson, she couldn't help but keep glancing sideways at him, wondering why he had chosen to sit next to her.

When the bell went announcing the morning break Ashley was at a loss as to what she should do. She had never been to school and the routines that all the other children clearly knew by heart were totally alien to her.

"Want to go outside?"

A voice beside her startled her and she looked round to find Ben smiling at her again.

"Outside?"

"Yeah, its break time. We can go outside for a while."

"Oh... err... I guess so."

"I've never pushed one of these but I suppose it's much like a supermarket trolley." He grinned as he took hold of the handles on her chair, "Mind you, mum says I'm not much good at driving those either."

She couldn't help but giggle when he said it and she felt herself shiver pleasantly as he guided her out through the doors.

Outside in the school playground she was once again totally overwhelmed at the number of children calling out as they rushed around, seemingly without any purpose, and she started to feel very apprehensive.

"You ok Ash?"

The cute boy named Ben asked, leaning over her slightly.

His closeness reassured her and, despite her concerns, she smiled at him, "Yeah I.... I think so."

"Good. You don't mind me calling you Ash do you?"

"No. It's.... it's fine."

His shortening of her name, something that no one had ever done before, sent a warm feeling through her and she knew she'd made the right decision wanting to come to school.

Staying with her until the fifteen-minute break was over he pushed her back into class and dropped into the seat alongside her for their next lesson.

Just being with him made her tingle and she continued to look sideways at him, blushing when he caught her staring at him and grinned back at her.

When the lunch break arrived, Ben didn't even bother to ask and simply took charge, wheeling Ashley outside to one of the tables and plonking himself down on the bench next to her.

"What are you doing?" She enquired when he sat down, "Don't you have friends to talk to?"

Not that she wanted him to go. His presence calmed her nerves and made her happier than she could remember.

"Yeah I do but if they want to talk to me they can come over here."

He winked at her, his cheeky grin sending a horde of butterflies flying around her stomach.

Unwrapping the lunch her mother had packed for her Ashley kept trying to discretely glance at him. She had been doing it all morning but now she finally had the opportunity to study him properly.

He was tall for a thirteen-year-old, probably one of the tallest in the class, about 5' 9" or 10" already. With collar length untidy brown hair and mesmerising blue-grey eyes that seemed to have been imprinted on her memory already.

He wasn't good-looking in the traditional film-star way but he was most definitely cute in the boy down the street sense.

Yes, most definitely cute she decided, smiling to herself.

"What? Have I got something on my face?" He asked wiping his hands over his mouth.

"Nope."

She giggled feeling happier than she could remember in a very long time.

"Hi Ben."

Two girls, one a very pretty brunette, strolled up to the table, eyeing Ashley and interrupting them.

"Hey Amy, hey Lauren. This is Ashley."

The pair looked her up and down and smiled before saying their goodbyes and walking away.

"I don't think they like me very much."

He chuckled, "Don't let it bother you. They don't like anyone."

Over the course of the next twenty minutes or so several more youngsters came across to say hello. Most of them taking the time to speak to Ashley and by the end of lunch she went back to class feeling even better than before.

The afternoon passed in much the same way as the morning; Ben sitting with her for the rest of the day, pushing her between classrooms and, again, spending the afternoon break talking to her.

Class was over and the two were still in the room talking when Carol Morrant walked in.