The Pulse Pt. 02

There was utter silence in the hall.

The sergeant sighed.

"I will be here for the next hour. If you would like to speak to me I will be in the school office. If you would like to talk anonymously then please call our 101 helpline. Thank you."

I was aghast. I hated the guy's guts but internal bleeding and a punctured lung? I looked and found the threads to the other rugby players and they were all white as sheets. I reinforced that Youle was nothing but slime and that they all hated him anyway.

Jamie led me out of the side door and we got lost in the general rush of students all wondering what and who had happened to Harry Youle.

"Fuck, Jake! What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," I said, acting more confident than I felt.

"Nothing? But those cowards will be over to tell the police it was you in about five seconds flat once no one can see them."

"No they won't. They all hate Youle as much as we do. And even if they did, who's going to believe that it was me? They'll just see the kid that has been bullied all his life and never once stood up to them. It's why Youle won't say a word. It's far too embarrassing. Much easier to make out that it was someone much more mysterious. Maybe a drug thing..?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Jake? I mean it man, this isn't you. And how the hell did you hit him that hard? Not that I wouldn't have loved to do exactly the same thing."

"Look. All I'm doing is all I can do. Nothing. I can't change what happened by worrying and I'd do it again in a heartbeat so let's leave it and worry about the next exam."

Jamie gave me a long look.

"It was a helluva punch."

We both grinned at each other.

"Yeah, I'm pretty proud of it myself."

"So. Exams. The next one is Thursday, so cram session at mine on Wednesday night OK?"

"Okay...oh! Err...no. I can't."

"You what?"

"I...I have a date."

"With Fiona?"

In desperation I nodded, feeling myself sinking deeper into my lie. No way in hell would he ever believe that Jennifer Sawyer had asked me over to her place. And how could I tell him why?

"Wow man. I know you're confident about Biology but I didn't think you were that confident."

"I'll be OK. I have tonight and I did OK on the test papers."

"OK dude. I hope that she's worth it!"

And so the banter continued up the hill until he headed off towards his house and I carried on to the top, barely breathing hard. It must be the gears on Dad's bike making it easier.

The evening was spent trying to focus on my Biology revision. That all went out the window when I had a knock on my bedroom door. My Mum had a huge grin on her face as she said,

"There's a Feeeyownna on the phone for you." She said it in a sing-song voice and I blushed as I jumped up to get down to the phone.

I hadn't exactly forgotten about Fiona but it had been a busy few days. I really should have called.

"Hi, Fiona?"

"Hi Jake," she sounded nervous.

"It's great to hear from you. Thanks for ringing."

Her voice lost a little of its tightness.

"No problem. It's good to speak to you too. I just wanted to say thank you for a really nice night out on Saturday and to see...if you want to get together again sometime?"

It all came out in a rush.

"You're very welcome. I had a great time. And yes, I'd love to meet up again. Exams have started so I'm having to study quite a bit but there's no reason that we couldn't go out for a drink or something at the weekend?"

"I'd like that. Saturday?"

"Definitely! Do you want me to pick you up? I finally got my mini sorted out?"

"That would be wonderful Jake - I'd love to see it. Where do you want to go?"

"Well there's a pub not far from me called The Four Horseshoes. I haven't been there but it's got a good reputation. Unless you'd like to go into town?"

"No, the pub sounds great. Is eight o'clock OK?"

"I'll be there on the dot."

"Then it's a date. Night Jake."

"Good night Fiona."

I put the phone down in the cradle to see both my parents peering round the door from the kitchen.

"Good night Fiona!" They chorused together.

I grinned a bit embarrassed but happy inside, "Oh grow up you two!"

I went back upstairs and daydreamed a bit before I reminded myself about my upcoming exam and managed to get focused for a couple of hours.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Wednesday was gymnastics club and then back to Jennifer's house. To say that I was looking forward to it was an understatement. I'd had a good night's studying but I did still worry from time to time about whether Harry Youle would say anything.

But my Dad's best ever piece of advice kept me sane as it had in the past.

He'd passed on this nugget soon after I'd started work at the garden centre. I'd made a mistake with the pallet truck and broken some stock. The boss was going to come back the next day and I was stressing madly about it, totally unable to relax. Dad sat me down on the sofa and then crouched down in front of me.

"Jake. Just stop for a minute."

"I can't Dad! I really might have blown this job and I really need it."

"Listen to me. Is there anything that you can physically do about this right now? I mean anything at all? Can I drive you up there and help you try and fix this thing?"

"No," this wasn't helping. If anything I felt more despondent.

"Well if there is literally nothing you can do about it then you have to stop worrying. It's the only way to stay sane, son."

At the time I'd scoffed but ever since then I heard those words and they helped me a lot. I literally couldn't do anything about it. So until the worst happened I was going to carry on with my life.

So I slept well. Thankfully Mum had been out and bought some new trousers for me from the local outfitters and so I freewheeled down the hill towards school feeling pretty good about life. I met up with Jamie and we bullshitted our way down to school as usual.

I did see some of the rugby guys but they looked like they were avoiding me rather than the other way around. I cannot tell you how much of a relief that is not to be worrying about who is waiting to rub your nose in the dirt every chance they get. People were beginning to treat me like a normal human being and I have to say I could get used to it.

The day was mostly uneventful until lunch time.

Jamie and I were hanging out near the front gates eating our packed lunches and enjoying the sunshine much like we did every day.

Two girls from our year walked up in our direction. Tina and Susan weren't part of the cool crowd but they certainly weren't at the bottom of the social heap like we were. Tina had been in possession of the largest tits in the school since she was about thirteen and as a result had been the centre of attention for a while. Susan was her best friend and while she wasn't as chesty she was a nice looking girl who had been stuck with ugly braces over her teeth for the last two years. I think they only lived a few streets down from me and we'd often been in similar classes.

Having seen them heading towards us I went back to chatting to Jamie, assuming that they were headed out of the school to go to the local One Stop for some sweets or a drink. So no one was more shocked than me when they made a beeline for the two of us.

"Hi Jake."

"Er...Tina. Hi."

"What are you guys doing?"

"Just grabbing some lunch and trying to figure out what's going to be in tomorrow's exam."

"Oh right. You do Biology right? The same as Susan?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Cool. Do you guys mind if we join you?"

Jamie's eyes practically bugged out throughout this exchange. As far as the unknown went, this might as well have been brain surgery for the two of us.

"Err...sure."

The two girls sat down, slightly too close to us. Tina by me and Susan by Jamie. Conversation was a bit stilted for a while but by the end of lunch we began to have a laugh as we all realised we were into similar music and TV shows.

As we got up to head into the afternoon's lessons we split into couples, with Tina hanging back slightly.

"So, I've been hoping to get to see Muse in concert. They're coming to the Hexagon in Reading in a couple of weeks. I bought two tickets, really excited to go and Susan's parents won't let her. I know this is a bit forward but I was wondering if you might go with me."

"Wow! That sounds fantastic - I'd love to see Muse. But I am sort of seeing someone."

"Sort of seeing someone..?"

"Yeah. It's early days but I'm not sure..."

"Hey, it doesn't have to be a date Jake." She interrupted, tossing her long hair over her shoulders and making her chest jiggle in so many enticing ways.

"I've always thought that you were pretty cool but you just didn't seem interested in talking to me. But now that I know you're into some of the same music as me I just hoped you'd come along. I know my parents would never let me go by myself and to be honest with these things," and she gestured at her massive mammaries, "getting the kind of attention that they get, I'd much rather go with a guy so that I don't spend the evening telling drunk guys to piss off instead of enjoying the music."

"Tell you what Tina. Can you remind me of the date of the concert? Then I'll check my work rota and see if I can make it. It would be great to see Muse and if I can help you enjoy the night then that's got to be a win win right?"

She smiled warmly and swished off back to class.

Jamie and Susan seemed to have been getting along pretty well too and I saw a piece of paper exchanged between the two as I caught up to them.

"See you later Jamie."

And Susan trotted off to catch up with Tina. Both of them looking back over their shoulders at us and then giggling to each other as they went round the corner.

"What just happened to us?"

"I think that Tina and Susan just..."

"Dude, I know that but since when did hot girls like that come over and talk to us and ask us out on dates? Since the twelfth of never, that's when!"

"Maybe she's always liked you?"

"Maybe. Maybe the rest of the school always liked us but just hid it fucking well!"

I laughed. He did have a point.

"Honestly though, Jake. Doesn't this feel weird to you? I mean, I'm not complaining but after you've been kicked around for long enough like we have, when something like this happens I can't help feeling like it's a setup!"

"I know what you mean," I said, thinking of Jennifer, and then Fiona and now Tina! What the hell was I going to do?

"So what did Tina ask you about?"

"She wants to go and see Muse in a couple of weeks at The Hexagon."

"Cool. So are you going to go?"

"I have no idea. I don't know what Fiona and I have, or if we're definitely an item but I'm seeing her on Saturday."

"I thought you were seeing her tonight?"

"No...yeah, I am...err."

"Jake...what's going on?"

"Man, you'd never believe me."

"Try me."

"I'm going to Jennifer Sawyer's house tonight for a pizza and to study."

"You're fucking what? How...why...when...?"

Jamie's mouth opened and closed in amazement as he drifted off into unintelligible noises.

I told him how I'd been driving past and on my way to work and seen the police lights and how I'd got dragged into help. Thankfully he believed me but was still incredulous.

"So you're trying to tell me that you are having interactions with three girls who all want a piece of Jake?"

"I'm telling you that the last two weeks have been fucking nuts and I don't fully understand what's going on. But I really like it!"

"No wonder you blew me off! Hey, no worries man. If I had a chance to get within arms reach of Jennifer Sawyer you wouldn't see me for dust either."

Then his expression changed.

"We're friends though, right?"

"Of course!"

"Just, you know..." and he trailed off. I responded in the only way that made sense.

"I may look like a monkey who's been put in a suit and strategically shaved but I'm not as thick as Baldrick. We're mates - always will be."

He smiled sheepishly and nodded. We headed off to class, swapping insults. I felt a lot better now that I could actually talk to someone about Jennifer.

Gymnastics that evening definitely went up a notch and I found myself dragging at the back after every exercise. I shouldn't have been surprised but I felt thoroughly frustrated having initially done well. Rob was really cool about it though.

"Jake, you're trying to keep up with people that have been training on this stuff for a long time. You have great potential but it's going to take a while. Don't be so hard on yourself. Now take a break. Ah ah! I know you don't want to but you're going to damage yourself if you keep throwing yourself at the equipment like that."

His grin took the sting out of his words and I ruefully sat back down to catch my breath.

Just then Jennifer walked over, making me feel tongue tied without even trying.

"So are you still all set for tonight?"

"A-Absolutely."

"Great. Mum is picking me up tonight. Whatever thing she usually does is off. Do you want to have a lift?"

Talk of her mother panicked me and Jennifer must have seen it in my eyes.

"I'm sure she's not going to hold any grudges about the accident. She was the one that offered when I mentioned that you'd be coming back to study with me."

"But I have my bike with me?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can fit it in the back."

With that obviously decided in her mind she turned and headed off to the next piece of apparatus. I used my break to watch her floor routine. She wasn't the best of the gymnasts there but she had rhythm that made the routine flow so much better than the others had. As she bent down for one of her moves I immediately saw her again in my mind's eye and had to stop myself reaching for the Pulse.

How exactly would I have explained away a nude and dripping version of Jennifer appearing in the middle of the floor routine alongside the real one? My cock was already semi-hard at the prospect.

I stopped myself from staring at her lithe, agile form and went back to work willing my dick to come back under control with only limited success judging by the looks that I got from some of the other female gymnasts.

It was a relief to get to the warm downs. I paid special attention to stretching out properly and then hit the showers. I'd only brought a tshirt and sweatpants as they were some of the few things that still fitted me. I was going to have to spend some actual money on clothes, and soon.

Jennifer met me outside and the familiar Volvo pulled up in the drop off/pick up area outside the school. Celia Sawyer stepped out of the car wearing yoga pants and a tight fitting workout top. She looked unbelievable.

"Ah there you both are. So Jake, are you getting a lift with us?"

"Err...yes, if that's OK?"

"Of course it is sweetie. The car is huge - just throw your bike in the back like you did those bags of manure the other day and we'll be on our way."

Jennifer looked slightly surprised.

"I helped your Mum load some manure that she'd bought at the garden centre into the car last weekend."

"He was such a help. He even came and helped me unload as well."

Her eyes were sparkling as she said it.

I couldn't look at either of them and after a brief awkward silence I put the bike in the boot and started to get in the back.

"Don't be silly sweetie, you're far too big to fit in the back, come and sit up front."

Blushing even redder, I apologised and got in the passenger seat. Jennifer was looking less and less amused, making me wonder whether this wasn't the first time that this sort of thing had played out between them.

We headed back to their house with Cynthia prattling on about her workout class until Jennifer said,

"I thought that class was cancelled, which is why you could come and collect me?"

"Oh no, dear! You must have been mistaken. They'd just changed the time so I thought that I'd drop by and save you the walk. Particularly after what happened the other week. Who knows who might be walking around the streets?"

We got to their huge house and I managed to avoid staring at Mrs Sawyer's significant breasts too much. In truth there was an embarrassment of riches around me and I was having a hard job keeping my cock from springing to attention. I eventually had to think of Baldrick in a dress to get things back under control.

We went inside their palatial showhome of a house and headed into the kitchen. After much back and forth over the menu we ordered enough pizza to have the delivery driver wheelying most of the way here.

"How many people are coming over?" I asked puzzled.

"Oh, it's just us. Mr Sawyer is away this week and if he's off enjoying himself somewhere then I'm damned if I'm going to cook. We can just have pizza again tomorrow."

I nodded, unsure what was going on. It was almost as if Celia was flirting with me. It became more obvious when she stretched her arms up over her head with a sexy smile. It did the most outrageous things to her already impressive tits.

"I'm heading up for a shower. Does anyone else need one?"

"Err...no thanks I showered after gymnastics."

Jennifer shook her head, obviously biting her tongue until her mother left the room.

"God I am so sorry about her. I can't believe how embarrassing that was."

"I'm sure she was just being friendly."

"Something like that," muttered Jennifer, obviously irritated and embarrassed. "Why don't we get a drink and go through to the sitting room? Is a coke alright?"

"Perfect, thanks."

She fussed around the kitchen and then we headed across the huge hallway and into the opulent sitting room. All the damage had been repaired and it was looking completely spotless. There was a full scale bar at one end with stools around it in a beautiful dark wood. At the other end there was a huge fireplace with three enormous sofas surrounding it with a large coffee table in the middle. I put down my coke on the coffee table and flopped down gracelessly, sinking into the incredible comfort of one of the sofas only to see Jennifer settle onto the adjacent one with the poise of a ballerina.

There was a slightly awkward pause.

"You didn't need to thank me with anything, you know."

"I know. But I wanted you to know how much I appreciated it. A lot of people would have seen the lights and just driven on. And they certainly wouldn't have spent their evening helping a traumatised girl get everything together and help her feel safe again."

I blushed, as ever, deeply uncomfortable with praise.

She looked up from her seat on the sofa next to mine and I was shocked to see tears in her eyes.

"Jennifer, what's wrong?"

"I don't have any friends."

"Don't be daft, you're one of the most popular girls in the school."

"It may look like that to you but they're not friends. Being popular is one thing, but I have to watch every word I say around them. Don't think I don't know that you could have spread details of our break-in all around school and made yourself out as a hero. I haven't heard a single thing from anyone and believe me when I say I would have. I had no one I trusted to call for help. Do you know what that's like?"

She looked across at me with pleading in her eyes. I thought of Jamie and knew what a rock he was for me. I just shook my head sadly.

"If you hadn't been there and been nice enough to just check in on me I wouldn't have known who to call. And do you know why? Because it would have been all over the school in seconds with people embellishing it to say that I'd been raped or something."

And she started to sob.

I quickly moved over to her sofa and wrapped my arms around her and just held her. She cried quietly for a few minutes before her arms started to tighten around me.

"You give the best hugs," she said in a very small voice.