4There have been some problems with spacing and stuff, so I'm hoping this works this time! |
Little Red Riding Hood
Shula sat and stared at the rain dribbling down the window.
"Shula, love are you sure you're all right?" her mum asked cautiously.
"Yeah I'm fine mum, but thanks for asking." Shula replied, going over the morning's events in her head.
Dave had called her earlier that morning and said that they needed to talk. She'd met him at the café that he'd suggested.
"Look Shula, we really need to think about where this relationship is going" was Dave's opening line.
" Um, well I dunno I thought maybe something … long-term?"
"Shula, look, I just don't see us in anything … well, permanent"
"What, so you're dumping me?" Shula put a brave face on, trying not to let him see how much he'd upset her.
" Well, not in those exact words, but yea I am …breaking up with you."
"Any reason for this sudden change of heart? I thought we could last a long distance relationship."
" We could, but what would be the point? I mean we were gonna break up at some point so why prolong the agony?"
"Why did we have to break up though?"
"Come on, you didn't seriously expect us to get married did you? I mean we've only been together 5 months, what's the big deal?"
Shula sighed as she remembered the morning's events, then realised that her mum had just asked her something.
"Sorry Mum, I was miles away what were you saying?"
"Oh … nothing, I just wondered if you'd finished packing yet?"
"Well, most of my stuff's already at the flat, but no not quite. I'll go and finish now."
Next morning Shula woke to the unfamiliar smell of pancakes being cooked!
Venturing downstairs in her pyjamas Shula was greeted brightly by her mother who was brandishing a spatula in one hand and who's other hand held a jar of honey.
" Just thought I'd make pancakes to say goodbye"
"Ah thanks Mum I appreciate it"
"Good I'm glad, now, what time does your train leave?"
" Not till 11 so I've got plenty of time to spare." Shula said as she sat down to a plate stacked high with pancakes.
The party had been brilliant fun but also very sad, cos it would be the last time she really got together with all her high school buddies, none of whom were going to Durham uni with her. She remembered that at the very end of the night Dave had come over and apologised,
"Hey Shula, look I'm sorry if I sounded kinda harsh this morning…"
"Harsh! Well that's the understatement of the year!" Shula muttered. Dave carried on as though she hadn't spoken,
"… But I just wanna say that I still have … feelings for you"
"Yeah right, well I didn't wanna break-up with you, so, sorry but no go on the guilt thing"
"Excuse me, but is this seat taken?" A tall guy with an aggressively shaved head (it looked as though he'd had a fight with a lawn mower… And lost!), tapped her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts.
"What? Oh, no. No-ones sitting there" Shula stammered.
"Ta"
As Shula watched him getting settled in the seat, she realised that he was actually really cute. He was about 6'2 tall, with very short dusty golden hair, deep, chocolate brown eyes, a nose that looked as though it had been broken at least once, (though whether it was by a rugby ball or someone's fist, she didn't know). He had very soft looking, full, red lips and a very attractive 5'o clock shadow on his upper lip, where he obviously hadn't bothered to shave. Shula guessed he was about 22, maybe 23.
He stretched luxuriously and Shula noticed that he also had a long lithe body with toned muscles, must be an athlete she thought. He yawned then extended his hand to her,
"Hi I'm Ollie, Ollie Mulligan"
"Hi, Shula Lovell"
"Pleased to meet you! Where you headed?"
"Durham"
"Oh are you gong to uni there?"
"Yeah what about you?"
"Aye, back to the hard grind!"
After that the conversation died out and they sat in comfortable silence each absorbed in their own thoughts.
"Oh hi Jess"
"Hey Ollie, is there a spare seat here anywhere?"
"Yeah, well I'm sure Shula won't mind you moving her stuff and sitting over there."
"Sorry, did you just say something?" Shula was startled by the sound of her name.
"Oh, I was just asking if you'd mind me moving your bag so that Jess can sit there."
Shula glanced up and saw the tall, slim, striking brunette standing next to Ollie's seat. Feeling gutted at the realisation that he already had a girl friend, she said grudgingly
"Go on then"
"Ta Shula, you're a real mate!" Ollie said gratefully
"Hi, sorry 'bout that, I'm Jess…"
"Hi, I'm Shula"
"Cool! You going to Durham uni as well?"
"Yeah"
"Hey, maybe I'll see you in one of my lectures!"
"Maybe, what are you studying?"
"History of art, Psychology and Drama"
"Nice mix of subjects you've chosen"
"I suppose, well I've still got to see whether they're any good, cos this is my first year! What 'bout you?"
"I'm doing Chemistry, English and Drama"
There was a silence and they all returned to their own thoughts.
As they were gathering up their belongings Jess spoke again,
"Hey Shula, do you know where you're staying?"
"Yeah, I've got an on-site flat, but it's not on the dorm blocks."
" Oh, right, 'cos the room I was in, I'm not in anymore and I've not been told where I'm going to now. Anyway don't worry about me."
Stupid sentiment thought Shula, since I wasn't planning to anyway!
As she made her way towards the long-stay car-park she was really glad once again that she had her own car. Her mum had had the good sense to leave her car in the car park and get the train home last time she had been at the flat.
" Hey, Shula, don't suppose you could squeeze two more bod's in your car?" Ollie shouted from across the rain- streaked car park, then gave her a heart-melting look.
Girlfriend, or no girlfriend, thought Shula, that guy is Fit! Sighing resignedly she replied,
"I suppose I could manage."
"Great!" Ollie was at her side in an instant, saying "Here, Jess pass us your stuff, Shula's gonna give us a lift!"
"Thanks Shula, you're a gem!"
Shula dropped them off at the door of the building where Ollie was staying, noting that it was only about 5 minutes in the car from her flat. When she got in she saw that she had a message on the answering machine which her mum had brought down for her.
"Hello Shula, it's James Don here, I just wondered if the offer you made about sharing your flat is still open? Anyway, get back to me, you know the number, thanks, bye"
Shula sighed as she picked up the phone to call James
"Hello, James Don speaking, who's calling please?"
"Hey, James, it's Shula, yeah the offer still stands, why?"
"Well there's been some re-shuffling of the rooms and one girls is out of a space. So I wondered if she could share with you."
"Yeah sure, what's her name?"
"Jessica Mulligan, she's a fist year student, like you, she's prepared to pay some rent. She came here in her brother's footsteps.
"Cool, send her over."
Shula was too tired to make the connection between her new flatmate and the girl on the train with Ollie. So she was kinda surprised when Jess turned up on her doorstep.
"Wow" Shula stood on her doorstep, shocked and surprisingly, speechless
"Jess, I didn't realise it would be you"
"Yeah, surprise!"
"Erm so come on in!" Shula stood aside to let Jess through. She mentally ran the conversation with James through her head again, Jess mulligan…brother… oh right! Suddenly it all made sense. Jess was Ollies Sister, nothing more. Shula sighed in relief
"Hey, nice digs you've got here!" Jess commented
"Yeah thanks I designed and decorated myself. Here dump your stuff and follow me I'll show you your room". Jess did as she was told and followed Shula through the sitting room cum dining room, past the kitchenette and, bypassing a door that was slightly ajar, displaying bundles of clothes, into the small spare back bedroom that was to become Jess' new home.
"Nice room I like it, hey" catching Shula's arm as she turned to leave "I can have guests over right?"
"Yeah sure, it's your room"
"And Shula, what about rent?"
"We can discuss that in the morning yeah?"
"Sure, night Shula, thanks" with that Shula walked out.
During the next few weeks they settled into a routine of studying attending lectures and partying. Shula and Ollie got together for a while but it kinda collapsed after a while when Ollie tried to push Shula some "casual" drugs. During long talks with his sister Ollie told Jess all about the way he feels toward Shula, but since Jess lives with Shula she doesn't really wanna say anything much that might jeopardise the slowly improving relationship between the two of them.
"Hey Shula, you going out tonight?"
"Yeah I was planning to go out with Mary she said she had a date set up for me so I can't really disappoint her, sorry Jess, why were you wanting to know anyway?"
"Well its just that my Bro is coming over for dinner and you know how bored I get when its just me and him, and I'm cooking I promise I won't let him anywhere near the kitchen" Jess thought back to when she'd last let Ollie cook, he'd almost poisoned them all! "Couldn't you phone her and say you can't make it, that you've a cold or something?" Jess tried to not make it sound like Shula was being (sort-of) set up with her big bro.
"Alright but you owe me big time!"
The evening turned out to be a lot of fun with Ollie making them both laugh at his comic turns, but Shula couldn't help thinking about what she'd turned down by agreeing to stay at home that night. She wasn't about to admit to Jess that "Mary" was in fact her very cute chemistry lecturer Dr Gibson.
The next day after her chemistry lecture Shula hung back as usual and under the pretence of asking for help in the explanation of the day's lesson she apologised for standing him up the previous night. She explained the circumstances and to her relief Dr Gibson was understanding, suggesting only that next time they arranged to meet up she might give him a bit more warning if he was likely to be being stood up. They arranged to go out to a discreet restaurant that he knew of the following night.
"Wow Shula, you look really pretty tonight" Gerry greeted her at the door of the restaurant
"You don't look half bad yourself!" Shula told herself to relax, stay calm, and breathe in and out slowly in…and out, in….and out, in…..
"Hey, Shula, are you okay?" Gerry's voice broke into her thoughts, "only you were breathing all funny I was getting kinda worried, you're not asthmatic or anything are you, only you should tell me stuff like that-"
"Honestly Gerry I'm perfectly ok" Shula gently cut through his nervous (demented (!?) ) ramblings and placated him. "Look, why don't we go into the restaurant sit down and order some food, ok?"
The night was really good fun and several times Shula had to stop and remind herself that this "relationship" couldn't really work out in real life, they were too different, plus there was the age gap, then on top of all that he was her teacher!
In spite of all this, or perhaps because of it, against his better judgement, Gerry found himself inviting Shula home for a night-cap. For once Shula found herself having to be the responsible one and say no, much as she would have liked to say yes. After all they did have to maintain a normal teacher-pupil relationship the next day!