When Rachel got back to the hostel there were three people sitting in the common room watching television. She hesitated, unsure of the protocol of a situation like this. Sure she had spent plenty of time with people older than herself but it was on her own turf, where she was now was unfamiliar territory and that placed her outside her comfort zone. Which, considering the circumstances that brought her to this point, seemed like rather a silly thing to be worrying about.
Part of her was concerned someone would guess what she had done and turn her in. For a moment she thought she’d be better off trying to keep to herself as much as possible, then she realised there was really no point. If she was going to be found out, she was going to be found out and the only thing self-imposed isolation would achieve would be to deny herself a bit of fun. It was entirely possible her parents wouldn’t come looking for her for two weeks. With a bit of luck they might think she’d come home once the time she was supposed to be at the farm was over.
Rachel made up her mind. She went into the common room. She sat in one of the empty chairs. No-one even acknowledged her presence and she started to feel really self conscious. Then the ads came on.
“Hey new chick, have a name?” asked the guy stretched out on the couch, his legs laying on the lap of the other female in the room.
“Yeah you?” Rachel said. The girl bit back a laugh. When the guy didn’t respond Rachel started to feel even more uncomfortable, with no idea of what to do or say next. He just stared at her until she broke his gaze by turning her attention back to the television. Rachel was sure her face was bright red. It certainly felt as though she was burning up. She heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh but refused to turn around. If this was some initiation thing they would have to do better than that to get her involved. Rachel was beginning to think she would have been better off going straight up to the dorm.
“Geez Brett you can be such a prick sometimes. Hey..?” Rachel turned back to face the couple, the girl was smiling. “I’m Liz, this dick is Brett and the quiet one, sorry make that the stoned one, is Jeremy, only he doesn’t tend to answer to that so call him Stoner, we all do.”
A cushion flew across Rachel’s view and would’ve hit Liz square in the face if she hadn’t ducked.
“Don’t tell the girl lies, I answer to Jez but only me mum calls me Jeremy. What was that are you blind ref?” The whole time he spoke Jeremy’s eyes hadn’t left the screen.
Rachel turned her attention back to the show and noticed for the first time that they were watching rugby. She didn’t understand rugby and didn’t want to ask any dumb questions so once again found herself thinking about going upstairs.
Liz came and sat on the arm of the chair Rachel was sitting in. “Look don’t mind those two, they are just a little obsessive about their rugby.”
“Are not,” shouted Brett in the midst of abusing someone in the game.
Liz smiled, “See what I mean? Still they are entertaining.” She was quiet for a minute.
“I’m Rachel.”
“So Rachel what brings you here?”
Rachel paused. She didn’t want to tell the truth, she had no idea how Liz would react, she didn’t know what type of person Liz was. The problem was she hadn’t thought about what she would say if someone asked her that question. In retrospect not having a prepared answer did seem a bit stupid but there wasn’t anything she could do about it now.
“Geez, I had no idea I’d asked such a hard question.”
“Sorry, I guess you could say I’m on holiday.” Rachel realised her answer sounded a bit odd, so immediately directed the same question back to Liz. “You?”
“I’m working my way around this lovely warm country of yours.”
There was an awkward pause, filled only with the noise of the television.
“So, where are you from?” Rachel asked Liz.
“Reading in England, do you know where that is?”
Rachel shook her head.
“Don’t worry,” interrupted Brett, while still staring at the rugby, “You’re not missing anything by not knowing.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “And those two are from someplace in New Zealand no-one has ever heard of, except the unfortunate people who live there.”
“I got the New Zealand bit,” Rachel laughed. “I may not have travelled outside this country, actually I’ve never left this state, but you can’t mistake that accent.”
Jez stood up and stretched. “Beer break,” he announced. “Do you want one Rachel?”
Rachel shrugged, “Sure, why not.”
“That’s my girl, why not indeed. Off you go then, the nearest bottle shop is about one kilometre in that direction.” Jeremy pointed away from the beach.
“I have a better idea. I’ll pay if you go get it,” threw back Rachel quickly.
“But the game is on.”
“Oh and the game is more important than a young woman’s safety? Surely you don’t want a girl like me to walk all that way in the dark by myself, anything could happen.”
“Beer,” grunted Brett.
“The game,” grunted back Jez.
“Oh look I’ll go with her,” said Liz. “Besides someone’s got to show her the way, but we’re only going on the condition that you pay.” She walked over to Brett with her hand out.
He looked around her and pointed to Jez. So she walked over to him and was about to stand between him and the television but he pulled out his wallet and handed it to her.
“Now see Brett,” she said putting herself directly between Brett and the television. “That’s the kind of thing a girl likes, a guy who’s not afraid to give her his money.” As she spoke she opened the wallet, she had barely finished her sentence before it went sailing across the room, completely missing its target.
Jez picked it up and put it back in his pocket, once again without taking his eyes off the screen.
Liz turned to Rachel. “How about you and I get to know each other over a game of pool?”
“What about the beer?” Brett’s question trailed off into a stereo sounding groan with Jez.
Liz shrugged, “No money, no beer. It’s not a difficult equation to work out.” She started to walk out of the room.
“Just a sec.” Liz turned back to look at Brett. “Here.” He held out a fifty dollar note.
Liz walked back across to him. “Now that is more like it.” She lent in and kissed him.
Rachel was pretty sure that was Liz’s way of claiming Brett as hers. The crowd on the television erupted into noise at the same time as Brett and Jez started punching the air and cheering. Liz and Rachel left.
“So,” Rachel asked, “How did you and the guys meet?”
“At the hostel.”
“Oh.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” Rachel paused. “I guess I just assumed you guys must have been friends for ages you seem really comfortable together and you and Brett seem really close.”
Liz laughed. “That depends on your definition of ages. I’ve been here for three months and they were already here when I got here, but you could say that Brett and I are really close, for the moment.”
“Why just for the moment?”
“Well, I’ll be out of here in a couple of weeks, three actually and I assume they will be staying.”
“Both of them?”
“Sure they’re best mates, practically inseparable since birth, as best as I can tell. Though there are some things they do separately.” Liz lit a cigarette. “Sometimes I think it would be great to have a friend like that and sometimes I’m glad I don’t. Thing is when you travel like this you make friends easily. It’s the staying in touch once you’ve gone your own ways that’s tougher”
Rachel was thinking about what Liz had said. “Won’t you miss him though?”
“Brett? Sure, I mean the sex is pretty great but there are plenty more guys out there. I like being free to pick and choose don’t you? Guys have had it that way for ages so I think it’s only fair that we can have the same attitude to it. Can you believe in this day and age it still seems okay for a guy to go home with a different girl every weekend but if a girl does it she’s a slut?” Liz paused.
Rachel didn’t say anything she was content to let Liz keep talking.
“I’m not ready to settle down with any one person yet. I plan on enjoying myself the whole time I’m here. There will be plenty of time for serious relationships and commitment when I get back home.”
Liz took a few drags on her cigarette before changing the topic to different people she had met in her travels and some of the things she had done. Rachel was wishing she was older. She was beginning to think she’d love to travel around the world like Liz was doing, but she didn’t think airlines would let her travel alone without parental permission while she was still only sixteen. Even if she could physically get on the plane she wouldn’t be able to pay for all of it. She’d have to work her way around like Liz was doing which might prove to be a whole other problem, she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to get jobs. When she was older though it was definitely something she was going to look into.
When they got to the bottle shop Rachel said she’d wait outside. She was pretty sure she looked old enough, she’d bought alcohol before but it wasn’t a risk she wanted to take here and now for several reasons, one of which was Liz. In the brief time she had known her she decided she liked the British girl and didn’t want to cause her any problems.
Liz came out carrying a carton. Rachel was wondering how long it was going to take them to get back to the hostel carrying that. The two of them hadn’t even walked out of the car park when Liz put the carton down.
“What are you going to do, drink half of them before we get back?”
Liz laughed, “No but I like the way you think.” She ripped the carton open and handed Rachel two six packs. She threw the exterior carton in the bin and picked up the other two six packs. “It’s much easier to carry them this way, don’t you agree?” They started walking back to the hostel. “So tell me something about yourself.”
“Like what?” asked Rachel.
“I don’t know, anything.”
“Uh, well I was born in mining country, lived there all my life. I don’t have a boyfriend and agree with you I should be able to sleep with whoever I want.”
“Good for you.”
The girls continued a light conversation on the way back to the hostel. Liz stopped Rachel just outside the door. She put the beer down and reached into her pocket, pulling out two miniature bottles of vodka. Rachel put her beer down and accepted the little bottle. Unscrewing the lid Liz chinked hers on the one Rachel was holding. “Cheers,” and raised it to her mouth.
Rachel followed suit wincing slightly as the vodka hit the back of her throat, warming her on its way down.
“There is a bin just inside, we’ll get rid of the evidence there.” Liz screwed the lid back on the now empty bottle and put it back in her pocket. They dropped their bottles off on the way through to rejoining the guys.
They had barely walked in the room before Jez had his hand out, “Beer.”
Rachel headed for the chair on the other side of him and handed him one on her way passed.
Rachel couldn’t remember ever having such a fun night. Once the rugby was over they sat around drinking, talking and laughing at the television. Jez was actually quite cute Rachel decided once she had a good look at him. Both guys had great bodies and Rachel could see why Liz had hooked up with Brett, they looked good together. Jez looked a bit more serious than Brett, though Rachel wasn’t quite sure that was the word she was looking for. Maybe he just didn’t look like as much trouble.
“Geez get a room.” Jez flicked the lid from his fresh bottle of beer at Liz and Brett. They ignored him. “Let’s leave these two alone, it seems they have forgotten there are other people in this room. I’m going to go out for a smoke, do you want to join me?”
Rachel followed Jez outside. He offered her a joint. “No thanks,” she said as she shook her head. “I was just being polite, I figured they could use the privacy. I think that was one of those situations where they say three is a crowd.”
“You could be right. Brett is up for a lot of stuff but that I’m not sure about. Oh who am I kidding, of course he’d be up for it.”
“He may be but I’m not and I don’t think Liz would appreciate it somehow.” Rachel wasn’t entirely comfortable with the direction the conversation was going.
“Here hold this,” Jez held the joint out to her. “I don’t think they will be needing their spare beers so we may as well make use of them.”
He disappeared inside, reappearing a minute later with four bottles. Rachel gave him back his joint and grabbed another beer. She knew she didn’t need anymore, the vodka had certainly done its job, but she didn’t care. She was here to have fun, to do what she wanted, when and how she wanted. No-one was going to tell her off or lecture her here. Besides technically she was still celebrating her big escape, so she took another long swig of beer and savoured the taste of freedom.
Part of her was concerned someone would guess what she had done and turn her in. For a moment she thought she’d be better off trying to keep to herself as much as possible, then she realised there was really no point. If she was going to be found out, she was going to be found out and the only thing self-imposed isolation would achieve would be to deny herself a bit of fun. It was entirely possible her parents wouldn’t come looking for her for two weeks. With a bit of luck they might think she’d come home once the time she was supposed to be at the farm was over.
Rachel made up her mind. She went into the common room. She sat in one of the empty chairs. No-one even acknowledged her presence and she started to feel really self conscious. Then the ads came on.
“Hey new chick, have a name?” asked the guy stretched out on the couch, his legs laying on the lap of the other female in the room.
“Yeah you?” Rachel said. The girl bit back a laugh. When the guy didn’t respond Rachel started to feel even more uncomfortable, with no idea of what to do or say next. He just stared at her until she broke his gaze by turning her attention back to the television. Rachel was sure her face was bright red. It certainly felt as though she was burning up. She heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh but refused to turn around. If this was some initiation thing they would have to do better than that to get her involved. Rachel was beginning to think she would have been better off going straight up to the dorm.
“Geez Brett you can be such a prick sometimes. Hey..?” Rachel turned back to face the couple, the girl was smiling. “I’m Liz, this dick is Brett and the quiet one, sorry make that the stoned one, is Jeremy, only he doesn’t tend to answer to that so call him Stoner, we all do.”
A cushion flew across Rachel’s view and would’ve hit Liz square in the face if she hadn’t ducked.
“Don’t tell the girl lies, I answer to Jez but only me mum calls me Jeremy. What was that are you blind ref?” The whole time he spoke Jeremy’s eyes hadn’t left the screen.
Rachel turned her attention back to the show and noticed for the first time that they were watching rugby. She didn’t understand rugby and didn’t want to ask any dumb questions so once again found herself thinking about going upstairs.
Liz came and sat on the arm of the chair Rachel was sitting in. “Look don’t mind those two, they are just a little obsessive about their rugby.”
“Are not,” shouted Brett in the midst of abusing someone in the game.
Liz smiled, “See what I mean? Still they are entertaining.” She was quiet for a minute.
“I’m Rachel.”
“So Rachel what brings you here?”
Rachel paused. She didn’t want to tell the truth, she had no idea how Liz would react, she didn’t know what type of person Liz was. The problem was she hadn’t thought about what she would say if someone asked her that question. In retrospect not having a prepared answer did seem a bit stupid but there wasn’t anything she could do about it now.
“Geez, I had no idea I’d asked such a hard question.”
“Sorry, I guess you could say I’m on holiday.” Rachel realised her answer sounded a bit odd, so immediately directed the same question back to Liz. “You?”
“I’m working my way around this lovely warm country of yours.”
There was an awkward pause, filled only with the noise of the television.
“So, where are you from?” Rachel asked Liz.
“Reading in England, do you know where that is?”
Rachel shook her head.
“Don’t worry,” interrupted Brett, while still staring at the rugby, “You’re not missing anything by not knowing.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “And those two are from someplace in New Zealand no-one has ever heard of, except the unfortunate people who live there.”
“I got the New Zealand bit,” Rachel laughed. “I may not have travelled outside this country, actually I’ve never left this state, but you can’t mistake that accent.”
Jez stood up and stretched. “Beer break,” he announced. “Do you want one Rachel?”
Rachel shrugged, “Sure, why not.”
“That’s my girl, why not indeed. Off you go then, the nearest bottle shop is about one kilometre in that direction.” Jeremy pointed away from the beach.
“I have a better idea. I’ll pay if you go get it,” threw back Rachel quickly.
“But the game is on.”
“Oh and the game is more important than a young woman’s safety? Surely you don’t want a girl like me to walk all that way in the dark by myself, anything could happen.”
“Beer,” grunted Brett.
“The game,” grunted back Jez.
“Oh look I’ll go with her,” said Liz. “Besides someone’s got to show her the way, but we’re only going on the condition that you pay.” She walked over to Brett with her hand out.
He looked around her and pointed to Jez. So she walked over to him and was about to stand between him and the television but he pulled out his wallet and handed it to her.
“Now see Brett,” she said putting herself directly between Brett and the television. “That’s the kind of thing a girl likes, a guy who’s not afraid to give her his money.” As she spoke she opened the wallet, she had barely finished her sentence before it went sailing across the room, completely missing its target.
Jez picked it up and put it back in his pocket, once again without taking his eyes off the screen.
Liz turned to Rachel. “How about you and I get to know each other over a game of pool?”
“What about the beer?” Brett’s question trailed off into a stereo sounding groan with Jez.
Liz shrugged, “No money, no beer. It’s not a difficult equation to work out.” She started to walk out of the room.
“Just a sec.” Liz turned back to look at Brett. “Here.” He held out a fifty dollar note.
Liz walked back across to him. “Now that is more like it.” She lent in and kissed him.
Rachel was pretty sure that was Liz’s way of claiming Brett as hers. The crowd on the television erupted into noise at the same time as Brett and Jez started punching the air and cheering. Liz and Rachel left.
“So,” Rachel asked, “How did you and the guys meet?”
“At the hostel.”
“Oh.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” Rachel paused. “I guess I just assumed you guys must have been friends for ages you seem really comfortable together and you and Brett seem really close.”
Liz laughed. “That depends on your definition of ages. I’ve been here for three months and they were already here when I got here, but you could say that Brett and I are really close, for the moment.”
“Why just for the moment?”
“Well, I’ll be out of here in a couple of weeks, three actually and I assume they will be staying.”
“Both of them?”
“Sure they’re best mates, practically inseparable since birth, as best as I can tell. Though there are some things they do separately.” Liz lit a cigarette. “Sometimes I think it would be great to have a friend like that and sometimes I’m glad I don’t. Thing is when you travel like this you make friends easily. It’s the staying in touch once you’ve gone your own ways that’s tougher”
Rachel was thinking about what Liz had said. “Won’t you miss him though?”
“Brett? Sure, I mean the sex is pretty great but there are plenty more guys out there. I like being free to pick and choose don’t you? Guys have had it that way for ages so I think it’s only fair that we can have the same attitude to it. Can you believe in this day and age it still seems okay for a guy to go home with a different girl every weekend but if a girl does it she’s a slut?” Liz paused.
Rachel didn’t say anything she was content to let Liz keep talking.
“I’m not ready to settle down with any one person yet. I plan on enjoying myself the whole time I’m here. There will be plenty of time for serious relationships and commitment when I get back home.”
Liz took a few drags on her cigarette before changing the topic to different people she had met in her travels and some of the things she had done. Rachel was wishing she was older. She was beginning to think she’d love to travel around the world like Liz was doing, but she didn’t think airlines would let her travel alone without parental permission while she was still only sixteen. Even if she could physically get on the plane she wouldn’t be able to pay for all of it. She’d have to work her way around like Liz was doing which might prove to be a whole other problem, she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to get jobs. When she was older though it was definitely something she was going to look into.
When they got to the bottle shop Rachel said she’d wait outside. She was pretty sure she looked old enough, she’d bought alcohol before but it wasn’t a risk she wanted to take here and now for several reasons, one of which was Liz. In the brief time she had known her she decided she liked the British girl and didn’t want to cause her any problems.
Liz came out carrying a carton. Rachel was wondering how long it was going to take them to get back to the hostel carrying that. The two of them hadn’t even walked out of the car park when Liz put the carton down.
“What are you going to do, drink half of them before we get back?”
Liz laughed, “No but I like the way you think.” She ripped the carton open and handed Rachel two six packs. She threw the exterior carton in the bin and picked up the other two six packs. “It’s much easier to carry them this way, don’t you agree?” They started walking back to the hostel. “So tell me something about yourself.”
“Like what?” asked Rachel.
“I don’t know, anything.”
“Uh, well I was born in mining country, lived there all my life. I don’t have a boyfriend and agree with you I should be able to sleep with whoever I want.”
“Good for you.”
The girls continued a light conversation on the way back to the hostel. Liz stopped Rachel just outside the door. She put the beer down and reached into her pocket, pulling out two miniature bottles of vodka. Rachel put her beer down and accepted the little bottle. Unscrewing the lid Liz chinked hers on the one Rachel was holding. “Cheers,” and raised it to her mouth.
Rachel followed suit wincing slightly as the vodka hit the back of her throat, warming her on its way down.
“There is a bin just inside, we’ll get rid of the evidence there.” Liz screwed the lid back on the now empty bottle and put it back in her pocket. They dropped their bottles off on the way through to rejoining the guys.
They had barely walked in the room before Jez had his hand out, “Beer.”
Rachel headed for the chair on the other side of him and handed him one on her way passed.
Rachel couldn’t remember ever having such a fun night. Once the rugby was over they sat around drinking, talking and laughing at the television. Jez was actually quite cute Rachel decided once she had a good look at him. Both guys had great bodies and Rachel could see why Liz had hooked up with Brett, they looked good together. Jez looked a bit more serious than Brett, though Rachel wasn’t quite sure that was the word she was looking for. Maybe he just didn’t look like as much trouble.
“Geez get a room.” Jez flicked the lid from his fresh bottle of beer at Liz and Brett. They ignored him. “Let’s leave these two alone, it seems they have forgotten there are other people in this room. I’m going to go out for a smoke, do you want to join me?”
Rachel followed Jez outside. He offered her a joint. “No thanks,” she said as she shook her head. “I was just being polite, I figured they could use the privacy. I think that was one of those situations where they say three is a crowd.”
“You could be right. Brett is up for a lot of stuff but that I’m not sure about. Oh who am I kidding, of course he’d be up for it.”
“He may be but I’m not and I don’t think Liz would appreciate it somehow.” Rachel wasn’t entirely comfortable with the direction the conversation was going.
“Here hold this,” Jez held the joint out to her. “I don’t think they will be needing their spare beers so we may as well make use of them.”
He disappeared inside, reappearing a minute later with four bottles. Rachel gave him back his joint and grabbed another beer. She knew she didn’t need anymore, the vodka had certainly done its job, but she didn’t care. She was here to have fun, to do what she wanted, when and how she wanted. No-one was going to tell her off or lecture her here. Besides technically she was still celebrating her big escape, so she took another long swig of beer and savoured the taste of freedom.
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