(Storyline continued from
Ramsey Street: Behind Closed Doors
: The Doctor Will See You Now Miss Conway).
Ramsey Street: Behind Closed Doors.
A Secret for A Secret.
Despite having promised never to tell anyone about what had happened the previous night between her and Karl, Elly felt she had to tell someone or she would explode, and come Monday morning she was round at Michelle Scully's house ready to walk to school with a massive grin on her face.
Michelle had noticed how chirpy her best friend was, and despite several times asking her for the reason, she was frustrated at Elly's cagey reply "I'd love to tell you…..but I can't."
Truth was, that response seemed to make the secret more intriguing than ever, and the more often she said it, the more Michelle wanted to know it.
The two spent the whole day at school with one probing for a clue, and the other avoiding the issue, until by the end of the day Michelle was pretty tired of asking and getting her stock annoying reply. The two were at the lockers after the final bell had rung, when a girl Elly recognised from Michelle's English class invited Michelle to the mall that evening.
Michelle's reply in agreement startled Elly, who explained that she had agreed to go to the coffee shop with her after school.
"Well tough" said Michelle sternly, "Maybe I've had enough of you, I think I'll get a new best friend, one who shares her secrets!"
Elly tried hard to get her to change her mind, "Look 'Chellie", she explained, "I'd love to tell you…..but."
Michelle stopped her from saying it for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, finishing the sentence for her;
"But you can't(!)"
Michelle then picked up her bag and half-heartedly shouted after the others, "Hey wait up girls", hoping that it would produce the desired outcome from Elly.
Then she grinned from ear to ear as she heard the words she wanted to hear from her school friend.
"OK", she conceded, "But you must promise not to tell anyone, swear on your life!"
Michelle nodded but Elly insisted on a verbal agreement. Then she said she couldn't risk telling her in public in case someone heard her. "So where?" said Michelle, "You can't come back to mine, dad'll have a fit…..and Susan and Karl will dob us in if we go to yours, we're not supposed to see each other outside school remember?"
"It's OK", answered Elly, "You can come round to mine, Karl's got late surgery and Susan's not back from the year 8 field trip 'til tomorrow."
The pair walked home at different paces, Michelle almost trotting home, desperate to finally hear what Elly had tried so hard to keep from her all day, and Elly dragging her heels as she moved at a snail's pace, wondering if she really should tell her.
However, she could keep it to herself no longer, as the pair arrived home at the Kennedy's house. Elly slipped her key in the lock and entered first, making sure the coast was clear before inviting Michelle in.
The pair sat down on the couch and the conversation began.
Elly decided that the best way to go about things was to just come out with it straight away and she broke the tension by boldly exclaiming, "I had sex last night!"
Michelle seemed somewhat disappointed as the secret was finally revealed. "Is that it, big deal!"
Elly was taken aback by her best friend's lack of interest in her news. "Don't you understand, I'm no longer a virgin."
Michelle laughed, "Yes I know, you told me that weeks ago."
"No", continued Elly "Last night was my first time, I lied about doing it with Mike Grady at the skate park."
"Oh," replied Michelle, "Who was it with, Tad?"
"Yes of course it was Tad!" snapped Elly, "Who do you think it was with?"
"Just checking" said Michelle defending her question, "You lied about Mike Grady, maybe you were lying about going out with Tad."
"No" confirmed Elly, "That's definitely true".
"What was it like?" asked Michelle, feeling her breath quicken as she anticipated her friend's reply.
"It was OK", she muttered, with a distinct lack of conviction in her voice.
Michelle's heart was pounding in her chest as she felt the thoughts spinning in her head. Had Elly's secret been a bit more important (she was of course assuming that's where the story ended), she would have surely shared her own secret with Elly, but now she wasn't so sure.
Eventually she decided it wasn't the importance of the secret which mattered but the fact Elly had told her, and as her best friend she felt compelled to reveal her own little tale.
Elly sat and watched as her young friend opened her mouth and exclaimed, "Ha, beat you!"
Elly looked puzzled for a moment, that was not the response she had been expecting, and she asked her for an explanation. "Last Friday night, I had sex for the first time too!"
"Bullshit!" laughed Elly, "You've never even been with a guy, never mind done the business!"
Michelle's reply firstly made her laugh, but the calm way she had said it and the look on her face caused her to think twice.
"Who said it was with a guy?"
Elly sat totally stunned as she listened to Michelle's bold claim before she was able to stutter, "But who?"
"Remember that girl who invited me out tonight?"
"Becky Chambers!" bellowed Elly "But……." Then before she finished, she remembered the rumours she had heard going round the school about Becky liking other girls.
"Oh my god!" she finished, "But you're not…..are you?"
Michelle didn't need Elly to fill the gap for her, she new perfectly well what she was trying to say.
"Not strictly, no…….but I never seem to get many boys so I thought why not?"
It was true, she never seemed to have much luck with men, but that was not to say she wasn't attractive. Far from it, she had a young innocent looking face and a maturity way beyond her years, but she still had all the things a woman would want and she had blossomed into a curvy young lady at an early age.
Then she sat on the bed next to where Elly had placed herself. "I never even thought about it before, but I was sitting in the locker room after gym and Becky came over and put her hand on my bare thigh. I flinched a little at first, but then as she stroked it I started to relax and to be honest it felt good.
Elly had noticed how close she was sitting to her as she told her story, and true or not, it was making her feel uneasy. Although she had decided that Michelle was lying, she still felt uncomfortable with the way her friend was talking, as it wasn't like her to do something like that, she was usually so sensible. Nevertheless, Michelle continued.
"I think she wanted to do it there and then", she said calmly, "But there were too many other people about, and she said she needed to get something first."
Elly really started squirming with embarrassment, hoping that any minute Michelle would turn round and break into a big smile and say "Ha…Gotcha!" but her wishes were neglected as Michelle carried on in her tale.
"She invited me back to her place and I went, then we went into her bedroom."
"She sat on the bed next to me like I am with you now." At this point Elly was 99% certain that she was lying now, and she started to relax.
"Oh right yeah", she said sarcastically, "And what happened then."
"Then….." answered Michelle, as quick as a flash, "She put her hand on my thigh again, but this time a bit higher up, ……..like this."