This is the first of a five-chapter story arc which is all now available on Literotica. Subsequent chapters appear in Exhibitionism & Voyeur and in Group Sex. There is some discussion of mild BDSM; in the fifth chapter there is a bit of that and some brief same-sex activity.
Other stories featuring some of these characters are listed at the end.
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"Great to have you on board, Laura."
"Thanks," I said. It was a roof over my head for the summer. OK, technically it wasn't. But I'd have my own tent to live in -- old but sturdy. Two days off a week. All meals and a bike included.
For two months, I'd be a youth worker dealing with juvenile delinquents, a new batch of twenty kids aged ten-to-fourteen delivered to our camp site each Sunday, removed on Saturday. The chief organiser, Pete, had attended my college and asked for volunteers. I'd enjoyed working a few days and weekends with him and the kids at their south London base before, but more importantly, I didn't have anywhere to live until my college accommodation opened up again in September. Don't ask.
I liked camping, canoeing, teaching kids how to make fires and to cook and all. The Wye Valley, winding along the Welsh side of the border with England, was outstanding in its natural beauty. So, why not?
What I
hadn't
counted on was the three other female staff: two of them were in a tempestuous on/off relationship, confiding in the third. Confiding? Being comforted in their sorrows? I didn't want to know. At least two of them really didn't want me around and spoke to me as little as possible. It created a split. I'd hang out with cheerful Pete and the taciturn but amiable other male staff member, Andy, in the evenings, once the kids were in their two-man tents and allegedly going to sleep.
We took it in turns to be on night duty in the staff tent in the same field as the kids, me always paired with one of Andy or Pete, to reduce the tension. Often all three of us would end up chatting late over hot chocolate, playing cards under the hurricane lamp, an activity which slowly got Andy relaxed and joking about the game. Eventually one of us would retreat the few hundred yards to the other end of the next field, where our personal tents were set up. Well away from the children, completely out of their earshot.
Just as well. Some nights I could hear Alison and Jude yelling at each other. Or, when they had made up, screaming for different reasons. Sometimes it might have been Sam with one of the other two women. I really didn't want to know.
It was hard work, herding disobedient kids around various activities, but the beautiful surroundings in the green valleys made it a pleasure.
On the whole, I enjoyed the first two weeks as a vital crew member. I relished my freedom on my days off, when I'd take a mountain bike and ride deserted trails and minor roads for eight miles, until I reached the nearest town. Not only did Monmouth have mobile phone reception, unlike the entire valley near the camp site, but it also boasted pubs, take-aways, and a bookshop!
The fields we camped in were literal fields -- apart from one standpipe tap for water, and two blue plastic Portaloos which most of us avoided as much as possible, there were no facilities at all. Just green, green grass. Our cook tent provided two gas burners supplied by canisters, but as much cooking as possible was done over the open campfire.
No electricity.
Not even enough phone reception to send a text message. For that, you needed to be nearly a mile away. Another good reason to patronise the local pub.
Therefore, on my visits to town, I'd phone a few friends, buy more reading material, and hit the laundrette, washing and drying my muddy clothes and towels while sneakily recharging my phone. Sometimes I'd eat fish and chips or a Chinese down by the river, only meandering back when it threatened to got dark. There were some steep sharp turns on the return journey, where scree-covered paths made me bottle it and dismount, rather than risk skidding off a cliff into the shallow river running along the bottom of the valley. Not a route to try in twilight.
If I crashed, who would rescue me, or care if I didn't return? I was content enough, but I really missed having any friends about, finally having made some during my first year of university.
On the second weekend, I phoned to catch up with my friend Sanj. She'd lived on my corridor during first year. We were all studying various sciences, and the ten of us became reasonably friendly, but Sanj was a close confidante. Her family lived in a central London flat.
We blethered for twenty minutes. She sympathised about the screaming lesbians, after her obligatory suggestion I go over and shag the one left out. Just because I'd had a couple flings with girls as well as boys during the year! Freshers' Week had had a lot to answer for... The second girl had been more successful, at least for a few weeks until we'd parted ways, her being too closeted for a real relationship.
I'd seen a guy on my course for a couple months, and had two or three other brief encounters with men, but was currently free and single. Probably for the best, in the circs, but I couldn't deny some nights felt lonely.
My life was lonely, really. I hoped that one day I'd have close friends who would feel like family, but apart from one school mate and now Sanj, I hadn't any. Though, maybe, Lindsey and some lads from my course might be contenders?
I pushed another pound coin into the payphone, anticipating more chat.
"Hey, I've got to go, sorry, Laura. Got a dentist appointment..."
"Oh." Having spoken to no friends all week, I was disappointed, not to mention I'd lose the rest of my pound.
Sanj clearly noticed. She continued, "D'you want to chat to Richie? He's here."
"Er... Oh, why not?"
Richie had also lived on our corridor, though down the other end, using different showers and the other kitchen, so I didn't really know him well.
He was striking-looking, pale under long red-gold hair, but his main feature was being offhand to the point of rude. One could say he didn't suffer fools gladly, or more accurately, he told anyone he considered foolish all about it, which meant at least half the students. Very few people merited his approval.
He wasn't any more polite to some of our lecturers. Thing was, he was a dedicated, hard-working student, outshining most of us easily. He certainly mastered topics faster than me in Chemistry, the only subject we both took.
One of of his tutors had written him a despairing report, saying "I have only met Richard once. It was not a pleasure." Richie didn't see the point of attending most tutorials. "I predict he will either earn a high First or scrape a low Third in his exams, but have no idea which. It might prove a good lesson for him if it were the latter."
Our personal tutor hauled him in, for a lecture on his attitude.
Richie listened in silence. Then he pulled out the printout he'd just received of his exam results, all remarkably high First Class percentages plus two prizes for being the top student in the year, dropped it on her desk, and walked out. I'd been waiting outside for my own appointment with her, so knew it was no exaggeration. The woman had been furious.
Richie would be the first to agree he was an arrogant tosser, but he did have redeeming features. He was clean, and washed up his dishes -- no need to pile up dirty bowls and pans outside
his
door! Nor did he play loud music to disturb anyone. And if you were a reasonably diligent student, like I was, you'd eventually gain his respect.
Once, I was near tears over some thermodynamics problems. My friendly course-mate Adrian had come over to help, so we sat in the kitchen, Ade smoking in the vague direction of the window.
"Laura, love, you've done the difficult bit! You've created the wee equation summarising the situation an' all -- now all you need do is solve it!" Ade told me.
Richie had wandered in, in search of a clean saucepan. "Oh, hi, Laura. Who's this nicotine-addicted idiot?"
Before Adrian could get offended, I snapped, "Yes, he's stupid enough to chain-smoke and be a right pisshead, but he's clever enough to explain thermo equations to me. I hope. So shut it, unless you want to join in and help? I didn't do Further Maths, OK?"
