A loud cheer from the function suite drifted though to the busy lounge bar of The Royal Oak, making its presence felt above the buzz and chatter of the Friday night crowd. As a group of sharp suited office workers got up to leave, making a table in the corner available, four friends from St. Mary's Sixth Form College, dressed in their going out clothes and enjoying a night out, detached themselves from the milling crowd around the bar and installed themselves in the recently vacated seats.
"Thank Christ for that!" exclaimed Sandra as she sank to her seat, "These shoes are killing me." As her friends laughed at her discomfort another cheer from the function suite penetrated the hubbub in the bar.
"Wonder what's going on next door?" asked Shona, sitting back and taking another pull on her cigarette.
"No idea," replied Jane with a shrug. "Why don't you ask Tony next time he comes over to ogle us while pretending he's only here to empty the ashtray?"
"You've never complained about him before, Jane" added Amanda, "Quite the reverse in fact, If I remember rightly," she added with a sly wink. "Just where were you, exactly, when he disappeared for ages last Friday when he was allegedly changing the barrels?"
Jane blushed slightly as her three friends laughed at her. "Still, I'll bet she got a free drink out of it, at least," added Sandra, "I've never known Jane to turn down a rich, creamy head."
Jane slapped Sandra playfully on the shoulder. "Oh fuck off the lot of you," she said with false indignation, "There isn't one of you who haven't done something similar at some point."
"That's true," agreed Amanda, "It's just that some of us have better taste, that's all."
"Yeah, yeah, OK," Jane responded with a pout. "I'm going to the bar. Same again?" The friends nodded their agreement and continued chatting while Jane went to get their drinks, the sway of her hips as she walked attracting admiring glances from a number of men in the crowd.
"So has everyone decided what they're wearing to the end of school party?" asked Sandra when Jane returned to the table.
"Yup," replied Jane smugly, "but I'm not telling."
"Almost," said Shona, "but I'm having trouble with my underwear."
"Never thought I'd hear you say that!" said Amanda with a smile.
Shona ignored her. "I've got it down to three options," she said. "Option one is the matching black plunge bra, thong and suspender set that Craig bought me for Valentine's day and option two is the skimpy white lacy bra and the matching quick release knickers with the tie ups at the side."
"What's option three?" asked Sandra.
"There isn't an option three." replied Shona with a perfectly straight face.
"I'm not sure I understand," said Sandra, "I thought you said..."
Jane cut her off. "So which is it going to be?"
Shona winked. "I quite fancy the idea of option three."
Sandra looked puzzled. "But I thought... Oh! Now I'm with you," she said, smiling as realisation slowly dawned on her.
The four friends laughed. Shona and Amanda lit cigarettes as they chatted and sipped their drinks. "Look out," said Sandra, presently, "Tony's on his way over to stare down the fronts of our tops again."
Greeted with the girls laughter, Tony smiled. "Oh the joys of being so popular," he said with a shrug. "What're you girls up to tonight?"
"We're celebrating," replied Jane. "It's Amanda's birthday. We're getting her pissed, legally, for the first time."
"Congratulations," replied Tony in his smoothly polished manner. "And do I get to give the birthday girl a kiss?" he asked.
"Only if you want to kiss my arse," replied Amanda, smiling sweetly to take the sting out of her words. Before Tony could respond they were interrupted by a loud cheer coming from the function suite.
"What's going on in there?" asked Jane.
"That's the crowd from Castle Rock Rugby Club," replied Tony. "They're celebrating being promoted to the first division for the first time in the club's history. They've been at it since just after five o' clock."
"Ohhhh," said Jane, giving her friends a knowing smile. Turning her attention back to Tony she gave him a wicked grin. "Just to save you from straining your neck any further, I think you'll find that Shona actually has the biggest tits," she said batting her long eyelashes at him and giving him a falsely sweet smile, "although I'll admit that there isn't really that much between Sandra, Shona and me," she added as he turned and stormed away. Behind Tony's retreating back, Jane held her thumb and forefinger fractionally apart in front of her friends. "He's all talk and no action, that one," she said, "I've no idea what took him so long last Friday, it was all over so quickly I didn't even have time to fake one!" she added bitterly.
"So have we decided where we're going next?" asked Sandra.
"Why don't we let Amanda decide?" replied Shona, "It is her night after all."
"I'm not really fussed," replied Amanda, "Anywhere except 'The Ark'," she said, "I absolutely detest that place."
"It's a dive," agreed Sandra, "but the drink is cheap."
"I don't know about you three," said Jane as the sound of loud rhythmic chanting penetrated from the function suite, "But I'm quite keen to see what's going on next door."
"That's an idea," agreed Sandra, "some of those Castle Rock guys are quite dishy."
"And just what would Martin say if he knew you thought that?" enquired Amanda.
"Dunno," replied Sandra with a diffident shrug, "we'll just have to make sure he doesn't find out, won't we?"
"I'm going to sneak a quick look," said Jane, rising from her seat.
"What I want to know," began Amanda as Jane disappeared into the crowd, "is how your boyfriends put up with you?"