Andrew Ecallaw was 18 years old, he had never bothered going to college because he thought he’d done enough time at school. He didn't have a job and he lived with his mother, father and older sister Debbie. She was 21 and the good looking confident one of the family, she had just passed her collage exam's with straight A's and could have any job or guy she wanted.
Andrew on the other hand was the opposite, shy, not exactly great looking and not the smartest person to ever live. He wasn’t stupid but he was nowhere near as smart as his sister.
Andrew and Debbie often talked about stuff they were worried about. They had a great relationship and Andrew could tell Debbie about his problems and she'd try to help him out as much as she could.
She knew that he was a virgin and he was shy, that was obvious to everyone, and she'd been trying to reassure him that he would eventually come out of his shell and had been trying to give him pointers on how to do this.
"You just need to say to yourself that if you talk to a girl if she doesn’t like you, ‘that way’ then she isn't going to kill you and your not going to offend her by asking" Debbie tried to reassure her younger brother but it never worked.
"That’s easy for you to say, look at you, you’re great looking and I am just fat and ugly" Andrew said back, this was not true, ok so he was by no means Brad Pit or someone like that but he wasn't bad looking. The problem was that through school Andrew had been really overweight. He was not really bullied and had loads of friends but no girl had ever gone for him. Since leaving school he had been on a health kick and had lost lots of the fat, he had gone from 38" to a 30" waist in a year. He didn't have a rippling six-pack but was pretty fit. His sister and other family all said how good he was looking, but he never saw himself that way, he still saw the fat and unattractive him, which really got him down.
"How can you say that? You’re not that bad you just need a little self confidence,” Debbie told her brother as they sat on her bed talking.
"Yer yer yer" Andrew said sarcastically rubbing the heavily bandaged wrist he had gotten in an accident a few days before. He had tripped over in a kitchen chair and fallen awkwardly. He hadn’t broken it but had hurt the nerves badly. Just something else, he thought, to put the girls off him.
"Look I'm tired, can we talk about this tomorrow? Maybe then I’ll be able to get through to you. Just remember what I told you, try talking to a girl if you like the look of her" Debbie finished as Andrew closed her bedroom door and went off towards his own room. Debbie settled down and drifted off to sleep hoping her brother would take her advice.
She awoke the next morning at about and went downstairs to find that Andrew wasn't in.
"Where's Andy gone mum?" she asked, looking around the rooms but not finding her brother. She only asked because he never normally went anywhere. She had often invited him to go out drinking with her and her friends but he was teetotal and when she went out to clubs and pubs he'd rather stay at home and exercise or watch TV.
"He's gone to town to get a book he saw somewhere. You just missed him, why?" her mother asked. It was easy to see where Debbie got her looks. She was the double of her mother, 5'7’’, dark brown hair long, long shapely legs, a thin waist, big breasts, a perfect hourglass figure that drove men wild and filled her with confidence.
"Just wondered that’s all he's normally here,” Debbie said getting some cereal.
Andy had indeed got up early and was now on his way to town, he had been looking the day before at a book shop website and found a few books, he was big on reading horror and adventure and he'd found two that he had wanted for a while.
Getting off the bus he made his way to the shop. It was a bright sunny Thursday morning, but early, so town was not really full. Which was good because Andy's wrist had to be held to his body and had not been moved too much for some days. This meant he could only use his left hand and since he was right handed it was a bit of a problem, one made all the more worse since no one seemed to be good enough to hold a door for him even though he was right behind them. Going through it they almost seemed to take delight in closing it and watching him struggle to push it open again with is left hand. He on the other hand (mind the pun) always held the door for people whether it be a man or woman, old or young it was just the way he had been brought up, to be polite and helpful to people where possible.
He had just entered the bookshop, turning around to see if anyone was coming in behind him, when he saw two women. They were both about 21, the one on the left was tall, about the same height as him, 5"11, she was gorgeous. Long legs, thin waist, nice firm chest (about a C cup) a beautiful face and shoulder length black hair. Her lovely legs covered by a pair of skin tight denim jeans, her body covered by a thin white t-shirt, with a rucksack draped over her right shoulder.
The one on the right was a bit shorter, about 5"9, but just as beautiful as her friend. Her legs were perfectly shaped, her waist slightly bigger, but her breasts were just the same, her face just as good looking and her hair the same length but more blonde than dark, she too had a rucksack over her shoulder.
Andy could only stare as they walked towards him his eyes almost bugging out of his head. His heart started pounding in his chest causing his black t-shirt to move rapidly, his jeans in danger of getting a very noticeable bulge in the front. He soon realized and pulled himself together, smiling he politely held the door for them, they both smiled back as they came closer.
"Thank you" the dark haired girl said. Her voice was like sweet honey Andy thought. As they went past him he followed their every move before looking back to see no one else and letting the door close.
The bookshop was big really big with rows of books everywhere but Andy knew where to go for his favorites. He made his way straight to the adventure section where he immediately saw his book.
"JRR Tolken ... The Silmarilion" he said as he picked it up in his left hand. "I'll pay for this then look for the other, that way I can put it in my pocket and not have to try to hold both" he continued to himself before putting the book back to get his wallet out. He struggled with his cash, eventually pulling out a £10 note and going off to pay for his book. He got his change and put the book in his pocket walking back to the horror section to get his next book. He looked around for it naming every book as he went past them.
"The Shining, no, Dreamcatcher, no, Salems Lot, no. Ahh here it is... IT, Steven King, good" he thought, picking up the book and reading the blurb on the back. He had seen the movie and had it on video but he wanted the book so he could read it when he was bored. He decided to look at other books before paying so, holding it, he carried on looking around.
He had been walking slowly up the row when he heard a familiar voice from where he had just been.
"Ohh damn they don't have it, I saw it here last week I knew I should have got it then" the voice said. Andy looked across to see the two girls he had held the door for earlier looking around at the books, it was the dark haired girl who was taking.
"What book is it you want?" the other asked, her voice slightly deeper, but no less attractive.
"IT by Steven King I saw the movie and it scared me silly so I wanted to get the book" she answered her friend who smiled and nodded.
"Me too" she said.
Andy looked at the book he was holding the book this lovely woman wanted. He looked back at them.
"…in every book shop here and nowhere has got it." He caught the last bit of a sentence from the dark haired woman. "Well it look's like I’ll have to forget it" she continued as they both turned and began walking away.
Andy looked at the book then back to the two women, he was really nervous but something flashed into his head. He remembered whet his sister had said to him about talking to girls and something from nowhere forced him to start walking towards them.
"Err, excuse me" he said meekly causing the two women to stop and look at him
"Err, look, I’m sorry but I heard you talking about a book you wanted. What was it? If you don't mind me asking?" God, he was so nervous, his heart was beating faster then ever before and he was struggling to get out his words. He was not cutout for this.
"IT by Steven King, but they've sold out" the dark haired girl said smiling, as she had recognized him from the door.
"I…I…thought so, well…here" he said extending his hand with the book in it towards her. She got a confused look on her face and took the book from him turning it and looking at the title.
"IT" she said her voice taking a pleasanter tone then normal she looked back up at Andy who was smiling.
"I haven't bought it yet so you'll have to go pay for it" he told her. Her expression changed, the smile disappeared. “Oh god. What have I done wrong now?” he thought to himself as his cheeks began to turn red with worry.
"I can't take this from you if your going to buy it, you got it first" the girl said, offering the book back to Andy who was suddenly relived that she was not mad at him.
"No, don't worry about it, I’ve got the movie on video, I can come back when the book comes into stock it’s fine really!" he said, dropping his hand to his side to show he didn't want the book back.
"Are you sure about this I mean it’s ok if..." said the other girl who was speaking for the first time. "Yes its fine." she was interrupted by Andy's reassurances. Then turning away he went walking back towards the horror section.
"Thank you" he heard the two girls say together as he was walking away.
"No need to thank me, honestly!" he said as he turned and smiled at them. They smiled back before the dark haired girl walked off to pay for the book, leaving the blonde alone.
Andy had now arrived back at the horror section his heart calming down to a steadier beat, “god that was nerve racking” he thought as he picked up another book and began looking at its cover.
As Andy was right handed but couldn't use it, opening the book to take a look at the content wasn't easy. He was fumbled around trying to open the book whilst holding it in one hand, almost dropping it on several occasions. He looked up trying to compose himself, he was not prone to getting mad, but this was really getting to him. He looked out of the corner of his eye, the two girls now stood where the blonde had been waiting, looking at him, a sort of sympathetic look on their faces as he struggled with the book. Andy tried not to keep looking at them; he didn't want to seem rude by staring so he went back to his book.
He was surprised when the dark haired girl came over to him.
"Need some help?" she asked sweetly a smile crossing her beautiful face one more.
"Its ok, I’ll manage it's only for a few more days then I can use my right arm again,” he said smiling back at her.
"Here let me,” she said as she took the book from his hand and opened it for him before giving it back "now, wasn't that easy!"
"Thanks I just don't like people thinking they have to do things for me when they have things to do for themselves" Andy said sincerely as he looked at the book's chapter content.
"You really are too nice" the girl said quietly obviously not wanting to be heard by Andy.
"Did you say something?" Andy asked. He thought she had but didn't hear her correctly.
"Oh, I just wondered what you did to your hand? It looks bad,” she asked pointing to his wrist before flicking her hair back waiting for an answer.
"I fell over in the kitchen, my own fault" he replied, shaking his head thinking how stupid he was to have done that.
"Oohh sounds nasty." It was the blonde who had come over to join the conversation. Andy felt his heartbeat begin to rise again but he tried to keep calm like Debbie had told him to.
