This time I have a story from an amazing lady who is a member of our email group. She's spent a long time writing this one, and it's well worth a read, so please do let me know what you think!
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I was a bit of a rebel at school, always in trouble for one thing or another. I had the glorious title of “Being the worst girl in the school ever”, which was some feat as the school was a really old one, and I was proud of that title! This was the Senior school by the way, prior to that I was a dreamer.
One particular Summer when I was nearing my last year, and studying for the CSE’s, It was really hot, I was sticky and sweating, I couldn’t wait to get out into the air and rip the tie off from around my neck.
It was lunch time, I met up with my best mate (who is still my bezzie, more like sisters really), we got out into the playground, took off our ties and breathed. We decided it was too hot to eat so our bright Idea was to pop to the pub on the sea front, just around the corner from school. It had a raised court yard, and we could sit on the wall, and catch the breeze as it gently blew off the sea.
It was bliss. There were loads of people enjoying the weather, walking up & down the Prom, the smell of Hot Dogs, Burgers, Donuts, mingled with Sun Tan Lotion, and Horse Shit, splattered in the road from the Landaus as they clip clopped past. Then some lads who were on holiday asked if we wanted a drink, silly question, “if you’re buying we will” I chirped, “2pints of Lager please” I smiled. So the lads came up and gave us the drinks, we were gasping, them pints went down in seconds, and thats no lie! The lads looked at us in awe, “You must’ve needed that, I’ll get you another”, again the pints lasted seconds, we were feeling better then, smiling and yapping to the lads, we told them we were at lunch, and had to go back soon, so they took that as get us another drink. We didnt gulp these ones straight away, we were mostly talking about where would be best for them to go for the night life, all that sort of stuff. It came time for us to get back, we downed our last drops, thanked the lads, and jumped down, oops! titter totter, giggle, burp… Off we went to School.
We had Biology which was in a building outside of the main school at the end of the playground, we were slightly late, everybody was already in and seated, we hap hazardly put our ties on, brushed ourselves down and chin up, strutted in sort of tottering and tripping over our own feet, “shorry wesh late Ma’am”, fumbling for our stools, I had a job sitting in mine normally being so short, let alone pissed!
I managed to climb onto the stool, and sat there with a face like a Cheshire Cat. The table was a long table that ran nearly the length of the classroom, with the pupils sitting each side, I grinned at the boy opposite me, he looked and mouthed you're pissed, me & my mate looked at each other and tried not to laugh, then the Bunsen Burners came out. It was right opposite me, and the boy in front. Somebody came up behind me and tapped my shoulder, I spun around and toppled the stool, it happened it slo mo at that point, I could feel the stool going, My arms flung out each side and started flapping, I dont know I thought I could fly, frantically flapping and shouting “Aaaaaahhhhhhh”, back I went, kicking the table, I knocked the lit bunsen burner over, the flame shot across the table and went up where the classmate was sitting, I managed to get myself up, another classmate righted the Burner. I looked across the table at the boy opposite, he sat there eyes wide with shock, his eye lashes, eyebrows, and fringe were singed, with little whisps of smelly smoke rising from his head, and a black mark where the flame went up the middle of his face. He did several blinks and looked at me he said “ Do my eyes look bad”, I could do nothing but laugh. It was his face with all the singed hair and smoke that started me off.
Now I’m older I know it could have been so much worse, and I’m lucky it wasn’t.
Needless to say it didn’t end well for me n my mate, back up to the Headmasters office we went, trying to act sober.. We got into a lot of trouble. Sigh.