The late September sun was still hot as it glanced low across the level grass. It was that quiet, still interlude in the afternoon when the faint buzz of awakening insects made the sultry silence more tangible.

Lucy's leg twitched again and she wondered idly whether it was worth the effort to cover herself and frustrate the insects or to suffer their minor annoyance so that she could glean the last half an hour of sun.

Allie lit a cigarette and the click of her lighter made Lucy open her eyes. She squinted past Allie and through the long grass to where, on the opposite side of the playing field, the distant low silhouette of the school shimmered against the clear sky. Goal posts like gaunt white skeletons threw long shadows that stalked across the flat green sward to the neglected edges where the mower couldn't reach.

Between the nettles, that straggled up the wire link fence, and the short grass of the playing field was the wide strip of long grass that concealed the three girls. It was cool and dry and, except for one day a week when the boys from the neighbouring school played football, it was private. The girls had adopted the secret hidden strip in the spring and it had been their place all summer.

Allie appeared to be untroubled by the insects or the heat. Apart from an extravagant floppy hat, which she said was a fashion statement, she was still wearing her school uniform - though it was unlikely that their Headmaster would have approved of the way that she was wearing it.

She'd taken off the school tie and unbuttoned her blouse. Her bra lay in the grass next to her. One cup held her rolled up tie and the other contained a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. She sat in the lotus position with her legs crossed and her skirt pulled up to the top of her thighs.

Trish was also bare legged but, as usual, she was one step ahead of her companions. Her discarded jeans lay in a crumpled heap where she'd dropped them on top of her T-shirt.

Lucy secretly wished that she had Trish or Allie's nerve but, even though she enjoyed the sun on her skin, she lacked the self confidence to go as far as her friends. She was relieved that she'd worn a skirt and could expose her legs without having to explain why she wouldn't strip off.

Her modesty didn't stop her from fantasising and, in her mind, she'd been laying naked in the grass with her imaginary lover. She'd discovered a small uneven lump in the hard earth and when she pushed herself against it, the pressure on her pubic mound, made her bite her lip so that she wouldn't groan out loud.

The click of Allie's lighter had roused her from her day dream and she abandoned her fantasy with a sigh of frustration and rolled onto her back. She kicked out her bare foot at a curious butterfly and missed.

Her slim leg settled lazily back into the grass. She stared at Allie through half closed eyes and wondered if smoking was as good as Allie made it look.

Lucy squinted up at Trish."You'll never get your clothes back on in time if anyone comes."

Trish shrugged, she appeared relaxed and unconcerned in her underwear.

"So what? They wouldn't see any more than they would on the beach. Not like Allie sitting there with her boobs hanging out. What's the point of getting a tan there anyway Allie? No-one's going to see it."

Allie had removed her bra more out of audacity than comfort. At fourteen, going on fifteen years old, she was the youngest and still felt that she had to prove herself, especially to Trish. Allie recognised Trish as the boldest of the trio and, unlike herself, she had nothing to prove.

She blew a stream of blue smoke into the air and grinned mischievously.......(cont)