You Really Got A Hold On Me

I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)

"They what?" I asked incredulously, looking at George. 

"Yeah, they kinda had a thing a while back, wasn't like serious dating because Paul hasn't been like proper steady with anyone before you but they did see each other quite a bit and had, err, y'know" George said. I did know, unfortunately. 

"And?" Abby asked, urging him to continue.

"Well, I heard from John that he apparently broke it off with her and that's all I know. Then, on the rebound from Paul, Bethany started sleeping around,  I guess to like make a point or whatever and judging from the rumours it's sorta turned into a habit."

I was still trying to process everything when Abby replied.

"But if Paul broke it off with her then why was she trying to make a move on him today?"

"Dunno" George shrugged, then after a minute said "she's a bitch."

I smiled.

"I should talk to Paul" I thought aloud, however I didn't want to do it here so I decided that I would ask him over to mine after.

Paul came back with the coffees but didn't say a word about Bethany Stewart. 

He and George talked upcoming gig plans and Abby moaned about her parents before I told her a funny story Betty told me at work last Saturday.

Having a Saturday job at Betty's certainly had its perks - following by big spends at Christmas I had been saving my earnings and managed to scrape enough together to buy a shiny new pair of lilac Mary Janes. I was thinking of wearing them on the next date Paul invited me on.

* * *

Walking out of the Casbah I asked Paul if he would come back to mine and he agreed. We bade goodbye to George and Abby and then it was just us, alone. 

I tried to maintain a bit of normality so Paul wouldn't ask me if anything was wrong. I mean I guess I didn't really have anything to be mad about, so he went out with Bethany Stewart? So what. I mean, it was Bethany and she was horrid to both Abby and I at school but he had dated her before he knew me so it wasn't a big deal right? But you would think it would have come up in conversation when we had talked about Bethany in front of him? Or that time when he was there when we spotted her in the Casbah with Abby's brother Ben? Maybe he was ashamed to have gone out with someone like Bethany and that's why he hadn't mentioned it? Personally I wondered why Paul had gone out with her, I didn't place him as they type to like girls like that. I mean if that was his type then why on earth was I his girlfriend?

When we got to mine we greeted my Dad and then kicked off our shoes so we could go up to my room.

As I sat down on the bed Paul clapped his hands together.

"Right, should I go make us a cuppa?" He asked.

"Paul, I didn't know you knew Bethany Stewart" I said, laughing it off to sound like it wasn't a big deal - which it wasn't. 

"What, who? Oh that girl who tried to make a move on me today? I didn't even know her, she was crazy!"

"Bethany, you don't know her?" I asked. He shook his head and answered 'nope'. 

I can't believe he had just lied to my face, I had given him a chance to tell me. Why was he trying to cover it up?

"Paul don't lie to me!" I said standing up now, "you know Bethany, I know you do."

Paul looked ready to defend himself by denying it again but when he looked at me he exhaled instead.

"You know we dated?" He asked.