How it began.

September 1931

Tommy - POV
I look forward to school every single day. I actually don't think I know a single other person who feels that way. I hate being at home. My mother and father are sickened by me. They treat me like a disease. I am on my final year of school now. I am dreading what to do when I finish.
People at school like me. I have lots of friends and I never worry about girlfriend's and stuff because they all seem to like me. Most of the teachers dislike me because I'm quite rude, really. Get caned quite a lot. But I make people laugh, so I think it's worth it. I like Mrs G. She likes me, she tries to help me and support me. She knows what my parents are like so she tries to make me happier at school. And she does so that's ok, too.
My name is Thomas Brown. But everyone calls me Tommy. I prefer that, it isn't as posh in a way. My best friend is Edward, I've known him since Pre School. He's like my brother, he proper looks after me. He's the only person I don't think I could ever hate and the only person I don't think I could take in a fight, too! As for girls, I like the attention of course, but there's no one I've ever really been interested in, didn't see the point, I'm only 16 after all.
That all changed, though. I was playing football with Edward and his brother before school one morning and a girl was sat in the corner of the yard reading. I don't know why that made me stop what I was doing, in fact I got smacked right in the face with the ball and knocked on my arse, which wasn't exactly the impression I wanted to make but hey ho.
"What's the matter, Tommy? You were right off then you fool!"
"Whose that?"
"Oh, that's Lilith. She's in our sisters class, you know Mr Beeches?"
"I've never seen her before!"
"So?"
"She's a proper little dolly bird isn't she?"
"you muzzler!!"
"shut up"
They just laughed it off but I couldn't get her out of my head all day. I was constantly looking out of her around school, even after school I was trying to see if she was walking in the same direction as me and Edward.
I saw her the next morning walking in to school but I got too nervous. Me! I got nervous around a girl!
But today, I noticed her looking at ME all day. I asked Edward's sister Nancy if she knew anything about her.
"Yeah, well, she's really nice, but she isn't your biggest fan, Thomas."
Edward and all our mates just laughed, I was a bit annoyed actually, and a bit more determined to speak to her.
"What why I've never even spoke to her!!"
"Yes, exactly, you ignore her and she really liked you but because she isn't friends with the girls you knock about with you don't pay attention."
This actually made me really sad. She was actually very beautiful and I feel like I would remember her trying to speak to me, or maybe I really had gotten very arrogant after all.
In assembly, I got in trouble for a fight I'd had 2 days ago and now I was going to get caned in front of the whole school, yet again. But you'll never guess who was in the front row!
It hurt more than usual as I was on 30 strokes this time, and Mr Jones really doesn't like me, so I think he does it harder than he does for everyone else. All my friends were absolutely howling with laughter the whole time, and I looked at Lilith and she was smirking, too. So I got cocky and acted like I wasn't even bothered and started trying to impress her by laughing, another 10 strokes for that.
Afterwards, I saw her drinking at the water fountain before she walked home.
"Something funny, love?"
"Yes actually, you had that coming!" she laughed.
"Which way you walking?"
"Up country park lane"
"Me too, I'll walk you if you like"
In fact I lived the complete opposite way, but at least none of my mates would see me trying to pull in such a hopeless manner.
"I don't know if I can risk my reputation being seen with such a scally, Thomas!"
"No, I'm a gentleman really! Come on, you owe me that for laughing at me!"
So we walked towards her house, but the long way around, across the river and under all the bridges and through the big country park and woods. She was lucky to live in the nicest parts of Surrey. We lived in the scruffy village, it was still in the countryside, but the bit no one could be arsed looking after.
"Why do you want to walk me home anyway? We haven't spoke once in the past 5 years of school."
"So that's why I thought I should walk you home, so we can change that!"
"you've always ignored me, I don't look like the other girls in your class."
"Lilith, I hate the girls in my class!"
"What, really?"
"Yes. They're all bimbo's. Nothing about them at all. You seem smart, you like reading, don't you? Don't tell anyone, but that's all I do at home, whose your favourite author?"
"Enid Blyton. How about you?"
"Charlotte Bronte. Don't tell the lads!! They'll rip the piss out of me for the rest of my life."
"Don't worry I won't."
"Yeah, could be our secret that. Reading could be our thing. You could show me your favourite books and I could show you mine!"
"Yeah that would be lovely, Thomas."
"Tommy! We're friends aren't we?"
"I suppose we are!"