It’s the weekend we’ve all been waiting for, the annual music festival in the park on the edge of town. It was always the first festival of the year, timed for the weekend Years 11 and 13 finished school for study leave before their external exams.

This year is extra-special as it’s the first festival after the previous two were cancelled due to Covid lockdowns.

Over the years the festival has grown from a few hundred people in the grounds of the old town prison to the present 10,000 people per day in shadow of the imposing monument in the middle of the park.

I wasn’t going to go this year, as there wasn’t really any acts I was interested in seeing, but after two years without an outdoor gig, I just had to.

With no-one in particular I wanted to see, I moved from stage to stage, catching a few songs, if I liked the band I jotted the name down on my phone memo-pad and stayed for the full set.

I teach at a local high school, and I knew that practically all of our year 10 and 11 kids were in the audience somewhere, so I kept my head down hoping I wouldn’t be spotted.

Even so, the weekend was peppered with kids coming up to me, giving me a jovial “hey sir, you drunk yet?”

More than once a kid offered to share their weed vape with me, and one Year 13 girl offered me some coke. Each time I politely declined, partly because I’ve never been one for drugs, but mostly because of the shit I’d get into if they found out back at work.

On Sunday afternoon I was enjoying a local punk band on the second stage when I felt someone brush up close.

“Hey Mr Williams, how’re you doing?”

“Hey Meara, are you enjoying yourself?”

“I’m having an amazing time, so much great music.”

“Where’s JoJo and Taya, you were with them earlier.”

“They’ve gone to the dance tent with Joe and Ernie, I didn’t like what they were playing in there, so I came to find you.”

“Why me?”

“Because you look hot today Mr Williams.”

“I’m your form teacher, you shouldn’t be saying stuff like that.”

“But you’ve been telling us for the last five years that we’re supposed to tell the truth, and it’s true, when you’re in mufti you look hot. Besides, as of Friday you’re no longer my form teacher.”

I couldn’t fault her logic, so I tried to change the subject, “where’s your boyfriend, I’ve not seen him today.”

“Noah you mean, I dumped him last week, he’s a loser, so I thought I’d get rid before the summer, so I’ll be young, free and single, or at least young and free and not having to smell Noah everywhere I go. He always smells of weed, and I hate that.”

“Have you done all your revision for your GCSEs?” I asked, to change the subject again.

“Oh come on Mr Williams, we’re not here to talk about exams, this is my weekend off.”

“Sorry for mentioning it.”

“Will you buy me a beer, please.”

“Can’t you get your own?” I asked, not really wanting to get into trouble for buying a student beer.

“They gave me a frigging under-18 wristband on the gate, JoJo and Taya got adult wristbands, but the bitch on my gate gave me a white one.”

“Come on then, I’ll get you a beer.”

“Can we go to the quiet bar; we won’t see anyone there. And it’s near the food, I’ll get you a burger while you get me a beer.”

I should have worked out what she was playing at here, moving away from where her friends would find her, but she threw me by mentioning food.

I had two beers on the table by the time Meara returned, “I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so I got lager,” I told her as she sat opposite.

“That’s great, my stepdad drinks cider, and then he gets a bit lairy and I have to lock my door.”

“That’s not an ideal situation, what does your mum say?”

“She’s usually unconscious at this point.”

I’d always liked Meara, she wasn’t the prettiest girl in the class, but she had the best personality, and we’d always got on well. She would often confide in me about boyfriend troubles, or friends who’d been mean to her, but she’d never mentioned any safeguarding concerns like this before.

“Have you told anyone in Pastoral about this? Or Mr Matthews, the safeguarding lead?”

“Why, what could they do anyway? And they’re always so busy dealing with bullying on Snapchat and WhatsApp, I don’t want to take any of their time. I prefer to talk to you about this, you’ve always been my friend.”

Meara’s name was called, “ahh, that’ll be the burgers, back in a sec.”

I thought about what she’d just said, I’d always been her friend. That touched me, because whilst we try to help the kids through the trauma of high school as best we could, we also tried to stay a little distant, not to make friends with them, otherwise we couldn’t enforce discipline.

Meara had never really been a problem with regards to discipline. Yeah, she could be naughty, and she went through the usual rebellious phase, vaping in the toilets, truanting lessons, rolling her skirt up so short it barely covered her knickers; but she was never truly bad, not like a lot of her friends.

She dashed back with three trays, “he gave us some cheesy chips for free, how great is that!”

Festival food has improved massively over the years, I remember when a dry burger on a bun with a bit of ketchup was the best you could hope for. This burger was juicy, thick and full of flavour, the cheese was melted to perfection, the onion tangy, the salad fresh.

“This is fantastic Meara, thank you.”

“Try the chips, they’re great, and taste so much better for being free.”

I helped myself to a few of the chips, they were fat, fluffy and well cooked, the cheese sauce was slightly spicy.

After we’d finished, I washed the food down with the beer and got us another couple.

“Are you trying to get me drunk sir?” Meara giggled as she finished her first beer then started her second.

“Not at all, and I think you should stop calling me sir.”

“OK, thanks for the beer, Mr Williams.”

“How about calling me Tom,” I offered.

“OK Tom,” she replied with a smile, I liked that smile, it held promise.

The beer was also much better than you get at most festivals. All the bars were serving beer from local craft breweries. I’d been drinking a session IPA today and was on my 5^th pint, I think, and had a couple more with Meara, and that’s my excuse for what happened later in the evening.

“I love it here, Tom,” she said as I brought more beer, “You can hear the main stage, but you can also see all the town below, it’s great.”

“Yes, I was at this bar most of last night.”

“While we were moshing at the front! It was a fun night, but I bruised my boobs on the barrier. Why didn’t you come down to the front with us.”

“I was at the front for the band before, then I saw you and your friends, so I moved back. I didn’t want to spoil your fun.”

“You wouldn’t have spoiled our fun, everybody loves you, Tom, we all think you’re the coolest teacher.”

“I’m flattered, but a lot of your friends seem to hate me.”

“They don’t hate you specifically, they hate school, they hate the rules and the boring, irrelevant lessons, you’re just part of the machine. I bet if we went into the dance tent Taya would be all over you.”

“I think I’ll avoid the dance tent then.”

“Don’t you like Taya?”

“She’s a little, how shall I put this, in your face. She’s aggressively loud, and also quite rude to a lot of the staff.”

“So you wouldn’t go out with her, if you were our age.”

“She’s very pretty, and if that’s all I wanted, then yes, I’d probably go out with her.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Not at the moment.”

“You used to go out with Miss Rooney didn’t you.”

“I did.”

“She’s so pretty, I always enjoyed her science lessons, it was a shame she left.”

“It was a shame, but she got a chance to be a department head, so she took it.”

“Do you ever think of joining her?”

“I did at first, but there were no jobs at her new school for History teachers, and nothing else in the area.”

“How far away is she?”

“It’s over 100 miles.”

“And it didn’t work long distance?”

“Not at today’s petrol prices, and we were never really that serious anyway.”

“So you’re like me, young, free and single.”

“Not quite as young though.”

“You’re still quite young though, you’re younger than my stepdad.”

“I am, but I’m not sure I see the connection.”

Meara finished her lager then looked at the glass, “do they have any vodka and Red Bull at the bar?”

“Probably,” I replied.

“Great, because I need one before I tell you the next bit.”

I finished my beer and took all the empties to the bar, soon returning with a fresh pint and Meara’s vodka and Red Bull concoction, which she necked in one pull.

“Oh fuck, I hate that stuff,” she grimaced.

“So why did you drink it?”

“Dutch courage,” she replied, before leaning forwards and kissing me.

Just a quick peck, but it was enough to set my heart racing.

“I’m a virgin,” she said quickly, “JoJo and Taya aren’t, JoJo’s had about 10 boyfriends, she’s got three on the go right now. Taya’s had a few, including a teacher, but I swore I’d never tell you who it is.”

“Taya’s only 15 still!” I exclaimed.

“Yeah, it wasn’t the teacher who took her cherry, that was her dad. She told the teacher about it, and, well, whatever, you don’t need to know any of that shit.”

My mind was whirling trying to work out who was having sex with Taya, who I have to admit, is the most attractive girl in school, although she’s a little slim for my tastes, and as I hinted before, she’s incredibly annoying.

“Kiss me, Tom,” Meara whispered, her voice suddenly husky and impossible to ignore, I looked around, “it’s ok, I’ve checked, nobody knows us.”

We kissed, first across the table, then she moved round and straddled me, leaning in for a long, lingering kiss.

With our lips still touching, she whispered, “I need you to take my cherry, Tom.”

My mind stopped whirling for a moment, I desperately tried to focus. I had potentially career ending peril sitting in my lap.

“I’m not sure I can do that,” I managed to say without stammering.

“I’m 16 now, I’m legal.”

“You’re still one of my students.”

“Not after Friday, that was my last day, all classes cancelled, I’m on study leave.”

“You’re still legally in my form until you get your exam results in August. Then if you come back to do your A-Levels in 6^th Form.”

“I’m going to college, to do a BTEC in hairdressing.”

“Still, until August, I can’t.”

“Don’t you like me?”

“I really do.”

“I’m not as pretty as Taya, or JoJo.”

“I really like you, I’ve already said so, and I can feel your breasts against my chest, and they’re quite impressive.”

“I have nice boobs, they’re much bigger than Taya’s and JoJo’s.”

“I can quite believe that,” I replied, trying to get my breathing back under control.

“If I tell you why I need you to take my virginity, will that help you change your mind.”

“Not if it’s just you trying not to be the last to lose their virginity.”

“It’s not that at all, I’d stay cherry forever, sex isn’t that important to me, not like JoJo, she’s a proper nympho. If you’ve ever got blue balls and need a quick, meaningless fuck, JoJo’s your girl.” Meara let out an exasperated sigh, “oh shit Tom, it’s my stepdad, and my brother Billie, they keep trying it on, and I’m afraid one day I won’t be quick enough, and I really don’t want to lose my cherry to those twats.”

Without saying a word I put my hand behind Meara’s head and brought her lips back to mine. At the same time I ran my other hand up her back, under her baggy t-shirt.

As we kissed Meara ground herself against my cock and my resistance was broken.

“Let’s go behind the dance tent,” Meara whispered, “no-one will hear us, and I just know the vibrations from the speakers will do amazing things.”

Meara slipped off my lap, and completely on autopilot, I followed her down the hill and past the main stage, past the second stage and the main food vendors, past the stalls selling silly hats, wigs and glitter make-up, past the entrance to the dance tent, which was playing some thumping techno as the night grew full dark.

“Hang on a sec,” Meara shouted over the noise, she quickly pushed her way through the group at the entrance.

She was gone a couple of minutes and I was starting to come to my senses as she reappeared and kissed away any doubts.

“They’re still in there, JoJo is snogging the DJ and Taya is off her tits on ketamine.”

“Will they be OK?”

“Who cares, let’s get round the back of this tent, I’m hornier than I’ve ever been.”

It wasn’t completely dark behind the big tent, with a couple of lights above the generators giving enough light for me to see Meara take her t-shirt off and drop it to the floor, it was soon joined by her bra, shorts and panties.

“Gulp,” I mumbled as I took in the girl before me. I’d been wrong before, thinking she’s not pretty, she really is, and she’s got a fine figure, one you don’t notice under her baggy school blouse.