A van full of football hooligans

A Van Full of Hooligans

“Is Rob around?” My young next door neighbour asked.
“No, he’s working away for a few days. Why?” I told him.
“I’m waiting for some mates and we’ve got a spare ticket for the match at Burnley, I thought that he might want to come.”
“Why not ask me?” I smiled.
“Are you serious?” he said, with a look of amazement on his face.
“Why not?” I laughed. “I used to go home and away, before I was married.”
“Really?” He still didn’t believe me, “It’s a transit van, full of lads.”
“Mmmmm, all the better!” I teased.
“I’m serious, Andrea. I’ve got a ticket and a place in the van, if you want to come!” He was nearly pleading with me now.
Freddie’s face was a picture. He was 18, and had lived next door to my husband and me since we were married 6 years ago. I knew that he had a crush on me. I’d regularly spot him peeking through his bedroom curtains, watching me sunbathe or cleaning the car. I’m sure that it was him who stole some knickers and a bra off the washing line earlier in the year.
I had played up to it, of course!
“What time do you leave?” I asked.
Beep! Beep! Beep! I heard a car horn.
“That’s them now!” He gasped, glancing furtively at a white van.
“Won’t your friends mind you bringing an old woman along?” I grinned. (I’m hardly old –26, but I guessed that his friends would be 18 or 19 too).
“Shit no!” Freddie gasped, “They’ll be over the moon, honest!”
“What the Hell!” I thought, “I haven’t been to a football match for nearly a year; it’ll be laugh.”
I grabbed my denim jacket, and told him, “What are we waiting for?”
“Excellent!” he hissed and clenched his fist in a celebratory manner.
At the van, Freddie leant into the driver’s window, “Is it okay if I bring……. my friend…Andrea. She supports the Town, and.”
Before he could finish his sentence, the driver told him, “Shut the fuck up, and get in!”
Freddie opened the back door and ushered me in.
I froze for a moment. Sitting, squashed like sardines, in the back of the van were 14 or 15 young men.
“Oy-oy! Freddie’s brought us some sport!” Someone shouted. A hand was held out and I was virtually dragged in with them. I was trying to make my way between their legs and feet when the van suddenly accelerated, making me stumble and fall onto two or three of them.
“You’re keen!” A pasty faced youth laughed, as my face landed in his groin. He playfully grabbed my head and rubbed my face along his crotch, oohing and ahhing at the same time, making his friends laugh out loud.
I wriggled free, and slapped his thigh. “That wasn’t funny!” I told him, as I sat closely between him and Freddie.
“Beer?” The boy opposite asked, waving a can in my direction.
“Thanks,” I told him as I took it.
As the van sped down the motorway, the lads talked about the upcoming game, and shared their beers with me. I took stock of my fellow passengers as Freddie introduced them.
There were actually 10 others in the back, 2 more in the front and the driver.
Occasionally someone would make fun of me when I tried to make myself comfortable, which was virtually impossible, even if Eyes did give me his smelly sofa cushion to sit on.

I was right; they all seemed to be about 18 or 19 and were dressed very casual. I’d seen a couple of them before when they had visited Freddie. ‘Eyes’ was tall, muscular and quiet. Cowans was dark haired and very pretty. Tiler was as tall as he was wide with blonde hair. He was the joker, keeping everyone in fits of laughter with his jokes and stories. Heehaw was smaller than the others, mixed race and had a brooding stare.