by David Belbin
Mike sat next to Joyce Jones. She asked how Mike’s lesson observation had gone.
“It was OK.”
“Judith told me there was a limerick about your love life at the end.”
Mike frowned. If Judith had mentioned it to Joyce, did that mean she was taking it more seriously than he’d thought? Or did she regard it as a joke? Joyce gave Mike a quizzical look. She was waiting to see how he’d react. Mike tried to flirt.
“The kid got it wrong, Joyce. He said I’d got the hots for a girl in year eleven. In fact, we both know that I’m planning a passionate affair with you.”
Joyce smiled. “In your dreams, sunshine.” She paused, then added, “Seriously, people are beginning to worry about Rachel Webster. The play doesn’t seem to have done her a lot of good. She’s behind in her work, poor attention span, a bit of a burn out, by all accounts. How’s she getting on in your lessons?”
“Fine, fine,” Mike told her.
It wasn’t true, but what else could he say?
“Well, that’s something.”
Mike worried about Rachel. What if she did mess up her exams? He would be partly responsible.
“Mr Steadman?”
Mike looked up to see the Head at the side of him.
“Come and see me in my office at one, would you?”
“Er, yes. Of course.”
Then Mrs Perry was gone.
“What was all that about?” Joyce asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe she’s heard the rumours about you and Rachel Webster and wants to find out if they’re true.”
Joyce said this in a lighthearted way, but, seeing Mike’s reaction, she shut up. Mike couldn’t eat. Leaving his food unfinished, he took his tray over to the slops bucket and emptied his plate. Then he retreated to his classroom to think.
The half-hour until one passed unbearably slowly. Mike didn’t know what to do. He could try to find Rachel, check if anyone had spoken to her, make sure that their stories matched. But he didn’t know where she was. Also, if they were seen it would really give the game away. Mike was meant to be seeing her tonight, but that would be too late. Anyway, Rachel was bound to have denied everything. She was too bright to get caught out. It was himself he ought to be worrying about.
The bell went. Mike didn’t have a tutor group, and he had a free period after lunch. The Head could grill him for as long as she wanted to. It occurred to Mike that, as this was a disciplinary matter, he ought to take along his Union rep. However, Mike knew how Sarah Poole felt about teachers who slept with their students. He couldn’t face going to her for help.
Mike walked over to the administration block.
“The Head’s expecting me,” he said to the school secretary.
“I think she’s got somebody in with her. Give a quick knock to let her know you’re there.”
Mike did as he was told. There was no response to his knock. Standing in the corridor, he felt like a schoolboy, sent to the Head’s study for smoking. Two minutes passed slowly. The bell went for the first lesson of the afternoon and Judith Howard left the Head’s office, without glancing in Mike’s direction. So she had believed the gossip, Mike realized. He didn’t hear the buzzer in reception, but the secretary slid open the glass window and spoke to him.
“She’ll see you now.”
Mike went in to face his sentence.
“Everyone knows,” Rachel told Becky, as they walked over to maths.
“Nonsense,” Becky said. “The only people who know for sure are me, Mr Hansen and his girlfriend. Everyone else has just heard rumours. Remember that one last year, about Kelly Quick being pregnant? It died away after a while.”
“Yes,” Rachel said, “after she’d had the abortion.”
“That was only a rumour, too.”
“What I want to know,” Rachel went on, “is where the story started.”
“The way I heard it,” Becky told her, “was that Steadman was noticed driving you home once too often - after the play was over. I mean, did you think you were invisible?”
“I suppose so,” Rachel said. “Yes.”
“You’ll be all right.”
Rachel wasn’t convinced. Becky, like most people in their year, was preoccupied with the exams. She didn’t have time for gossip. But other people did. At least Rachel had persuaded Mike to see her tonight. They’d talk it over.
The two girls reached the maths block, where, being in different groups, they separated. Rachel walked into the classroom and took her place next to Carmen.
Kate Duerden leant over. “Loverboy next lesson, eh, Rachel? I’ll bet you can’t wait.”
Suddenly, Rachel snapped. She found herself shouting. “Why don’t you grow up, you pathetic bitch? We’re not all obsessed with sex, like you!”
Kate reached over, grabbed Rachel by the hair and tried to slam her head against the desk.
“You think you’re so special,” she shouted, as Rachel struggled, “because you were in a play and you’ve been screwing a teacher. But you’re just ...”
“What’s going on here?”
Phil Hansen had walked into the room. By the time he’d strode over to the two girls, Kate had let Rachel go.
“Outside! Both of you!”
Rachel stood in the corridor with Kate Duerden sneering beside her. Rachel had never been in serious trouble before, certainly not for being in some kind of fight. She felt humiliated.
“What was all that about?” Mr Hansen asked. Kate was silent. Mr Hansen turned his gaze on Rachel.
“Well? Was this a completely unprovoked attack?”
“She called me a bitch,” Kate blurted out, trying to defend herself.
Rachel tried to explain. “She was spreading nasty gossip about me, sir.”
Mr Hansen nodded seriously and turned to Kate. “Is this true?”
Kate stared at the floor. “Some people can’t take a joke,” she said.
Rachel wasn’t sure if this meant that Kate didn’t believe the rumours, or that she was covering up for Rachel. Either way, she was grateful.
“All right, Kate,” Mr Hansen said. “Go back inside.”
Now Rachel was alone in the corridor with Phil Hansen. He spoke quietly and deliberately. “I’d keep you in detention over break, Rachel, but I wouldn’t want to start any more rumours. Remember this: if you react to gossip about you and Mike, people are much more likely to believe it.”
“I know,” Rachel said. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ve only got a week of school to go. See if you can survive it without getting into any more fights.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rachel went back into the room, feeling terrible about herself. What would Mike think when he heard?
“This isn’t a formal meeting,” Mrs Perry said, as Mike sat down. “But it is official. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes.”
He wasn’t going to be sacked, Mike realized. He was going to be offered the opportunity to resign. He would never teach another lesson here again.
“Is there anything you want me to know?” Mrs Perry asked.
Mike shook his head. He wasn’t going to make any confessions.
“Judith Howard tells me that you have a job interview in Mansfield tomorrow, and that you’re very likely to be offered a post.”
“The first part’s true,” Mike said. “I’m not so sure about the second.”
“Judith also tells me that were you to be offered a job at this school, you would take it. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” Mike told her, hesitantly. “I did say that.”
“Very well,” Mrs Perry said. “The situation is this. The governors are tonight agreeing a redundancy plan which will allow us to keep your post. I can only offer you a one year contract - but that’s all that any school or college is likely to be offering in the current climate. However, our numbers are going up. Your contract will be renewed. And, if Ms Howard’s confidence in you is justified, then ther
e’s every prospect of promotion before too long.”
Mike’s head reeled. He’d thought he’d come in for the chop. Instead, he was getting the red carpet. Mrs Perry was offering Mike her hand. He shook it.
“Tell no one of this until it’s announced to the staff. You’ll get a phone call if the governors’ meeting doesn’t go the way I expect. But, otherwise, I’ll expect you to withdraw from the Mansfield job and show up for work tomorrow.”
“Fine,” Mike said. “Thanks.”
He went to his classroom and sat down. For a few minutes, Mike was elated. But, after a while, he began to wonder whether he’d done the right thing. He was being offered years of being Judith Howard’s stooge, helping to put on plays and God-knew-what-else, and for what? The distant prospect of promotion and job security? Why had he accepted? And what on earth would he tell Rachel?
In the last lesson of the afternoon, Mike made year eleven do a past language paper. He didn’t make eye contact with Rachel once. Nor did Rachel look at him. When they’d spoken earlier in the week, Rachel had been so desperate that Mike had agreed to pick her up tonight and bring her back to the house. He should tell her that it was off, but didn’t dare attempt to have a private conversation with her. There was a funny atmosphere in the class. Kate Duerden, for one, kept staring daggers at him. Mike didn’t want to do anything which might make anyone suspicious, especially now that he’d accepted the job.
In the car, Phil told Mike about an incident between Rachel and Kate Duerden.
“What exactly did Rachel say?” Mike asked.
“I didn’t hear. All I saw was Kate trying to slam Rachel’s head against the table as I walked into the room.”
“But Rachel’s all right?”
“She was embarrassed, obviously.”
Mike was silent for the rest of the journey, hiding how much Rachel’s behaviour disturbed him. He dropped the maths teacher off without their discussing the redundancies which were being decided that night. Mike had, after all, been sworn to secrecy. Maybe Phil would keep his job. Maybe Mike would change his mind, go to Mansfield in the morning. He didn’t know anything any more. The only thing he knew was that he couldn’t see Rachel again until she’d left school. It was too dangerous.
Four
On Friday morning, break was extended by five minutes to allow time for a special staff meeting. The teachers who were being made redundant would have already been told, Mike knew. But the suspense was still unbearable.
“There were two volunteers to take early retirement,” the Head explained to the packed room, “but, because of curricular needs, we were only able to release Jim Ford, from Languages. Despite severely cutting part-time hours, we still had to make three redundancies in order to balance the budget. After detailed discussion and consultation, the areas chosen were PE, special needs, and maths. The staff affected are Jan Brice, Carolyn Wharton and Phil Hansen. I make this announcement with the greatest regret. They’re all excellent teachers and will get superb references, but there’s no way of softening ...”
What the Head had to say next was lost in murmured discussion. People were reaching round to console the sacked teachers. Jan burst into tears. Mike realized that Phil hadn’t even come to this meeting. He couldn’t face everyone. The two men had drifted apart lately, but he was still Mike’s closest friend at the school - his closest friend anywhere at the moment, unless you counted Rachel. Mike left the meeting and went to look for him.
Phil was in his classroom, getting out the materials for his next lesson.
“Meeting over?” he asked, as Mike walked in.
Mike shook his head. “Still happening. It’s pretty gruesome. I wanted to see you.”
“Thanks.”
Mike sat on a table next to his friend. “What will you do?”
“Look for another job, I suppose,” Phil said. “Do some supply teaching, if I can get it. Tracey’s willing to move, but I don’t want to make her leave friends and family. She’s lived here all her life. I might even quit teaching. They’re opening the new Inland Revenue offices soon. I might go for a job there. It’d be boring, but safe. What do they say? The only sure things in life are death and taxes. At least I wouldn’t have to take work home every night.”
Mike was glad that Phil was being philosophical about it.
“What about you?” Phil asked. “What will you do?”
Mike was confused. “How do you mean?” he asked.
“I presumed …”
Mike became embarrassed. “They’re keeping me on.”
Phil looked hurt. “But ... you were only on a temporary contract. And I thought you wanted to leave anyway. The thing with Rachel ...”
Mike shook his head. “I don’t know how that’s going to work out, but they offered me another year’s contract and I couldn’t afford to turn it down.”
“No,” Phil said, bitterly. “I don’t suppose you could.”
Rachel got home on Friday evening, relieved to have reached the weekend. She had only four more days of school to go. Then it was the exams, for which she was hopelessly unprepared. Already, she was reconciled to retaking maths in the autumn. The rest, she would muddle through on talent, the way she always had. Actresses didn’t need great exam results.
“Is your boyfriend back yet?” Mum asked, as they were eating dinner. Mum sometimes made allusions to Rachel’s mysterious boyfriend. Making him sound familiar muddied the truth - that Rachel’s secret was pushing her and Mum further and further apart.
“Not until after the exams,” Rachel said, not looking up from her food.
Last night, Mike had stood her up. It was to have been their first meeting in weeks. She’d waited in the usual place, by the phone box, for ages. Finally, she’d rung him.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I thought you’d realize that it was off, after what happened this afternoon. We can’t take the risk.”
“Nothing happened, not really,” Rachel said, feeling like a schoolgirl, making excuses. “Kate went a bit crazy, that’s all.”
“We’ll talk soon,” Mike said. “There are some things I have to work out.”
“Don’t you have an interview coming up?” Rachel asked.
“I’ll tell you about it later,” Mike said. “I’ve got to go.”
What did “later” mean? Maybe Rachel could call him this evening.
“Have you got another of those emergency governors’ meetings tonight?” she asked Mum.
“No,” Mum replied. “They’re over for now, thank goodness. We made the decisions last night. I’m afraid that three teachers got some bad news today.”
“Who?” Rachel asked.
“I’m not meant to say. But there is one bit of good news I can tell you.”
“Do,” Rachel said. “It’s been a while since I heard any good news.”
“That teacher you like, Mr Steadman. It was touch and go, but he’s keeping his job.”
Rachel nearly choked. “But ...”
“Yes, Judith Howard fought tooth and nail to hang on to him. I don’t like that woman much, but you have to say this: she fights for her department.”
Rachel put down her fork, feeling like she’d been kicked in the stomach.
“What’s wrong?”
Rachel looked at her watch. “I was meant to be meeting Becky five minutes ago. I forgot.”
“But you never go out on Friday night. What is this? Revision?”
“Er...” Rachel was too wound up to think of a convincing lie. “She’s got a problem she needs to discuss. Boyfriend trouble.”
“But what about your dinner?”
“I’m not hungry.”
Rachel left the table and went up to her bedroom. She still had her birthday money from her dad. She put twenty pounds into her purse so that she’d have plenty for a taxi. Then she hurried round to Becky’s.
Luckily, she was in.
“What is it?” Becky asked, once they were in her bedroom.
Rachel explaine
d. Becky made her talk it through slowly. “And he promised to get a job somewhere else ...?”
“Not exactly promised, but he said we couldn’t stay together if he carried on at Stonywood. He was going after lots of jobs. He had an interview coming up at a sixth-form college in Mansfield. I don’t understand. We were talking about moving in together.”
“But does it mean he’s finished with you?”
“I don’t know,” Rachel said. “I feel betrayed. If we keep going out, it has to be in secret. I don’t know if I could stand any more of that.”
“Why not?” Becky said. “It seems to me that secrecy’s half of his appeal.”
Rachel burst into tears. “You don’t understand. You don’t even like him.”
Becky comforted her. “I like him well enough. He’s a good teacher. But I think that he’s too old for you. Still, it’s what you think that matters. Do you want to phone him from here?”
Becky had a phone in her room. Rachel thought about it. “No. I just want to go round there. Call me a taxi, would you?”
Becky did it. “You look lousy,” she told Rachel. “Go round there looking like that and he’ll forget why he fancied you in the first place.”
Reluctantly, Rachel made herself up. It was too late to do anything about her clothes - a shapeless T-shirt and grubby jeans. She couldn’t borrow anything from Becky, who was two sizes bigger. She felt barely presentable by the time the taxi arrived.
It was odd, making the familiar journey to Mike’s without him in the car. Rachel didn’t know what she’d do if he wasn’t home. As she got out of the car, though, Rachel saw that there was a window open in the terraced house. She could hear music. Rachel paid the taxi driver and knocked on the door.
Bob Marley was on the hi-fi. Mike only played him when he was in a really good mood. What if he had company? But, Phil apart, Mike had no real friends in Nottingham. Unless... The door opened.
