Dark Days at TAC

by Richard Pinkerton

  Mr Reaper sat at his desk with the school principal, Mr Luxton opposite him. He had just finished lunch in the staff cafeteria, when Mr Luxton asked to talk to him privately.

  ‘It was a mistake putting Harris in charge as principal,’ said Luxton, ‘I realise that now. I should have put you in charge.’

  ‘Ah, I don’t know, I never saw myself as a principal anyway. I think Harris has certainly done a lot better job than what I think I would have.’

  ‘Well I doubt you’d upset so many people as he has. Two of my teachers walked out because of his heavy-handedness. We had to get an emergency replacement for Mr Tuckman, the biology teacher and we still haven’t replaced Mrs Signet yet. He nearly caused a strike due to his ridiculous Boot Camp rules. Not only that, but we had students and parents up in arms, complaining of abuse. As if we don’t have enough hassles with the way he runs his PE classes.’

  Mr Reaper laughed on the inside, but made sure he hid his amusement from the principal. ‘Well, you live and learn.’ He actually liked the new rules Mr Harris instigated. In fact, he was right behind the guy, believing that the school needed a more military regime. There was just way too much leniency towards wayward behaviour. ‘I can understand his reasoning behind the Boot Camp. It certainly smartened people up and cut down on a lot of flagrant rule breaking. You do realise that the main reason was to try to keep out drug dealers?’

  ‘Yes, and I am well aware of the P problem in town and that there is a dealer somewhere in this school. However, tightening security was never going to get rid of that dealer, nor solve the drug problem. It was simply a band-aid solution. All it would have done was make things a little more difficult for the dealers.’

  ‘Well, Mr Harris is a military man. He simply did what he knows.’

  ‘Yes, I guess I should have expected he’d call on that military background, but I believe he exceeded his authority. All he was asked to do was fill in, not try to change the way the school runs.’

  ‘You’re right. He did go too far. I should have said something myself and others certainly did, but he was determined to do things his way.’

  ‘Yes, that’s how he is, isn’t he?’ Mr Luxton sighed.

  ‘So what are you going to do? Fire him?’

  ‘I don’t want to do that. He’s a valuable staff member and I like the guy. His methods are extreme, but he is certainly whipping our students into shape when it comes to fitness. Look at the senior boys alone. There’s not an overweight one amongst them...’

  ‘Apart from Tucker Pyles.’

  ‘Yes, well he’s an unusual exception. Our male sports teams have gained a reputation as being unbeatable. I don’t want Harris gone.’

  ‘But you’re under pressure to get rid of him?’

  ‘Yes, I’m afraid so. There is a lot of damage control that needs doing here and I’m afraid that the most effective way to relieve the damage is to release Mr Harris.’

  Mr Reaper had become known to many as the school’s enforcer. He was in charge of dealing with the most wayward of the male student population. He liked his job and he loved the fear he instilled in the majority of his students. It made his job a lot easier to have people fear him and it meant he met a lot less resistance when it came to dealing with the troublemakers. However, there was one boy in particular who didn’t fear him and in fact seemed to have taken it as a personal challenge to rile him up.

  Rex Cassidy.

  ‘Well, you know, I like Mr Harris too,’ Mr Reaper said. ‘I think he’s great for this school, but one thing he has failed to do is get Rex Cassidy into line. He was put in charge of sorting that kid out right from the beginning, but he hasn’t done it. Rex has not improved his behaviour at all. In fact, I asked for him to be tracked down and sent here to see me due to some allegations made about him earlier today, but so far I’ve seen neither hide nor hair of him. I wanted to sort this out myself, without Mr Harris’s input, but now I’m wondering whether it will ever be resolved, because I just can’t seem to get anywhere. Yes, there are some things about Mr Harris that are positives when it comes to this school, but sometimes his attitude leaves a lot to be desired.’

  ‘Yes and it’s his attitude that has upset so many people. He refuses to listen to anybody.’ Mr Luxton rose to his feet. ‘Anyway, I just felt I needed to get some things off my chest. Thanks for listening and give it some thought. Think about what we should do with this situation. I’ll be willing to consider anything you suggest.’

  ‘Will do, Ted.’

  Mr Luxton departed, leaving Mr Reaper to ponder on the situation at hand. There had been a campaign last year to rid the school of Mr Harris, one that had failed miserably, but this time it seemed he had a lot more people against him. It didn’t look good for the unorthodox PE teacher.

  A knock came at the door.

  ‘Come in.’

  Rex stepped through the door, and a smile lit up his face. ‘Mr R!’

  The moment Mr Reaper had been dreading had arrived. If he could have avoided having to deal with Rex Cassidy, he would have, but he had to show who was boss. He had to make every student, including Rex realise that he was someone you didn’t want to have to deal with.

  ‘Nice day we're having.’ Rex plonked himself down on the edge of Mr Reaper' desk and handed him an open packet of cigarettes. ‘Cigarette?’

  For a moment, Mr Reaper just stared at the packet. How this lad had the gall to walk in there with incriminating evidence on his person, was something he just couldn’t fathom. He scowled, reached out and snatched the entire pack from him.

  ‘Now, now, Mr R, that's a little greedy isn't it? Never mind though, I don't smoke, I just have them for anybody who wants them.’

  ‘Sit!’ He sent a piercing glare towards the lad.

  ‘I am.’

  ‘On a chair!’

  ‘I'm comfortable enough thanks Mr R. What can I do you for? Want to buy a pack of cigarettes?’ He pulled out another from his jacket pocket. ‘Special price for you Mr R, One dollar for the whole packet.’

  Mr Reaper grunted, reached out and snatched that one away as well, his glare not breaking from Rex’s face. He did his best to control his growing frustration. ‘Let’s be serious, shall we? I think that you know why you're here.’

  ‘Of course, Pete told me. A smoko break of course. It's nice to have a break from doing schoolwork.’

  ‘As if you do any school work!’

  ‘Touché.’

  ‘You were seen smoking by the incinerator this morning. I have three witnesses.’ ‘Three?’ Rex’s eyebrows rose, but he said nothing more.

  ‘Now I must admit, Rex, I'm a little surprised. I thought that you were anti-cigarettes. That was one thing that I respected you for.’

  ‘Disgusting habit, I know. In fact, I was intending on giving up. In fact I will right now.’ He pulled more half-empty packets of cigarettes from his pockets. He emptied them all into Mr Reaper’s rubbish bin. ‘You know, I had a job trying to pick a brand that I particularly liked, so I decided to keep a wide variety. I think that's the last of them.’ He emptied the last pack. ‘Say Mr R, why don't you follow my example and give up smoking as well?’

  ‘I don't smoke!’

  ‘Well what's all that in your top draw then?’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Have a look. We all know that you keep a pack of cigars in your desk.’

  ‘I don't smoke!’ Mr Reaper snarled. He thrust open his draw as proof, but reeled when he discovered a pack of fine cigars in his draw. ‘What the...? How did...?’ He eyed Rex, a fire building up inside his chest. ‘Why you... I don't know how you pulled this off, but I know that this is a joke.’

  ‘Actually, Mr R, I heard that you were a bit of a chain smoker. Let's have a look.’ Before Mr Reaper could stop him, Rex leant over and pulled open another draw. There were two empty packets of cigarettes in it. He opened another and found a whole pack of unopened boxes. ‘Mr Reaper! And a lou
sy brand too.’

  In bewilderment, Mr Reaper opened up one of his other draws too, finding more half used and unused packets within.

  ‘It seems that you are a bit of a hypocrite, Mr R.’

  For a moment, Mr Reaper was just so dumfounded that he couldn’t speak. He turned his head towards the windows, considering that perhaps someone may have climbed through there while he was at lunch and planted the boxes. It had been nicely planned for someone to plant them there at such an opportune moment.

  Rex sniffed a few times, a frown on his face and he peered through narrow eyes at Mr Reaper. ‘What's that?’

  ‘What's what?’ Mr Reaper sniffed as well and he screw up his face as a smoky smell met his nostrils. He glanced down at his desk to his teacup and saucer. He lifted up the cup and underneath it found a smouldering half-smoked cigarette.

  ‘Mr Reaper! And you're telling me that you don't smoke? Hells Bells, I'd be prepared to bet my life that your pot plant's full of cigarette ash.’

  He was right, it was.

  Mr Reaper slapped his forehead with his hand and stared down at the butt on the saucer. It was one thing to plant cigarettes in his desk and empty ash into his pot plant while he was at lunch. It was another thing altogether to place a lit cigarette under his cup without him even noticing. Perhaps Rex had done it while he was surveying the window? Perhaps he was deft of hand? All though how he managed to light it was a complete mystery. ‘I don't know how you pulled this off, Cassidy, but you know darn well that I've been set up. I can't stand cigarettes!’

  ‘Neither can I, Mr R. We've got something in common.’

  Mr Reaper breathed a few times to control his anger and then let out a snort. ‘You cunning blighter! You needn't think that I'm falling for it, Cassidy.’

  ‘Falling for what? Hey, if you need some help kicking the habit, I'll gladly recommend a few techniques.’

  Mr Reaper breathed a few more times. ‘Regardless of all that, you're a student in this school. We don't allow smoking by students. Tucker Pyles has admitted smoking with you and I have put him on two week’s detention. You will also be on that detention.’

  ‘Not a problem. I'll be there, Mr R. You always throw a great detention.’

  ‘Yeah, right. And I'm taking tomorrow off.’

  ‘Good on you, Mr R. Nothing like a bit of recuperation after you've quit smoking.’ ‘Recuperation after dealing with you, you mean.’

  ‘And that.’

  Mr Reaper rose to his feet and sighed. ‘You might as well go. I don't know what you're all playing at, but nothing seems to add up here. Somebody’s been telling me fairy tales. In fact, all of you seem to be in on it. I'm not having it. The detention's still on. If it's for smoking, it can be for wasting my time and making up stories. You can call Pete Cook and Will Ullman in as well. We'll say no more about all these cigarettes. You can go, Rex.’

  Rex rose to his feet. He paused momentarily to reach back into his jacket. ‘By the way Mr R.’ He pulled out a large cigar rapped in plastic. ‘This is from me.’ He handed it over to Mr Reaper. ‘Hope you enjoy it.’ With that, Rex left

  CHAPTER 6:

  Concerns for Holly