One Foot Onto the Ice (29 page)

“Ha! She said you were clumsy too,” laughed Amber, looking down at
Susan lying on her side.

Jenna raced to Susan’s aid and lifted her up. “Don’t believe her,
please don’t believe her. Look at her, she’s drunk.”

Susan pushed Jenna away and wiped the wetness from her arm,
sniffing quickly as a slow tear trickled down her cheek. “I BELIEVE HER,” she
shouted. “Now leave me alone.”

Jenna took Susan by the wrists. “It’s not true. I’m telling you,
it’s not true.”

Susan shook her head. “I don’t believe anything you say anymore.”

Jenna gasped. “Susan! This is me!”

“And I have no idea who you are,” said Susan, walking back to the
door with her heart torn in two.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Susan’s alarm went off at 6.00 a.m. She silenced the beeping and
immediately checked her messages. The inbox was empty. She sighed to herself,
feeling the deep pain spread once again across her chest. Jenna had followed
her back inside and professed her innocence a further two times, but nothing
could take away the sheer embarrassment of Amber’s words.

Susan thought back to the way Jenna had given her one last chance
to believe her, as she’d put it, before storming off with the three women in
tow when she hadn’t received the response she’d been hoping for. Susan sighed.
There was no way she could forgive her. The pain was too great. She shook her
head and pulled herself out of bed, glancing at the handwritten note that was
still sitting on her bedside table. “
Apologising doesn’t mean you’re right
or wrong. It just means you value your relationship more than your ego
.” She
lifted it up and held it close to her chest, unable to stop her tears.

****

“She came! She came!” Priggy was squashing her face against the
coach window and waving frantically. “She came!”

Champagne jumped up from her seat and looked through the glass.
“And he came too!” she wailed.

“Ladies, ladies, will you please just sit down.” Marcus Ramsbottom
was doing a final head count.

“Just one minute,” pleaded Priggy, charging straight down the
aisle.

“Fine,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Love’s young dream and all
that.”

“Now this
is
the stuff of legend,” laughed Champagne as she
edged past him. “We’ll never forget you for this, Professor.”

Marcus tilted his pelvis forwards as the two young women squeezed
past. “All part of the job,” he said proudly.

Susan was sitting in the seat at the front, watching the full on
snogging that was happening on the curb. She climbed out of her chair and stepped
down towards the door. She popped her head out and spoke quietly. “Calm it down
a bit, ladies, the younger girls are watching and Mrs Button’s on the backseat.”

Priggy and Champagne looked up at the coach windows and saw the
fourteen smiling faces. “Sorry,” they giggled.

Phats reached down and lifted a chain from his neck. “I want yous
to ‘ave ‘dis.”

“Really?” giggled Champagne, tilting her head forwards and letting
him drop the gold bling into position.

“Yeah, and I want yous to ‘ave ‘dis too,” said Mischa pulling one
of the sparkling gems from her tooth. “Smile,” she said.

Priggy opened her mouth and let Mischa press the jewel onto her
incisor. “Thanks,” she said nervously running her tongue over the bling.

“So, we might see you at the Manchester open day?” asked Champagne
rather too hopefully.

“Yeah yous might,” said Phats nodding.

“Laters,” said Mischa, giving Priggy one final kiss on the lips.

Priggy and Champagne stood on the curb and watched as the two
Mossyside Comp kids crossed the road and boarded their own bus. “That was so
romantic!” they squealed in unison.

“Time to go,” said Susan, popping her head back out of the door.

“But Jenna’s not here yet,” noted Priggy.

Susan stepped onto the curb and looked at the girls. “She’s not
coming.”

“What? Why not?”

“It was only ever a loose arrangement. I think she went out last
night so she’s probably sleeping it off in her room.”

“Go and wake her up then,” insisted Champagne.

“No, I can’t. Really, it’s fine.”

Priggy marched past her and jumped onto the coach, only to return
a moment later. “I’ve told Professor Ramsbottom I’ve left my inhaler in my
room. Would you two come and get it with me?”

Champagne laughed. “You don’t have an inhaler.”

“That’s why we’ll be a while,” giggled Priggy, pulling her teacher
by the arm.

Susan felt her heart start to flutter. “It won’t do any good.
She’s not coming.”

“Just run to her room and find out,” ordered Champagne, holding
open the guest house door.

“She’s not coming,” said Susan.

“GO!” shouted the girls.

 Susan walked through the hall and into the dining room, feeling
her heart rate increase with every step. By the time she got to the stairs she
was practically running. She jumped two at a time, fuelled by the adrenaline that
was mounting in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t know what she’d say, or how she’d
just say it. She’d just tell her she loved her and hope that was enough. Susan
reached Jenna’s room and knocked loudly. “It’s me. I’m sorry. I want to work
this out.”

Susan waited in the silence. “Jenna? Are you in there?”

No response. Susan knocked once more and shook her head, wondering
which one of the three women Jenna had ended up with. She shoved her hands into
her pockets and turned to leave, feeling the folded up note from the dresser
move between her fingers. She pulled it out and read it once more. “
Apologising
doesn’t mean you’re right or wrong. It just means you value your relationship
more than your ego
.” She bent down and slid it under Jenna’s door.

****

“Good to go?” asked Marcus, raising his eyebrows at Susan.

“Yes, good to go,” said Susan, keeping her eyes fixed on the
window.

Marcus stepped towards the coach driver and gave the nod for the
off. He turned around and crouched at Susan’s knees. “You’re worth so much
more,” he said with sincerity.

“Yes, maybe I am.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Susan waved as the taxi carrying Mrs Button and Daisy pulled out
of the school car park. It was 11.00 p.m. and they were the last ones to leave.
All of the girls’ parents had been cheering and waving with outstretched arms as
the coach had pulled into the school gates almost an hour late.

“Can I interest you in a night cap?” asked Marcus. “Let bygones be
bygones and all that.”

Susan shook her head. “No. I need to do one final check of the
coach.”

“Would you like a hand?”

“No, I’m fine, Marcus.” Susan paused. “But thanks for the offer.”

“No problem,” said Marcus, lifting the handle of his suitcase and
wheeling it slowly behind him.

“And, Marcus—” Marcus stopped and looked back expectantly. “Yes?”

“I think this trip
was
the stuff of legend for lots of
those girls.”

“Thank you,” he said, walking away with his head held higher.

“Am I good to go, love?” asked the coach driver peering out of the
door.

“I’ll just have one final check.” Susan jumped onto the coach and
walked up and down the aisle carefully checking under every seat and in the
back of every headrest. She stepped back onto the curb with one iPod, two
jumpers and one pretty snow globe. “Typical,” she said, flashing the objects to
the driver. “Thanks for getting us back safely.”

“Just doing my job,” nodded the man. “Sorry about the delay in the
tunnel.”

Susan thought back to the hour long delay they’d had waiting for
the train, half hoping it was Jenna holding up the carriages in some last ditch
movie moment where she’d jump out from the crowd and shout,
‘Wait.’

“It’s fine. We’ve made good time. Thanks again.” Susan watched as
the doors hissed closed and waited as the coach pulled away. She turned around
and looked at her lonely suitcase standing on the pavement in front of the
school. It was dark and only the lights from the staff accommodation block
seemed to be on. She sighed and stepped forwards, fingering the handle of her
suitcase, before choosing instead to sit down on the small wall that surrounded
the front of the building. She lifted the snow globe and shook it gently,
watching as the tiny flecks of white snow fell on the mountainous scene.

“I thought you liked thimbles?” said the voice.

Susan spun around. “Jenna?!”

“Please don’t tell me you prefer snow globes. You’ve got no idea
what I’ve been through to get this.” Jenna held out a small paper bag.

“Jenna?!” Susan was standing in stunned silence.

“Open it.”

Susan couldn’t move.

“Open it.”

Susan kept her eyes wide, glancing back up at Jenna as if she
might disappear. She lifted the corners of the brown bag, pulling out the
dainty white wrapping. She unpeeled the tape and smiled as a small silver
thimble fell into her hand. She lifted it closer and eyed the pretty design.
“It’s beautiful.”

“Good, because it’s cost me a bloody fortune.” Jenna smiled. “Can
I have a hug?”

Susan raced forwards and threw her arms around Jenna’s shoulders.
“What are you doing? How did you get here?”

Jenna pulled Susan as close as she could. “I’m so so sorry, Susan.
I love you so much.”

“I’m sorry too,” gasped Susan. “That doesn’t matter now, just tell
me what’s going on.”

“I’m here for the week, just like I promised.”

Susan was shaking her head. “But why? How?”

Jenna dropped her arms and guided Susan back to the wall, sitting
her down and sliding next to her. “At 6.00 a.m. this morning I had a brainwave.
I thought I’d buy you a thimble, profess my love, and pray you believed me.”

Susan sighed. “I believe that you love me, Jenna, but the things
Amber was saying, how could she know?”

Jenna dropped her head in shame. “I made one stupid comment at the
services, that’s all.”

“It’s okay,” said Susan, “I knew you’d remember. It
was
my
nickname after all.”

“But it wasn’t like that, I promise.”

“It’s fine, honestly, it’s fine.”

“Good, because after this brainwave I realised the only place I’d
get a thimble was from that huge twenty-four hour hypermarket in town. I knew
I’d be cutting it fine so I took my case with me. Anyway, one thing led to
another, I got talked into getting it engraved…”

“Engraved?”

“Yes,” said Jenna, pointing at the rim at the bottom.

Susan squinted and read carefully.
When you know, you know.
J&S

“So I got it engraved, then I headed back to the guesthouse,
suddenly remembering that I’d left my phone on the counter.”

“At the hypermarket?” asked Susan, reading the inscription once
again. “This really is beautiful, thank you.”

Jenna nodded. “I thought you’d like it. But yes, at the
hypermarket. So I got the taxi to turn around, but then I got taken to security
where I had this whole rigmarole of trying to prove the phone was mine, and by
the time I’d got it back I knew you’d be long gone.”

“Why didn’t you just call me?”

Jenna shrugged. “I thought fifteen hours on a coach might calm you
down.”

“So you didn’t go back to the guesthouse? You didn’t see my note?”

Jenna shook her head. “No, what did it say?”

“Nothing. I just pushed the one you wrote me back under your
door.”

Jenna smiled. “It’s a good one, isn’t it?”

Susan laughed. “Yes, but how did you get here?”

“I got a midday flight from Genève. That’s why that bloody thimble
cost me so much. I’ve been here for hours.”

“No?”

“Yes, and I’ve got myself reacquainted with all of the old
teachers and they can’t wait for me to start my observations.”

Susan shook her head and smiled. “What can I say?”

Jenna grinned. “You can say that you love me.”

“I love you,” said Susan.

“And I love you too.”

THE
END

The
sequel to “One Foot Onto The Ice,” will be out early 2014.