Visions (13 page)

21

Darren’s timetable changed as of Tuesday morning. From then on, he would have no reason to come anywhere near my classroom. Despite being late for every single lesson he’d ever attended with me, Darren managed to get used to being early to his lessons with Corinne as a novel way of causing further irritation. It was school policy for teachers to wait at the classroom door to greet students as they entered. Scott and Phil arrived five minutes early, escorted by a smug looking Darren. He was talking loudly already when they turned the corridor’s corner, but he increased his volume further when he saw me. “So, the message is behave as badly as you possibly can and you’ll get moved up to Mrs Mooney’s class. She’s well better. Don’t forget; give her hell.”

              “Nice to see you too, Darren. Have a good day now,” I said, without any hint of sarcasm. Darren looked at me with narrow eyes and an open mouth, and I allowed myself a little smile. He wasn’t my problem anymore.

              At dinner, Darren was again outside my classroom door when I left. “Scott and Phil have gone, Darren,” I told him.

              He stood looking at me for longer than was comfortable, smirked and walked away without saying anything. After school, there he was again. This time, I didn’t bother saying anything. He knew that I hadn’t been teaching his friends last lesson. There were still year eights dawdling around the classroom door. I didn’t even give him the satisfaction of acknowledging him. Instead, I turned to the last stragglers from

class. “Don’t forget to do that worksheet for homework, ok?”

              “Yes, miss!” They were so enthusiastic at that age, so eager to please. What happened in between then and year eleven to make them so awkward?

              Darren continued to stare at me while I gathered my stuff together and locked the classroom door. Eventually it got too much.

              “Is there anything I can help you with, Darren?” I asked.

              “I doubt it.” Then he walked away, as though my acknowledgement had been what he was waiting for.

              Morgan was still in her classroom when I told her about Darren’s strange behaviour. “It sounds like he feels that he’s lost face somehow and in his own way, he’s trying to show you that he’s still in control. Plus, I agree with Corinne that he probably has got himself a bit of a schoolboy crush that he can’t handle. Personally, I’d just stick with being civil to him, report any abuse and wait for him to get bored. Corinne said he was as quiet as a mouse in her class today, so it’s all a big hard-man act, you know?”

              Darren didn’t get bored. He gave me nothing to report apart from his unwelcomed presence, which didn’t seem enough. Most of the time, he just watched me and waited for a response. He seemed able to wait for as long as it took for me to fill the silence and if I didn’t, he would be there waiting the next chance he got. On the last day before we broke up for half term, Darren sat outside the school gates as I left the building.

              I saw him straight away, but rather than letting him see my uneasiness, I stopped and started to fumble around in my handbag as though I’d forgotten something. Then I walked back inside, hoping that I looked convincingly flustered. Hazel saw me walking back in as she left the staffroom. “Are you coming to the pub for a drink? It’s a tradition!”

              “I would, but I’m not sure where it is.” Morgan had been off sick for a couple of days and although going to the pub had been mentioned, I hadn’t asked for clarification because I wasn’t that keen on going without her.

              “You can follow me,” Hazel offered. “I’m leaving now, but I can hang on if you need me to.”

              “Actually, I don’t have a car. I do drive,” I explained, embarrassed. “I just don’t have a car at the moment.”

              “Oh, come with me, then!”

              Relief flooded over me. Goodness knows how long I would have had to wait for Darren to get bored this time, but I didn’t feel as worried about walking past him if I had someone with me. At least he wouldn’t be tempted to follow me.

              When we did get outside, there was no sign of Darren. “Who are you looking for?” Hazel asked as I glanced around, nervously.

              “No-one, really. Darren Pierce was hanging around, that’s all.”

              “Weird, isn’t it? They spend all their time in school complaining about being there and then when they can go home, they don’t want to go!”

              At the pub, there were lots of members of staff who I’d seen around but never spoken to. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and some were already on their way to being drunk. Hazel and I got a glass of wine each and went to sit with Sarah. I’d enjoyed her company last time we went out and was pleased to see her here. Maybe she’d give us another Dirty Dancing show later. At the moment she was giggling at something one of the male Maths teachers was saying to her. As we approached, he got up to make room for us to sit down. “Is Morgan not with you?” he asked, looking directly at me. “I thought she might come in today with it being the last day.”

              “She’s still really ill. I won’t go into the details, though!” I replied. He smiled.

              “When you speak to her, let her know I was asking after her, will you?” He walked away without waiting for an answer and Hazel rolled her eyes at me.

              “Who was that?”

              “Will Bennett,” Sarah replied.

              I nearly spat my wine back into the glass. I looked over at the man who had spoken to me. He was chatting with Mike next to the fruit machine. Although he matched the basic details that Morgan had given me, in as much as he had floppy hair and brown eyes, he was hardly what I’d imagined would get Morgan’s heart racing. For a start, Morgan was plump, with curves in all the right places. Will was tall, but he had a very slim frame. With his thick rimmed glasses, perfectly starched white shirt, and polished brown shoes, he was a typical Maths teacher. He would have fit in well in a funny American sitcom; all he needed was a bow tie. I pulled out my phone to text Morgan, knowing that this would cheer her up. Within seconds she replied, saying that she wished she was well enough to be out with us. Hazel and Sarah watched me, curiously.

              “That was Morgan. She wishes she was here,” I told them.

              “So does Will Bennett!” Sarah screeched.

              Will looked over at the mention of his name and Sarah waved at him. We all burst into laughter at his bemused face, but I noticed how he took it on the chin and smiled back at us before sticking his tongue out. That would be what appealed to Morgan. He was clearly a light-hearted guy who knew how to have fun.

              “Why don’t they go out?” I asked, already feeling a little bit tiddly from the little wine I’d drunk.

              “He’s too scared to ask her. She’s out of his league,” Sarah commented.

              Hazel elbowed her gently in the ribs. “Will is lovely! He’s just a normal, decent guy. We don’t all go for the bad boys, you know! Take my Dean, for example…”

              “Whoa! Stop right there. Before you start talking about Dean, let me go and get a bucket to be sick in!” Sarah cackled. “I’m going for more wine, ladies. Can I get either of you a refill?”

              I looked down at my glass and nodded.

              “Nah.” Hazel shook her head. “I’ve got the car with me. I’d be too worried leaving it in a pub car park overnight.”

              “Well, you know the answer to that one! Get perfect Dean to come and pick it up for you!” Sarah teased.

              Hazel hesitantly pulled out her phone and
scrolled down to his number. “I suppose having the perfect guy does have its benefits,” she said. “Hi Dean. Could you do me a massive favour?” Sarah rolled her eyes at Hazel’s girly voice, but we both knew it would get her what she wanted. “Come and pick the car up for me? I’ve had my arm twisted!” Sarah lifted Hazel’s glass up and waggled it in front of her face. Hazel nodded as a big smile spread across her face. “You are an angel and I love you!”

              Sarah skipped across to the bar, blatantly pushing in front of some young men who weren’t part of our group. They didn’t seem to mind too much, though. She came back carrying two glasses of wine with one of the men she’d pushed in front of carrying the third behind her. “How can I thank you?” she said, batting her eyelashes.

              “Come and have a drink with me in a bit!” he said, leering at her. She nodded and he stumbled away.

              “He won’t last long enough to have a drink with me the way they’re throwing those beers back!” she laughed. “So, Gill, how are you feeling after your trip to the hospital?”

              “Better, thanks.” That was the last thing I wanted to talk about, and I was relieved when I saw Will coming back over with Mike, who I’d met on interview day but rarely spoken to since. They pulled chairs over and joined us.

              “So, how are you finding it at Logford?” asked Mike. “Is it what you expected?”

              “It’s hard work but rewarding as well.”

              “I was so pleased when they chose me and you,” he admitted. “The others would have just annoyed me.” I heard Hazel splutter a laugh, which she immediately covered with a cough. “I mean, that Steve and his poor fingernails! Plus the fact that the other two girls weren’t nearly as attractive.”

              “I’m sure that’s not why Mr Briggs hired me!” I joked, embarrassed by his slurred compliments.

              “It’s not why he hired Mike, at any rate!” Sarah quipped and we all laughed, including Mike.

              “No, but he did say to me that I was the most confident trainee teacher that he’d ever come across. I think he knew he was going to give me the job even before the interview,” Mike bragged. He took another swig of his beer.

              “Well, you are wonderful, Mike,” Sarah said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

              Mike didn’t seem to pick up on it at all, though. “Thanks, Sarah. Gill, can I get you a drink?”

             
Is he coming on to me?
I started to panic and it must have been obvious to everyone but him.

              “We’re buying in rounds, Mike, so it’s my turn to get Gill’s next drink,” Hazel said, linking her arm through mine and pulling me up to walk to the bar with her.

              “Thank you,” I whispered in her ear.

              “My pleasure! He’s so slimy, don’t you think?” I nodded. “I can’t believe Morgan used to have a thing for him!” she continued. It looks like he has a crush on you. Just so you know, subtleties do not work with Mike. You need to be plain and obvious for him to understand; otherwise he’ll cling on all night. After all,” she adopted a deep voice, taking on Mike’s drawling accent, “how could you not fancy the most confident trainee teacher ever seen at Logford?”

              Just as Hazel had said, Mike stayed with us throughout the evening, continuously asking me questions and then answering them for me. We spent so much time laughing that the hours rushed by and before I knew it, people were talking about moving on to clubs. Sarah was up for finding somewhere with a dance floor, but Hazel was ready to get home to Dean.

              I was planning on going to Louie’s with Sarah, until I got to my feet and realised how unsteady I was. “I think I’ll get a taxi!” I said, struggling to form my words.

              “That’s not a good idea on your own, Gill. I’ll come with you,” Mike stated.

              “No! I’m a big girl. I’ll be absolutely fine!” Frantically, I focused on getting my phone out of my handbag before he could engage me in talking again.

              “I wouldn’t feel comfortable with you doing that at all. Especially not after you were taken into hospital. Come on, humour me!” He pulled what he must have thought was a winning smile. It looked more like a grotesque parody of Tom Cruise in Cocktail. Finally, I found my phone. I’d two missed calls and a text. All of them were from Theo.
I shouldn’t have cared that nobody else was bringing partner,
I thought.
I should have invited him.
Suddenly I missed him with an aching. I smiled, which Mike took to be an acceptance of his offer.

              I walked outside and rang Theo back.

              “Gill! Are you out?” he asked.

              “Yes, I’m out.” My words were slurred.

              “Clearly!” He laughed. “Are you with Morgan?”

              “Nope! I’m with…” I looked around to see Sarah climbing into a taxi with Will Bennett and others from the school. Hazel was nowhere to be seen. “I’m going to ring a taxi and go home now.”

              “Gill, are you…” His voice was drowned out when Mike put his arm around my shoulders.

              “Got us a taxi, doll. Come on, ladies first!”

              “Gill? Who’s that?” Even in my drunken state, I could hear that Theo sounded hurt.

              “That’s Mike. He’s an English teacher,” I mumbled. I wondered how much of what I said was comprehensible. English had definitely sounded like ‘Dilgish’ to me.