Title: Just one of those days
Summary: The ups and downs of Reddie in a typical Waterloo Road term Love, life, loss…What could go wrong?!
Hey! So I know it's been years since Reddie have graced our screens (Ik, I'm still grieving…) but I found this on my memory stick the other day as well as many other Reddie stories and I can't believe I never posted them! So, I decided that I may as well post them so I'm now sorting through all my documents and fine lining each story I hope you guys like it and I don't mind any kind of feedback xxx
"Sorry we're late!" Steph exclaimed, bursting into Rachel's office. Matt followed, catching the door Steph left to swing shut.
Eddie glanced up and nodded a greeting from his position next to the window, Tom smiled from the back of the office where he was swinging on the back legs of his chair, and Grantly barely stirred from where he was asleep on the sofa, his racing paper covering his chest like a blanket.
Steph noticed the vacant chair behind the desk as she slapped Grantly's legs so she could sit down. "She's not hiding in a cupboard is she?"
"Rachel's not here yet." Eddie answered, leaning against the wall as he stared morosely out of the window. Steph frowned slightly at this piece of information; tardiness wasn't one of Rachel's strong suits.
"Well, that's a great start, late for your own meeting!" Matt said, as Steph reached for Grantly's abandoned coffee cup.
Grantly slowly sat up and removed his newspaper, tossing it by his feet. "Perhaps she wants to make a big entrance?" He quipped, straight-faced and frowning from having just woken up.
"She's not even phoned!" Tom yawned, catching the tennis ball he'd just bounced off the office wall. "Like I haven't got enough to do! I still need to pull something out of the bag for my year 10's. 'Of Mice and Men' hasn't really grabbed their attention yet. I'm just gonna have to wing it. Again."
"At least I'm not late." Matt mused, his usual optimistic self.
Eddie stopped his window-watching, his eyes unusually dull and lifeless. No one knew this was due to the thought that he was in a Rachel-less school. "The meeting was supposed to start five minutes ago so, technically, you're both late."
Steph narrowed her eyes before whispering to Grantly, "What's got under Misery's nose?" Unfortunately, Steph had one of those voices that carried for miles, and that mixed with a silent office meant that Eddie caught every word.
"Lateness has nothing to do with the time of the meeting." Tom interjected, all too aware of Eddie's narrowed eyes. "If you arrive before the boss, you're early. If you arrive after the boss, you're late."
"Clocks are a bit of a pointless invention then, aren't they?"
Every turned at this new voice to see Rachel standing in the threshold of her office, eyebrows raised. Her voice and her presence had the same effect on staff and pupils alike. Her natural authority and superior manner commanded respect without demanding it. She moved effortlessly through to her desk and relieved herself of her coat and folders before turning to her colleagues.
"Thank you for making it here. On time." She allowed her sparkling eyes to stray in Tom's direction for a moment. "And I apologise for my lateness."
"So," Steph smiled, too over-eager and bubbly as she always was in the presence of her boss – be it Jack or Rachel. "The whole team's been summoned then? What will it be, a pat on the back or a slap on the wrist?"
"Well I haven't been a naughty girl, have you?" Tom grinned.
Grantly allowed himself a grunt of amusement while Matt tried to hide his smirk behind his coffee cup. Even Eddie allowed the ghost of a smile to flit across his face now he was in Rachel's company.
"Neither, today, actually Steph." Rachel smiled politely, her eyes still twinkling. "No, what I would like to know is who here has heard of team building exercises?"
Matt glanced at his watch, his mind preoccupied with his musical while Eddie gave a disapproving sniff, which didn't go unnoticed by Rachel.
Eventually, Tom asked, "Is that where you go up into the hills and drink your own urine?"
Rachel looked past Eddie to Tom, a natural smile breaking out on her face. "Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that." She replied.
"If it does, you're chief taster." Grantly mumbled to Steph, causing her to spit out the mouthful of stolen coffee that she'd just taken.
"Why are you asking anyway?" Eddie questioned his boss, his tone suspicious and his voice slightly cracked from its lack of use that morning.
"Because," Rachel replied, not looking at Eddie. "This time next week the five of us will be on a character building, outside exercise run by Adventure Escapes."
This statement seemed to sober the senior staff up and they suddenly seemed to come alive through a mixture of loud protests mainly consisting of "Why us?!" and disapproving looks to one another.
"All right!" Rachel exclaimed, her voice rising in effort to be heard over her staff. "I know this isn't the most enticing offer I've made, but, I'm afraid attendance is compulsory. The LEA has decided that given the recent staff change around, we're still all learning to work together and a team building exercise will only go to make the senior staff and the school stronger." The slight sneer in her voice made her feelings on the matter clear. "If you'd all like to take a seat around the table, we can discuss the finer details."
They obliged, Rachel being the last to join as she lingered at her desk to find the leaflets and sheets given to her that morning. Eddie glanced around the room for a spare chair after the realisation they'd all now had occupants, but couldn't see one. So, automatically, he stood and offered his chair to Rachel. She accepted it with an expression of surprise mixed with gratefulness. He disappeared from the room for a moment and returned with another chair which he placed in the biggest gap around the table, which was between Tom and Rachel. She smiled gratefully at him again, mildly wondering why he had got a chair from the waiting room outside the office and not her chair behind her desk. Eddie awkwardly returned the smile as he suddenly became aware that because he was so closely positioned next to Rachel, they're knees were touching. He manoeuvred in an attempt to rectify the situation but found that either his knees much touch Rachel's or Tom's. And, after receiving a slightly odd and amused look from Tom, Eddie realised Rachel's were probably the more acceptable option.
Rachel could feel Eddie's knee against her leg under the table. She watched him slyly as he fidgeted in his seat and had to suppress a smile when she felt his knee move from her leg. Rachel was slightly grateful for this as unprofessional physical contact with Eddie probably wouldn't help her concentration levels. She was sure Eddie, too, had some sort of line when it came to professionalism and therefore she was surprised but not entirely disappointed to feel the pressure of his knee return seconds later.
So…first chapter done! Hope you liked it! I haven't decided whether I'm setting this before or after Melissa's arrival/departure so I haven't mentioned her yet. I'm gonna see how the rest of the story pans out and then I'll let you guys know xxx