Sequel to 'England's American Boy'. It's been nine years since highschool sweethearts Alice and Jasper saw each other in Folkstone. Alice is engaged to a man called Harry and he is very controlling. When Alice becomes a teacher at a secondary school in Harrington, she discovers that Jasper is also a teacher there. All Human, Harry Clearwater OOC. Alice's POV. A few maybe from Jasper's. Not sure yet.

I woke up and looked at the sleeping angel at my side. He was beautiful with his tanned skin and brown hair. I didn't want to wake him so I slowly sat up and got out of bed, careful not to nudge his sleeping body.

I picked out a plain black dress. I'd found out that you weren't allowed to wear anything made from jean material and panicked. The dress was knee length, A-line and had short sleeves. I put a brown belt with it and my favourite Alexander McQueen heels with the straps around the ankle. (Pictures on Profile)

This was my first day at work at Harrington (I don't know if thats a real place, I picked it out of my head) high school. One of the few schools in England that called itself a high school. I put in my earrings and brown wooden effect bangles and went downstairs for breakfast.

I hadn't been in Harrington long, only a couple of weeks, that's how long ago Harry proposed to me. I moved in with him and left my apartment in Folkstone. I would miss the beaches of Folkstone, this place was less beachy and more country. You wouldn't be surprised if a farmer was crossing the road with a couple of sheep.

I munched on the piece of toast that was in my hand and looked around the house. It would need some decorating, I had been to busy looking for a job to see this before. It looked like a man's house. It would need new paint work, new furniture. Everything, of course I'd have to ask my fiance about it first. It sounds so strange when I say that. Fiance.

I went upstairs and kissed Harry on the head before leaving. I got into my little Volkswagen Beatle and drove to my new workplace. I was going to be an English teacher, something I'd always been good at. My teachers had told me that I was imaginative when it came to stories. It was usually made up of the "dreams" I had when I was younger. When I was about 22 I stopped getting them. Two years ago, that's a long time to go without something you've been used to having all your life.

That was around the time I met Harry, he was on a business trip when we met. My father was on the same trip, except he didn't have to leave because the meetings were being held in Folkstone. It was the typical cinderella moment. We saw each other from the other ends of the room and he came over and used a cheesy chat-up line. We had a laugh and before you know it, here I am.

I parked in the first space I saw in the cap park and walked into the building. I stopped a boy who was much taller than me, like most of the people in the school and I asked where the reception was. Once there I was met by a very nice woman called Mrs Cope.

"Hello dear, ermmm. You're Ms Brandon yes?"

I nodded nervously as she took in my height. I hated it when people did that. I wasn't a dwarf, even if I was, I was still perfectly capable of teaching.

"Follow me."

She grabbed a stack of papers and books and led me to a bright classroom. It had a wooden desk at the front and the desks were set for two to a table. A normal, average classroom. She handed me my rota and class registers. I noticed that I had no school books to give to the students.

"Mrs Cope? Wh- "

"Please, Angela. It's not good to be formal."

"Angela, where are the school books? The exercise books?"

"Oh of course dear!"

Angela walked into the cupboard and pulled out a stack of green books. She placed them on my desk and sighed. She looked around the room and went to leave the room.

"Oh!"

She turned round to face me, she'd forgotten something.

"There is a staff meeting at break time, you have no lessons this morning so good luck on your first day!"

I sat down at my desk and tried to sort out some sort of lesson for my 4th period group. I couldn't think of anything and so just made a introductory lesson. I was going to get to know everyone and they were going to get to know me.

After about ten minutes the door to my classroom opened, but I was busy writing down the names of the students in the register.

"I wanted to introduce myself to the new English teacher. I'm - Oh my god. Alice?"

M head snapped up, a teacher already knew my name and he had that perfect accent. That beautiful accent that had been forever stuck in my memories since the first day I had met him 12 years ago. I got up from her seat and ran to hug him.

"Jasper! Wow, it's been such a long time!"

We sat and talked for a while. Jasper recently split up with a short term girlfriend but wanted to settle down now so he was at a suitable age when they started to have children. There was something strange about the way he looked when he learned that I was engaged. His eyes were filled with what I could describe as dissapointment. But we weren't in high school anymore, plus it had been nine years. They felt differently towards each other and they were grown up, mature adults.

"You're so young!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Lot's of women get married at 24."

Jasper looked at his watch and stood up, taking his chair back to the desk it had previously been situated at.

"We have to go, don't want to be late for your first staff meeting."

We walked into the staff room where there were lots of chairs set out with names out. It seemed way to formal for a staff meeting. I noticed that I was right at the back, no one had expected someone quite so small. I picked up my name and swapped it with a Mr. Alfido, I was now right at the front and next to Jasper, even would be nice to sit next to somebody I know well. Although I thought it was odd that he was at the front. What kind of mixed up setting was this? Putting teachers who are 6"3 at the front and midgets at the back!

They talked about welcoming new teachers like myself and a few others and then went to more important matters like school uniform and make-up. The poor students had to wear uniform, it must have been terrible for them.

At forth lesson, I decided that I was going to be a friendly teacher, but you couldn't just mess around with me, no, any homework, behaviour etc, it would be dealt with properly.

"Hello, I'd like you all to gather into a circle with your chairs and I'll explain what we're going to do."

The class did so, while chatting.

"Right, what's going to happen is your going to get to know me, and I'm going to get to know you. For this lesson we're going to say our names and then say something that will make the gossips of the school excercise their cheek muscles! Does anyone want to volunteer?"

A rather strange looking girl who had multiple piercings and black and purple hair, raised her hand.

"My name is Hannah and I've been arrested 12 times."

Twelve?!What kind of parents did she have? The class went round until it reached me.

"Before I introduce myself, I heard that there may be some rumours going around about me, what are they? Yes you, don't tell me, Violet!"

"You got pregnant with Mr Whitlock's baby when you were 14 but you had to give it away."

I shook my head in disbelief. Where was this crap coming from?

"I'd like to say, I've never been pregnant before and I didn't know Mr. Whitlock when I was 14."

"Miss? There's another one. You tried to escape your parents because they didn't like Mr. Whitlock because your dad threatened to kill him. You came here to be with him."

"No none of that is true either."

It wasn't. I came here to be with my fiance, I wasn't trying to escape my parents and as far as I had known, they had always liked Jasper.

"Are there any rumours that don't involve Mr Whitlock?"

Everyone's hand went down, she sighed and prepared to introduce herself.

"Who started these rumours?"

"Mr. Whitlock."

Ahhhh, well two could play at that game, except this wasn't a rumour, this was the truth.

"Right, well my name is Mary Alice Brandon, and I liked to be called Alice. However, you must still call me Ms. Brandon. I am engaged to Harry Clearwater. Mr. Whitlock was my boyfriend when I was 15 and it lasted for three years until he went to university."

The whole class started talking at once and I felt a headache coming on. There would be one expected for Jasper too.

"ALRIGHT! Quiet! I'll see you tommorow class, off you go."

I shook my head and smiled before heading towards the staff room to eat my lunch.
When I saw Jasper already sitting there alone, I smiled and sat down next to him at the table.

"Did I say you could sit there?"

I looked at him and he was grinning. His eyes were sparkling,he was teasing me. Ha!

"Is that anyway to talk to the mother of your child?"

Jasper stopped chewing his food and swallowed. He looked up at Alice and she could see a faint pool of red on his cheeks.

"You heard about that huh?"

"Oh yes! But only briefly, you see when I found out, I was hiding in a broom cupboard because my parents were searching the area for me and I was busy worrying for your life. That's when I overheard two students talking. Tell me, my memory is is a bit rusty, was it a boy or a girl?"

He grinned sheepishly at me and decided to play along.

"We had a girl, she was adopted soon after you recieved massive head injury."

"Awww, how nice."

"So how did you really find out?"

"The girls in my class wanted confirmation. 9R, do you have them today? That reminds me, what do you teach?"

"French, never thought I'd say that when I was younger. I do have them today I think."

"Good, they'll probably flood you with questions."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

"Can I have your number please, I misplaced it about 9 years ago and never found it again. I'll need a picture for caller ID too."

He nodded and I took a picture of him and typed in his number, he did the same. After work, I drove home and was welcomed by a cheerful looking Harry.

"Hello, how was your first day at work?"

"Good, I ran into an old school friend."

"That's nice, hey maybe they're in your old photo album, your dad dropped off the last box of stuff this morning. I was looking through the photo's. Awww, young love."

I slapped his arm playfully, he was talking about Jasper. He was in nearly every photo after about a quarter of the book.

"I'm going to have a shower, put the lasagne in the oven will you?"

I threw my bag, keys and phone on the table and went upstairs. After my shower I walked downstairs in my towel to hear Harry shouting down the phone.

"Look, Jasper, you may have been her pretty boy in high school. But we're grown ups now, so keep your hands to yourself and stay away from her, she's soon to be a married woman. Goodbye now." I heard him slam the phone shut and I walked in, how dare he speak to my friends like that!

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"Old school friend? You never told me it was your old boyfriend, Jasper." He scoffed.

He said his name with such icy distinction, he could have frozen out the oven.

"So? What does it matter?He is an old school friend!"

"You probably flirted with him all day! You're a little slut Mary!"

He grabbed my arm too tight and raised his other arm and punched me right in the face. I fell backwards and hit my head on the coffee table. I would have fought back but there was blood pouring out of my head. I needed to get to the hospital.

I gently lifted myself off the floor and went to change into a loose fitting dress that wouldn't have to even go over my head. I could slip into and pull it up. I tried to go back downstairs as quickly as I could without hurting myself and saw Harry waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.

He grabbed my arm less tightly now, but I still winced from the pain, I was going to have a huge bruise on my arm, and my face. He dropped his hand and soon as he saw the pain I was in and I watched the tears brim over. I couldn't move because he was in the way.

"Alice, please forgive me, I feel like a monster, I don't even know what I was doing. My temper got the better of me."

He carried on trying to grovel for my forgiveness through his sobs and I didn't know what to do. I could forgive him couldn't I? I loved him, he hadn't meant to do it, we were going to have to learn to forgive each other for stuff like this, especially if we were going to be husband and wife. I reached out and put a hand on his cheek. He looked up at me and I smiled as best I could without causing myself pain.

"I won't tell anyone Harry, please, just drive me to the hospital."

Harry sniffed and grabbed his coat and keys. At the hospital we were met by Dr. Cullen.

"What happened here?"

I saw Harry's expression turn to one of panic as he waited for my answer. I used my acting skills as best I could. I would protect him from this.

"I wasn't looking where I was going, I hit the archway wall to the kitchen and fell back onto the coffee table."

I didn't look at Harry as I answered but I could feel his relief even from across the room.

"Wow, you were extremely unlucky there! I recommend opening your eyes to walk around next time." He was trying to joke but I was in no mood to laugh so I smiled at him meekly, then winced at the firey pain it caused my cheek.

"That is going to be extremely bruised and you could have some swelling, put some ice on it. I'd recommend a day or two off from work to recover."

I couldn't do that for two reasons.

1. It was only my second day.

2. I wasn't entirely sure that I trusted Harry.

Thanks for reading, please review and if you haven't already read England's American Boy, I recommend stopping here and reading that one first because this is the sequel.

Did I make any mistakes following on from England's American Boy? I don't think so, her vision with the porsche hasn't happened yet for a reason.