Chapter one – His book, his Jane
Sorry this is later than I said - to Ellie, Issy and Olivia - it's dedicated to them! See Ellie!!! (Get well soon!!!)
Olivia (Will Scarlett... or something to do with him) is gonna write some stuff for this too.
Ok, I know a new story isn't really what I need right now. But I've had this idea buzzing for about 2 months and I'm now even dreaming about it! Awesome dreams I might add :D
This idea has been done to death but, well,,, maybe mine will be slightly different?
Also, I am having a MAJOR writers block with Office Romance so any ideas welcome. You'll be given full credit!! (and thx to Abi for her 2012 ideas!)
Thx
She brushed herself down and pushed open the heavy wooden door. But instead of 23 girls standing up to greet her in silence – as was school policy – she found all of the huddled in the middle of the room. They were talking excitedly with Ellie in the middle of it all. She managed to pick out one name in all the chatter, "Robin Locksley" but she ignored it. She coughed slightly and all heads snapped to look at her.
'Good morning year 10'
'Good morning Miss Knighton' they trilled
'Sorry I missed registration; I was running late. Sit down' they did, 'now what's all the fuss about? You seem very excitable'
She didn't have the usual teacher/pupil relationship with her students. She treated them like colleges rather than pupils. So she talked to the girls a lot, about anything and everything. Especially with this class; 10K had been her form class for almost 4 years as well as her music class – she was, and had been for 4 years, the head of music at Nottingham Girls School. She knew some of them as well as she knew her friends.
'Well,,,' Ellie began, 'It's my birthday today. And Daddy got tickets for me and five friends to go and see the outlaws tonight'
There was a collective scream from all the girls at the mention of the band.
'Anyway, I know I'm gonna take Claudia,' she pulled Claudia to her side as she said it, 'but the other four I have no idea about. I love the whole class all the same. How do I choose who to take?'
'You don't mind who goes, you just can't pick fairly?'
'Yeah'
'Since exams are over and it's summer in about a month, how about we abandon the lesson and have a quiz. The 4 people who do the best can have the tickets. But it'll be an outlaws themed quiz. I'll even let you play music on your iphones for people to guess. Just an idea, what do you think?'
'Oh, Miss that's brilliant. Hannah and I can be like hosts. You play too Miss k.'
'Nah, I don't real like the band. Couldn't tell you much about them either, except which key their songs are in'
'Just try. Please! As your birthday present to me.'
'OK, whatever' she sighed and gave in.
Hannah and Ellie walked to the front of the class. In her arms Ellie had a large book with a forest green sleeve. Nobody could see the cover but everyone, except the teacher, knew what it was.
She placed it; cover down, on Miss Knighton's desk.
'What's that?'
'Miss, how can you not know?' asked Hannah amazed.
'Why, should I?'
"It's robin's autobiography'
'He has an autobiography?'
'Yeah, it's on early release here in Nottingham, because it's his home town and everything.'
'Isn't that amazing,' put in Sophie- another girl in the class- 'one of us might be living in his old house. Or someone in our street might know him. Or any of them- they're all from round here.
'Someone might even know who Jane is!' gasped Polly.
'Jane?' Miss Knighton was confused.
'Wow. You really don't know anything about them' Ellie marvelled.
'Enlighten me!'
'Jane is only a made up name. He never uses her real name, to hide her identity I guess.'
'And to keep press away…'
'They were best friends since hey were five years old.'
'Ellie, tell her the whole story.'
'Oh, well. They were best friends and then when they were about 10 Robin got a crush on her. But he didn't tell her in case it messed up their friendship. But then a year later Jane told him that she fancied him so he told her the same back. They were boyfriend and girlfriend. They were perfect and all their friends envied them. On her 14th birthday he sang her a song with his guitar. It was called "Maiden" which was his special nickname for her,'
The teacher smiled slightly but no one noticed.
'He only calls Jane Maiden once in the book. I guess the name is really private to him.
They told each other that loved each other and then they finally slept together and he says it was perfect and magical'
'Wait, he wrote about having sex for the first time?'
'Not really, he just says it happens, no detail. Anyway, it's all going great until their last yea of sixth form.
Robin's mum died from breast cancer after two years of failed treatment. Robin had to go and live with his aunt as was in his mothers will. But she lived in America with her husband so he had to move out there. He didn't know how to tell Jane so he just left her a four-page letter and was gone the next morning. He left everything behind 'cos he thought it would be easier that way, for everyone.
He came back a month later for the funeral and Jane was there. Her mother died when she was just a little girl so Mrs Locksley was sort of like her mum.
Robin planned to talk to her at the funeral but he didn't see her until the end when every one lined up to tell them how sorry they were for his loss.'
'Wow,' Miss Knighton breathed, 'how do you remember all that?'
'I'm a sucker for a lost romance. Besides, I love him so I have to know!' she laughed.
"Jane went here,' said Sophie,' he says it somewhere. All the girls here at Nottingham Girls school and all the boys at Nottingham Boys down the road. They were much more linked than now. Joint teams, communal playing fields.' Back then they were all free to go between the schools a lunchtime. Now we're just an ordinary all girls private school.
'Yeah, it was like that when I was here all those long years ago.'
'Oh Miss, you're so lucky.'
'Sure sure. Now,' she slapped her desk lightly, ' are you doing this quiz or what?'
'Ok, ok. Pens ready? I'm gonna fire them out real fast.
What was The Outlaws' first song?'
Miss Knighton wrote down "Specialty"
'Which song was actually written by Jane about Robin, but the band released it?"
She wrote down "sunglasses"
'What does Robin like best in a girl?'
She wrote boobs
'What's his favourite colour of Jelly Babies?'
She smiled as she wrote red.
'How old was Allan when he lost his virginity?'
She wrote 14
'Who is the love of Will's life?'
She wrote – and hoped it still was – Djaq
'What is Much's favourite past time?'
Cooking – especially muffins, she wrote
'Now, what's this song?'
The words,
You've done it all, you've broken every code
And pulled the rebel to the floor
You spoilt the game, no matter what they say
For only metal – what a bore
Blue eyes, blue eyes, how come you tell so many lies?
Blared out of Claudia's iphone.
'It's quite an old one…'
Miss Knighton hummed along as she wrote "come up and see me"
All most all of her answers were correct. But Robin's favourite thing in a girl is her wit.
'Miss, how did you know so many answers?'
'I dunno. I guess I've picked things up from living with two obsessives.
Nearly everyone had gotten all the answers all right, so Claudia played 4 quick fire rounds. She played songs on her phone and the first person to shout out the answer got a ticket.
In the end the winners were Abi, Be, Fern and Georgie.
'Well, try to have fun. Think of me curled up on the sofa with warm soup while you're deafened by their music'
And then the bell went
Well?
A/N I don't own Robin Hood... or Allan A Dale - oh bother! - or the song Come up and See me by Steve Harley
I hate this new series (dunno if it's out in the US yet. I know it's not out in Oz)
R&R please. I'm gonna snuggle up in bed under the duvet and re-read the great Twilight! yayness
X X X
Hannah
