A/N: This is kind of like skins in the respect that each chapter is written from someone's point of view. Please enjoy and review. We start just before Series 5 when Kim and Rachel met for the first time...

I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Max's words of reassurance were "She's an ex-hooker and you're a pretty boy, you'll be fine". I mean I didn't like to say it about Max because he's my mate and all, but I found it seriously weird how he gets to be incharge of four comprehensives when he couldn't even keep one private school open. I'm not sure if his 'scare them from the first day of year 7' method will go down that well with parents that mostly live off the dole and have kids that are 14 years younger than them. Not that I was a snobby git, I was once in their shoes, and I hoped I could help the John Fosters kids understand their new classmates. Oh and Ruby Fry of course!

The first thing I noticed about Rachel Mason was that she looked exhausted. It wasn't really surprising considering all that I heard had happened with the Kelly Family, Maxine Barlow's murder, the school being demolished and her deputy head leaving without very little warning. I guessed she'd had a pretty hard year and with a load of new intake of ex-private school kids, it wasn't about to get any easier.

What amazed me the most though is that she was genuinely excited for September to come around so we could get started. She'd already made plans with her head of pastoral care about how to get the students to bond through art projects and school trips!

I didn't like to make it too personal but, I reckon she's gone through hell with her personal life. With the whole prostitute thing and I'm just taking a wild guess at why her last deputy left in the middle of a crisis.

When I offered her a drink it was really when we got to talking. We went to the pub down the road from the school which apparently is where the staff all go for an after work drink. With a couple of beers downed we were deep in conversation about the colourful Waterloo Road staff.

"Well we have a cynical old git, an outrageous old flirt, a serial shagger, an art teacher that has just had charges dropped for taking a child from Africa, and an ex-alcoholic dinnerlady." She smiled for the first time that day, which I am not lying, made her look beautiful. With a bit of luck she'll be doing that most days, if I had anything to with it.

"So that will go well with John Fosters pompous menopausal cooking teacher, lesbian French teacher, and NQT that could easily be a circus clown"

"Circus clown NQT, Oh dear!" she remarked looking rather alarmed.

"Yes well I'm sure she'll be fine with your druggie kids!" I laughed it off, to which she took pretend offence.

"Well that's if they're not too busy terrorising your posh snobs!" she commented sarcastically in retaliation, playingly punching my arm. It seemed she had, had a bit too much to drink.

"Then of course there is my new deputy. What's he like?" she asked me seriously, starting to calm down.

I thought about my answer because whatever I said now was going to make a big impression on how she described me to the staff.

"I like to think I'm firm, but fair on all the kids. I'm really not that snooty at all because I grew up in a working-class family. I'm really passionate about my subject and I hope it rubs off on all my students, but I'm also up for a good time with my colleagues." The approving nod that I got for my answer reassured me that I had said the right thing.

One thing was for sure though. I was bloody lucky to be on a management team with 2 women.