The next morning, Carla accompanied Peter to school, where they were both almost immediately greeted by Mrs Austin as they walked through the corridors together. "Peter Barlow! If you knew just how much trouble I've gone to this morning to stop the Head from permanently excluding you from this school! The aggro and grief I've caused to all of the other members of staff that teach-you by standing-up for you! You better tread carefully today boy and that is a warning!" Mrs Austin told-him angrily as she practically frog-marched him into her classroom, which Carla trailing-closely behind them both.
"James has had to stay in hospital overnight with severe concussion! You have managed to bruise three of his ribs, broken one of them, and caused him to have 10 Stitches in his head, 2 broken fingers, and a sprained-wrist! Are you PROUD of yourself young-man?!" Mrs Austin shouted at Peter furiously.
"Why would I be Proud of that?! Of-Course I'm not proud of that Miss…..I acted like an idiot and I let my temper get the better of me….."
"Again….." Mrs Austin briefly interrupted-him.
"And I'm sorry for that Mrs Austin I really am….." Peter trailed-off sadly.
"Sorry?! Sorry doesn't even come close to making-up for this Peter Barlow!" Mrs Austin told-him as Carla took Peter's hand into her own and squeezed-it gently. Carla was probably one of the only people who actually was not angry with Peter this-morning.
"So what's gonna happen to Peter then Miss?! Seeing as he's not excluded?!" Carla asked Mrs Austin quietly but confidently.
"Well…..After a rather heated discussion…..The Head & I came to an agreement…..After the trouble you've caused Peter, there are only a few-teachers in this school who will still continue to accept you into their classrooms again…..So the agreement was, that in return for you not getting excluded, you will be staying in my classroom, all day and every day. I'll put you in the back-corner, away from the other-classes that I teach. The teachers will bring-me the work set for you to do in the mornings, and explain to me what it is that's required of you and you WILL do that work. Do you understand-me Peter?! Unless you bring a packed-lunch with you. - You will be escorted by me down to the canteen for lunch-time. Is that clear Mr Barlow?!" Mrs Austin told Peter firmly.
"Yeah it is. And thank-you Mrs Austin…..Really. I can't afford to get myself excluded…..This school and Carla and the only two-things that have kept-me out of prison lately and over the past-few-years….." Peter told both Carla and Mrs Austin truthfully.
"Yes well, luckily for you Mr Barlow, I can believe that…..Which is why I fought tooth and nail to keep you here at this-school…..And it's also why I will allow Carla to come and see you at both break-times and lunchtimes…..The Head won't be happy about-it…..But I can see that she's good for you….." Mrs Austin trailed-off and Carla just smiled at the teacher.
"That's what my Mum & Dad used to tell-me before…..Well you know what comes next….." He revealed to Mrs Austin sadly.
"Yes unfortunately I do Peter…..But listen to me, you owe-it to them, aswell as me, to make this agreement work. You've got to prove to the Head-Teacher, and to the rest of the teachers at this school that you still deserve a place here at Weatherfield High. Because if you don't Peter…..Then I'm afraid I will no-longer be able to defend-you….." Mrs Austin paused for a second or two. "So don't let me down! Okay?! And don't let your parents down either!" She told Peter softly with a gentle-smile shot in Peter's direction as she did-so.
Mrs Austin then left the room briefly so that she could inform the Head-Teacher that Peter had agreed to this decision, and that it was going-ahead. This left Peter and Carla alone to chat for a little-while. Mrs Austin knew that he was unlikely to do anything this-morning. He just wouldn't push his luck like that?! Or would he?!
"Flippin' Heck you got lucky there Peter Barlow!" Carla told-him happily with a smile, but Peter was still slightly in shock.
"Hmmm…..The pressure's on now though…..What if I let everyone-down AGAIN, Carla?!" Peter asked Carla worriedly.
"You won't. I won't let-you! And neither will Mrs Austin. Because if you do…..Then it's on her head! This was HER decision to take you on, and so she obviously believes in you Peter…..And so do I! You can do this Peter! And you won't let-anyone down. And least-of-all your parents. You could never let-them down. I'm sure of it. Okay?! And besides, they're watching over you from the Stars above, aren't they?! They will look-after-you from up-there, and I will take-care of you from down-here on earth. Okay?!" Carla positively re-assured Peter, and he just nodded-at Carla in reply.
"Thank-You for putting-up with me."
"That's Okay. I'm your best-mate Peter. And I wouldn't want ya any-other way." She told-him with a cheeky-smile as the two-friends then hugged each-other tightly.
The day soon came to an end for Carla, although for poor Peter it seemed-to just drag-on forever and ever. Carla met-him by their form-classroom which Mrs Austin taught-in and they then began to walk out of the school together. "So how was your day then?!" Carla asked Peter with a sweet-smile.
"As boring as hell!" Peter told-her truthfully, and it really had been that boring for the troublesome-lad.
"Ah Well. At-Least It's Better-Than Being Permanently-Excluded Mate. And you've just gotta keep telling yourself that Peter!" She told-him softly as Kyle and the rest of James' Mates walked-pas the both of them.
"Think you're 'ard do ya?! Beating-Up James like-that?!" Kyle asked-him angrily.
"I do as it happens yeah….." Peter responded to them with as Carla sighed, why couldn't they have just left Peter-alone for once in their sad-little-lives!
"Peter come-away. Come-On let's just ignore them ey?!" Carla tried to plead with Peter, but he wasn't listening, not-anymore.
"Well you better-watch-out Mate." Kyle told Peter in a threatening-voice as he got-up into Peter's face. "All you'll end-up being far worse-off that James is right now, have you got that?!" He warned Peter with a rather-scary tone of voice…..For a 15 Year-Old Lad it was anyway.
"And if you don't back-off sharpish then you'll gonna be lying next to James in that hospital bed…..Do you understand-me?!" Peter told Kyle with gritted-teeth as he did-so.
"Idiot…Poor Boy…..Oliver Twist…..Orphan….." That last insult just set Peter-off as he made a grab for Kyle's shirt, but Kyle's mates then grabbed Peter and then threw him to the floor before he even had the chance to do anything to hurt Kyle.
The gang then walked-off together as they laughed-at Peter, who was still on the ground. Carla then walked-over to Peter and crouched-down next to him. "Are you okay?!" She asked-him softly.
"I think I've scraped my elbow on the ground but apart from that, yeah I'm fine." Peter replied to Carla as she then helped-him to his feet.
"They were well out of line just then Peter. That was horrible calling-you all of those names let-alone an Orphan…..That's just nasty." Carla told Peter, angry with Kyle and the rest of the Gang of James' Friends for being so vile towards Peter when he really didn't need-it, even-if they thought that he did deserve-it.
"They're right though…..I can't bring my parents back to life no-matter how hard I try…..Man I wish that I could sometimes…..Life was great before all of that rubbish-happened….." Peter trailed-off sadly as the pair of friends then began to walk together back to Peter's Foster-House.
They then both headed-back-up to Peter's box-sized bedroom once-again so that Carla could clean-up Peter's grazed and bleeding-elbow. She cleaned the gravel out of it with a wet-flannel before she then dried the cut and then placed a plaster over the reddish-graze. "There we go. All sorted." Carla told Peter sweetly with a smile on her face.
"You're so good to me Carla. I have done everything wrong recently and yet you're still friends with me. Most people who were once my Mates are afraid to come within 3 Metres of me now incase incase I swing a punch at them or something….." Peter told Carla sadly as they were sat-down onto Peter's bed-together.
"Yeah but I know that you're not like that Peter. Don't I?! You're one big-massive softie at heart. I know that you are. And besides, you know fully-well darlin' that if you ever tried to punch-me then I'd punch you back twice as hard and in a rather painful-place…..Well…..For you male-species it would be painful anyway….." Carla trailed-off with a little-giggle.
"But really though Carla…..Thank-You." He told her as she then placed-one-of her hands onto his shoulder.
"It's not a problem Peter. What are friends for ey?!" She then finished with and there was an awkward-silence between the pair of them which lasted for a couple of seconds as they just sat-there on the bed, just gazing into each-other's eyes.
Peter's eyes then fell-down to look at Carla's lips, before they then shifted-themselves-back-to her eyes again as he then leaned-in closer. Their lips touched, and although Carla was nervous at first, she just kind-of went-along with the kissing. They kissed for a couple of seconds before Carla then made the decision to slowly pull-herself-away from Peter's lips.
"I've gotta go." She told-him softly.
"Carla please-don't go?!" He asked-her quietly.
"I have to darlin'…..That should never of happened…..This can't happen….." Carla told-Peter nervously, on the edge of tears now as she did-so.
"I know…..But please say that we're still friends…..Please Carla, just say-it?!" Peter practically begged-Carla now as he too began to get a little-tearful at the after-thought of what had just happened between the pair of them.
"Oh Peter of-course we're still friends. We always will be. I'll see-ya at School tomorrow. Yeah?!" Carla told-Peter, sweetly rubbing his cheek before she then stood-up and left the bedroom, shutting the door behind-her as she then leaned-back-up against-it for just a second or two as she then closed her eyes and thought-about what had happened for just a second.
"It felt so good." Carla thought to herself as her eyes then remained-closed. "And Peter was certainly a good-kisser, there were no-two-ways about that….." Carla's thoughts then trailed-off into a pure and simply nothingness…..But something about the whole-kiss was just wrong…..The pair of them of had both been the best-of-friends for goodness know how long now…..And there they were kissing?! What was going-on?! Had their feelings for each-other changed all of a sudden?! Carla was confused, as was Peter as Carla then took a deep-breath-in and then out before she then made her way down the many-flights of stairs which were in the Foster-House, and then she made her way outside and began to head-back-home to the Donovan Household.
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