Chapter 4-Cooking Lessons

Zoe woke up the next morning early, a mixture of excitement and nervousness fluttering in her stomach.

She got to work about half an hour early, the school was quiet.

Zoe chucked her morning cigarette into a nearby bin, and entered the school building.

She made her way to her office and did some marking; she also prepped for her year 8 lesson. The task she set her pupils was fairly simple: read through three or four scenes in Macbeth and find quotes related to Lady Macbeth. Zoe knew that her pupils hated Shakespeare, and she didn't like it much either, so she tried to make the work relatively easy, the next lesson they were going to watch a film of Macbeth.

Zoe printed out the correct scenes from the play and stapled them to make mini booklets; she hated handing out individual worksheets lest they got lost in her pupil's bags.

The teachers' corridor was filling up with the various heads of year, teaching assistants, and office staff making their way into work. Zoe grabbed her diary and phone and went out of her office, and out of the corridor into the hustle and bustle of the children.

The atmosphere was Zoe's favourite; it was a Friday so the children were in a happy, slightly excitable mood.

She spotted a group of pupils in a ring around what seemed like another pupil, who was crying her eyes out. Like a mother lion protecting her cubs, Zoe stalked up to them, an angry expression on her face.

"What are you doing? If you're bullying her then it's a 3:15 for all of you!" she roared. Every single one of them, apart from the girl who was crying, scattered like sheep.

"What's up?" Zoe lowered herself down to the girl's level.

"They-they" the girl sobbed.

"They what? Georgia, tell me now" Zoe recognised the girl as a year 8, she was in her English class, the one she'd set the Macbeth work for, in fact.

"They took the sheet that you gave us for homework and ripped it up, I started crying because I thought you'd shout at me!" Georgia admitted.

"I'd never shout at you, not if you told me how it had gotten lost." Zoe said gently. She was a fair teacher, who despised bullying. "Now come to my office, and fill out an incident report telling me exactly who did this to you" she continued, and guided Georgia out of the corridor.

One hour later…

Zoe had sorted the incident with Georgia, who was in the inclusion room with Mary-Claire to calm down. Zoe was now teaching her year 8s.

"Right class; put the homework that I set you last lesson on my desk, please. Then can you get your exercise books out of yours bags, and I'll come round with the worksheets you're going to be doing today." Zoe ordered her charges.

She gave out the sheets and sat back at her desk. "As your starter I'd like you to look for interesting quotes about Lady Macbeth, off you go. " she ordered.

The Headteacher did the register and emailed it off. After that, she checked her phone. There was a text from Jac, Georgia's form teacher.

"Hi, I heard about Georgia, is she okay?"

"Yep, a bit shaken up though" Zoe answered.

She then switched her phone off and cast an eye over the class. Most of them had finished their work and were chatting.

"Right," Zoe decided to kick the lesson off "Who can tell me an interesting quote relating to or about Lady Macbeth?"

Zoe's lesson went well, the class was in a good mood, plenty of people putting their hands up to offer answers, Zoe also had a quick look over the homework they'd handed her, to her surprise most of it had been done to a good standard.

The bell went and the kids packed up their things in order to go to the next lesson.

"See you on Tuesday" Smiled Zoe as the last of them left. She logged her computer off, tidied her desk and left the room.

"If I catch any of you on your phones again, they will be confiscated for a week" Zoe heard Connie, fellow English teacher and the head of the English Department, telling a bunch of year 10s off.

"I agree with Connie, you lot need to be concentrating on your GCSE subjects now" Zoe said, making her way up to Connie and the gaggle.

"Sorry Miss" the four girls chorused.

"It's quite all right, now off" Connie said. The four pupils went off, looking ever so slightly scared.

"Bless them" Zoe couldn't help but smile.

"Hmph." Replied Connie.

"Who've you got next? I've got a free" Asked Zoe.

"Year 11s, and from what I hear, you've got a date with a certain Mr Walker?" Connie raised her eyebrows.

"Yes I have, see you" smiled Zoe, not rising to the bait.

She made her way up to the cooking room, by the time she got to the top she was quite out of breath, her feet were hurting, why oh why did she decide to wear he favourite, highest pair of heels?

She knocked on the door of the cooking room nervously.

Max spotted her and beckoned her in. Zoe went in.

"Hi, I didn't think you'd come" he smiled.

"I'm full of surprises" she murmured into his ear.

Max was under the impression that the Headteacher was flirting with him, so he decided to respond. "Well maybe, next week at the meal I'll surprise you"

"And how are you going to do that?" Zoe asked, drawing closer to him. The tension between the pair was almost visible.

Max was about to answer when one of his pupils made their way into the room, the pair knew that the rest would soon follow.

And they did, going to their various allotted spaces, which had a cooker and a desk each.

Max talked the class through the cooking process.

When Zoe's treats came out of the oven, they weren't burnt at all, much to her surprise.

"I'm ever so pleased with them" she muttered to herself. She then looked at the clock, it was five to eleven, almost break time.

She cleared up and the bell went, the pupils left.

"Well done" Max smiled.

"Want one?" Zoe offered the bag of buns to him.

Max took one, and bit into it. "Yum, you did a very good job" he said through a mouthful of food.

"Thank you for teaching me" Zoe said. She wondered whether to kiss him or not.

Max made that choice for her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently. She kissed him back, running her hands through his hair.

When they pulled apart, Max smiled. "I take it you liked that then?" he asked.

"I certainly did. So, what is this going to be?" Zoe enquired, biting her lip. She didn't want to be just friends with benefits, she hoped that he would think so too. She liked Max, a lot.

"A relationship? Please, Zoe."

"Okay, on my terms. We keep this quiet for now, yeah?"

"Of course, anything to be with you. Ever since I first saw you across the school corridor I've wanted to kiss you"

"Me too" the Headteacher agreed, before kissing him again.

A/N

I know Zoe's relationship phobic but if I did this as friends with benefits, breaking up and then getting back together again properly it'd be a bit sad! I'm also not over the Zax cuteness from last night's ep!

Reviews welcome,

Laura xxx