Chapter Seven

A/N: Thank you to AmyOncer for reviewing the last chapter.

By the time they drove through the school gates, Sue's hands were shaking so much that she could barely undo her seatbelt. There were no illusions anymore; she knew that being Mrs. Lowsley, despite her hopes, had given her no more control in her classroom than she had had while still Miss Spark. A sensible person would simply walk away now, but Simon was dead set on remaining in his post and making a difference for the children, and she was not going to leave him now. 'I can do this.' she told herself, wishing she believed in the possibility.

"Sue." Simon said pointedly, trying to catch his wife's attention. From the look on his face, it seemed that he had been trying to do so for quite a while.

"Sorry." Sue apologised, smiling at her husband in what she hoped was a convincing way.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, concernedly resting a hand on her arm.

"I was miles away." she explained, elaborating a quick excuse in her mind. "Thinking about first lesson; it's quite a boring topic and I'm trying to think of a way to make it fun for the kids."

The Deputy Head nodded in her direction, although he did not seem to believe her entirely. Sue was thankful that he did not push the matter, as she doubted she would be able to lie any longer.

After retrieving their marking from the boot of the car, the couple walked in silence towards the staffroom, but neither made any effort to speak. The quiet was comfortable between them; more comfortable at least than the alternative.

The staffroom, as it always was before school, was sparsely populated with the few teachers who were willing to come into work this far before the required time. After all, classes would not begin for another half hour and the majority of students had not yet passed through the gates. However, although she was glad of an escape from the children, Sue could not help but wish for a little drama to take her mind off of the previous day's events.

When Christine suddenly appeared in the doorway of the staffroom, for a moment Mrs. Lowsley thought that her wish had been granted. But once she saw that the headmistress' gaze was fixed firmly on her, she regretted wishing for a chaotic distraction, given that it seemed she had now become one for everyone else.

"Sue," Christine called across the room, catching everyone's attention. "Could I have a word with you please, in my office?"

As she followed the headmistress into her office, Sue wondered whether the other members of staff knew about the horrific first day she had suffered. From the looks of pity on their faces, she assumed that they did. She just managed to catch sight of a reassuring smile from Simon before the door was closed behind her.

The moment she sat down in front of the desk, the redhead was transported back to her own school days, when she was called to the headteacher's office far more than once. She was rarely called to be punished, more likely as a result of her sister's misbehaviour, but still the comparison made her uneasy.

"Now, Sue," Christine began, resting forward on her hands. "As I'm sure you know, I am fully aware of the incident in your science class yesterday- both of them in fact- as well as your escape attempt. Would you care to explain to me why you abandoned a group of teenagers in the presence of dangerous equipment and harmful chemicals?"

The sharpness of the Scottish woman's voice was unmistakable and Sue attempted not to flinch at the severity of the tone. Of course, she could explain her reasons, but for someone who did not know her, it would sound like a petty excuse for negligence. 'Perhaps that's what it was.' a voice inside her head taunted her.

"It just all got too much for me." was the response that she gave, although she doubted that sounded any less petty to Christine's ears. "Yes, I did leave them alone, but I didn't leave them with anything dangerous. All the dangerous equipment and chemicals are kept in the store cupboard and I always make sure it's locked. I'm sorry that I left them, but they weren't in any danger."

"That does not make it acceptable, Miss Spark!" the woman exclaimed. Sue did not bother to correct her, as she doubted it would make a difference and certainly not a positive one. "These children need constant supervision in a conventional classroom, let alone in a science laboratory. If one of them had been seriously injured, you would have been struck off. As it is, I am still deliberating over whether or not I will need to employ a new member of the science department, one who might be less of a handful. Make no mistake, Sue, I know exactly who you are. But at the end of the day, the buck stops with me, and if you step one more foot out of line, you will be fired, no matter who your father is."

As Christine's speech came to an end, Sue found herself struggling for breath. She knew that she had made a mistake, of course, but she had never imagined that she would be balanced in such a precarious position. 'But of course you are.' There was that voice again. 'You set off the fire alarm, left your classes alone, took medication on site, insulted students, bribed a pupil to control your classroom when you couldn't. It was only a matter of time.'

The bell was the thing that brought her from her reverie, sounding like a call to war. 'But that is precisely what this is.' she told herself. 'I am going into my final battle now and if I fall, I won't get back up again. So all I can do is make sure I do not fall.'

A/N: Please review!