Author's Note.

I thought it was about time to introduce a new character into the mix so I hope you like who I've brought in. He's not as yet fully defined in my mind but the basic outline has been decided upon and I think it should lead to some interesting scenes with our established favourites. Please let me know what you think – all reviews are gratefully received!

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Harriet motioned to Cook to sit down in the chair on the other side of her desk as she made herself comfortable in her own high backed, leather, college director's chair. He accepted her invitation without a word and looked across at her with interest and a certain amount of amusement which he just about managed to conceal from her.

Harriet wasted no time in getting right to the point. She intended this to be a very short and straight forward meeting which would leave Cook in no doubt as to where he stood. Fixing a cold, hard stare on the young man sitting opposite, she spoke in precise and clipped tones which commanded his immediate attention.

'I won't beat about the bush, Mr Cook. I will spell it out to you in plain, simple language that even you can understand. I will be holding you fully responsible for the behaviour of you and all your fellow students during next week's OFSTED visit. If even one of you steps out of line and causes an incident which reflects badly on this college then it's your arse that will be on the line.'

Cook shook his head slowly and smiled at Harriet. He had a feeling something like this might be coming and he intended to stand his ground as far as he could.

'Hey, that's not on! You can't hold me responsible for what anyone else might do. I can't be your permanent watchdog. I can't keep an eye on everyone twenty-four-seven! Even I can't be everywhere at the same time, can I? What am I supposed…….?'

Harriet cut him off before he could finish and her voice went up a notch or two in gravity and intensity.

'Mr Cook! You were elected Student President of this college, much against my own personal wishes, but that's in the past now. Whether I like it or not, the fact remains that you obviously enjoy a certain popularity and respect amongst your fellow students. Therefore it should be quite easy for you to…….. how shall we say?……put the word around that this visit will go off without a single hitch!

Do I make myself perfectly clear?'

Cook looked at Harriet thoughtfully and a slight grin hovered around his mouth as he saw the glimpse of an opportunity for himself.

'Alright. Keep your hair on! Let's say I can persuade everyone to toe the line and help you out on this. If the visit goes off quietly without any trouble after I've spread the word, what's in it for me?'

'What's in it for you, Mr Cook, is that you won'tget kicked out of this college! Because if you fail to keep everyone in order and as a result my position here is jeopardised, then trust me, I'll have you thrown out of this college so fast your feet won't even touch the ground.'

Cook decided he had to try and call her bluff. He was in a corner here and he knew it. If he refused to help her out he reckoned she'd bring up the little matter of the riot he engineered after the election. Harriet had only agreed to hush that up because her attempts at vote-rigging had been exposed by Naomi. But she was ruthless enough, he thought, to bring it out into the open again if it suited her. She might be desperate enough to take the risk that it might compromise her own personal integrity.

'You'd never do that! You'd be putting your own job at risk. One word to the inspectors from me about your little vote-rigging scam and you'd be finished.'

'If you do your job properly and keep everyone under control then nothing will need to come out. Not the riot you caused, nor any of the other stunts that you've pulled off in this college.'

Cook raised his eyebrows in bemused surprise and was on the point of challenging Harriet to explain what she meant by her last words when she pre-empted his protests.

'Oh yes, Mr Cook! I've got enough on you to get you suspended at the very least, if not actually thrown out. The evidence may be purely circumstantial but I reckon I can make it stick – if I have to. Just don't make me have to do it. Because, believe you me, if I go down after this inspection, then I will make damn sure that I take you down with me! You can be quite sure of that.'

'OK. Message received and understood. I'll do what I can. But I'm not going to be held responsible if any of the teachers fuck up. That's not down to me.'

'You leave the teaching staff to me. I'll deal with them. You just sort out the students. You're their President, so start acting like one and get them to do what you say.'

They appeared to have finally reached an understanding of sorts, however uncomfortable and painful the process had been getting there. Harriet told Cook he could go and so Cook got up and left her office, turning round at the door to give her a knowing look and the semblance of a wink before he disappeared through out of her office.

As Cook walked away from the college director's room, he was thinking furiously about the task he had been charged with carrying out. On the face of it, he told himself, he ought not to be too worried about his chances of pulling it off. He knew only too well he was still hugely popular with all his fellow students, most of whom would accept his demands with barely a word of protest or question. There was however one small problem which might need some serious consideration, one potential thorn in his side which he would have to handle with extreme care. And, as luck would have it, who did he suddenly spy only a few yards away from him right then but the aforementioned problem? A certain Tom Spencer.

Tom Spencer, or Spence as he was known to his supporters and trusted cohorts, was a first year student who had arrived at Roundview College amidst a blaze of publicity. He had been the top dog at his secondary school and had brought with him a gang of 'yes men' and hangers on who did his every bidding and hung on to his every word. Spence had quickly become the most popular of the new arrivals and his natural charm and quirky style had already proved quite a hit with the hair and beauty blonde brigade.

Not that Cook had lost any of his appeal or his influence over the rest of the students – far from it. He was still Che Guevara in the eyes of many of them, still Jack the Lad who many students blindly followed or wanted to be like. No, Cook was still undeniably Numero Uno at Roundview.

It was perhaps more a case of Spencer being the new flavour of the month and, as such, Cook viewed him with a certain amount of suspicion and wariness. He'd been keeping a watchful eye on Spencer ever since his arrival and was ready to pounce on him if he showed signs of getting too big for his boots. Cook wasn't ready to move over and let a younger rival take on his position as the Big Cheese – not even close to it.

So as Cook saw Spencer walking towards him, accompanied by a few of his favoured acolytes, he couldn't help but be suspicious at his sudden appearance after his meeting with Harriet. Cook wondered if Spencer had been intentionally hanging around waiting for him to emerge from the director's study. Cook didn't have to wait long to find out.

'Hey, Cook! How's it going? '

'Spence,' Cook acknowledged Spencer's greeting with a curt and perfunctory nod of his head.

'So what did our glorious leader want with you? Are you going to have to carry her bags all next week? Or are you going to be giving the inspectors a personal tour of the college facilities?'

Spencer smiled as he contemplated Cook very closely, looking for any tell-tale signs of Cook's mood and attitude following his meeting with Harriet. Spencer was an intelligent lad who didn't miss much. He had read quite a bit about body language and was doing psychology A level at the college, so he liked to think he could read people reasonably well. However he had to admit that Cook was not the easiest of people to read and he did respect Cook as a formidable character and the heartbeat of the student body.

'She just wanted to run through a few things the inspectors would want to talk to me about. You know, student representation stuff, all that sort of bollocks. They always like to meet the Student President to find out what he thinks can be done to improve things.'

'So, that's all, then? Nothing more than that? I thought it looked like Harriet was going to tear into you about something. She sounded seriously pissed off when she asked you to go and see her.'

'You've got an overactive imagination, Spence. The director and I are fine. We're big mates, you know. We're always round each other's place, having tea together.'

Spencer laughed at Cook's little joke and his mates all chuckled along with him, taking their lead from Spencer. He debated whether to press Cook any further. He knew it was something important to do with the OFSTED visit that concerned Cook alone. He had more than a sneaking suspicion Harriet wanted to tell Cook it was going to be his job to oversee the whole thing from the students' perspective. He thought he'd give it one last try at squeezing some information out of Cook though he didn't have much expectation of success. Cook would surely be too smart to give anything away.

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'So, what do you reckon to this OFSTED visit, Cook? Sounds like it could be a laugh, doesn't it? A chance to have a bit of fun at the college director's expense, d'you think? What do you say, Cook? Fancy joining forces with me to cause a bit of a stink on the quiet?'

'It all sounds a bit childish to me, Spencer. Not really my style, you know. I'll leave the boys games to you and your team of children's entertainers, if that's all right with you. I've got more important things on my mind.' Cook knew he had to play for time with Spencer. He was starting to become anxious about the problems that this guy might cause him next week.

'Fair enough. It's your choice. Just thought I might cut you in on a bit of fun, that's all. What's on your mind, then, Cookie?'

Cook visibly bristled at the sound of Spencer calling him Cookie. Only close friends and people to whom he generously granted express permission were allowed to call him by that name. He thought very briefly of clocking him one right there and then smack on his pointed chin but decided to bite his lip instead. He knew Spencer was doing it deliberately to provoke a reaction out of him. Some time pretty soon, Cook decided, Spencer would get a right old kicking from him which would put the cheeky little bastard well and truly in his place. But now was not the right time, he knew, so he contented himself with a few well chosen verbal put downs instead.

'Big boys stuff, Spencer. Well out of your league. You stick to the kindergarten stuff and leave the grown up shit to me.'

With that Cook moved on, leaving a smiling but thoughtful Spencer behind him, watching Cook strut away in his inimitable style. Spencer concluded that it had not been a completely fruitless conversation. He felt absolutely certain that Cook was hiding something about his meeting with Harriet.

Cook's refusal to go along with his idea of having a bit of fun next week and in particular his mocking of Spence's suggestion as childish and not worthy of his attention spoke volumes to Spencer. He reckoned that Harriet had somehow put a gun to Cook's head and that Cook had had to agree to make sure the visit went off smoothly. He just needed to get confirmation of his suspicions and then, if he was right, the game could well and truly begin. He could set in motion the process of dismantling Cook's unchallenged position in the college. Soon, Spencer thought, there's going to be a new Daddy around here. Cook, my old mate, your time's up..

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