A/N: Thank you for your reviews, they make my day. Now, virtual cookies for whoever can guess what film I was watching before I wrote this chapter xD
Shanynde - Glad you liked that line
Honestgreenpirate - Thank you, I'm pleased it's been a source of amusement.
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Outlaw of Sherwood - Thank you, and I will!
Wicked lovely gypsy - Thank you very much and yes, there's bucket loads of Robin/Marian to come.
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"Remind me again why I have to do this," I said, watching Robin with a raised eyebrow as he outlined my part in his latest plans.
"Because it won't look so bad if you're caught!" he insisted, and I laughed sceptically.
"Not bein' funny, but you've always been a bit of a teacher's pet," Allan added, "If it's you everyone will believe it was just an accident."
It was Friday morning at break time, and I was finally discovering what exactly Robin and Will had come up with that day in maths. To be fair, it would be hilarious if pulled off properly, but I wasn't so keen on my task.
"Besides," said Much, "You're the one who knows the password."
"So? I could just tell one of you lot what it is so you can do it!" I protested, looking to Djaq for support. She was diplomatically silent, refusing to pick a side. I looked up, and Robin was watching me, that little smug smile of his on his face.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing," he answered, but it was obvious that there was something.
"No, tell me."
"It's just that…" he trailed off, stretching out his answer. I glared at him, and he continued. "You're a bit of a chicken, aren't you?"
"I am not!" I protested. He just smiled condescendingly at me, as though he didn't believe it. "I'm not a chicken," I repeated.
"Oh, of course not."
"I'm not!" And when he just looked at me, I scowled. "Fine, I'll do it. Now do you believe me?" And just like that, his whole demeanour changed. He flashed me one of his most beatific grins, and pulled me into a hug.
"Thanks, Marian! I'm gonna be late for D&T but I'll see you later." And with that, he released me and was gone, the boys following his lead and disappearing off to their next lessons. I was left standing with Djaq, suddenly flooded with the realisation that he'd goaded me into doing it so easily. If I got caught it would be all Robin's fault, for having that damned smile that just makes you want to make him happy…
"You fell right into that one, didn't you?" Djaq observed, amused.
"Oh, shut up," I grumbled, and stalked off to Geography.
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An hour later I sat in ICT, feeling something like a secret agent on a particularly important mission. I felt my phone begin to vibrate in my blazer pocket, and glanced around to make sure that the teacher's attention was elsewhere. When I was convinced that Mr Bradley was busily typing away on Facebook, or whatever it was he did in his spare time, I pulled it out and opened the text message.
Your mission, Jim, should u choose 2 accept it…
I stifled a giggle as I started reading, though I was careful to memorise the list of websites, carefully found out by Allan the day before, that followed.
As always, should u b caught or killed we will disavow any knowledge of ur actions. This text will self-destruct in 5 seconds. Good luck!
R x
Rolling my eyes as I stuck my phone back into my pocket, I focused on the task at hand. Our ICT coursework deadline had already come and gone, so we were left to use the lessons for revision now. Most days I just went on revision websites while the others did the same or just read through their class notes, but today I had a task to complete. One that I couldn't do signed into the school system under my own name.
I tilted my monitor to face me, and began to type. Under the username field, I entered 'SheriffJV'. Now for the password… He didn't know, but I'd once watched Sheriff type it in and worked out what it actually was, with the vague idea of using it to check his emails and see what he'd been saying about me. I'd never got around to it, but now I was going to put my knowledge to good use. Well, sort of.
N-O-T-T-S-F-O-R-E-S-T-1
I typed the letters in quickly, and hit the enter key. I held my breath, then released it in a sigh of relief as the password was accepted and Sheriff's settings began to load. I could have guessed the password, really; he'd been a fan of the football club his whole life. I grinned in triumph once everything had loaded, and resisted the urge to just trawl through his sent messages folder in search of gossip.
Quickly, I opened up internet explorer and typed in the address for the revision website most people had been using, under the pretence of catching up on a bit of science. Then I opened up another window, and reduced it down as small as it would go, glancing around nervously. It was a good thing that I couldn't sit at my old place with Sheriff's gang anymore, because it really wouldn't be a good idea for anyone to see the website addresses that I was typing in, the website addresses that would now be stored in Sheriff's history…
"Did you do it?"
I glanced over my shoulder as I took my seat in the food technology classroom an hour later, to find Allan and Much both watching me expectantly. I smiled.
"Sorted," I told them primly, pulling out my pencil case and some paper, glancing back again to find them both grinning triumphantly. "Though I'm slightly concerned," I added.
Much frowned. "Why?" he asked, as though worried that something had done wrong with the plan. Had the man no faith?
"I want to know how on earth Allan knew those websites!" I watched the look of relief, and then downright amusement play across Much's features as he glanced at the boy sitting next to him.
"It's a good point," he mused, "How did you know?"
Allan looked momentarily like a deer caught in headlights.
"Don't you get all the adverts for them in your junk mail folder?" he asked, "Or is it just me getting sent all the links?"
I shrugged. "I think everyone gets sent them. We just don't look at emails that have a big XXX as the subject, Allan."
He grinned, looking slightly sheepish.
"Anyway," Much interrupted, "When do you think the history will get checked?"
"Next time he uses the internet in a lesson, probably," I guessed, "The guys up in I.T are always checking up on what you're doing."
"Well what has he got last?" Much asked.
"Err… Science, I think."
"Aha!" Allan crowed, "Mr Smith always gets his class on the computers. He's bound to."
"This," I conceded, "Could be funny."
The rest of the lesson was spent feverishly scribbling down notes from the board, and praying to whichever deity that chose to listen that I could remember all the different terms and definitions for my exam. At last, the bell for lunch rang and Much, Allan and I rejoined the rest of the group on the field which, for once, was dry enough to sit on. Djaq had pulled out her science book to settle a dispute with Robin about the differences between mRNA and tRNA which they had been disagreeing over since the beginning of lunch, while Will and I just watched the developing argument with almost identical expressions of dismay. Much had evidently decided that he was not interested, and seemed quite content to sit and eat his lunch. Allan, meanwhile, had swiped a worksheet from Djaq's book and was discreetly copying down the answers onto a piece of paper.
"Oi!" I cried, noticing. He jumped and looked up.
"What?"
"You filthy cheater," I accused good-humouredly, and laughed as Djaq twisted around to look at him, realising what he was doing at last.
"You let Will copy your maths homework the other day," Allan complained as she pulled the worksheet from his hand, and leaned back to wave it just out of his grasp.
"That's true," Much piped up, his words muffled through a mouthful of sandwich. "In fact, you're always lending him your stuff."
"Not so he can just copy it all. He just uses it to check his answers, don't you?" Djaq corrected, glancing at Will, who appeared slightly uncomfortable.
"Yeah…" he agreed quickly.
I grinned, glancing between the two of them. "Of course that's it," I agreed innocently.
Djaq raised her eyebrows. "You can't talk! Just who was it spending all her free time a few weeks ago round Robin's house doing his coursework with him, hmm?"
"Yeah, but there was a good reason for that. He didn't have any of it done," I protested. Allan waved a hand dismissively.
"Oh give it up, everyone knows Marian and Robin have been mooning over each other since primary school. What's your excuse?" he raised his eyebrows at Will and Djaq, looking amused as they both struggled to answer. Much sniggered into his sandwich, and I lay back against my bag to watch the inevitable bantering unfold.
"I have so not been mooning over you," I muttered into Robin's ear as we made our way to science at the end of lunch.
"Course not," he agreed hastily, holding the door to the science corridor open for me with his foot, "Allan doesn't know what he's talking about."
There's this river somewhere in Egypt, I don't know whether you've heard of it? It's called De Nile…