Eddie crossed to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It's going to be fine, darling. I'm sure of it."

She frowned, teeth worrying her lip. "I'm glad someone is."

"He's right, you know," Steph said, and received two amazed looks for her trouble. She shrugged. "I'd like to think I know you pretty well by now, Rachel. Whatever happens, Stuart isn't going to beat you. I'm sure of it."

Stunned silence. A lesser person would have shifted uncomfortably under their stares- she just raised her chin slightly, calmly gazing back at them. Finally, Rachel spoke. "That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Steph snorted in laughter. "Don't get used to it."

Overhead, the bell rang, and Eddie swore. "I have a class now…"

"Then we'll get out your hair."

"I'll find someone to cover it…" he began, but Rachel frowned at him.

"You will not. We're not disrupting lessons over this calamity- teach as normal, and I'll see you later." She risked a quick kiss, and Steph fell into step beside her as they left.

"You want some company? I don't have lessons till later."

Her first instinct was to decline, but then she paused and reconsidered. "If you don't mind," she agreed, half surprising even herself. But sitting alone in her office sounded like the worst idea possible right now.

As it turned out, Steph was rather good company. She skilfully turned the conversation onto the past, talking about the differences in their training and exchanging horror stories from their first years of teaching. It didn't distract Rachel completely, but allowed her to focus on something else enough that she no longer felt like a building had been dropped onto her chest. Eventually, however, Steph had a lesson to teach and Rachel found herself walking the corridors in desperate search of a distraction, not even attempting to the paperwork she knew would be a futile endeavour.

To her surprise, she almost fell over a group sat on the ground and the stairs. Bolton was among them, and half his year group it seemed. "What are you lot doing out here?"

Danielle shrugged. "It's for the enterprise scheme, miss. We want to go on that trip Mr Lawson was talking about last week."

Rachel frowned. "But it's not going ahead," she said gently. "There wasn't enough money for it."

"But this is all about enterprise, right?" Janeece interjected. "So we're trying to be enterprising."

Her brow furrowed, and she must have looked baffled, because Paul explained. "We're trying to come up with ways to raise the money ourselves."

Rachel's eyes widened. "That's a wonderful idea."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Absolutely. If you're not adverse to a bit of help, show me what you've got so far."

The kids all exchanged glances, and shuffled to make space for her to sit on the stairs beside Aleesha, happily handing her various bits of paper covered in scribbles. Rachel lost track of time as the kids bounced ideas and plans around, occasionally interrupting to veto something or suggest an improvement but otherwise content to let them lead. Of course, in a case of truly spectacular timing, it was in that positioning that a certain group of visitors came across her.

"Miss Mason." Colin greeted her again, surprised to find her practically lay on the stairs with students as she reached for sheets and whittled off ideas. He had no idea what the ideas were for, but she seemed heavily invested and had barely noticed the arrival of at least seven others Governors and members of the LEA. "Shall we?" He offered, looking around and hoping Rachel would direct them to a place they could meet away from interruptions.

Really, Rachel didn't want to leave. As she looked around the students she was gathered with, she realised this may be the last time she got to spend with them if this meeting went south. She cast them all a smile, meeting Bolton's eye for a second longer before standing up and holding her head. "You're all amazing." She didn't expand on her statement, mostly because of the lump lodged in her throat. But she knew Bolton understood, as he simply offered her a nod as she began to walk away.

"Yo Miss." He called her back, and Rachel turned slightly just before she reached the crowd of people waiting for her. "I'll be here, you know.. doing this. If.."

She nodded, not needing him to continue. He'd be there if she needed him as back up, and that thought alone brought fresh tears to her eyes. She didn't know what she'd done to deserve this job, with these kids, but she was given a fresh wave of determination at Bolton's words. She needed to keep this job, she was going to fight tooth and nail to make sure that happened. Rachel greeted them all with a spring in her step, then walked them towards the closest conference room she knew wasn't in use. With any luck, she'd have at least half an hour before Stuart's arrival, and then the ball wasn't in her court anymore.

Before long, she'd spilled her guts to the room and had repeated the same story that she had told Colin only hours earlier. "I know you'll think different of me, and I know you'll have policies and procedures to follow. But.. I love this school." She held her head down, barely wanting to look up and see the faces of disappointed people who had praised her only days earlier. This news didn't effect her ability to work and the changes she'd already made to Waterloo Road. She knew that was never in question, but it was the backlash they would face if this was to get out. She waited with baited breath whilst they all looked to each other for something to say, each narrowing their eyes at one another with hopes that someone else would be the first to speak. Only the first to speak ended up being Bolton, when he burst into the room after holding himself away for as long as he could. "You can't go anywhere Miss."

Rachel turned back to the group waiting and looking at her in confusion, blowing out her cheeks in exasperation before moving to Bolton and place a hand on his arm. "Bolton, now isn't the time.."

"No I'm serious. I'll tell 'em all. We need you here, I need you." He stood rooted to the spot, determined that he wouldn't be moved and taking on the room with his head held high.

"I'm sorry, what's going on?" Nigel asked, clearly sick of being kept out of the loop and receiving confused looks from other members of his team.

"Please excuse me, I'll just take Mr Smilie back to his classroom."

Bolton felt Miss Mason push on his arm again, desperate for her to move but he easily sidestepped her and moved closer to where the group were sat around the tables and looking to him for answers. "No, no. Miss Mason, I want to help." He offered her a smile, one he hoped was warm at least before turning away and focusing on the task at hand. He needed to do this, he needed to do his part to make sure she stayed in his school. "Mr Hordley told me, what she did, ages ago. He wanted me to tell the school, to get her sacked. You're not going to sack her, are you? Cause I don't care. She's a banging teacher. Dead good I promise."

The room went dead silent once more, the Governors falling back into the pattern of sharing looks and begging one another to speak first with their eyes, until Colin stood up quickly. "There he is now, Stuart is here."

Rachel didn't know what to do, if to stay put or run for the hills. She ached to hide away, to put her fingers in her ears like a child and pretend none of this was happening, only she couldn't. She reached forward for Bolton once more, desperate to get him away now more than ever. "Bolton, thank you." She cast another look at Stuart as he paced the halls and tried to find someone to talk to. "Go and get the others, go to Miss Haydock's classroom okay? Keep everyone that side.. please."