Hello gang, I'm back again.
Once again, apologies for being so slow to update. I've had this chapter written for weeks on end but because life's so hectic sometimes, I haven't been in the right headspace to edit this. Until today.
This might also be the last chapter I post for a while. As it stands, I only have ideas as to what is happening in this story up to Chapter Twenty-Six or Twenty-Seven, so I think I need to focus on planning the rest of this story.
Also, just a warning, there's mentions of suicide in this chapter so if that's something that you find triggering, please don't feel as if you have to read. Don't say I didn't warn you ;)
Thanks for sticking by me x
Chapter Twenty-One: Nobody's Rebound
Eddie pulled back before gazing into Reb's eyes, "you don't want this, Eddie," she said.
He frowned, "how do you know?"
"Several reasons. First, you're drunk. Second, you're still pining for Rachel. Third, I'm sure this isn't you."
Eddie sighed, "guess you're right… I'll find somewhere else to stay tonight."
"No, you won't. Just stick to the spare room, OK?"
Eddie chuckled, "reckon I can manage that."
"Good, we've both had enough, I'll call a cab."
Eddie nodded as Reb rose. He followed her lead and soon joined her outside, taking in the fresh air as they waited.
Not even the strongest cup of coffee would have soothed the dull ache in Eddie's head the next morning. He couldn't remember how much he'd drank the previous night. However, he conceded it must have been a lot, he was no lightweight.
Eddie wondered whether Reb was in a similarly hungover state. He crept across the landing to the staircase, taking his time. As he passed, Eddie caught a fleeting glance of some pictures on the wall and frowned. One of them depicted a couple, Reb and an unknown male, grinning at the camera with a beach in the background. Another showed the same pair sharing a smooch. Eddie didn't understand. If Reb had a partner, why did she offer her spare room so freely? Her partner was clearly far more tolerant than he would be in that situation.
Eddie found Reb in the kitchen, dressed in what he hoped were her pyjamas. He cleared his throat to announce his presence, prompting her to spin around. "I daren't ask how you are this morning," Reb said, a teasing lilt to her voice.
"Best you don't," Eddie replied, "you seem OK, though."
"I know how to help myself. Guess I have all the nights of hard-partying at uni to thank for that," Reb said, "there are aspirin and water on the side," she added, pointing them out.
Eddie approached the island to which Reb had pointed, gratefully chugged the water, and then swallowed the aspirin. "I need to apologise... for my behaviour last night. I overstepped the mark, and I wouldn't want you to assume that's who I am, because it isn't."
Reb waved away the apology, "these things happen, we can just accept it and move on. Besides, you looked like you needed to let off some steam."
He chuckled but said nothing, thus bringing that conversation to a close. "Did you want a coffee?" Reb asked, penetrating the silence.
Eddie nodded, "please."
"Sit down then, I'll be Mother."
He complied and once made, Reb joined him with the coffees. Silence fell once more. This time, however, Eddie broke it. The pictures he'd seen on his descent downstairs swam to the forefront of his mind once more. "You really shouldn't have offered me the spare room, Reb. Won't me being here make your boyfriend jealous?"
Reb's brow furrowed, "boyfriend?"
"I saw the pictures and assumed that was who he was."
The atmosphere changed in an instant. Tension was rife as Reb wondered how to explain the situation. "He was my boyfriend once, not anymore."
Reb's response made no sense, "why keep the pictures if you've split?"
She sighed, realising she had to disclose the full story, "we're not together anymore because he's dead."
An enormous sense of guilt swam through Eddie as he digested Reb's words. "I am so sorry, I didn't know."
"His name was Declan. We met at uni, he studied Law, I studied History. Our paths crossed on a night out in Newcastle during our first year, and it was only when we started talking that we realised we studied at the same uni. Became inseparable from then."
"What happened to him?"
"He killed himself. During the last year of his Law degree, Declan lost his Dad and Brother within weeks of each other. His Dad had cancer and died less than a week after being told it was terminal. His brother got killed in a car accident as he travelled up to see us. Declan couldn't cope in the aftermath, blamed himself because he reckoned that if he'd not invited Dan to stay that weekend, he'd still be alive. That was what he wrote in his suicide note, anyway. An inquest recorded suicide by hanging as his cause of death."
The sense of guilt within Eddie inflated further as he listened, "I shouldn't have asked, I'm sorry."
"That's what everyone says. But it's nice to talk about Declan. That's why I display the pictures, a memento of the good times. For a while afterwards, I couldn't because all I remembered was the awful stuff—those last few weeks. Time heals, so they say. It does. The good times always outweigh the bad, that's my view, anyway. You can't truly understand how any of this feels until you've lost someone close."
Unbeknownst to Reb, Eddie understood, having lost Stephen to SIDS. He'd told Rachel within weeks of meeting her, primarily because of the situation that arose that day. However, he didn't wish to diminish Reb's pain by making comparisons to his own. Declan, Dan and Stephen all had one thing in common. They all had an entire life to live before tragedy struck.
"You and Mr Lawson got a little close last night," Steph commented upon falling into step with Reb as they crossed the playground.
"Nothing is going on, Steph. We got tipsy. It happens," Reb replied, counting to ten in her head so as not to lose her temper with the blonde.
"Didn't look that way to me."
"You did mention that last night."
"I'm just explaining how it looked from my perspective. Rachel must've thought along similar lines to duck out as quickly as she did. For your information, it took an enormous amount of pleading to convince her to come.
Reb didn't ask how Steph knew that "is the boss in already?"
Steph nodded, "saw her car back there."
Upon hearing Steph's reply, Reb left her standing in the middle of the corridor. Her plan had been to dump her stuff off in her classroom before getting another coffee but changed her mind upon hearing Rachel was about. She needed to set the record straight. Getting in the boss's bad books on day two wasn't a smart move.
"What can I do for you, Miss McIntyre?" Rachel asked upon permitting Reb entrance to the office.
The younger woman closed the door before approaching Rachel's desk. "I wanted to ensure there are no misunderstandings regarding what you saw last night."
Rachel shook her head, "it's none of my business what you and Mr Lawson get up to outside of school hours."
"Nothing is going on."
"Could've fooled me."
Reb bit her tongue, refusing to voice the retort that rose. She wanted to draw comparisons between Rachel and Steph but decided an outburst like that would do her no favours. "I don't date unavailable men."
Reb's words surprised Rachel, "Eddie's not unavailable, we're done."
"You're certain of that, are you, Rachel? Deep down, you and I both know there's unfinished business between you two. And it's not something I wish to get caught in the middle of. Too much hassle and heartache."
Rachel wished Melissa had taken the same view back in January. However, she didn't voice it, unsure of how clued in Reb was regarding past events. "Steph's convinced something's going on," Reb continued. "But her suspicions are groundless, nothing is going on. I am nobody's rebound girl."
Rachel nodded, "thank you for bringing it to my attention, though I don't understand why you assume I'd care if there was."
Reb resisted the impulse to roll her eyes, "I see a lot of myself in you Rebekah," Rachel continued, "your drive, ambition, determination. Don't make me regret hiring you."
She didn't understand where those remarks came from but decided not to argue. "I won't," she said before taking her leave, feeling like the pupils she disciplined daily.
Rachel sighed as the door closed; Steph was the last person she expected to step in to bat for her, so Reb's words took her by surprise. However, she made a mental note to speak with the blonde. Sorting out staff-room squabbles wasn't a favourite pastime.
"Steph!" Rachel said, raising her voice as she caught the blonde in the lunch queue, "a word, please."
Steph wanted to protest, but stepped out of the line and approached her boss, anyway. "Can't this wait, I'm hungry."
"No, it can't. You're here to teach, not speculate upon relationships that may or may not be taking place between colleagues, cool it."
"Rebekah's been to see you, hasn't she?" Steph asked, "course she has. I was not casting aspersions, I was defending you."
"Steph, I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't need it. I can fight my own battles. How else do you think I got to where I am today?"
The blonde had an answer ready, but Rachel wouldn't appreciate it, so held back on voicing the retort on the tip of her tongue. "You wouldn't object if it was Mr Lawson defending you."
"Don't push your luck, Rebekah's trying to make the role of Head of History her own, she doesn't need this extra pressure."
"Doesn't mean I have to like her."
"Fair enough, it's a vast school, so you're both more than capable of steering clear." Rachel paused. "Play nice."
With that, she turned and left. Steph stared after her, a disbelieving look crossing her face as she re-joined the lunch queue.
Rachel blew out an exasperated breath as she left the canteen. In-fighting amongst the staff on day two of the academic year. How much worse could things get? She hoped never to find out.