Hello everyone, thank you so much for all your support with this fic so far. The lovely reviews are very much appreciated.

Just a quick note - apologies if chapter 2 and this one have been a little boring, I am trying to just set the scene at the moment before I move on to the main events (that will probably be the next chapter.)

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this... please let me know what you think :)

A new term at Waterloo road and the controversial merger wasn't the only difference on Rachel's agenda. Infact, the majority of her thoughts were spent chewing on a separate change altogether.

No more Eddie Lawson.

It had been tough enough living without him in her home life, Rachel wasn't sure if she could stomach even a day at work without him. In particular, his presence in her office would be missed - the way he shoved his hands deep in his pockets on instinct, or the way Eddie knew he was welcome so never bothered knocking. Somehow, Rachel managed a silent chuckle whilst she pondered on the fond memories. Funnily enough, she would even miss his informal dress attire. That one time he wore a tie was something she would never forget.

It's a one off.

A deep sense of misery formed in the pit of her stomach. Rachel realised that she would never know if the tie was a one off. If he would ever wrap one around his slender neck again. Anything that occurred in his future life would not be shared with her. Rachel wouldn't be the one to straighten his ties. Someone else perhaps, just not her.

Another woman.

Melissa?

His child.

Melissa's child.

Rachel stiffened her body in an attempt to curse her mind furiously. When would she learn to forget the past and focus on the future? Rachel's late teenage years had always haunted her. They weren't something that she was proud of. Now, her recollection of the past would be full to the brim with what ifs and maybes. It would be overflowing with thoughts of the life she could've had; but wouldn't have.

Now was not the time. She would assign her pivotal focus to Waterloo Road. No distractions, no side tracking. Every ounce of resilience left in her would go into work this term; no doubt about it. Rachel's job would be the thing keeping her steady, the thing that would stop her tipping over the edge. At least she hoped so.

….

Rachel's eye line hovered over the sea of bottle green and burgundy uniforms. She was scanning for something, anything to take her mind off the events that had occurred the last time she was stood in this position. It was discovered that not even the intensity of the vibrant colours could hold back Rachel's recollection of that day.

Was she hallucinating?

A vision of Eddie reappeared. Clear enough so she could pretend he was there. The expression etched within his features had tormented her mind over the past six weeks. Now, it was even more prominent. His words replayed like a recording would in her brain. Only there was no pause button; his utterances were a constant reminder of all she had lost that day.

… I just don't want to hear you say it

It seemed even Eddie didn't have hope, he knew that the outcome had been imminent.

It… It doesn't make sense.

Her brain had told her to correct him, to tell him that all the pieces of the puzzle fit. So she had obeyed - to the detriment of her heart and their relationship.

I love you Rachel.

The first and last time they would mutter those words to one another. Quite literally, it was tragic. Their love was a symbol for their separation; it replaced the goodbye they didn't say. For Rachel, speaking the word 'goodbye' was too definite. She had to have hope, although deep down, she knew that it was over. It was unlikely they would ever be reumited.

It's for the best. At least that's what she told herself.

….

"I don't want to go in Lindsay, just get off me!" Rachel's attention was shifted dramatically by a female voice she didn't recognise. She suspected that would happen often in the next few days: new pupils; new backgrounds; new problems to solve.

Sounds like a perfect alternative to drowning in her own thoughts.

"We've got no choice Em. Just stop being a baby."

Now was Rachel's time to intervene. Be a headteacher.

"Hey girls, what's going on here? Everything alright?" she queried, careful not to sound too harsh or too patronising.

"Nothing," the elder girl replied bluntly. It was clear who was in charge here. Sisters perhaps?

"Come on Em, let's go," the teenager continued and tugged on the girls arm in the process.

"I'd just like a quick word with the both of you. Sisters?"

Lindsay nodded in response with Emily following suit like a puppet.

Something was off here. There was more to this than just new school nerves.

Rachel concluded that future interventions would be required after just a brief encounter with the two new pupils. They could be her antithesis of the current thoughts bombarding her mind. A contrasting scenario to ponder on. Even so, Rachel still couldn't help but think about how she would've halved this issue in the past. Discussed it with a certain deputy. A certain Eddie Lawson.

The mind was uncontrollable. Demoralising. Every little thing Rachel thought of somehow wormed its way back to that man. She took one final glance at her surroundings before entering the building. By some means, that concluding stare reinforced her logic. That day, her and Eddie had crumbled. Their relationship had collapsed along with the school. Except now; the building was rebuilt. Fixed. Something she was far from. Without Eddie, her current state couldn't be resolved.