Thank you for the reviews. I think the theme for this story is me, making you hate characters that you already hate, just that little bit more. And Stuart is my victim at the moment.

Forgot to mention yesterday, you can tell what song I was listening to on repeat when I came up with the title for this fic... I mean, I have been obsessed (meaning I listened to it on repeat for two to three weeks and constantly thought 'wow I love this song') with the song Push My Luck by The Chainsmokers since the beginning of November... and there are a number of songs on their album (World War Joy) that just scream Reddie (two to be explored in IaWW, TIDU).

Please enjoy while I go back to normal life...

Chapter Two
First Time For Everything

Eddie noted that for the first time in a while, he was the first one to arrive at the school. The majority of the time, Rachel was the first one there, usually being in a good half an hour before he arrived. He knew that handing in his resignation was the last thing that she wanted from him, but he really couldn't see a way that they could work through it.

He walked to his classroom, telling himself that today was the first day where he could try and forget all the drama with Rachel and Stuart. Three months and then her little secret and Stuart wouldn't be his problem any more.

He couldn't help but worry when even Steph turned up before Rachel. He almost went to see Bridget if she had called in sick when her silver Audi drove slowly into the school.

Eddie had no idea why he watched her for so long as she took a few minutes to get out of the car. Maybe it was because he was trying to work out whether he should care enough. Something was wrong with Rachel and he hoped that it wasn't his attitude towards her.

The oddness of Rachel's behaviour didn't change over the day and as much as Eddie didn't want to admit it, it did worry him. Her office was the one place that she usually always was, until today.

He had gone to see her in his free period to wondered whether there was a way that they could work through the next three months as civil as possible for Bridget to tell him that she was in the staffroom. Eddie knew that there were only two reasons why Rachel went to the staffroom; to brief the staff on the day's or week's events or because she fancied a break from the paperwork and to stretch her legs by getting a drink there as opposed to the kettle in her antechamber. He guessed that she had gone for the latter one before Bridget mentioned that she hadn't been in her office all day and she wasn't taking any calls unless they were urgent.

Unfortunately, when he got to the staffroom, Rachel wasn't in there alone. Steph and Grantly were quietly chatting in the kitchenette area while Rachel had seemed to have made base at the table at the back of the room, where most of the teachers caught up on their marking if they didn't do it in their own rooms.

"Rachel, can I have a word?"

"Actually Eddie now's not a good time. But meeting at break? I want to discuss what happened yesterday with Janeece and how we can make sure that it doesn't happen again. We are going to meet in the Pastoral Care office."

"Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine."

He knew what he had said to her. That he didn't know her at all. But he knew that wasn't true. He didn't know the person that she was. He was certain that all the staff saw her as the middle-class person who had the same type of education and opportunities as them, if not they thought she had more opportunities.

The problem was, and as Eddie was only just realising, she probably related to more of the students in the school than the teachers in the staff room. Nothing was okay with Rachel and Eddie wondered whether he had blown his shot. Whether because of the mistrust that he had portrayed to her, she mistrusted him now.

"Rachel, I am still your deputy."

"Not in three months time."

"But I am here now. What's wrong?"

He wished that she would look up at him. He suspected that it was the first time that she had been in her office all day and the more he thought about her behaviour over the day, the more he was worried about her. He had tried to push down the feeling of worry but it was too much for him. Maybe he was just realising the strong woman that Rachel was and he didn't feel that it was she was expressing now.

"I had better inform the LEA about that."

"So you are annoyed at me for resigning? Rachel, you don't have to tiptoe around me. Tell me if I am your problem."

"I thought that we were finally working well together and I do think of your highly as both a teacher and a deputy, but I have bigger problems and more things to worry about than you throwing your dummy out of the pram."

"Well it is a bit of a shock when you think you know someone but you don't."

"And now you leave me with a bit of a hole don't you? I should start thinking about your replacement like you should be finding yourself another job."

"Any internal candidates?"

"Probably go for fresh blood as my next deputy."

"What about Tom?"

"I think he is pretty settled in his role as Head of Pastoral Care."

"I think that is why he would be perfect for the role."

"And then have to find someone else to be Pastoral Care. I don't think so. Tom is Pastoral Care now."

She still hadn't looked up at him.

"Rachel. Will you look at me?"

It was like she felt the knock at the door was a good enough distraction for him to get off her back. He almost left when Stuart walked through the door. He could bear the sight of the man and the fact that Eddie still didn't know what had happened between them made him even angrier for a reason unknown to him.

"Can I have a word in private?" Stuart asked.

Eddie had only taken two steps when Rachel spoke up.

"Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Eddie as well. He is my deputy after all."

It was the first time that she had looked at him since Eddie had arrived in her office and it was really the only reason that he stayed. Maybe he wasn't the cause of her odd behaviour maybe it was Stuart and for some reason, it made him angry to think that Stuart had come round and potentially threaten her again. Eddie closed the door to her office and took his position, leaning against the cupboard next to the door, opposite her.

"Just to say that in the next few weeks, we hope to get a few more of the materials on site. The steel joists and all that. You might want to try and keep the car park as free as possible. Unless there is another way into the school."

"A clearer timeline will be needed. I can't tell my staff not to park in certain areas without knowing the exact dates." Rachel said.

"Of course. I will get them to you as soon as I know."

From Eddie's place, he could read Rachel's face and the closer Stuart got, the more uncomfortable she got.

"Is that all Stuart?" He said.

"For the moment. I will be on-site tomorrow. Making sure everything is going to plan and then I can get you a clear timetable of events."

Eddie had no idea how tense Rachel was until the door closed behind Stuart. She slumped in her chair and let out a sigh. He thought that she looked like she could cry but wasn't going to in front of him. Obviously, the front that she had been putting on all day had dropped.

"Rachel?"

"Please Eddie, drop it."

"So in front of Stuart, I am your deputy but the rest of the time I am not."

"Eddie, just leave it."

"Has he threaten you again?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because we have three months where we are still working together. I want to be at least civil with you."

"You've changed your tune from yesterday. I thought I was a woman without any principles."

"I get it. I have hurt you."

"Well, yesterday you acted like you didn't care."

"And this is the first time that you have been in your office all day. The fact that every member of staff has asked me what is wrong with you shows that something is definitely wrong with you. You can sit there and try and tell me that everything is okay but I know nothing is okay with you. Now either it is because you are still upset and shocked that I know about your past and the fact that I don't agree with it or Stuart has threatened you again? Which one is it?"

The way that she remained silent and couldn't look at anything other than the paperwork on her desk brought back the worry that he had for her.

"Okay, you look like you could do with a drink. And I am buying."