Let me start off by saying I envy TheDemonsAreInside. She's written 60 chapters in the time it's taken me to get out two. I blame Writers Block. Adding up the points was harder than I thought.
Sat around a slightly worn down, wooden table.
"We're going to do this calmly and collectively," Michael looked around at the grown woman sat in front of them. Lorraine's arms folded neatly over her chest, nodding in agreement to her former head teacher.
Nikki also nodded, slowly. Looking nervously at Lorraine for a second, Lorraine looked confident she was going to win this argument, Nikki thought. She, on the other hand, fiddled with the arms of her blazer, praying this wouldn't end in the costing of her job. It was going to be okay for Lorraine, she was a self-made millionaire whereas Nikki still had bills to pay.
With all three taking a deep breathe in, they began talking.
All were true to their nod and it ran smoothly. Michael had mainly talked to Lorraine about money. It was all what had been said before: budget cuts, more about Lorraine's money, what was going to fund the school if Lorraine quit while Nikki sat there awkwardly. After they got to the bottom of the women's relationship, something neither of them felt was relevant once again, but Michael went on to say that Waterloo Road was a school of misfits. Lorraine had scoffed, remembering his and Sian's capture by none other than, Barry Barry, in the exact same way before he could finish his sentence and bring up that exact moment. It wasn't about sexuality, it was about being wary of what made up the school, Michael stated, but that didn't stop Lorraine from occasionally raising her voice when the subject moved onto the newspaper.
"Where was the teacher when Barry done this?" he asked.
"I don't know," Lorraine had shrugged. "I wasn't there, ask the kids."
Her bluntness hadn't gone past Nikki, who still hadn't said anything, or Michael who suggested himself and the benefactor go to Sonya before lunch to see if the cameras had caught anything.
Nikki finally spoke and asked what this meant for her and, coming to a conclusion, Michael excused himself. He told Lorraine to send a memo round, telling all teachers to gather in the staff room at Lunchtime for a talk and for Nikki to go teach her PRU class, the only class she'll teach today.
It had been Ms Boston's first lesson ever where she had told her pupils to pack up early. She had made them sit in silence until the bell rung. The class were quick on their feet, most of them glancing back over to their teacher quickly before they left, their eyes burning her skin. It was like she could hear the words they were screaming—dyke! Lesbian! Can't believe she managed to bag Ms Donnegan. That dyke—without the words actually leaving their lips.
"Robby can you stay behind for a minute please," Ms Boston managed to get out before the pupil had got the door.
He signed deeply then turned around in his spot. Barry Barry smirked slightly, unnoticed by either his "sister" or the teacher, as he walked out the PRU.
Ms Boston watched her pupils leave. Once the pupils were out of view, she slammed the door shut.
"Was it you who was up to this?!" Ms Boston shouted, it was evident in her voice what she was talking about.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Ms!" Robby shouted back.
Ms Boston gripped the front of her hair. Slowly running her fingers through it, she let out a deep, frustrated sign. She breathed in and took a step past a lost-looking Robby. She rubbed her hands down her face then clasped them together and looked up at the ceiling, like she was about to pray to God. "Yes you do," the teacher breathed out. "The pictures all over the school, you had to be a part of it one way or another!"
"Why would I be?"
"Because I told you about me! Not about Lorraine and I, but about who I am!"
"And what makes you think that that makes me the one who put the pictures up?!"
Ms Boston shook her head. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was some little sick idea in your head. You kids here can be like that. You thought that if I told you a secret about myself that it gives you a right to spy on me like that?"
"I didn't do it!" Robby screamed. "I opened up to you as well, remember? Why would I want to get back at you for anything? I know what it's like to be exposed."
"That doesn't justify it."
"And why not?! I'm not out to hurt you. I had no idea of any of this until I walked into school this morning myself."
"Then who got the photo?!"
"I don't know!"
"Did you tell anyone what I told you?"
"No, I haven't told anyone. You told me it stays between us. I kept that promise."
"Then who did it?" Ms Boston whispered to herself. "Kacey, do you know who was working on the newspaper?"
"Uh," he thought about it for a second. "Rhiannon, I think."
"She wouldn't have done it," she whispered to herself again.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence for a moment. The only sounds that could be heard in the room where those of their breathing and the shifting of Ms Boston's feet against the tiled floor. Whereas inside their heads was the sound of alarm bells going off for the deputy head and screaming for the confused pupil.
Ms Boston licked her lips briefly then looked up at Robby. "You can leave now."
Without another word spoken, Robby exited the room as quick as he could, slamming the door behind him.
Sonya paused at the exact moment Nikki's arms wrapped around Lorraine's waist, unable to see their faces from the angle from the camera. "There?" she asked Michael who was watching over her shoulder.
Michael picked up the poster from the desk; he looked closely between the piece of paper and the computer screen. "That's what the picture shows but I can't see anyone," he pointed to the windows that were shown clearly on the screen. "Press play."
Doing so, with Michael's eyes focused, Sonya looked over at her sister who was sat on one of the office's chairs with no emotion or expression on her face but her eyes fixed on her phone. Sonya frowned at her sister's state.
"There." Michael pushed a dazed Sonya's off the mouse and hit pause. "There's what we're looking for," he pointed at the shadow that was hard to make out through the blinds that covered the windows.
Lorraine upon hearing his words got up and stood behind the other side of Sonya.
"I'm sorry," the younger Donnegan said.
"It's settled then," Michael whispered. "I'm sorry Lorraine."
"We found the person behind this situation. Firstly I'll have you know," Michael started. Staff of Waterloo Road sat in front of him. He stood in-between Nikki and Lorraine, "this pupil has been suspended until further notice along with another."
"Who was it?" Audrey questioned.
When either of the three refused to answer, Sonya clicked. "Oh," she trapped Audrey's arm, signalling for the older woman to come closer, the younger Donnegan placed a hand near her own cheek to block off her mouth so no one could see her lips move. "It was uh," she whispered, "Barry."
"Sonya!"
Lorraine knew if she heard everyone in that room did. She shook her head as the teachers started gossiping.
"From this, Ms Donnegan has chosen to resign from her post at this school," he looked back at her briefly. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I would like for us to have a moment to thank Lorraine for her hard work and effort and, of course, the money, she's put into this school over the past year."
"What about you, Nikki?" Christine asked, looking directly at her. If Nikki thought about it, she couldn't recall a moment when she wasn't looking around the room, in which Christine wasn't looking at her.
"Starting next term, Ms Boston will no longer be Deputy. The role will be filled by a new staff member that I've been in contact with," Michael confirmed instead of Nikki. "She will, instead, be continuing her job in the PRU, her sole propose for coming back to Waterloo Road in the first place, with a fresh class.
That, Christine, is where I would like to offer you the opportunity to take over my role as Head as, I myself, will be resigning from the school to start fresh somewhere else." Michael looked at her, hopeful with his hands clenched. "You don't have to worry about Lorraine's job as I have sorted that out as well."
The room went silent. The look of disbelief was on the faces of a various amount of the teachers in room, including Christine's. Lorraine and Nikki looked at each other briefly, thankful they had come to the decision they made with Michael.
After a moment to herself, Christine looked at Michael before slowly nodding.
Lorraine took one last look at Waterloo Road. The school she had built up, she mused from the gates. It had become what you could call her home for a year and now she had to leave. She smiled at the memories she had of it, some for life, as she pulled her jacket closer to her body.
"I'm sorry, sis."
Lorraine slowly turned her head away and smiled softly at her younger sibling.
"Come 'ere," Lorraine, for the first time in a long time, put an arm around Sonya and hugged her, rubbing her back lightly. Actually, it must have been the first time since she came out, she remembered. The blonde held onto her sister tighter and closed her eyes at the memory.
"I'll miss ya," Sonya pulled away, a cheeky grin gracing her features. "Call me when you can, yeah?"
Lorraine simply nodded and Sonya backed off and walked back to the school, briefly turning her head back to wave before continuing. Lorraine gave a small wave back before looking at the ground shifting her feet then back up when she heard the sound of footsteps making their way towards her.
"This is it then?" the husky sound of Nikki's voice entered Lorraine's ears.
She nodded with a smile on her lips.
"So… what you going to do now then?"
"Make more money?" Lorraine suggested causing herself and Nikki to laugh.
"I would expect nothing more of you," Nikki smiled at her.
Silence fell between them. Lorraine's locks were blowing in the wind. Nikki shifted on her feet, placing her hands into her pockets.
"Don't hesitate to call me, yeah?" Nikki spoke after a moment of silence, not sure where they stood. "Anytime."
"I won't," Lorraine replied. She finally stepped away from the gate and towards her car, Nikki in toe. "It's been a pleasure…working with you."
"You, too."
They reached the blonde's Ferrari. Lorraine turned to the brunette. "Guess this is goodbye for now? Good luck with the PRU next term, Nik. With everything even."
Nikki nodded awkwardly, holding the top of the car door as Lorraine got in. "Bye, Lorraine."
And with that, Lorraine was gone.
Bye Lorraine! You can decide what happens with Lorikki from that moment on. I like to think they are still buddies like in the actual show as, despite them breaking up in 8x24, they were clearly still sleeping together. ;D
Anyway, that's this done. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed. Over 7,000 read this and that's crazy to me. Also big thanks to the amazing Heather Peace who plays our Nikki. A lot has happened this summer and I want to thank her for helping me figure some things out. :)
Who's excited for Series 9? Yes no Lorraine but more Nikki scenes! And I can't wait for the Nikki/Kacey scenes. They're going to have such a great friendship. Any FF readers heard the news about Nikki having a new girlfriend this series (idk when, I doubt 9A), how do we feel about that? If anyone wants to talk WLR or make a new friend or something new to follow, follow me on Tumblr: into-tangled-vines! :) I'll follow right back!
*Drives off in Lorraine's Ferrari*