Sophie walked into Caroline's office looking every bit like the 24 year old PE teacher that she was. She had scraped all her hair back off her face and tied it in a ponytail and she had wiped off any trace of the lipstick she had applied earlier. She wore a tracksuit that was zipped up half way and her polo shirt buttons were fastened up to the neck. She respectfully stood by the chair in front of Caroline's desk until she was motioned to sit down.
"Miss Brightman, I am not sure if you know why I have called you into my office but I had a very interesting visit from Tom Howarth this morning. He told me that you were speaking to him about Miss McKenzie and about how she err, how she, well, that she had made inappropriate and unwanted advances to you."
She paused and glanced at Sophie who was looking straight ahead, her face expressionless, her eyes staring at the wall behind Caroline.
"I would like to hear your side of the story."
Sophie coughed and brought her gaze onto Caroline's face.
"There's not much to tell really. I was in her classroom and she kissed me. She kissed me and she felt my ar… my bum."
"And how did this make you feel, this kiss, this bottom groping? Were you scared, excited, turned on?"
Sophie took a deep breath. She had to make this good. She dropped her head so she was looking into her lap and let out a little sigh.
"I don't know how I felt. Threatened I guess, a little scared."
Caroline tried to read Sophie, to gauge what she was thinking, what she would say next. She decided to take the lead and to force her hand.
"Last Sunday when I called round at Miss McKenzie's house to see how she was after her spell in hospital, I saw the two of you together on the grass. You were looking very cosy, and you were laughing and giggling together. You certainly didn't look scared and I find it very hard to believe that this same person made you feel threatened because she kissed you."
Caroline took her glasses off and raised her eyebrows at her.
"I know that you are gay Sophie and I also know that Miss McKenzie is gay. And that doesn't matter to me, it really doesn't. I don't judge people by their sexual preferences. But what I do judge people by is their integrity. And if you are lying to me about this, you could be in serious trouble."
Caroline paused and sat further forward in her chair so that she was closer to Sophie's face.
"When I interviewed you, I will admit that I had my doubts about your suitability. You had just graduated from university and I consider you to still be very young and naïve. But the other 2 staff on the interview panel convinced me otherwise and after a while, I gave into them and decided to give you, and them the benefit of the doubt. Everyone deserves a chance, right? After all, how do you get work experience unless someone is willing to give you your first big break? And up until now I must say that the reports I have been receiving about you are very good. You are well respected amongst your colleagues and your students and you seem to have settled in remarkably quickly."
Sophie smiled and her posture softened a little bit. Caroline seemed to be on her side.
"But this being your first post, you are on probation and I can make or break you as a teacher. Just you remember that. Now, I am no fool Miss Brightman so would you like to tell me what really happened in Miss McKenzie's office? I am curious to know if your story matches with that of Miss McKenzie's."
Sophie didn't know whether Kate had been to see Caroline or not and she was suddenly panicked by the thought that Kate's story was totally different to hers. The only similarity would probably be the kiss. What Sophie had to do was to convince Caroline that Kate had instigated it.
"I already told you what happened. I was in her office and she kissed me."
"What? Just like that. You were in her office and she just kissed you? What were you doing in her office in the first instance?"
Sophie gulped.
"I was just passing and she had left the door open and she must have seen me because she called me in."
"OK. And what was she doing in her office?"
Caroline's eyes bore right through Sophie.
"She was, God I can't remember. She was just there, alright and?"
Sophie stopped short, realising that she was probably pushing her luck. Caroline wasn't at all impressed.
"Taking that tone with me will not do you any favours I can assure you Miss Brightman. Can I remind you that this is a fact finding meeting and I am not accusing you of anything. Now, so that I can build up a picture in my mind, what was Miss McKenzie doing in her office when she called you in?"
"Putting papers out on desks."
"Oh, so now you suddenly remember. So she was putting out papers. Then what did she do?"
"She kissed me."
"She just walked over to the door, shouted you in and kissed you? No dialogue, she just kissed you?"
"Yep, that's about it."
Caroline leaned back in her chair.
"Miss Brightman, I have been teaching for more years than I care to remember. I have seen children and teachers come through my office who have been accused of doing wrong and who have actually done wrong. I have also looked into the face of children who have told me blatant lies that even they have started to believe them. I am not yet sure which category you fall into but rest assured, I will find out. If I find out that these allegations are false and that you have maintained this charade in some attempt to get Miss McKenzie into trouble, your contract will be terminated, there is absolutely no doubt about that. However, should you decide that you have perhaps got this wrong and that the kiss was mutual or in fact never happened in the first place, I will send you back to your class and make no further reference to this in the future, either verbally or on paper. Have I made myself clear?"
As Caroline delivered this speech, her voice got louder and the intonation on key words was more pronounced. Sophie's physique shrunk as she got less and less comfortable with the situation.
"Close the door on your way out please."
Caroline put her glasses back on and turned to her computer. When Sophie didn't move, she turned back to her and peered over the top of them.
"Was there something else Miss Brightman?"
Sophie knew that she had taken things too far. She wanted to get Kate into trouble with her boss, to get a black mark against her name because she had turned her down. She hadn't bargained on facing The Gestapo. She had only been at Sulgrave for a little over a week but she already loved her job and Caroline had just confirmed that she was good at it. It was the only time in her life that she felt she was making a success of something she enjoyed doing. She hoped it wasn't too late to save herself.
"Well, now that you come to mention it, yes there was. I think I might have over reacted about the kiss in Miss McKenzie's office just a little bit. I think that perhaps I kissed her and she kissed me back. Yes, that's what happened. Kate was putting out her books, I flirted with her a little bit and we kissed. It was consensual and then we both decided it wasn't the time nor the place and we stopped. If it is alright with you, I would like to drop any allegation that Mr Howarth made on my behalf and, well, forget this ever happened. Do you think we could do that?" And she held out her hand towards Caroline.
"Like I said, close the door on your way out please. I think you have wasted enough of my time."
Caroline picked up the phone to indicate that the meeting was over and Sophie left her office.
"Beverley, I'll see Miss McKenzie now if you would like to bring her to my office. Thank you."
Kate was perplexed when Beverley entered her classroom and told her that Caroline wanted to see her immediately in her office. She had seen her earlier that day and they had made arrangements for dinner and Kate said she would see her at 7pm. Perhaps she had changed her mind or something had happened with one of her boys.
Kate left her class in the charge of a teaching assistant and followed Beverley through her office and into Caroline's. She looked up from her computer screen and Kate was shocked by the expression on her face. She looked pained and on the verge of bursting into tears.
"Miss McKenzie, please take a seat. Beverley, close the door please. And don't put any calls through, not even my mother." Her mouth was set in a straight line and Kate saw her hand visibly shaking when she reached out and closed her desk diary.
"Caroline, is everything OK? You look, well, you look out of sorts. Has something happened?"
"You could say that Miss McKenzie." Kate was perched on the edge of the chair opposite Caroline's desk, her back straight and her hands folded on her lap. She didn't like the atmosphere in the office and could tell that Caroline was very upset about something.
"Mr Howarth came to see me today and he told me, he said that Miss Brightman had been spouting off in the staff room about how you had, well how you allegedly forced yourself on her in your classroom and kissed her. I have spoken to Miss Brightman and she now seems to have changed her story somewhat and fortunately things don't seem to be as serious as I first thought. However, what hasn't changed and is still very serious is the fact that you two kissed in my school in school time when there were pupils on the premises. I take it there is some very reasonable explanation for this?"
Kate could feel the colour rising up her body. She quickly decided that the only way to handle this was to be honest and open about what had happened. There was no point in lying to Caroline who already seemed to know some of what had happened.
"Yes, yes that is correct. Miss Brightman and I kissed in my office. But it was just one kiss that was totally meaningless and I know that it should never have happened and that I was stupid to indulge in the first place. I did "
Caroline interrupted.
"Your behaviour was totally deplorable. That sort of thing is not acceptable amongst the children let alone the staff and "
Now it was Kate's turn to interrupt.
"Hold on a minute Caroline, Dr Elliott. How is that any different to what we did in your office earlier today, when you kissed me? How is that any different?"
Caroline wetted her bottom lip and slowly swallowed. Kate had a point.
"Because we err because we were, well there was no one to see and oh I "
"Come on, how was that any different? Is it because it was you that was involved? The great and untouchable Dr Elliott? Is it one rule for one and rule for another? Neither incident should have happened but they did. I just want to know how one is different from the other."
Kate was ready to argue her point with Caroline on this one and she was determined to stand her ground and not be bulldozed. She was just about to ask for an answer, for an explanation when she heard a small groan escape from Caroline's lips. She had started to speak but suddenly her head fell slowly forwards towards the top of the table and Kate saw two large tears fall onto a report that was in front of her. And then without warning, the floodgates opened and Caroline's arm swept the papers from her desk and onto the floor and her forehead hit the empty desk. Her sobs were quick and heavy, her shoulders visibly moving up and down.
Kate stood up and walked round the back of Caroline's chair and placed both her hands on her shoulders. She rubbed them gently and bent forward, placing her mouth close to her ear. She whispered softly.
"Caroline, what's the matter? Shhhh, it's OK. Come on. It will be OK."
She slowly lifted her head and stared straight ahead of her.
"It won't be OK though will it? I don't know what to do Kate. I'm scared and I'm confused and I don't know anything anymore. It feels wrong to want to be with you but when I am with you it feels so right and I am so very happy."
Kate wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her ear.
"It will be OK Caroline. It will. I can't make any promises when or how but you have to trust me. This is hard for both of us but if it right, if we were meant to be, then things will work out. I know that the thing with Miss Brightman was not what I want. It's you that I want to be with, you that I want."
Caroline stopped crying and turned and looked up at Kate. Her eyes were red and her face was streaked with mascara. Kate bent forward and gently kissed the tears, tasting the saltiness on her lips. She brought her thumb up and wiped them away, laughing tenderly at the sight of Caroline with makeup all over her face.
"This will all work out, I promise. We just need time. Time to be alone, to be together, to find out who we both are." Kate kissed her forehead and then whispered "I think I am falling in love with you Dr Elliott."
Caroline smiled through her tears and reached up and stroked Kate's cheek.
"And I think I am falling in love with you Miss McKenzie. Oh, what are we going to do?"
Kate held out her hands to Caroline who took them in her own and she pulled her up onto her feet. Holding her close, she nuzzled her neck and planted tiny little kisses on her jawbone and her cheeks.
"We are going to do whatever it takes to get back on track and to start this relationship properly. And I think that tonight is a great place to start. Am I still OK for dinner at yours at 7pm? Do we still have a date?"
Caroline nodded her head and then she slowly closed her eyes and sighed.
"Oh yes, a date. Yes as planned. There is the small matter of that kiss with Miss Brightman though."
"Does that really matter anymore Caroline? We need to move forward and I have admitted that I was wrong to do it and I am truly very sorry. Please believe me when I say that I don't make a habit of this you know. It is just that she threw herself at me and I was feeling sore and unwanted after you refused to kiss me in the car park."
Kate placed her finger under Caroline's chin, bringing her face level with hers. She looked at her tenderly and Caroline smiled before taking a small step back.
"I could have handled that evening better couldn't I. But the thing is Kate, the point is that I hauled Sophie into my office to find out what had happened. It was a very serious allegation and I was obliged to investigate it. As it turns out, she changed her story and said that there had been a kiss but it was all a misunderstanding and it was kind of mutual and she didn't want to pursue it any further. But she will still expect there to be a consequence, an ending to the whole sorry affair. So what do I do now?"
Kate stepped forward towards Caroline and placed her hands on her waist, looking into her eyes and smiling at her. She bit her bottom lip and looked up at her coyly before kissing her. The kiss was slow and affectionate and Caroline shifted her weight from one leg to the other and then eventually placed her hands on Kate's arms and caressed her, kissing her back with the same tenderness.
"You could always tell her that you questioned me about it and I admitted to kissing her and you took me over your knee and slapped my bottom as a punishment. Do you think that would work?"
Caroline gasped and started laughing.
"Miss McKenzie! How very naughty of you. You really are, well, I don't know what you are but you are very naughty."
Kate laughed and kissed the tip of her nose.
"I know. If you play your cards right, I will show you just how naughty I can be."
Caroline blushed and side stepped Kate. She pulled her jacket down and fastened one of the buttons.
"Thank you Miss McKenzie. I think that my investigation here is finished and there will be no more mention of it. I will inform Miss Brightman of the outcome in due course. Now, I have taken up enough of your time. Thank you for coming to see me."
She bent down and started to pick up the papers off the floor. She had already forgiven Kate for her minor indiscretion, knowing that she wouldn't do anything like that again now that they had made their own feelings clear.
"And thank you for having me."
Kate winked and walked out of the office leaving Caroline standing with a grin on her face.
"Not yet. I haven't had you yet. But I will, you just wait and see."
A huge weight had been lifted from Kate's shoulders. Her brief encounter with Sophie was not something she was proud of and whilst the kiss was nice, she knew from the moment it finished that it was wrong. It wasn't who she was.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have even entertained someone like Sophie but she had been constantly confused by Caroline's behaviour and her head was all over the place. She wasn't trying to blame Caroline just to excuse herself, but it did go a long way to explain things.
Kate had battled for days with the feeling she had in her stomach, a feeling of guilt and betrayal against Caroline. Their relationship, their friendship, whatever it was to be had only just started and she already felt like she was letting her down.
But that was all over now and her step was lighter as she walked back to her classroom, mentally planning her outfit for that evening. This was their first official date night and she was suddenly very excited.
Back in her office, Caroline couldn't concentrate. Her mind was in turmoil. She knew that she ought to file a formal report and have a meeting with the Chair of Governors about what Sophie had told her that afternoon. The allegation was very serious and not one to be taken lightly. She knew that this would ruin any chance of a relationship with Kate because she would have to come clean about the two of them. But she had to do what was right. She sighed and picked up the phone to dial Gavin's number. She let it ring twice and then put it back down again. Caroline spun round in her chair and stared out of the window.
Sophie had said that she wanted to drop any allegations so she could just sweep it under the carpet couldn't she? There were only 4 people who knew. And as the head of the school, the buck stopped with her so it was her decision. Right?
However, if Sophie changed her mind and decided that she did want to file a complaint, she would be questioned about why a report was never filled in when it was first raised. And how would she get round that? What excuse would she give to the Board about why she hadn't formally reported it?
She liked Kate, she liked her a lot and she wanted things to work out between them. Kate had been totally honest about what had happened between herself and Sophie and Caroline was confident that she could put it behind her. She was petrified at the rate at which she had started to fall for Kate and had surprised even herself when she told her that she was falling in love with her. But it was what she wanted and she was determined to make it work. Speaking to Gavin about her meeting with Sophie would be suicide. She made a rash decision to sleep on it and review it in the morning. Kate was coming to dinner and despite the earlier events of the day, she was really excited.
Caroline started to compile a shopping list and quickly separated her papers into 2 piles: one for reading now and one for reading the next day. Getting home early was a priority for her tonight. Work matters could wait until the morning.