Chapter 5

Piper had been at the school for a couple of weeks now and felt like she was finally settled in to life at South Bell High. The students were more regulated than she had anticipated, and generally hard working. No enemies with them. The staff had been harder to crack. Piper wasn't anti-social by any means, but she knew that from her colleagues point of view, she was being about as social as a scarecrow. The first couple of lunches she had been in the staff dining hall to eat, but as classes became more complex and she wanted to stay on top and find her bearings, she was spending more of her free time in the History office or the staff room, reading up on work. Occasionally she would find herself in a group conversation, but that would quickly dissipate when she would reflect any personal questions that came her way. It was a defence, she knew, but she found it hard to share. This paired with her seeming unwillingness to socialise within free time or outside of school hours was making her a fast recluse. When that first Friday of term had come around, Nicky had come to find her in the history office.

"Ready to go?"

"Where?" Piper had asked as she tucked a stack of workbooks into her backpack and fished her laptop charger out from under the desk.

"Drinks with the English department, celebrate surviving your first week."

"Oh!" Piper turned and looked at Nicky with wide eyes. She had received a call at lunch time from Neri to say Asher had come home from the park with a fever, and she had been desperate to see him since. "I don't know if I can."

"Oh, no worries" said Nicky, her face falling.

"Sorry, something came up at home, but maybe next week?"

"Sure thing, have a great weekend."

Since then, Piper had been asked out once or twice by Nicky or other staff, but she had declined. It wasn't that she didn't want to go, but Asher came first. She could have just told them, let them know that she had a small child at home and her brother, as much as he loved him, didn't really want to play parent from dawn to dusk. Besides, Asher had told her to "chill dude" only a few days in to this babysitting arrangement, and she was fearful that if she wasn't there for dinner times at least, her son would turn into a vegan and want to grow a rat tail like uncle Cal, and she wasn't sure she was ready for that lifestyle just yet. Soon enough, the invites had stopped coming, but at least the pressure was off. Although she did miss the view of Miss Vause standing in her classroom doorway making her break time check ins. It had been a couple of weeks since she had said more than one word to Alex. It wasn't that she didn't like the woman, she more than liked her. On more than one occasion Piper had caught herself rerouting to lunch to walk past Alex's classroom, or lingering in the staffroom in the chances of them meeting, but she quickly put a stop to it. It's not sexy to stalk a crush, she reminded herself. Crush, that's definitely what it was. That was the problem. Piper didn't have time for anything more than a professional working relationship, something that her wilder colleague, Nichols, was pushing each and every day. Each day, she would find Nicky had left some outrageous note on her desk, or would pull Piper out of classes as an 'emergency' to tell her some horrendous joke she had overheard between students, but even she had started to back off a bit, and the teasing she had been subjected to at the start of term had died down too. Piper almost missed it. Maybe they were just getting busier too, she told herself, nothing to do with the cold shoulder she had been showing...

That was enough. Today, she decided to go into the dining hall for lunch and show her colleagues she did have more to her than history teacher. She shoved her phone and room key into her pocket and headed out across the court yard. As she came down the corridor towards where heavenly smells of pasta bolognese were beckoning, she collided side on with Alex as she existed her classroom.

"Sorry! Are you okay?" Alex said, grabbing Piper's arm as she toppled sideways, preventing her fall. "Didn't see you there."

"It's fine, I had my food blinkers on." Piper felt her heart-rate suddenly speed up as she steadied herself on the muscular arm of the older woman. Removing her hand quickly, she asked, "You heading for food?"

"Er." Alex hesitated. Actually, she had been heading to the library to give Sister Ingalls a list of books she needed the school to purchase for the next term. Yet this was the most the blonde had spoken to Alex since she had been here. She was making eye contact and everything, and Alex, despite herself, found the word forming in her mouth before she had a chance to think. "Yeah"

"It smells amazing" They walked together, slowly, down the corridor.

"Don't get too excited. They like to create a false sense of hope at the start of the year. Wait until November then start bringing a packed lunch.

Piper laughed. "Noted. How's your start of term going?"

"It's fine. I haven't thrown a book at Jessica Dale yet so we must be off to a good start."

"Which one is she?"

"Final year, long brown hair." Piper made a face that told Alex she had escaped the clutches of Jessica Dale thus far, "Her dad shouted at Fig in the car park last Wednesday."

"Oh!" Piper smirked at Alex, "I know the one. She's not in my class"

"That's fortunate." Alex glanced sideways at the smile lingering on Piper's lips.

"How long have you been here?"

"At the school? This will be my fifth year now."

"Wow. You enjoy it?"

"Yeah." said Alex simply as they reached the door of the staff dining hall. Alex was surprised by the openness of their conversation. Maybe she caught Piper in a good mood, or maybe the young teacher really had been socially shy to start with. Whatever it was, Alex was relieved. She didn't like tension with colleagues, and hopefully this put them on good footing. "Here" Alex said, handing the blonde a tray as they joined they queue. Piper took it with a small smile and turned toward the line. Alex caught Nicky's eye, who had her eyebrows raised, clearly as bemused by Piper's sudden friendliness as she was. Alex raised her eyebrows and shrugged in return. A second later her phone buzzed in her pocket.

I still won the bet. Alex looked up at Nicky and smirked.

Hardly. I don't see receipts.

I'm playing the long game Vause. Alex rolled her eyes and put her phone back into her pocket.

When both women had their food, Alex lead them over to where Nicky was sitting with Red, and a stoney faced teacher Piper had only seen from across the staff room. The three nodded their heads as both sat down, continuing with their conversation.

"...but she is going to have to figure it out soon, she can't expect us to keep paying for her budget cuts"

"Fig?" Alex asked, reaching across Nicky for cutlery for both herself and Piper.

"Shh." chastised Red, "Yes. Not a trusty bone in her body."

Nicky snorted, "Don't need you to tell us that. She's cut the funding for the day-time extra curriculums again," she informed Alex and Piper, "Not like these girls parents don't pay thousands per term or anything towards said extras, so that little Suzie can have the opportunity to become the next high school track star or off-broadway sensation. Where the hell is the money going?"

"Soon enough she'll have the arts funding cut too and I'll be out of a job"

"Don't be stupid Gloria," stated Red, "These are rich families we are dealing with. Half of these girls will end up living in a loft apartment Daddy has bought for them pretending they're the next Richter" The others sniggered. Piper concentrated hard on her food and wished she hadn't been that exact person at the age of 18. A lifetime ago now.

"No," the Russian continued, "It's probably all gone on that shiny new convertible we see her arriving in these days."

"Or plastic surgery for that dried up vagine we all know is going severely under-fucked" Nicky said, mouth full of pasta. Piper choked on her own mouthful with a surprised laugh.

"Vagine?"

"Sounds a little more, je ne sais quoi, don't you think?"

"You're disgusting" said Gloria, smirking and tucking back into her own food. She looked over to Piper, "How are you finding South Bell, newbie?"

Piper blushed, feeling the attention of the table shift towards her, "Oh, great. Yeah, enjoying it so far."

"Enjoy that whilst it lasts"

"Hey," interjected Nicky, "None of that now. I don't want you putting her off, she's doing well so far. I'm hoping if she continues to be this good I can get Jonesy to pass over some of my lessons, and I can play hookie whilst still getting paid."

"You'll be lucky" said Jones from the next table over, and the group laughed.

"Nice to see you in here. You'd think they've got you chained to that classroom." said Red, squinting at Piper fiercely. The exchange between Nicky and Alex didn't go unnoticed by the blonde either.

"Just trying to stay on top of things until I find my footings a bit more."

Red continued to stare at her, "Well don't try too hard. Nothing pings apart faster that a cord wrapped too tight." Piper said nothing.

"Jesus Red, you're sounding like a creep who keeps bodies in her freezer" Nicky said. "Blondie's doing just fine. Probably just being polite so she can avoid all of our ugly mugs."

"You caught me." smiled Piper.

The talk turned back to Fig, and Piper, not yet up to speed on the school politics, listened and ate. She quickly found herself feeling very comfortable in this group of women, even Red to some extent (although she was not fully convinced the woman wasn't an ex murdered), and was disappointed when the warning bell sounded signalling the end of lunch. With the others, she took her tray over to the kitchen hatch, and made her way back down the corridor towards the courtyard, saying goodbye's to teachers as they filed off to their own classrooms.

"See you later stretch!" Nicky called after Alex as she turned up towards the library. Alex gave her the finger, and, winking at Piper, walked away. Eventually it was just her and Nicky again.

"What have you got on this afternoon"

"Er, just one first year class and then a meeting with Erica to check in. You?"

"Three exam classes. The worst."

"They love you."

"Yeah, well what can I say Chapman, I'm a real catch." Nicky winked.

"You reckon so?" said Piper, nonchalant.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Piper laughed as Nicky turned and strode towards her classroom. She felt things were getting back on track. She was glad she had gone to the lunch hall. Maybe she did need to make more of an effort, at least in school free times. Not everyone is out to screw you Pipes, she told herself.

"Well, it's all looking good. I have to say Piper, you really are a great addition to the team, and I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it." Jones smiled at her as their meeting concluded.

"I am." Piper smiled back.

"You don't have a class this final period do you?" asked Jones. Piper shook her head. "Then head off early. Nearly the end of the week, go enjoy your spare time."

"Thanks so much!" said Piper, and she stood to grab her things from her classroom.

"How are things at home?" asked Jones, standing with her. When Piper didn't answer straight away, she continued, "with your son? Is he getting on okay without mum there?"

"Oh," said Piper, forgetting that Jones was aware of her secret. No, she mentally corrected herself, Asher was not a secret, and not someone to be ashamed of. "It's okay. I think he's getting a little too influenced by my brother though." she laughed softly, "I'm hoping a space will become available at nursery soon."

"Have you tried the nursery in the prep school?"

"Um, no. I'm not sure, with the fees and everything, you know."

"Staff don't pay, not until secondary school here. I know this is girls only but the primary school is co-ed."

"Oh! I didn't know. I will check it out." Piper smiled and went into her classroom to get her bag. Truth be told, she didn't want Asher here. She wasn't ready to bring him into a world where people she knew were around him. She could hear the words of her therapist ringing in her ears, "friends can mean trust Piper" but she didn't see it that way. Sometimes strangers could be safer. Yet it would be convenient to have him so close by, and she wouldn't have to feel guilty about Cal and Neri giving up their lives for her son. Not that she thought they minded. They got two meals and a free house out of it, but still. Something to consider perhaps. She collected the last of her things and headed out the door, locking it behind her.

Alex watched as Piper walked towards her car, threw her bag carelessly in her back seat, and got in the car. Alex had managed to finish early herself, and was planning on visiting her mother for a couple of hours. Having picked a couple of flowers from the school gardens (luckily not getting caught by the estates team this time), she had managed to get some black ribbon from Gloria to tie it all together. Yet she hadn't managed to get herself to go. Since her mother died last year, Alex had found it hard to go and visit her.

At this point, she didn't know if she was going because she wanted to, or because she felt it was what was meant to be done. She knew her mum wouldn't have minded either way. At first, after the funeral, Alex had spoken to her mum all the time, any time she found herself alone, in her classroom or at home, whilst driving, whilst listening to her friends bicker and banter. Soon she found this too painful, the pang of grief becoming overwhelming. She filled the void with music and reading during the day, and beautiful women where she could at night, now that Silvie was out of the picture. Yet today was her mother's birthday, and she couldn't avoid her need to speak with her any longer. With a sigh, she turned on the ignition and backed out of her space.

Piper had beat her to it, and was a couple hundred yards ahead, heading out the school to the main road. Alex followed her out, wondering if the young teacher was aware it was her. Probably not. Alex didn't even know if Piper liked her, let alone paid attention to her. She followed Piper's car down the main road to the cross road. After a couple of minutes, she realised that she and Piper seemed to be heading in the same direction, and she hoped the younger woman really had not noticed her car, for fear of her thinking she was being followed. Soon enough though, Piper turned into a side road, and Alex continued on towards the cemetery, flowers looking battered on the passenger seat.