Eddie was with Davina, helping her to settle in. He was confident that she would be fine, but he wanted to make sure she was prepared.

"Are you going to be ok?" he asked as the class flooded in

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I know most of this lot" she reassured

"Well, I'm only next door" Eddie reminded her

"Thanks" Davina smiled

He walked away to head back into his own classroom

"Eddie?"

Rachel was in front of him when he turned around.

"Everything ok?" he asked, noticing the panicked expression on her face

"Can I talk to you quickly, please?" she requested

He nodded, inviting her into his classroom where his students were unpacking their pencil cases and exercise books.

"I'll just get these on task, ok?" he told her

Rachel nodded, standing in the corner of the room whilst Eddie switched on the whiteboard.

"Right! Turn to the person next to you and discuss how you'd solve this equation. I'll be outside" Eddie instructed the class, pointing to the equation on the board

He guided Rachel out of his classroom and into the corridor.

"I know where Philip was last night. He was at the Kelly's" Rachel blurted

Eddie frowned

"How do you know?" he asked

"Earl just told me. They had a study party. And judging by the potent smell of alcohol on his breath, there was more partying than studying!" she explained

Eddie sighed heavily

"I told Philip to stay away from that kid!" he hissed

"Yes, well, he's like every other kid I know, going against everything an adult says or tells them to do" she sighed

"I'll have a chat with him at break" he offered

"No, I'll do it, its ok" she insisted

Eddie nodded

"Get back to your class, I'll see you later" she added, smiling softly as she squeezed his hand

...

Steph had only made it a few paces down the corridor before she found Maxine. She watched quietly for a moment as Maxine giggled at something Earl was saying. The way he had his arm around her made her feel sick.

She'd thought that Tom may have made a mistake, that he had got it wrong. But he really hadn't. The evidence that Maxine and Earl were together was staring her in the face. It physically pained her.

Over the last two and a half years that Steph had been her legal guardian, Maxine had grown from a trouble-making, immature teenager, who had been addicted to drugs, to a smart, kind and loving young adult, with a bright future in front of her. Steph was immensely proud of her. She loved Maxine. But, as she watched her kissing and joking with Earl, she saw Maxine's bright future slipping away. All the hard work Maxine had put in to get to where she was now, unravelling in an instant because of Earl Kelly. She had to put a stop to it, now.

"Maxine!" she called

Maxine jumped, pushing Earl away from her. As he walked away down the corridor, she turned to Steph, smiling weakly at her. She hated lying to Steph, especially after everything she'd done for her. But she knew Steph wouldn't approve of her relationship with Earl. Sure, he was a trouble-maker at school. But there was so much more to him than that. Maxine had seen it for herself.

"Did you have a good night at Chlo's?" Steph asked

"Yeah, it was alright" she nodded

Steph sighed heavily. She was hoping Maxine would have told her the truth.

"I know you were with him" Steph admitted, nodding at Earl who had just disappeared from view

Maxine suddenly became shifty, her eyes darting to the floor.

"I thought we had an agreement" Steph added angrily

"We didn't do anything, I swear! I just crashed there!" Maxine snapped defensively

Steph rolled her eyes. More lies.

"Max, I know what teenage boys are like! They're not fussy about where they get it from!" she argued

"Well he's not getting it from me!" Maxine protested

"And what did Rose have to say about you staying over?" Steph questioned

"It was her idea! She reckons I can stay whenever I like!" Maxine spat

Steph raised an eyebrow, masking the hurt she felt.

"Is that right?"

Maxine scoffed

"I can take care of myself, Steph" she snapped, storming away down the corridor

Steph sighed painfully. She hated arguing with Maxine. All she wanted was for her to be happy. Earl Kelly wouldn't do that for her.

...

Two hours later...

Rachel was back in her office. The bell had just rung out for break. She sighed, sitting up in her chair as she waited for Philip to arrive. She'd sent Bridget earlier to tell him that she wanted a word.

The morning so far had been quite relaxed. Maaka Lacey had eventually turned up. Rachel had taken him over to his classroom and introduced him to Davina and the class. They'd seemed to be getting along really well, so she'd left them to it.

Rachel was, usually, a good judge of character. Maaka Lacey seemed independent, open-minded, dedicated and head-strong. All the qualities needed for any kind of teacher. She'd been worried at first, since the LEA had just randomly picked him. After the last supply teacher had faked his identity and had turned out to be a paedophile, she'd wanted to be overly cautious.

But Maaka Lacey had put her at ease instantly. Even when she'd warned him and given him names of some of the kids that were known to cause trouble, including Earl, he was unfazed. The LEA had done a good job so far.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. She turned to the doorway, her eyes falling on Philip. He still looked pale and his hair and uniform was incredibly dishevelled.

"You wanted to see me?" he mumbled

"Yes, come and sit down" she nodded, pointing at the chair opposite her desk

Philip sat down tentatively, a bored expression plastered on his face.

"I saw Earl Kelly this morning" she told him

Philip nodded, unsure of where she was going with this.

"That's... nice" he shrugged

"You were at his party last night, weren't you? That's where you went" she blurted

To her surprise, Philip didn't even try and deny it. He nodded.

She sighed, placing her head in her hands. It was bad enough having students associating with a trouble-maker like Earl. But her own nephew?

"Did you not listen to a word Eddie said to you yesterday? Earl Kelly is trouble! You need to stay out of his way, Philip!"

Philip rolled his eyes

"I'll be friends with whoever I want to be friends with, Rachel! I had fun last night with Earl! It was the first time ever that I felt like I fitted in somewhere! Earl is the only one who has made me feel welcome in this dump! Even you and Eddie don't give a damn!" he snapped

"Philip, that's not true and you know it! I'm just trying to protect you!" she huffed

"And that includes stopping me from making friends does it?" he retorted

"No,"

"Whatever, I don't care! I had fun last night, and I'd do it again! Punish me however you want, I'll be friends with whoever I want to be friends with!" he spat, cutting Rachel off

"You really think Earl is your friend? Friends don't give you drugs, Philip!" she argued

"Bye, Rachel" Philip huffed, walking out of the office

Rachel scoffed, rubbing her temples. Sometimes she didn't know why she bothered!

"I hope I'm not interrupting?"

Rachel looked up, her eyes meeting with Maaka Lacey's. She smiled at him politely.

"No, of course not, come in"

He stepped into the office confidently, closing the door behind him.

"Is everything going well? How are you getting on with Davina?" she asked

"If I'm honest, I think she needs to be a pupil a little longer" he admitted

Rachel frowned

"What do you mean?"

He sighed, clearing his throat

"Racism is such an emotive word. I don't use it lightly, but I think Davina is guilty of subtle racism. Hard to identify, but just a pernicious" he explained

Rachel stared at him for a moment, processing his words carefully. If she was honest, she was shocked. Davina was a lot of things, but she wasn't racist. Maaka had to be mistaken. But a complaint as serious as this had to be investigated, regardless of what she believed.

"Ok, why don't you take a seat, Maaka? Let's see if we can sort this" she decided, offering him the chair opposite her desk

Once Maaka had made himself comfortable, Rachel asked Bridget if she could find Davina.