Six months later...
Rachel Mason was being impossible. Her attitude was disgusting and immature. And Eddie had, had enough.
He stormed into her office, watching as she glared at him defiantly.
They'd been like this for months, ever since they'd split up in July. Ever since Melissa had turned up, after going AWOL for six months. But she hadn't turned up alone; she was pregnant, with Eddie's baby. It had pulled Rachel and Eddie apart.
Eddie had wanted to do the right thing by Melissa and the baby, and Rachel wanted him to as well. That meant giving up what they had and going their separate ways.
Eddie had been unsuccessful in finding another job. So when the LEA had informed him that Rachel was ill and had been signed off work for two months, he took on the role of Head Teacher, just until she returned.
When she had returned to work in November, Eddie had been looking forward to seeing her and welcoming her back. But she hadn't felt the same way. She was cold and distant and avoided him as much as possible. It hurt him of course, but he understood. It was easier to blank him than it was to talk to him.
Something about her had changed, not just because of the break up. The sparkle in her deep, brown eyes had disappeared; the spring in her step had died out. She was quiet and reserved, not just with him, but with everyone. Eddie didn't like it, but he'd chosen not to push her on it.
Eddie didn't know it, but the split had hurt Rachel more than he knew. It had destroyed her soul, in more ways than one. She'd never been the same.
So much had changed. On the outside, she was composed. But on the inside, she was drowning, only just managing to keep her head above water. She was in survival mode, for the sake of her job and Philip. But it didn't mean that she was surviving. She was hanging on by a thread.
Seeing Eddie everyday only made things more difficult. It was painful just to look at him. She hadn't expected him to not be able to find another job. And she definitely hadn't expected Melissa's babynot to be Eddie's. When he'd told her, she'd expected to feel relieved, but she didn't. She felt nothing. She didn't care anymore. It didn't change anything. She didn't want to get back together; they didn't stand a chance anymore. They hadn't stood a chance in the first place. She wasn't going to put herself through the torment and the heartbreak again. So she'd pushed him away.
"What do you want now, Lawson?" she huffed
"You need to sign these" he explained, handing her the papers
She flipped through them angrily.
"You haven't printed these properly, the margins aren't lined up" she commented
Eddie rolled his eyes
"Nothing is ever good enough for you, is it?" he spat
Rachel glared at him
"I'm sorry, is there a problem?" she retorted
"Yes, there's a problem, Rachel! It's you! YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!" he snapped
"Excuse me? Don't speak to me like that!" she scolded
"I'll speak to you the way that you are speaking to me, with disrespect!" he shot back
"I'm not being disrespectful to you! All I said is that you need to line the margins up on the page correctly!" she huffed
"No, you're doing it out of spite!" he corrected
Rachel rolled her eyes
"Think what you like, I don't care!"
"Why are you being like this, Rachel? You're making things impossible!" he grumbled
"How am I?" she questioned harshly
"You're snapping at me at every turn, you're being rude and immature! I don't know what more you want from me!" Eddie argued
Rachel scoffed
"You've been like this since we split up!" he added
"Why are you bringing that up? That has nothing to do with this!" she snapped
"Yes it does, you know it does! You don't want to get back together, I get that. I hurt you, I get that too. But, please, stop treating me like this! Why can't we be civil?"
"I'm not treating you like anything! If you have that much of a problem, LEAVE!" she shot back
"Why are you being like this, Rachel? I don't understand!" he questioned
"Because, I don't want you here, Eddie! I have enough on my plate without you being here!"
"Why did you let me keep my job then?" he questioned
"Because I had no choice, the LEA gave YOU the job of Head Teacher whilst I was... off sick. I wasn't about to just tell you to pack your things and leave when you had nowhere else to go! I'm not like that, Eddie!" she sighed
"So, what? You're just going to let me stay and make me miserable?" Eddie hissed
"If you're that unhappy, leave! No one's stopping you!" Rachel cried
"Why are you punishing me? If you want to punish someone, punish Melissa! She lied to both of us about the baby!"
"This isn't about Melissa, this is about you!" she shot back, glaring at him
"Why, I haven't done anything wrong?"
"Oh, yes, Eddie, sorry I forgot, you're so perfect! You've never done anything wrong in your life!" she mumbled sarcastically
Eddie sighed, he'd had enough.
"You're impossible." he muttered
Rachel ignored him
"You know what, Rachel, I'm done. I'm leaving. I don't know when you turned into such a bitch, but I won't stand to be treated like crap by you" he snarled
Rachel glared at him. Whilst she didn't show it, the words stung, like a slap in the face.
"How dare you call me that? You have no idea what the past few months have been like for me, none at all!" she shot back
"Really? You think you're the only one our break up has affected? It's affected me too, Rachel, I'm just not being as dramatic or pathetic about it as you!"
She glared at him, holding back the tears which were forming in her eyes. He had no idea of the hell she had been through recently.
"Oh yeah, look at you! Eddie Lawson, so strong and brave in the face of adversity!"
Eddie scoffed
"That's it, I'm done. You'll have my resignation letter by the end of the day"
"You're not going anywhere until you print this paperwork off properly!" she snapped, throwing the papers back at him
"Whatever" he spat
"Next time you get sick, Rachel, do us all a favour and stay off work permanently!" he added
"Get out!" she snapped
Eddie moved to leave, before turning back to face her.
"I think even Melissa has more maturity than you, and I can't believe I'm saying that!"
"GET OUT!" Rachel screamed
Eddie watched as Rachel's fist suddenly flew into the wall over and over again. He dashed over, pulling her away, despite her protests. As he held her back, he saw the bloodied dent in the wall from the impact. He sighed.
"GET OFF ME!" Rachel cried, shoving him off
Eddie grabbed her again, sitting her down on the sofa firmly.
"What is the matter with you?! Why are you acting like this?" he snapped
His words hadn't had the effect he'd expected.
She placed her head in her hands as she burst into tears. Eddie instinctively and without thinking, wrapped her in his arms, surprised when she didn't fight him off. She sobbed loudly, her whole body trembling.
"Rach? Tell me what's wrong" he requested softly, still holding her in his arms
She shook her head frantically. Of all people, she couldn't tell him what was wrong.
He sighed, gently letting go of her.
"I'm going to get you an ice pack" he told her, looking at her blood stained knuckles
She nodded quietly, wiping her tears.
Eddie came back ten minutes later, an ice pack and first aid kit in hand. He squished the ice pack with his hand to activate the cooling gel before handing it to Rachel.
She refused it.
"Rach, come on, it'll help" he pleaded
She shook her head
Eddie sighed in frustration.
"Rachel, I'm trying to help you!" he snapped
"I DON'T NEED HELP, EDDIE! I JUST WANT THE PAIN TO STOP!" she screamed
Silence engulfed the room. Eddie paused, her words playing over and over again in his mind.
She was crying again, head resting in her hands. Eddie immediately felt guilty for being so harsh with her when she was evidently upset about something. All the harsh words, and the way she'd been treating him, it was all a front to hide whatever physical or emotional pain she was in. She was hurting badly, it was clear that she had been for months. All this time he had thought she was ok, that she was coping, but she wasn't. She was far from ok. And he wanted to know why. He needed to.
He sat down beside her gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. She buried her head in his neck as she sobbed. He'd never seen her like this, so broken, so vulnerable. It scared him. It was out of character for Rachel Mason to be like this.
"I'm sorry" she whispered
Eddie stroked her hair softly, shushing her gently.
"I think we need to talk, Rach, don't you?" he asked calmly
She nodded against his shoulder.
Eddie pulled apart from her, wiping her tears with his thumb. She offered him a weak and apologetic smile.
"It's just me here, Rach. You can talk to me. Tell me what's going on, please?" he requested, tucking her hair back behind her ear
She shook her head
"You'll hate me" she whispered
Eddie tilted her chin so she was looking into his eyes.
"Nothing you could do or say would ever make me hate you, Rach. I promise you. You need someone to talk to, and I'm here, alright?"
"Nothing?" she questioned
"Yes, nothing" he confirmed
"I think you might change your mind about that" she mumbled, her lip trembling
She pulled down the sleeve of her cardigan, showing him her wrists. Eddie stared at the jagged scars, his eyes welling up with tears.
"Oh, Rach" he whispered painfully