On the stairwell, Steph was chasing after Maxine. She was desperate to resolve things between them.
"Maxine! Wait!" she called
Maxine paused, rolling her eyes as she turned around.
"Not another telling off about Earl, Steph, please!" she groaned
"Listen to me, Maxine, he's bad news! He is bad, bad news!" Steph argued
Maxine rolled her eyes again.
"Sorry, Steph, but we've made up our minds... you've been great to me and everything, but... I'm grown up now. I can make my own decisions" she shrugged
"You've been lying to me, Maxine. I don't deserve that. Will you just give me one night to talk to you?" Steph pleaded
"You can come over and visit any time! Can't she, Earl?"
Earl, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, during the day because... I won't be coming back here!" he sniggered
Steph sighed, turning back to Maxine.
"That's the kind of guy you want to shack up with, is it?" she snapped
"You've got Security Dave now anyway, Steph! He looks like he's mad on you!" Maxine reasoned
"I don't give a damn about Security Dave! What I do care about is you throwing your life away on that scum!" Steph huffed, nodding at Earl
Maxine scoffed
"I'm not listening to anymore insults. I'll see you tomorrow" she huffed, walking away with Earl
Steph sighed, watching them go. She fought hard to stop the tears falling down her face. She had well and truly lost Maxine now, the most important person in her life. There was no going back.
...
Rachel walked along the corridor, bag in hand. Her taxi was due in ten minutes time.
Suddenly, Ralph was behind her, handing her an envelope. She took it from him, a little more angrily than she'd intended.
"My letter of resignation. I wanted to, as you said, put the matter to bed as soon as" he explained
Rachel nodded quietly
"Why didn't you take it further? I know your personal feelings about me. Don't try telling me it was out of the 'Goodness of your heart'" he questioned
Rachel wanted to laugh out loud at that. It seemed their dislike, or hatred for one another was completely mutual.
"How well do you know your daughter, Ralph? Do you know what interests her? How she feels about things? Or do you just project your opinions onto her and expect her to share them?"
Ralph glared at her
"Are you implying there's a problem with how I'm bringing up my daughter?" he snapped back
"No" Rachel replied firmly
"Suddenly you're the 'Expert' in parenting, are you?" he huffed
"No. But I know a very unhappy child when I see one. You need to get to know her, and she needs a good Dad. She needs a stable home life. I don't think losing your job would be the best thing for her, would it?"
"I was only trying to protect her from a bad influence!" Ralph argued
Rachel scoffed
"Flick could do a hell of a lot worse than Marley Kelly! If you're looking to fling some mud around, fling it at yourself!"
She turned away, stepping out of the front doors and out of sight.
...
Eddie walked into the house, placing the shopping bags down carefully. He took off his coat and shoes.
It felt odd, returning home without Rachel. They always came home together now.
He'd really messed up, he knew that. If he was honest, he'd forgotten about that period in his life completely until today. Not just because it was embarrassing, but because it was so insignificant to him. He was 18, always going along with his mates and what they believed. It was only when he went to University, aged 21, that he started to think for himself and formed his own beliefs and opinions. He hadn't told Rachel about the drug protests, because he'd forgotten about them.
He knew how it looked to Rachel though. He'd seen the look on her face she when she first laid eyes on the photo. He'd lied to her, he wasn't as 'Anti-drugs' as he'd claimed to be (even though he was). She'd had a clear understanding of Eddie and who he was. And now, after this, she probably wasn't so sure anymore. It had made her question everything. He needed a chance to explain, and he hoped she would give him that when she got home.
"Eddie?"
Eddie turned to see Philip stood in front of him, looking awkward and uncomfortable. He was upset with Philip, there was no denying that. But he regretted the way he'd spoken to him earlier.
"Look, I'm really sorry about what I did," he started
Eddie put a hand up to silence him
"I know. It's ok"
"I just... wanted to fit in. I wanted to be liked, you know? I thought it would be a laugh, sending Michaela that photo. I didn't know she was going to take it that far" Philip explained
Eddie nodded. Weirdly enough, he did understand.
"It doesn't excuse your behaviour, Philip. But, I'm willing to put it behind us, ok?"
Philip nodded
"Are you staying for dinner?" Eddie asked, picking up the shopping bags
"No, I'm going out with a few friends in a minute. I'll get something while I'm out. You and Rachel enjoy your evening"
Eddie nodded, watching Philip leave.
...
An hour later...
Rachel stepped into the hallway, putting her bag down before removing her coat and shoes. She sighed. It had been a long day, and it wasn't even over yet. She had to settle things with Eddie, which is why her first stop was the kitchen.
She stood in the doorway, watching as he chopped up some chicken and vegetables for the curry he was making.
He looked up at her, smiling cautiously. He felt terrible for the way he'd acted today, and Rachel felt terrible for the way that she'd acted. They'd upset each other, and they needed to sort it out.
"Did you sort things out with the Kelly's?" he asked, breaking the deafening silence
"Yes. They'll be at school tomorrow bright and early, Rose included" she nodded
"Good. And Ralph?"
"He resigned. I gave him a few home truths about Flick too" she told him
Eddie nodded quietly, continuing to chop the mushrooms.
Rachel walked over to him, wrapping him in a hug. Eddie hugged her back, pulling her closer to him, breathing in the scent of her perfume, his favourite scent ever.
"I'm sorry" she whispered
"It wasn't your fault, Rach. It was mine. I should have told you about those drug protests I went on when I was younger. You had the courage to tell me about your past, and I lied to you about mine, I'm sorry"
She shook her head.
"I'm not mad at you. I'd be a hypocrite if I was. We've all done stupid things in the past that we regret, I'm not going to judge you for that"
Eddie smiled with a nod
"Who found that photo of you in the first place?" she asked
Eddie sighed. He'd hoped she wouldn't ask.
"Don't get mad... it was Philip" he admitted
She groaned, putting her head in her hands
"Are you serious?" she checked
He nodded
"He sent it to Michaela. Michaela printed it off and gave copies to almost all the kids in the school" he explained
Rachel shook her head in despair. She really thought they'd been making progress with Philip. And he'd thrown it back in their faces.
"It's alright, I sorted it. You don't need to do anything else" he reassured
"Good. I don't think I can have another argument with him" she sighed
"I know. Let's just pretend it didn't happen, yeah?" he suggested, rubbing her arm with his thumb
She nodded, pulling him towards her, kissing him passionately. Eddie smiled, leaning into the kiss.
They pulled apart for breath.
"Do me a favour will you?" she said, breaking the silence
"Anything, Rach" he nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist
"Don't ever grow your hair that long again! And don't get a fringe!" she smirked
Eddie chuckled
"Is that a turn off for you?" he teased
"Definitely!" she laughed
Eddie grinned mischievously
"What about this?" he asked, placing gentle, butterfly kisses on her neck
Rachel giggled, sighing contentedly as he continued
"Definitely not a turn off, Lawson" she breathed
Eddie smirked at the way she was blushing. He wrapped his arms around her waist again.
"You know, after an argument, most couples have make-up sex... what do you think?"
Rachel smirked, raising an eyebrow
"Philip's out for the evening, we have the whole night to... make-up" he added
Rachel rolled her eyes playfully. This was the sixth time in a week. She wasn't going to say no, though. How could she turn down Eddie Lawson?
"You just can't keep your hands off me, can you, Lawson?" she huffed, pretending to be annoyed
"Is that a yes? Or do I need to put 20p in the 'Idiot Jar'?" he asked, pulling her further towards him
She giggled. She didn't even know why she'd said that mid-argument. It seemed to emphasise her anger towards him at the time, but now it was just something for Eddie to tease her about.
"Rach?" he whispered, pulling her from her thoughts
She rolled her eyes
"Fine, Lawson. You win" she giggled, kissing him again
He grinned, delighting in her squeal when he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the sofa.