Eddie stepped into Rachel's office, clearing his throat so she knew he was there. She looked up at him wearily. Eddie's concern only grew when he saw how miserable she looked. Her eyes were clouded with fatigue.
"No arguments, Rach. We're going out tonight" he announced
She frowned at him
"What are you on about now?"
"Me, you and Philip are going out tonight. My treat, I'm arranging it all" he told her
Rachel sighed, rubbing her eyes
"Eddie, I can't! Look how much work I've got to do!" she whined, pointing to the huge pile of paperwork beside her
"Rach, it'll still be here tomorrow waiting for you!" he reasoned
"Yes, and then I'll have double the paperwork to do!" she argued
"Well, I'll help you with it! I have most of the day free tomorrow" he shrugged
Rachel threw her head back against her chair in frustration. He wasn't listening to her. She was too tired for this.
"It's not that simple, Eddie" she sighed
"Rach, is the world going to end if you don't get that paperwork done tonight?" he asked
"No, but,"
"Is the school going to explode if you don't get that paperwork done tonight?"
"No, but I..."
"Is the paperwork going to magically grow legs and run off if you leave it till tomorrow?"
Rachel giggled
"Ok, ok, you've made your point! I'll come, but only if you tell me where we're going!"
"Well, Philip likes Bowling, so I thought we could go there. Then, I thought we could drop Philip back at home and we can go for dinner"
"Isn't Philip coming for dinner?" Rachel questioned
"He said he didn't want to. It took enough persuading to get him to agree to come Bowling with us!" he explained
Rachel chuckled
"So, are you in?" Eddie asked
"I guess so" she nodded
"Perfect" he smiled, kissing her lips gently
Eddie tilted her chin so she was looking into his eyes. She smiled at him weakly.
"Are you ok?" he asked
"Just tired" she nodded
"No paperwork tonight, Rach. You, me and Philip are going Bowling, then we're going out for dinner. And after that, I'm going to run you a bath and you can have an early night, ok?"
"Wow, you've really planned all this out, haven't you?" she giggled
"Only because I'm worried about you, Rach. You need a break. You'll burn yourself out if you're not careful" he sighed
"I guess one night off won't hurt" she nodded
"It won't, Rach. You can't keep going like this, you'll be ill"
"I know. I just want to do my job properly" she sighed
"And you are. More than properly if you ask me" He smiled, kissing her forehead
She smiled, blushing furiously
"If you want me to have a paperwork free evening, I suggest you get on your way, Mr Lawson" she teased, pushing him away from her
"Alright, alright, I'm going! I've got to go and meet this Falconry guy anyway" he chuckled
Rachel sighed. Eddie had mentioned it to her last night. She wasn't overly keen on the idea of someone coming in to do a Falconry Demonstration, but he'd already organised it all and was confident that it would be good for Earl. Rachel wasn't so sure and already had a feeling it would cause trouble. She'd been too tired last night to articulate her thoughts, but she wasn't now.
"Do you really think this Falconry Demonstration is a good idea?" she asked
"You asked me to look after the Earl situation" Eddie shrugged
Rachel sighed, looking at the photos of the dead birds Tom had given her. It made her feel sick knowing that someone was doing this. But knowing it was potentially one of their pupils doing it made it even worse.
"We don't even know if this has anything to do with Earl, or any of the students!" she huffed
"Tom seems convinced" Eddie pointed out
Rachel rolled her eyes
"Yes, well, Tom's been saying a lot of things. Hiring this guy, it just makes it look like we're saying Earl is guilty!"
"It's not all about him, Rach. There are other kids that will benefit from an experience like this!"
Rachel sighed
"Besides, if this bloke can train wild animals to do what he tells them to..." he added
Rachel scoffed
"I think our kids will need a bit more than bird seed, Eddie!"
"So do Falcons. It takes a lot of patience to earn their trust. It'll be a good lesson in discipline and responsibility"
Rachel nodded hesitantly
"Trust me, Rach" he whispered, rubbing his hands up and down her arms to calm her anxiety
She sighed
"You haven't left me a lot of choice, have you?" she giggled
"You asked me to handle it, and I am. It's going to be fine, Rach, I promise" he reassured
"Ok, I trust you. But remember it's my name on the risk assessment" she nodded
"It'll go like clockwork" he promised, kissing her cheek softly before leaving
Rachel sighed. She hoped for everyone's sake it went well.
...
Eddie took the Lessons for Life group outside to greet Steve Webb, who was leading the Falconry Demonstration.
"Right, you lot! Lessons are cancelled. I thought I'd change the pecking order for today... so I've drafted in the flying squad" he announced to the group
He paused in his tracks, pointing to Steve, who was stood a few metres away him, a Falcon perched on his arm.
The students turned to each other, whispering in excitement.
Earl on the other hand, eyed Eddie suspiciously. He knew what he was up to.
"Come on" Eddie instructed, beckoning the kids over to Steve
Everyone gathered in a circle around Steve, watching him as he stroked the Falcon resting comfortably on his arm. Steve greeted them all with a smile.
"Falconry is the oldest sport in the world. Anyone done it before?" Steve asked, looking around the group
"My Granddad's got Kes on video" Paul piped up
"Well, it's a start!" Steve shrugged
"It's not a sport!" Michaela huffed angrily
"No?" Steve questioned
Michaela shook her head matter of factly. Steve smiled at her.
"Javelin, Discus and Shot-Put all originated from hunting. You, versus your opponent in a race to catch prey"
"The only difference is the weapon you use" Eddie added
Steve nodded
"I suppose some of you like to think you're top of the food chain, eh? Well, these birds are the real deal. Highly skilled predators who hunt smaller animals for survival"
Eddie watched Earl carefully out of the corner of his eye, noticing the way he was staring intensely at the Falcons. He couldn't lie, it unsettled him.
Steve picked up a tray with a cover draped over it.
"Anyone hungry? What about you, young man?"
Steve walked over to Earl, uncovering the tray, which had dead birds on it.
Earl looked from Steve to Eddie, his eyes flashing with anger.
"Is this a wind-up?" he asked through gritted teeth
"Eh?" Eddie frowned
Earl strode over to him furiously
"You think I put those birds on Tom's door-step like everyone else, don't you?" he hissed
"It's got nothing to do with that" Eddie said firmly
Earl rolled his eyes
"Either way, you're trying to make a fool of me!" he huffed, walking away
Eddie shook his head. This hadn't been his intention. None of this was about trying to make Earl uncomfortable, but it had become all about that anyway.
...
In the staffroom, Grantly and Tom were watching the Falconry Demonstration from the window.
"Bringing birds to a bird killer?" Tom huffed, shaking his head in disbelief
"Still getting mysterious gifts at your door?" Grantly asked, sipping a coffee as he looked out of the window
Tom nodded
"There'll be a horse's head in my bed next" he grumbled
Grantly let out a small laugh.
"The Council said I have to get it on camera. One more strike and they're out"
"Oh, Eddie and Rachel will be pleased!" Grantly murmured sarcastically
"It'll take more than a bloody bird show to get through to that lad" Tom sighed
"I'll give it till the end of the day before the little hooligan bites it's head off and spits it back in Eddie's face" Grantly chuckled
"Yeah, more like lunchtime" Tom huffed
Grantly raised an eyebrow at him curiously.
"A small wager, is it? Shall we say 50?" he challenged
Tom thought for a moment.
"Oh, you good for it this time, are you?" Tom teased
"Of course!" Grantly shot back defensively
Tom sighed. He didn't feel comfortable with money being involved in this. But they could compromise.
"How about we say the loser has to do the other one's marking for a month?" Tom suggested, offering Grantly his hand to shake
Grantly paused for a moment, before shaking his hand in agreement.
"He'll be wreaking havoc by lunch" Tom guaranteed
...
Earl sat on the grass, a few metres away from the rest of his classmates. He was furious. They were all taking the mick out of him.
Eddie approached him slowly, having given him a few minutes to cool off.
"Hey, this isn't what you think. Steve is here for everyone's benefit"
Earl scoffed
"Do me a favour! You might as well paint 'Guilty' on my forehead! Do you honestly think I'm crazy enough to be hurting those little animals, like Tom says?" he questioned
"No, I don't!" Eddie answered
"What's all this for then?" Earl enquired angrily
"To make a point. Show them you're not what they say! Look, Earl, I'm one of the few people fighting your corner right now. I went to a lot of trouble organising this. Do you want to throw it back in my face?"
Earl glanced at him briefly before turning away again.
Eddie sighed.
"Fine. Jack it in. Prove you've got something to hide" he shrugged, turning to walk away
Earl stood up abruptly. He knew exactly what game Eddie was playing.
"Ah! Reverse psychology!"
Eddie turned around
"All right, you want honesty? How about this, if you fail, I fail"
"Better" Earl mumbled
"Just don't expect me to enjoy it" he added, storming away
Eddie sighed. It was true. If this didn't go well, he'd be the one in trouble. Rachel trusted him with this. He wasn't going to let her down.
...
Meanwhile, Rachel was on her way back to her office, after taking a short break from the mountain of paperwork sitting on her desk.
She frowned as she spotted Marley, writing something on the notice board.
"It's not like you to be vandalising school property, Mr Kelly" she called to him, walking down the stairs to join him
Marley smiled at her politely, putting the lid back on his pen.
"I'm just taking my name off this Head Boy thingy" he explained
"Oh" Rachel replied, a little surprised
"It wasn't my idea really. Flick did it without asking" he sighed
"I know, she just told me... she obviously feels quite strongly that you should be in the running. They've been voting for you all week" she told him
"Its fine, Miss, I'm not really good at responsibility anyway" Marley shrugged
Rachel knew that wasn't true at all. Marley was more than capable of being responsible. To her, it seemed he had no choice or say in the matter.
"You seem quite responsible for your family" Rachel commented
"Yeah?"
"Yeah" she repeated, offering a small smile
"You should try telling that to my Mum" he sighed, walking away
Rachel sighed. Marley Kelly was a talented young man. He could go far in life, if he just believed in himself a bit more. He had zero self-confidence in his abilities, and it upset Rachel. Everyone had potential. She wanted to give Marley every chance and opportunity. He deserved it. But his family seemed to be holding him back massively. He felt responsible for them. She knew the feeling; she'd been there herself once. No 17 year old should be put in a position where they are responsible for their siblings and parents. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't right. If she could just talk to Rose, get her to take some of the pressure off him in his home life, she could make a start.
That was when she decided she was going to call Rose in to have a chat with her. Not just about Marley, but Earl too.
She headed back to her office.