Ten minutes later...
Rachel was finishing tidying away her desk, when Bridget knocked on the door. Rachel looked up, smiling.
"The Inspector has arrived, Miss Mason. She's in Reception" Bridget explained
"Thanks, Bridget" Rachel nodded
She stood up, smoothing her hands down her trousers nervously. The lump forming in her throat was growing bigger by the minute.
She took a deep breath before leaving the office, ignoring the fact that her stomach was doing back flips. Nerves were a good thing, right? If she wasn't nervous for a day like today, it would suggest she didn't care, wouldn't it? But, there was a difference between nerves and worrying yourself sick.
As she walked down the stairs, she could hear someone yelling angrily by the lockers. She frowned, leaning over the railing, her eyes falling on Earl. He had his phone pressed to his ear as he paced up and down, spitting his words angrily. Whoever he was talking to, he was threatening. And Rachel didn't like it.
"Everything alright, Earl?" she interrupted, stomping down another few steps so he could see her properly
Earl spun around, putting the phone down. His cold, black eyes glared at her.
"What's it got to do with you?" he snarled
Rachel huffed, folding her arms. She wasn't about to let him get away with talking to her like that.
"Do you want to start that again, Earl, hmm?" she asked sternly, raising an eyebrow
Earl's face softened
"I'm sorry, Miss" he mumbled
She nodded. She knew he probably hadn't meant to snap at her. The Kelly Family had their Social Services Assessment today. She could only imagine how nervous he was feeling, and how desperate he was to be reunited with his Mum. Rachel was hoping it would be a good outcome for all of them. Rose had been working hard in the canteen alongside Candice, and Earl's behaviour had turned a corner, even if he was still a flight risk. Sam and Marley were settled and enjoying their studies too. They all deserved to be able to live under the same roof again.
"So, how are you feeling about today?" she asked him
Earl frowned at her
"Your Social Services Assessment?" she prompted
"Oh... that. Yeah, it should be ok. That was my Mum on the phone just then, she's a bit stressed" he shrugged
"All the more reason to go easy on her then, isn't it?"
Earl nodded quietly
"We've got a big day here as well today. We've got an inspector coming in. So I only want to hear good things about you. And DO NOT let me catch you with that phone again, right?" she lectured
"Sure thing, Miss" he nodded
Rachel smiled politely, walking down the final few steps and turning in the direction of reception.
When she got there, the inspector was sat waiting on one of the chairs. To Rachel's surprise, the inspector was female. Usually, the LEA sent a male. But not this time.
Rachel couldn't help but notice that the Inspector looked a little repulsed. She didn't blame her. Paul Langley had just burped right next to her. Rachel groaned. She had planned on a less disgusting way to welcome their guest.
She took another deep breath, before walking over to her confidently. The Inspector spotted her immediately, offering a polite smile, which Rachel returned.
"Miss Mason? I'm Linda Fellows, the School Inspector" she introduced, offering her hand out for Rachel to shake
Rachel accepted, shaking the older woman's outstretched hand firmly.
"Thanks for the welcoming committee, so many schools don't bother these days" Linda added sarcastically, looking over at Paul and his friends
Rachel blushed in embarrassment, causing Linda to shake her head and smile kindly to put her at ease.
"I'm here to assess the school, Miss Mason. I don't expect you to have found a cure for teenage boys" she reassured
"That's a relief!" Rachel laughed nervously
She cleared her throat before continuing
"As you know, we are a broad-based community school, with recent innovations. We've got a breakfast club, a crèche..."
"All sounds great, Miss Mason. Let's start with the basics though, shall we?" Linda interrupted
Rachel nodded
"How about we kick off with the three Rs? Mr Lawson's Year 11 class?" Linda suggested
Rachel groaned internally
"Really? Well, that set does contain some of our most challenging pupils" she warned
"Including the infamous Earl Kelly" Linda smiled
"Yeah" Rachel nodded with a sigh
"Earl Kelly is quite a star at the LEA, Miss Mason. I want to see him in action!"
Rachel wanted to tell her that she really didn't. But she knew that part of the reason the LEA had sent an Inspector was to see how they, as a school, were handling the Kelly Family. Rachel just hoped that Earl wouldn't cause any trouble for her today.
...
"Right, settle down!" Eddie instructed his Year 11 class
He sighed in relief when even Earl immediately sat down and got his book out.
There was a knock on the door. Eddie turned his head to see Rachel stood in the doorway, an older woman beside her. He knew immediately by her authoritative stance that she was the Inspector from the LEA. He could also tell from the way that Rachel was subtly shaking.
"Sorry, Mr Lawson, can I just have a quick word?" Rachel requested
Eddie nodded, turning back to the his class
"Write the date in your books, please. I'll be outside" he instructed
Once the kids were on task, he followed Rachel out of the room.
"Eddie, this is Linda Fellows. She's the Inspector for the LEA. Linda, this is Mr Lawson... Eddie. My Deputy and one of our Maths teachers" Rachel introduced
Eddie and Linda smiled at each other before shaking hands.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Fellows" Eddie greeted
"Oh, please, call me Linda" she insisted
Eddie nodded
"Linda is going to sit in on your Year 11 class this morning" Rachel explained
"If that's ok, of course?" Linda piped up, noticing that Eddie suddenly looked nervous
"Yes, of course. We're focussing on percentages and ratios today. It's just a recap topic. Our Year 11's have their mock exams in January, as you know, so we're going over some things, as well as learning new things" Eddie informed
"Sounds great! I'll go in and take a seat" Linda smiled
Rachel nodded. She was leaning heavily on the windowsill in an attempt to keep her balance as she battled through yet another spell of dizziness and nausea. She put it down to walking up the stairs too fast.
Linda (thankfully) hadn't seemed to notice anything was amiss. But Eddie had. He could tell Rachel wasn't feeling well again from the way she was holding herself, from the way her brown eyes had glazed over. He waited until Linda had gone into the classroom before asking any questions.
Rachel smiled at him weakly before turning away. Eddie was quick, grabbing her arm gently as he turned her around to face him.
"Everything alright?" he questioned, lowering his voice
She nodded, swaying unsteadily on her feet.
"I just walked up the stairs too fast, that's all" she shrugged
Eddie sighed
"Why don't you come in and observe for a bit?" he suggested
Rachel shook her head
"No, it's ok. I'll go back to my office" she insisted, turning away again
"Rach," he protested
She turned to face him again.
"I'll be fine. I'll see you at lunch, ok?" she reassured
He nodded hesitantly, watching her walk away before heading back into the classroom.
The class were talking quietly amongst themselves. Linda eyed him suspiciously. She'd caught on that something wasn't quite right.
"Is everything alright?" she asked
"Yes, yes. Everything is fine" he nodded
"I just wondered. Rachel doesn't look very well, that's all" she commented
"She thinks she might have caught a stomach bug off one of the kids" he explained
Linda nodded
"I'll sit at the back of the room so I don't disturb you" she informed him
Eddie nodded, loading up the board
"Right! Let's carry on from where we left off last lesson, with percentages and ratios" Eddie announced
The class settled down immediately, reading the question on the board.
"So, they take 15,000 on the door, and the promoter takes 15%. The remaining balance is split between the band in the ration 2:3:5,"
"Fifteen grand?! That's some pricey door, sir! What's it made from, gold?" Earl shouted out
The class laughed
Eddie sighed, choosing to ignore him.
"So, how much does each member get?" he asked
The class fell silent.
"Anyone?" Eddie questioned
When there was no answer, Earl stood up, walking over to the board.
"The total number of share is what?" Earl asked the class
"Ten" the class answered
Earl nodded, taking the whiteboard pen off Eddie.
"And 13,500 divided by ten is what?"
"1,350" the class murmured
Earl nodded in approval, turning to the board again.
"Therefore, the split is 2,700, 4,050 and 6,750 to the lead singer... which isn't bad, considering he probably mimes to a backing track! And what with the bar takings, the vending machines and cloakrooms, the club itself doesn't do too badly either" Earl declared, handing the pen back to Eddie before returning to his seat
Eddie raised an eyebrow. He couldn't deny it, he was impressed! Somehow, he figured he didn't have to worry about Earl Kelly anymore. The kid was doing just fine on his own. And, judging by the look of approval and amazement on Linda's face, it seemed that the LEA was no longer going to be concerned either.
...
In the corridor, Maxine was heading over to the library to get some work done during her free lesson.
Steph spotted her, dashing out of her classroom to catch up with her. Maxine eyed her wearily.
"Are you alright, love?" Steph asked tentatively
Maxine rolled her eyes
"Listen, do you fancy a takeaway tonight, eh? I've got nothing in and after a day of being inspected, I will not fancy going to the shop!" Steph added with a chuckle
Normally, Maxine would have said no. Considering the two of them were currently at each other's throats, having a takeaway with Steph was the last thing she wanted to do. But, she thought it would be a good opportunity for herself and Earl to talk to Steph about their decision to start a family.
"If you like" she shrugged unenthusiastically
Steph looked at her, confused. Maxine was (usually) a lot more enthusiastic when it came to having a takeaway.
"Erm... Max? It's meant to be a treat! You could be a bit more excited than that!" Steph huffed
Maxine sighed
"I'm sorry... can Earl come round for dinner tonight?"
"Oh, Maxine!" Steph groaned, her smile dropping as she threw her head back in frustration
"Steph, we're serious..." Maxine argued, pausing in her tracks
Steph sighed when she saw the look on Maxine's face. She had a feeling Maxine was about to tell her something she really didn't want to hear.
"Me and Earl... we're thinking about starting a family"
"A family?" Steph asked, bewildered
"Yeah, that's right" Maxine nodded
"With Earl Kelly? Maxine, you can't be serious!" Steph scoffed
Maxine sighed. She knew Steph would react like this. But she didn't care what Steph thought or believed. This was what she wanted.
"I know what you're thinking, Steph, and it's not like that! We've been talking about it and planning, and he's changed, he really has!"
"Oh, Max..." Steph huffed, shaking her head in disbelief
"Steph, you should hear him! You should hear how he talks about having a baby! How he talks about me!" Maxine exclaimed
"Because he's telling you what you want to hear so he can twist you round his little finger, like he does with everybody else!" Steph shot back
Maxine glared at her.
"You're wrong, Earl loves me!"
Steph scoffed
"Oh, Max, if I had a pound for every..."
"This is different!" Maxine cried
"Max..."
Maxine stormed away angrily as the bell rang. Steph stood still, frozen in the middle of the corridor. She'd well and truly lost Maxine to Earl now. There was no saving her. He'd brainwashed her. She'd been wrong before, Earl already had Maxine wrapped around his little finger. Steph couldn't protect her anymore. She'd tried and all she'd done was push her away, for good this time.
Maxine was the only one left who could save herself.