CHAPTER THREE

Rachel collapsed on the sofa as soon as she got home. It had been a long day and an even longer few weeks. As rewarding as the job was, it was also draining; and the recent revelations had only added to that.

Almost as soon as she sat down, though, her phone began to ring. She'd been anticipating it, but had rather hoped to have at least a little time to relax before the storm hit. With a heaving sigh, she hit the accept button.

After the events of the day, Belle had expected a massive fallout at home; the school had to inform her father of her behaviour. To her complete shock, her evening was much the same as the one before, with her father locked in his study on what she assumed was one of his work calls.

She flung herself on her bed when she got in, groaning into her pillow. She'd had a narrow escape today and she knew it. If it hadn't been for Miss Mason…

She pulled out her phone, finding several texts from her friends congratulating her on giving Michaela White a black eye, an MMS from Paul with the video of the fight attached that appeared to be part of a mass text he'd sent, and more surprisingly; a text from Bolton reading: 'hrd bout Michaela, well out of order. nice rite huk tho. BX'

She smiled slightly before settling back on her bed and pulling out her book for english class.

The next day was peaceful. Once again, Belle arrived in a good mood. This time though, when she smiled at her headteacher, she got a small wave in return. When her friends arrived, they were loud and boisterous, laughing and still talking about the fight. Bolton sidled up to her.

"Yo, mad respect for not taking Michaela's crap. S'cool that you can stand up for yourself 'n' stuff."

She smiled at him. "Thanks. Did get me landed in the cooler for two days though!"

"Yeah well, maybe I'll come join ya! Mouth off, start another fight meself?"

"What, just to keep me company?"

"Maybe," he looked away, trying to act casual and unbothered, "solidarity, innit? Me in a fight cos of me dad, 'n' you cos of yer mum."

"Yeah, I guess. Solidarity."

The day passed slowly, doing classwork and subtly checking her phone when one of the teachers popped out the room or when Grantly nodded off. Her mates were keeping her up to date on the drama, and at Waterloo Road there was a lot. She spent lunch outside, joining Danielle and Aleesha in a lighthearted boys versus girls football match against Bolton, Paul and Dom. True to his word, after lunch Belle was indeed joined by Bolton in the cooler for giving cheek to Miss Haydock. If any of the teachers suspected any ulterior motives however, they didn't say anything.

"When you said you'd come keep me company, I didn't think you meant it!" She muttered to him.

"I was just bored, wasn't I?" He grinned.

"What, like it ain't boring in here?"

"Nah. At least, it's not when I ain't alone."

At the glare and reprimand from the science teacher on cooler duty, the pair fell silent, but continued to exchange grins.

Rachel happened to pass in the corridor and caught the interaction. She was under no illusion that Bolton being there was a coincidence, but it reminded her of the other day, seeing Belle talk him down effortlessly, and she wondered if they might just end up being positive influences on each other. With a wry smile and an unreadable emotion in her eyes, she continued on her way.

Belle should have known the day was too good to last. She'd stayed an extra hour in the music room as usual, then made her way home.

Within seconds of entering the house, she knew what kind of night it was going to be. Her father was grumbling angrily and letting out the occasional yell in the living room, and the could hear thumping as his heavy footsteps hit the floor.

"Izzy?" He barked after hearing the door close behind her.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Just where the hell have you been?"

She peeked round the door, allowing the frame to shield most of her already trembling body.

"I was doing my music Dad, like you asked. So it can be perfect."

He didn't comment, but stared her down with a critical eye. "Get in here, now!"

She took a hesitant step into the room.

"Do you have any idea what kind of problems I've had because of you this week?" He stalked over, towering over her.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again, it was just one fight-"

"I'm not talking about some petty squabble with your classmate!" He shoved her backwards into the wall. Her back would bruise, she knew it. "I'm talking about REAL! ADULT! PROBLEMS!" He roared, flecks of spit flying from his mouth. He punctuated each word by grabbing her by the arms and slamming her repeatedly into the wall.

Her head had been knocked, and he was gripping her arms so tightly he'd leave finger marks the next day, but it wasn't over. He flung her across the room, and she landed with a crash, her shoulder hitting the coffee table before she crumpled to the floor. Then he was kicking, still yelling almost unintelligibly about how difficult she was, how she ruined his life, how she was nothing more than a waste of space.

Belle didn't move until ten minutes after his outburst was over, and he'd left the room for his study. She half stumbled, half ran her way to her room, before closing the door behind her and sliding down it. Only when she was in the confines of her room did she allow herself to cry.

On the other side of Rochdale, Rachel Mason was sat at her kitchen table with a glass of wine, on the phone with her deputy.

"Why are you so invested in Belle Munroe, Rach? She's hardly our biggest troublemaker."

"I know, I know. There's just...something off there. How jumpy she is about her home life. Just ask around, will you? Perhaps her other teachers have noticed something? Maybe start with Matt and Tom?" Rachel subconsciously started fiddling with her necklace; a nervous habit.

"I'll give it a look. But honestly, she isn't displaying any of the typical signs: she gets high marks in almost every subject, she takes part in numerous extra-curriculars, she has a good group of mates. Yeah, she's got a bit of a temper but that's about it!"

"I know, I know. Call it a gut instinct though? Don't you find it odd that she's always at school so early? Before me, even!"

"Perhaps." There was a brief pause on the other end of the phone. "Rach, is there a reason you're getting so involved with Belle?"

Rachel closed her eyes and allowed her head to drop onto her arm. She debated trusting Eddie with this, just telling him straight up and allowing him to perhaps help her out? But her natural instinct to push him away and keep her walls up won out. "No, no. Just concern for a potentially at-risk child."

She finished the phone call wondering whether she maybe should have trusted him, but it was too late by then. This would have to remain one of her many secrets.

So there you have it- Belle's secret is revealed. Thanks for all your kind reviews, it means so much to me! I'm going to be very cheeky though, and ask for your opinions on two specific things:

1. The next chapter is a big one- it's the big one! I'm only halfway through writing and it's already at 2k! Would you guys rather I finish and upload one long chapter, or would you rather I split it up into two? There are a few places I can see to do this, but I want your opinions.

2. It has been mentioned that this trope has been done a lot, which I am more than aware of! So to counter this so you guys don't feel like you're reading the same story again and again, I was hoping you'd give me some trope feedback: what do you like with these stories, what's been done to death, what would you like to see more of? Do you prefer canon divergence? I'm looking for ways to make this story a little more original, and the best people to ask for these ideas are you lovely people- the ones who read them!

Thank you all!