Max Lyndell slouched in the chair, scowling. The boy would no doubt break hearts at some point in his life with those brooding looks, but right now all he seemed intent on breaking were rules and anything in Clara’s office he could get his hands on.
‘It’s ok to be angry,’ Adele Robson said, crossing her long legs and leaning forward. ‘But it’s not ok to damage property.’
Max shifted, eyeing both of them with a mixture of defiance and boredom before reaching out to flick a pen off Clara’s desk.
Clara watched the pen skitter to the floor but didn’t react. Adele’s jaw went rigid, but she said nothing either, her eyes not leaving Max.
‘Max, I know it’s not easy being in here.’ Clara fiddled with the ring on her middle finger. ‘But why don’t you tell us why you’re angry with Mr Halley?’
There had been another flare up in Kerr’s class, which was strange as Kerr was one of the most laid-back teachers in the school, but Clara remembered Kerr’s self-confessed outburst atMax and was pretty sure it had a lot to do with that. Max was anti-authority, so being told off always incensed him.
Max snorted, folding his arms. ‘What’s the point? It’s all a waste of time anyway. And he’s just a dick.’
‘Max, personal insults are not acceptable,’ Clara said.
He gave an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes, before sagging back in the chair, making it scrape against the floor. ‘It wasn’t an insult. Just the truth. He thinks he’s so fucking cool and that he’s one of us, but he’s an old git.’
‘No need for the bad language either,’ Adele said.
Clara almost smiled. Kerr was younger than her by a few years, so that must make her ancient. And as for Adele, who was approaching forty… Well, the look on her face said everything, though Clara couldn’t imagine Adele being anything but beautiful, sophisticated, and completely together no matter what age she was.
‘Max, we understand you’re frustrated,’ Clara said. ‘But we’re trying to find a way to make school work for you. Insulting the teachers isn’t going to help.’
Max’s hand shot out again, flicking a small notepad off the edge of the desk. ‘Well, he insults me.’ Clara’s stomach clenched – her desk was her space, carefully organised, and set out to look welcoming, much like everything she put in here. But she forced herself to ignore the disruption.
‘Max.’ Adele shook her head. ‘Damaging Miss Morgan’s property is not ok.’
‘Who the fuck do you think you are? You’re not my mum.’ Max pulled a face at her.
Adele’s expression said,thank god for that. ‘That language is inappropriate for school.’
Max snorted.
‘How do you think Mr Halley has insulted you?’ Clara looked him in the eye.
‘He yelled at me. It was rude.’
‘His intention wasn’t to be rude, Max. You were being disruptive in the corridor, and you’ve continued that disruption in class this week. He’s let it go one too many times. If you poke a bear too often, you run the risk of it snapping. Consider your behaviour in this.’
He let out a bored groan and lounged back in his seat.
‘We’re here to help you.’ Adele took a deep breath. ‘But if you refuse to cooperate, we’ll have to take further steps, and that means calling your parents in again.’
For a moment, a flicker of something passed over Max’s face, but he only shrugged, refusing to meet either of their eyes.
‘How about you come and finish your lesson in my office?’ Adele suggested. ‘You might find it calmer.’
Max tapped his foot on the floor.
‘Max.’ Adele raised an eyebrow. ‘You have a choice. You can come to my office and work or stay here and work. But wasting time isn’t an option. If you choose to continue being rude and to damage property, then I have no choice but to contact your parents again.’
‘Yeah?’ Max glared at her, a defiant edge sharpening his gaze. ‘I suppose you just want to see my dad so you can screw him.’
Adele gave him a look that could have cut glass. ‘That kind of statement is not helpful. You’re in here complaining about teachers being rude to you, while you’re talking to us like that? What do you think your parents would make of it?’
Clara watched the tiny flinch in Max’s expression. She’d seen it occasionally with him, though not often, a flicker of vulnerability buried in there somewhere.
‘Look, Max,’ she said. ‘No one’s trying to make your life difficult. We just want to help you get where you need to be.’
