‘Nah, I’m telling you, Miss,’ Max insisted, grinning. ‘The way he looked at you…’ He pulled a face and went, ‘Oooooh,’ in a really annoying way.
‘Enough nonsense.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Now, why don’t you boys get into class.’
‘It’s break.’ Max smirked and gave her a smug look, like he knew something she didn’t.
‘Well… off you go anyway.’ Clara watched him and his friends heading down the corridor, laughing, and frowned. No way was she going to trust the judgement of a fifteen-year-old boy – especially Max Lyndell. Sam didn’t fancy her. No one would after this morning’s judgement.
She hurried to her office as she had a meeting with Isabella Denby and her mum after lunch to prepare for. Immersing herself in work definitely helped to keep her mind busy, but she couldn’t wait to get home and give Skye a huge cuddle. In the meantime, she had to satisfy herself with looking at the photo her dog walker, Aidan, had sent her. She smiled at how ridiculously happy Skye looked with the other dogs. She was such a sociable wee thing.
Normally, Clara was too, and enjoyed seeing her colleagues at lunchtime, but today she couldn’t face it. A few people knew she’d had an appointment, and she didn’t want to run the risk of them asking about it, so she had lunch in her office.
Soon after, Isabella and her mum arrived at the door. Isabella was fidgeting with the strap of her backpack, while her mum gently rubbed her shoulder.
‘Come in.’ Clara opened her office door wide. ‘It’s good to see you.’
They followed her in.
‘Take a seat, my lovelies, and would you like a drink of water or anything?’
‘I think we’re ok,’ Mrs Denby said, and Isabella nodded.
‘Perfect.’ Clara took one of the comfy chairs across from them and leaned in just slightly. ‘Now, Isabella, I’ve been hearing great things about you from the teachers of the classes you’ve already returned to. Miss Ritchie says you’re doing really well, and Mr Addison has nothing but good things to say about you. Both of them think you’ll manage to up your subjects as long as you keep getting the support you need, but how do you feel?’
Isabella glanced down at her hands. ‘Um, Mr Addison talked to me about it.’ She glanced up at Clara. ‘He thought it would be a good idea… to get ready for the exams. And he said the other teachers would be ok if we used the thumbs up way to let them know if I had to leave class or whatever.’
Clara’s smile deepened. Bless him. He was such a thoughtful guy. ‘That sounds like a good idea, and I know all your teachers would be happy with that. But remember, this decision is all about what feels right for you. If you’d like, we could start with just one or two extra subjects now – just to see how it goes. The decision is yours.’
‘I think I could start my normal timetable again, if the teachers let me leave if I need to.’
‘Of course.’ Clara clasped her hands together. ‘I think that’s a brave decision and we’ll make sure you have all the support you need, and if anything feels too much, you can always let us know.’ She exchanged a glance with Mrs Denby, who smiled.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘This is so helpful. And please can you thank Miss Ritchie and Mr Addison? They’ve been so good with her.’
‘I’ll pass that on.’ Clara beamed at them both. ‘Are you up for starting this tomorrow?’
‘Yeah, ok.’
‘What class do you have first?’
‘Um… social studies with Ms Bonham.’
‘Oh, that’s good, because you tried her class already last week, didn’t you?’
‘Yeah. It was good.’
Clara got to her feet. ‘I’ll let her know you’re coming in and I’ll have a word with all your teachers to make sure they know what’s what.’
Mrs Denby thanked her again on the way out, and Clara gave Isabella a little pat on the back. A pain in her chest made her gulp. She loved her job – helping kids find their way, but it was hard when she was feeling so lost herself.
When the bell rang after school, Clara headed to the staffroom to see if Brenna was there, but it was empty. As she went to leave, Lissa came in singing with her unmissable voice. She seemed to be doing a rather good impression of Pavarotti and fell apart laughing when she finished. P.E. teacher Finlay, who had come in with her, was shaking his head and laughing.
‘You’re utterly insane,’ he said.
‘Why, thank you.’ Lissa curtseyed. ‘How’s your wife doing, by the way? And the new baby.’
‘Both great,’ Finlay said. ‘I miss the wee bub when I’m here. She’s a beauty. And Genevieve’s doing so well with her. She’s a great mum.’
‘I’m glad.’ Lissa patted his arm, and Clara kept smiling as Finlay chatted some more about his baby, though her insides were caving in.
