Page 52 of Between Us

‘This isn’t anything like as bad as my indiscretion,’ Wendy said. ‘You’re blameless. You’ve not been caught with your tongue down the throat of a man who wore nubuck action sandals.’

Roisin actually guffawed.

‘Some advice from an older owl. You need to go on the offensive. Make it clear that discussion of this programme, let alone waving phones around, will mean they’re sent straight to me. I know you wield authority with a light touch but sometimes, I’m afraid, discipline has to be a big stick.’

‘I feel as if I do that, I’ll admit it’s getting to me.’

‘They will briefly thrill to the announcement, for that reason. But then it’s over. My general point is in the eye of the storm – and this isn’t a storm, believe me – it feels impossible it’ll ever lose its sting. But it will, and faster than you think.’

‘Thank you, Wendy,’ Roisin said. ‘That helps.’

‘OK. Take the rest of the week off. I have a supply in Humanities here who was at a loose end anyway—’ She raised her palm as Roisin’s mouth opened in amazement and objection. ‘No, itwon’tbe an admission of defeat. You know as well as I do, this last week is febrile. It’s more like being riot police than an educator. They’ve tasted blood in thewater. Unfortunately, you’re not going to be the one to get their mind on the set texts.’

Roisin was mortified. She’d not thought this was heading in the direction of her being unfit.

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‘This really isn’t necessary … Honestly, it’ll blow over, like you said.’

‘Roisin,’ Wendy said, in an emollient tone, ‘this isn’t a vote of No Confidence in you. It’s valuing my staff’s wellbeing. I don’t want you to have a harder time than is necessary. It’s four days. Go enjoy yourself.’ She leaned back and waved her hand. ‘Plus, your partner’s show is on again, when? That ending was a cliff-hanger, wasn’t it?’

Roisin inwardly recoiled at the casual reveal that Wendy had seen it. She’d been so ridiculously naive.SEENhad generated catchphrases and memes. Sometimes, modesty was just a posh form of stupidity.

‘Next Saturday.’

‘There may be trailers and suchlike? Are they still called trailers? TikTok is a foreign land to me.’

‘When I come back next year, won’t it be a thing that I walked out?’

‘They’re fourteen. They were raised on social media. I can promise you that in September, the discussion points of Julywill be like recalling The Wars of the Roses to them.’

Roisin was not wholly convinced. But it was not wise or tactful to argue with a boss being nice to her, who had obviously made up her mind.

‘OK then. Thank you.’

‘Have a lovely six-week break,’ Wendy said, standing, and Roisin followed suit. ‘Going away at all?’

‘Ah, no plans yet. Was going to paint the sitting room but couldn’t agree on a colour,’ Roisin said. They’d talked of getting a last-minute dot com deal to somewhere in Europe. Now it would be The Summer She And Joe Split.

‘Sounds relaxing. See friends, eat and drink outdoors as much as you can, paint that sitting room, and we’ll hit the ground running in the autumn,’ Wendy said.

‘Wendy,’ Roisin said, as she showed her out, ‘Were you still able to expel the pupil? The one who saw you and Neil together?’

‘No,’ she said. ‘The devious little shit got so very lucky. It would’ve looked too much like revenge, and he had the kind of vocal parents who would’ve been straight on to the local rag. Guess where he is now?’

‘Prison?’

‘A rising-star Tory MP.’

Roisin groaned.

She hoped she’d convincingly feigned being both grateful and emotionally stable as she thanked Wendy and returned to her classroom to collect her things. She carefully made no eye contact with anyone in the corridors but felt numerous sidelong glances.

Oh God; the stories that would be doing the rounds, that they showed Miss Walters a clip of her bloke’s sex show, and she fainted. It caused a whiplash of embarrassment so strong that Roisin almost wailed aloud, recalling it.

Short of the students getting hold of nudes, she struggled to imagine what could feel more exposing. The only way it would have been survivable, dignity-wise, was if she’d playedHunteroff as nothing. That option was not open to her any more.

In her abandoned classroom, Roisin saw a folded piece of lined A4 on her desk. She unfolded it with trepidation, to see crude blue biro art of a spurting cock and balls with YOUR BOYFREIND (sic) written underneath it.

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