Nine Years: A novel (Beneath the Clouds Book 1)

by Jessica Leed

  She wondered if he would freak out at the last minute like this. Prior to the day he had won every practice race in his P.E class on the very same oval as the one before him, proving time and time again that he was the competitor to beat. But she knew whenever he was placed outside his comfort zone, fear and doubt would take over. Even then, she had her concerns there was more going on than what met the eye.

  She kindly placed her hand on his bony shoulder and knelt down on the asphalt, immediately regretting her decision as her compression pants filled with water. ‘Just pretend that this is just another practice race, buddy. Focus in on what you have to do and forget about everyone around you.’

  He nervously eyed his classmates, holding the glance of one boy, who was pulling a face at him. Sienna followed his eyes and sent Jacob a stern look. He saw her warning and immediately turned. Nolan must have noticed and turned his eyes back on her. She flashed him a warm smile, showing him there was nothing to worry about.

  ‘I suppose I can try and do that.’ He nodded. ‘I am a pretty fast runner, right?’

  She grinned. ‘Most definitely.’ She leaned over. ‘The fastest,’ she whispered.

  He smiled back, his big eyes gleaming as she watched him march over to his peers with a confidence that had sprung from nowhere. He found a place and begun a focused stretch, like a true athlete.

  The sun suddenly appeared from the clouds, warming the track in an instant. What a bizarre day it was. One-minute freezing, then warm like a summer’s day the next. She could feel herself overheating so unzipped her jacket and tied it around her waist as she made her way over to Jacob. He saw her coming and hung his head, knowing that a consequence wasn’t far away.

  ‘Miss Sienna!’

  She hesitated, knowing exactly who the voice belonged to. The exact reason why she wanted to pretend she hadn’t heard it at all. Surely enough, jogging up to her was Damian—the school principal.

  He was a good-looking man; tall, dark and handsome with a thick British accent that seemed to be a selling point to the single mums who constantly hovered within a ten-metre radius of him. Especially at school events like these, where they willingly volunteered for the eye candy alone. She swore his muscles expanded a little more every day as they protruded from his athletic attire that was clearly too tight for him. She could only imagine how often he must work out to maintain a youthful figure when he had to be pushing late forties by now. How he found the time to fit what she imagined to be a very strict workout, she had no idea.

  Anyway, she didn’t want to think about it. She felt a swarm of eyes on her as he lunged into a deep hip flexor stretch right in front of her, as though he too was preparing to run the race.

  He smirked at her. ‘How are the little tackers coping today?’

  Maybe this wouldn’t be so painful.

  ‘They’ve done really well, despite the conditions.’ She studied the house points she had recorded for each event. Probably studying it a little too hard as Damian switched legs and deepened his lunge.

  ‘They are in fine form. You have done well … but I’m really not surprised.’

  She felt herself squirm, feeling her clothes cling tighter against her damp skin. It wasn’t the comment itself that made her feel uneasy, it was conversation starters like these that almost always, crossed the line.

  ‘You’re looking fit these days,’ he added.

  Yep, and there it was.

  Was he serious? The smirk on his face told her he was. She was disgusted to find his eyes wondering up and down her body as he stayed grounded in his stretch position, checking her out from below.

  Maybe it was a strategic move, the creep.

  Luckily the sound of the siren saved her just before she had the chance to respond.

  ‘Go Nolan! Go Jacob!’ she cheered, cupping her hand over her mouth, focusing on the students who whizzed by. She followed their every step from the side lines as they ran their little hearts out on the track. Just as she predicted, Nolan caught up, passing the others in no time, his legs powering towards the next team member whose hand was stretched out ready to receive the baton. She enjoyed watching one of her most timid students soar with a strength and confidence on the track she scarcely saw in the classroom.

  ‘Come and find me before presentations so we can cross check the house points.’

  There again was the voice she thought she had managed to escape as he had somehow caught up with her half way across the oval in the same space of time. It must have been those long legs of his, doubling her single stride.

  He patted her shoulder three or four times and gave it a little squeeze. With that he gave her a deliberate wink before he strode off towards the stadium, his chest puffed out like a bluebird.

  Cross check house points? It was the first time she had heard about this. It wasn’t a responsibility she had been assigned to today. No doubt an attempt to spend some one on one time with her. She lifted her eyes to find one of her colleagues glaring at her from the other side of the track before turning to the woman beside her. They both laughed as their eyes looked back at Sienna.

  She felt sick.

  She never asked for this and hated all the negative attention she seemed to be attracting. It wasn’t the first time Damian had shown an interest in her. It all began months ago when he transferred to the junior campus. For whatever reason, he was drawn to her. Sienna; the most introverted teacher at the school. The woman who always kept to herself.

  He would always find ways to be in her company, rolling off little flirtatious comments that nested uncomfortably in her stomach. It wasn’t like she gave him anything to work with, half the time too stunned to even form a response. She hated herself for not being assertive enough to make a stand. But what could she do? She didn’t want to do or say anything that would put her job in jeopardy, fearful of damaging Damian’s pride in the process.

  What started off as playful comments thrown around by her colleagues whom she once thought were her friends, quickly turned to jealously. Damian began to make quite the effort to signal her out during staff meetings, praising her for her smallest efforts, most recently the comments he made about the ‘astonishing’ results her students achieved in their Naplan testing. Her work colleagues loathed her without even knowing her. The sad thing was, they didn’t want to. According to the rumours, she was cheating on her fiancé with her boss to get to the top. It couldn’t have been further from the truth. It simply wasn’t the way she was wired. She would be stupid to anyway. And with Damian?

  Not a chance.

  Yes, the bloke was good looking but that was about all he had going for him.

  Her thoughts were interrupted as the crowd broke out in a roar of applause as the final students crossed the finishing line. Their faces all puffy, with bodies hunched over from exhaustion. Within seconds Nolan ran up to her, his eyes larger than life, his cheeks red and swollen from exertion.

  ‘We did it!’

  She reached out her hand and he sprung into the air to high five it. ‘I never doubted you for a moment!’

  He missed her hand and stumbled around for a bit.

  ‘Are you ok?’ she asked, watching him struggle to find his footing again.

  He nodded quickly and tried again, slamming his hand enthusiastically on hers this time. ‘That was the best fun, ever.’

  The uneasiness in her stomach settled. It was small victories like these that made her forget everything else. She inhaled and readjusted her clothing for about the twenty seventh time that afternoon. It was time to arrange her students into their groups for the final event. All she had to do was focus on the task at hand. As long as she kept her mind busy, she would make it through another day just fine.

  On a side note, she couldn’t wait to get home and change.

  Three

  It had been a busy morning organising student folios ready for the e
nd of the semester.

  Her students were tired, she could see that. She had recouped every last bit of energy to help push them through the last couple of weeks of the term that remained.

  It was the second last period of the day and her class were out at music class. She decided to spend her release period inside her room accompanied by the dreaded piles of papers on her desk, waiting to be marked and sent home in their portfolios. She sighed as she stared down at them. There was no such thing as a spare moment as a teacher. It just didn’t exist.

  Silence.

  All she could hear was the faint ticking sound of the clock on the wall as she released her breath. She stared blankly at the mountain of work in front of her, opened the draw and took out her phone for the first time that day. She groaned.

  Three messages from Patrick.

  Sorry babe, I lost track of time last night and didn’t want to wake you. Hope you have a nice day.

  Her annoyance dissolved as she read over what seemed like a sincere apology. He had said he was sorry and had wished her a good day. It was a start, right? She opened the next message sent two hours after the first one.

  I hope you’re not mad at me? Let’s go out for dinner tonight, you can choose.

  Her lips curled, feeling a swarm of butterflies make their way around her abdominal region. She couldn’t remember the last time he had taken her out anywhere for that matter. It would have been almost five months ago for her birthday. He wasn’t one for thinking ahead so she had taken the reins and booked them a table at a modern Japanese restaurant in the city. That was as good as taking her out, right? Thinking back, that would have been the last time they had been out together.

  Then there was the last message where the butterflies vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

  Have a team dinner tonight for work. Will have to take a raincheck on dinner.

  Without taking a moment to process her feelings, her fingers typed away.

  That’s ok babe, always next time. I’ll see you home some stage tonight x

  She set her phone down a little too abruptly on the edge of her desk, took the first paper from the pile and began what would be hours of sorting and grouping. She came across Nolan’s work, gritting her teeth with every cross she made against each answer. She had begun to worry about him.

  In the last couple of months, his work had fallen behind. It wasn’t that he was low academically. In fact, he was a bright child but had no confidence. He was always second guessing himself, laying low during any group activity and chosen last for any partner work. She had quickly noticed how isolated and withdrawn he had become which only made him more of a target to Jacob and Henley, who had somehow established themselves as the class ‘jocks’.

  She had noticed the bullying begin a couple of weeks ago while on yard duty one lunch time. He had been playing with an action man figurine on his own when they approached him, snatching it out of his hands. She addressed the situation as soon as they had mocked him for playing with ‘Barbie dolls’, calling him a baby. She hadn’t seen him play with anything since. He now spent his lunch times inside the locker breezeway with his head in a book, where the popular boys couldn’t hurt him.

  She often hovered by him whenever she was on duty. He amazed her time after time with his knowledge from all the reading he was doing. As the weeks carried on, they spent hours discussing all types of facts where she would blindly quiz him and be astounded by his ability to recite every bit of information, and accurately too.

  It wasn’t long before a special bond was formed between them. He would be the first to arrive at school each morning where he would quietly take a seat, diving his nose in a book as she prepared for the day ahead. Very few words were exchanged between them, but she could sense that he felt safe in her company.

  Perhaps the safest.

  His love for books became a source of comfort, to the point where it became an effort to get him to put them away once class began. She would often catch him sneakily take out a book when he was meant to be doing another task. Although she was thrilled with his desire to learn, she had become growingly concerned at the quality of his work. It didn’t help that she would often hear snickers from the children behind him as they teased him for this love of his, calling him a ‘nerd’ and ‘four eyes’ every time he took out his old fashioned, wide brimmed glasses.

  She met his mother once, but not in the way she imagined she would meet a parent for the first time. The woman had barged into the class one morning just minutes before being dismissed for recess, oblivious to the scene she was causing. Her erratic hand gestures complimented her scorning tone.

  ‘Nolan, how many times do I have to tell you to take your lunch with you? I specifically left it on the bench for you, it’s not hard,’ she hissed aggressively, taking hold of his arm.

  Nolan had lowered his head in embarrassment as he tried to shake off his mother’s grip. A couple of words were exchanged that Sienna hadn’t heard, but she had smiled politely at the woman even though it wasn’t returned.

  It hadn’t been the most convenient moment to introduce herself as her son’s teacher but being half way through the term, it needed to be done. She had met all the other parents within the first couple of weeks of school.

  But not Nolan’s parents.

  In fact, she didn’t know a thing about them other than the woman’s name.

  ‘Miranda,’ she called gently, maneuvering her way past the students as they filtered their way out to recess.

  The woman hesitated before turning around, noticeably annoyed with the hold up. She was a thin woman, dressed as though she was ready to hit a night club. She had worn a mini white skirt that barely covered the top of her thighs, not to mention a bright pink top leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. To complete the picture, she wore the highest wedged shoes Sienna had ever seen. She had tilted her head and glared at her as Sienna presented her with a warm smile.

  ‘I’m Sienna, it’s lovely to meet you.’ She shook the woman’s long slender hand.

  Miranda managed a half smile. ‘Yeah, you too. It’s about time I met Nolan’s teacher, ay?’ she asked dryly.

  Sienna shook her head, smiling, not really knowing yet what she was in for. ‘That’s alright, I know exactly how busy life can be.’ The woman’s expression hadn’t budged. ‘Thank you for coming in and dropping off Nolan’s lunch. I’m sure he’s grateful for that,’ she laughed lightheartedly.

  ‘Doubt it.’

  Sienna shifted unnervingly. ‘Nolan is a great kid,’ she changed the subject. ‘He’s very bright, a delight to have in my class.’

  By this stage the woman was rummaging through her purse, barely paying any attention. She couldn’t believe the lack of interest the woman seemed to have about her own son. An uncomfortable pit formed inside her stomach. She had had a feeling that Nolan’s home life wasn’t any rosier than his one at school. ‘Speaking of Nolan, I would like to chat to you about his progress if you have some time.’

  The woman looked up from her purse and stared squarely into Sienna’s eyes. ‘Is he in trouble?’ her tone frantic.

  It had been an odd reaction, but Sienna had assured her he was a beautiful child with incredible potential before informing her about the bullying she had noticed.

  She had waved it off, dismissing the idea in an instant. ‘I’m sure he’s just overreacting for attention. He’s completely oversensitive like that.’

  Sienna couldn’t believe the words as they sailed from the woman’s mouth. ‘I can assure you Miranda, that’s not the case,’ she said almost too abruptly.

  ‘Well,’—Miranda flicked her dead straight black hair over her perfectly tanned shoulder—‘I’ll have to check with my husband and see if there’s a time that works for him and let you know.’

  A few more words were spoken before she flashed Sienna another fake smile, and le
ft.

  Miranda never got back to her. She had tried contacting her on numerous occasions but every time her calls reached message bank. Emails hadn’t been successful either. The woman may not have been responsive, But Sienna wasn’t going to sit back and watch Nolan come completely undone. There was little time in her schedule, especially with the curfew she felt tied to. But even that would have to take a back seat when she knew she had to do something.

  Her heart sank as she watched Nolan sit by his usual spot by the locker breeze way each day, curled up against the cement wall with his head in a book. If only his parents saw him the way she did. All she needed was one conversation with them. But at this point she had every reason to believe that the conversation would never happen. They were simply not interested, so she made her mind up.

  She would tutor him.

  He was often one of the last kids to leave school each day anyway so she couldn’t see how it wouldn’t work. By now they had developed a bond strong enough for him to at least be open to it.

  The bell rang at the end of the day and as usual, Nolan was the last to collect his belongings. Sometimes she wondered if it was deliberate, a thought-out plan to avoid running into the bullies. Or maybe he was just reluctant to go home. Either way, the thought was enough to make her heart crumple. She knew he caught the 792-bus home alone every day after school and had offered to walk him to the bus stop but he had always politely turned her down, reassuring her that it was good for ‘developing his independence’. She was sure it was a line his parents had fed him. Eventually she stopped offering to walk him but she always kept an extra eye out.

  She sat on the edge of his desk watching him as he threw on his blazer and adjusted the straps of his backpack, preparing himself for the chilly walk home.

  ‘Have you got your spelling book, buddy?’ she asked, spotting it sticking out of his tub.

  He peered into his bag and looked up at her with a sheepish grin. ‘Whoops!’ he said a little too enthusiastically as he took it and jammed it into his bag.