One Foot Onto the Ice
Page 27
“Time to go,” said Susan, popping her head back out of the door.
“But Jenna’s not here yet,” noted Priggy.
Susan stepped onto the curb and looked at the girls. “She’s not coming.”
“What? Why not?”
“It was only ever a loose arrangement. I think she went out last night so she’s probably sleeping it off in her room.”
“Go and wake her up then,” insisted Champagne.
“No, I can’t. Really, it’s fine.”
Priggy marched past her and jumped onto the coach, only to return a moment later. “I’ve told Professor Ramsbottom I’ve left my inhaler in my room. Would you two come and get it with me?”
Champagne laughed. “You don’t have an inhaler.”
“That’s why we’ll be a while,” giggled Priggy, pulling her teacher by the arm.
Susan felt her heart start to flutter. “It won’t do any good. She’s not coming.”
“Just run to her room and find out,” ordered Champagne, holding open the guest house door.
“She’s not coming,” said Susan.
“GO!” shouted the girls.
Susan walked through the hall and into the dining room, feeling her heart rate increase with every step. By the time she got to the stairs she was practically running. She jumped two at a time, fuelled by the adrenaline that was mounting in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t know what she’d say, or how she’d just say it. She’d just tell her she loved her and hope that was enough. Susan reached Jenna’s room and knocked loudly. “It’s me. I’m sorry. I want to work this out.”
Susan waited in the silence. “Jenna? Are you in there?”
No response. Susan knocked once more and shook her head, wondering which one of the three women Jenna had ended up with. She shoved her hands into her pockets and turned to leave, feeling the folded up note from the dresser move between her fingers. She pulled it out and read it once more. “Apologising doesn’t mean you’re right or wrong. It just means you value your relationship more than your ego.” She bent down and slid it under Jenna’s door.
****
“Good to go?” asked Marcus, raising his eyebrows at Susan.
“Yes, good to go,” said Susan, keeping her eyes fixed on the window.
Marcus stepped towards the coach driver and gave the nod for the off. He turned around and crouched at Susan’s knees. “You’re worth so much more,” he said with sincerity.
“Yes, maybe I am.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Susan waved as the taxi carrying Mrs Button and Daisy pulled out of the school car park. It was 11.00 p.m. and they were the last ones to leave. All of the girls’ parents had been cheering and waving with outstretched arms as the coach had pulled into the school gates almost an hour late.
“Can I interest you in a night cap?” asked Marcus. “Let bygones be bygones and all that.”
Susan shook her head. “No. I need to do one final check of the coach.”
“Would you like a hand?”
“No, I’m fine, Marcus.” Susan paused. “But thanks for the offer.”
“No problem,” said Marcus, lifting the handle of his suitcase and wheeling it slowly behind him.
“And, Marcus—” Marcus stopped and looked back expectantly. “Yes?”
“I think this trip was the stuff of legend for lots of those girls.”
“Thank you,” he said, walking away with his head held higher.
“Am I good to go, love?” asked the coach driver peering out of the door.
“I’ll just have one final check.” Susan jumped onto the coach and walked up and down the aisle carefully checking under every seat and in the back of every headrest. She stepped back onto the curb with one iPod, two jumpers and one pretty snow globe. “Typical,” she said, flashing the objects to the driver. “Thanks for getting us back safely.”
“Just doing my job,” nodded the man. “Sorry about the delay in the tunnel.”
Susan thought back to the hour long delay they’d had waiting for the train, half hoping it was Jenna holding up the carriages in some last ditch movie moment where she’d jump out from the crowd and shout, ‘Wait.’
“It’s fine. We’ve made good time. Thanks again.” Susan watched as the doors hissed closed and waited as the coach pulled away. She turned around and looked at her lonely suitcase standing on the pavement in front of the school. It was dark and only the lights from the staff accommodation block seemed to be on. She sighed and stepped forwards, fingering the handle of her suitcase, before choosing instead to sit down on the small wall that surrounded the front of the building. She lifted the snow globe and shook it gently, watching as the tiny flecks of white snow fell on the mountainous scene.
“I thought you liked thimbles?” said the voice.
Susan spun around. “Jenna?!”
“Please don’t tell me you prefer snow globes. You’ve got no idea what I’ve been through to get this.” Jenna held out a small paper bag.
“Jenna?!” Susan was standing in stunned silence.
“Open it.”
Susan couldn’t move.
“Open it.”
Susan kept her eyes wide, glancing back up at Jenna as if she might disappear. She lifted the corners of the brown bag, pulling out the dainty white wrapping. She unpeeled the tape and smiled as a small silver thimble fell into her hand. She lifted it closer and eyed the pretty design. “It’s beautiful.”
“Good, because it’s cost me a bloody fortune.” Jenna smiled. “Can I have a hug?”
Susan raced forwards and threw her arms around Jenna’s shoulders. “What are you doing? How did you get here?”
Jenna pulled Susan as close as she could. “I’m so so sorry, Susan. I love you so much.”
“I’m sorry too,” gasped Susan. “That doesn’t matter now, just tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m here for the week, just like I promised.”
Susan was shaking her head. “But why? How?”
Jenna dropped her arms and guided Susan back to the wall, sitting her down and sliding next to her. “At 6.00 a.m. this morning I had a brainwave. I thought I’d buy you a thimble, profess my love, and pray you believed me.”
Susan sighed. “I believe that you love me, Jenna, but the things Amber was saying, how could she know?”
Jenna dropped her head in shame. “I made one stupid comment at the services, that’s all.”
“It’s okay,” said Susan, “I knew you’d remember. It was my nickname after all.”
“But it wasn’t like that, I promise.”
“It’s fine, honestly, it’s fine.”
“Good, because after this brainwave I realised the only place I’d get a thimble was from that huge twenty-four hour hypermarket in town. I knew I’d be cutting it fine so I took my case with me. Anyway, one thing led to another, I got talked into getting it engraved…”
“Engraved?”
“Yes,” said Jenna, pointing at the rim at the bottom.
Susan squinted and read carefully. When you know, you know. J&S
“So I got it engraved, then I headed back to the guesthouse, suddenly remembering that I’d left my phone on the counter.”
“At the hypermarket?” asked Susan, reading the inscription once again. “This really is beautiful, thank you.”
Jenna nodded. “I thought you’d like it. But yes, at the hypermarket. So I got the taxi to turn around, but then I got taken to security where I had this whole rigmarole of trying to prove the phone was mine, and by the time I’d got it back I knew you’d be long gone.”
“Why didn’t you just call me?”
Jenna shrugged. “I thought fifteen hours on a coach might calm you down.”
“So you didn’t go back to the guesthouse? You didn’t see my note?”
Jenna shook her head. “No, what did it say?”
“Nothing. I just pushed the one you wrote me back under your door.”
Jenna smiled. “It�
�s a good one, isn’t it?”
Susan laughed. “Yes, but how did you get here?”
“I got a midday flight from Genève. That’s why that bloody thimble cost me so much. I’ve been here for hours.”
“No?”
“Yes, and I’ve got myself reacquainted with all of the old teachers and they can’t wait for me to start my observations.”
Susan shook her head and smiled. “What can I say?”
Jenna grinned. “You can say that you love me.”
“I love you,” said Susan.
“And I love you too.”
THE END
The sequel to “One Foot Onto The Ice,” will be out early 2014.
About the author:
Kiki Archer is a UK-based lesbian fiction novelist.
Her debut novel, the best-selling “But She is My Student,” won the UK’s 2012 SoSoGay Best Book Award.
Its sequel, “Instigations,” took just 12 hours from its release to reach the top of the UK lesbian fiction chart.
Kiki also topped the lesbian fiction charts in 2013 with her best-selling third novel, “Binding Devotion.”
Novels by Kiki Archer:
BUT SHE IS MY STUDENT - March 2012
INSTIGATIONS - August 2012
BINDING DEVOTION - February 2013
ONE FOOT ONTO THE ICE - September 2013
Connect with Kiki:
www.kikiarcher.com
Twitter: @kikiarcherbooks
www.facebook.com/kiki.archer
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty Six
Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight
Chapter Twenty Nine
About The Author