Stand by Me

by S. D. Robertson

  This was the moment that Mike, desperate for support and advice, had phoned his wife at work.

  ‘But you didn’t do it,’ she said, looking away from Sandra, who’d obviously picked up on the fact that something bad was going on, and was staring at her with a look of concern.

  ‘I know that,’ Mike replied. ‘But how the hell do I prove it? He and I were the only ones in there.’

  Lisa walked out of the staffroom and into the corridor, not wanting anyone to overhear her side of the conversation. ‘Well, what about the fact he’s a known troublemaker and you’re a respected deputy head? Look at what that little scrote did to end up in your office in the first place and the awful mess he made in there. He’s obviously deranged. No one’s going to believe him.’

  ‘Well, his father does and, after he’s said his piece, I expect the police will too. God, how am I going to explain this to the head?’

  ‘Wasn’t there anyone else around who could act as a witness?’

  ‘Someone might have heard me losing my rag and screaming at him, but that’s hardly going to help. That conniving shit planned the whole thing. He set a trap and I walked right into it. His dad even said something about him wetting himself because he was so distraught.’

  Unfortunately, Mike’s fears came true and the allegation led to a police investigation as well as a local authority probe. In the meantime, he was suspended on full pay. Not that the money helped when he and the rest of the family had to put up with members of the press on the doorstep, asking uncomfortable questions; when Ben and Chloe got teased by classmates about their dad being a child beater. Of course Mike proclaimed his innocence. He did so to anyone who’d listen. But his name got dragged through the mud nonetheless, while Liam Hornby and his family retained their anonymity, even when the case against Mike fell apart a few weeks later.

  It turned out that Liam wasn’t quite as clever as he thought. His parents immediately moved him to another school nearby and, of course, he continued to cause trouble. But his big mistake came when his new head teacher called him into her office and he threatened to ‘get her sacked’, like he’d done to Mike. He gleefully told her how easy it had been to convince everyone he’d been attacked when he’d actually slammed his own head into the desk, warning her that he would do the same again if she didn’t treat him right. What he didn’t know was that this particular head made a point of recording all such meetings as a way of protecting herself. She came forward with this damning evidence and Mike was off the hook.

  Except he wasn’t. Not in his own head, anyway; not after everything he’d been through by that stage. The ordeal had eroded Mike’s confidence, his faith in the teaching profession and his purpose in life generally. He told Lisa that he felt like no one at his school had stood by him in the way that they should have. So when they invited him back he refused, instead choosing to resign.

  Lisa supported this decision. She even understood it to a degree, having witnessed first-hand the hell he’d been through. However, she did assume that in time, once the dust had settled, he’d find another teaching or deputy head role elsewhere. But it soon became clear that this wasn’t going to happen.

  ‘I reckon I’m done with teaching,’ he told her in bed one night, soon after tendering his resignation. ‘The way I feel now, and knowing what I do, I don’t think I could ever go back to it.’

  ‘Give it time, love,’ she replied, thinking back to when they’d first met on the teacher-training course and how impressed she’d been by his talent and enthusiasm. ‘I’m sure you’ll feel different eventually. Teaching is your whole life. I know you’ve been through an awful thing, but please don’t make any hasty decisions.’

  However, time didn’t make any difference. Nor did clearing his name in the press, despite several newspaper and radio reports discussing the ordeal he’d been through. It was too late. The damage was done.

  ‘Strewth,’ Elliot replied as Lisa finished recounting the story. ‘Poor Mike. What a bloody nightmare. And how long ago was it that all this happened?’

  ‘It’ll be two years in October since the allegation was first made against him.’

  ‘And he’s not worked since?’

  ‘Well, there was one other job that lasted a short while, but that’s a story for another day.’

  ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘You’ve been through it too, haven’t you? Not easy trying to hold it all together, I bet. How are things at the moment?’

  ‘Um.’ Lisa shuffled in her seat, willing her eyes not to tear up but feeling them defy her nonetheless. She blinked, hoping Elliot wouldn’t notice and that her voice would hold firm. ‘They’re okay.’

  Next thing she knew, she was sobbing uncontrollably and Elliot was at her side, holding her, comforting her.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said, once the worst had passed. ‘I didn’t mean to do that. Things really aren’t that bad. I don’t know what came over me.’

  ‘Shh,’ Elliot whispered, squeezing her hand and looking her in the eye. ‘It’s all going to be okay. Trust me.’

  ‘I just want us to get back to where we used to be as a family. Before all of the crap we’ve been through. We were so … normal then. So happy.’

  ‘Sure,’ Elliot said. ‘I can understand that.’ He paused before adding: ‘How are you guys managing, um, financially, if you don’t mind me asking? It can’t be easy raising a whole family on one salary.’

  Lisa was taken aback by the directness of the question, which she hadn’t expected. ‘Oh, er, no. We’re fine,’ she lied. ‘We have savings and stuff.’

  ‘Good,’ he replied. ‘Glad to hear that.’

  Lisa pulled away from his embrace, using the palms of her hands to wipe dry her cheeks. ‘Listen, I hope you don’t think this is me asking for a handout, because it’s not. We’re fine, honestly. I know your business is doing well and everything, but we don’t need your help.’

  Elliot held his hands up defensively. ‘Whoa there. Chill. I didn’t mean it like that. I was asking after my friend, that’s all.’

  ‘Okay. Sorry. I probably overreacted.’

  ‘Not at all. It’s my fault for being nosy. Thanks for telling me about Mike. It can’t have been easy.’ He paused before adding: ‘Where do you reckon he’s gone?’

  ‘To the pub, at a guess. He’ll probably be there for ages.’

  ‘Until I’m out of the way, you mean?’

  ‘Don’t be silly.’

  But Lisa knew that Elliot was right. She desperately wanted the two men to get along, although with Mike as he was at the moment, she couldn’t see it happening.

  CHAPTER 15

  THEN

  Friday, 20 November 1992

  Elliot thanked Lisa’s dad for the lift and stepped out of his latest swanky car. As a BMW dealership manager, Graham Benson seemed to get a new one every few months. Not that Elliot was complaining. It made a pleasant change from riding in his mum’s temperamental Vauxhall Nova with its fading red paint.

  ‘Thanks, Dad,’ Lisa said, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek before opening the front passenger door and climbing out.

  ‘My pleasure, love,’ he replied, smoothing one hand across his comb-over. ‘I’ll wait here for you at the end.’

  As much as Elliot appreciated getting a lift with Mr Benson, as he still tended to call him, he never felt at ease in his company. Despite not being especially tall, his portly figure and booming voice gave him a big presence that intimidated Elliot.

  He was always nice enough, but Elliot got the impression that he didn’t especially approve of his friendship with Lisa. A traditional man’s man, into football, drinking and gambling, he no doubt struggled to understand how the two of them – a boy and a girl – got on so well together. And since Elliot had zero interest in sport and very little knowledge about cars, finding a topic of conversation that lasted more than a few seconds was tricky.

  It was fine as long as Lisa was there too. She’d skilfully kept them both chatting throughout the
journey to King George’s, where they were attending a disco for pupils from their two schools. Elliot hadn’t planned on going. He’d made excuses not to attend any of the previous ones. But this time, now they were in their second year at the Westwich schools, Lisa had managed to convince him. Ever since the date had been announced last month, she’d gone on at him about it, promising how much fun he’d have. Eventually he’d given in, although he had no idea why she wanted him there, cramping her style.

  She looked amazing, dressed under her winter coat in a floral babydoll dress with black Doc Martens – and more make-up than he’d ever seen her wear before. Like most of the boys, Elliot was wearing T-shirt, jeans and trainers topped with a plaid shirt. The latter, in red and navy, was one of Wendy’s creations, although it looked as good as a shop-bought version, he had to admit. He’d made an attempt to lick his unruly curls into shape with some hair gel and even splashed on some of the Brut aftershave he’d received in last year’s Christmas stocking.

  ‘Looking sharp, El,’ Lisa told him as her dad drove away.

  ‘Thanks. You too. You look, um, lovely.’

  She smiled and pecked him on the cheek. Her hair, long and luscious, smelled of coconut combined with the peachy scent of her perfume. God, how he wished at times like this that she looked at him differently: like he secretly felt about her. At least he got to arrive with her. That definitely wouldn’t do his street cred any harm.

  ‘So, have you got your eye on anyone tonight?’ she asked.

  Her question caught Elliot unawares. ‘Um, no. Not really. You?’

  She smiled mysteriously. ‘Maybe. We’ll see.’

  After queuing up to get inside together and checking their coats into the cloakroom, they entered the hall. In its darkened, music-filled state, it was almost unrecognisable from the space where the boys gathered for morning assembly. Almost immediately, Lisa bumped into a group of her friends and, although she made efforts to introduce Elliot to the girls he didn’t already know, he struggled to keep up, thanks to a combination of the pounding bass and his own inhibitions.

  ‘I’m going to the toilet,’ he shouted into Lisa’s ear.

  She grinned, her teeth glowing bright white in the flash of the disco lights. ‘Okay. See you back here in a minute.’

  He didn’t really need to go. It was an excuse to escape feeling awkward and get his bearings. Luckily, on the way back, he bumped into his friend Neil Walsh. He was with another boy from their form, Toby Jenkins, who was also on the rugby team and had been to primary school with Neil. They only lived a couple of streets apart from each other and had cycled together to the disco, as they often did to and from school. Elliot wasn’t particularly friendly with Toby; he could be a pain when egged on by the rest of the rugby lot, but he wasn’t too bad on his own.

  ‘All right, Turner?’ Toby said. ‘Who’s this hot friend of yours that Walshy won’t stop talking about?’

  Elliot hadn’t taken to the custom of calling boys by their surname, although the practice was prevalent at King George’s. It came from the fact that the teachers always referred to them that way, but he found it impersonal and preferred to do otherwise, particularly for his friends.

  He realised straight away that Toby was talking about Lisa. Neil had met her a few times when he’d come over to stay the night at Elliot’s house. He had noticed him making rather a lot of effort to chat to her on the last occasion, a few weeks earlier. But Neil had never specifically come out and said that he fancied her. Not to him, anyway.

  Elliot raised one eyebrow and looked from one classmate to the other. ‘I’m not sure what you mean. Neil?’

  ‘Um, yeah. Could you give us a minute, mate?’ a red-faced Neil said to Toby.

  ‘Sure. See you in there, Romeo.’

  Neil, also in a plaid shirt, screwed up his face and placed a hand on Elliot’s shoulder. ‘Well, this is awkward. I, er, kind of have a bit of a crush on Lisa, as you’ve probably now gathered.’

  ‘Hmm,’ Elliot replied, arms crossed, having fun watching his friend squirm.

  ‘I was going to tell you before, but … I guess I wasn’t sure how you’d react. I know you two are close and, um, I didn’t want to step on your toes or anything. Despite what you just heard, I’ve not been saying anything disrespectful. She is gorgeous. I mean I wouldn’t. Not, if you were … you know. But you’re not. Right? Help me out here, mate.’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Elliot said after a dramatic pause. ‘Lisa and I are just friends. If you like her, go for it. Better you than some idiot. But I can’t believe you didn’t say anything before. I could have put a good word in for you.’

  Neil let out an exaggerated sigh. ‘Thank goodness. I thought you were mad at me for a minute there.’ He paused before adding: ‘Do you think she might be interested, then?’

  ‘Why don’t you ask her? I left her with some of her friends a few minutes ago. She’s probably dancing now.’

  ‘Excellent. Let’s get in there.’

  An hour or so later, with the disco in full swing, Elliot felt far from excellent. He was standing in a corner with a group of classmates. He’d given up trying to talk to any of them, due to the impossibility of hearing what they had to say, or being heard, over the deafening thud of chart hits by the likes of Charles & Eddie, Snap! and The Shamen. He wished he hadn’t come to this stupid do. He’d have rather been at home watching TV. But the real reason he was feeling blue was because of what had happened between Neil and Lisa – what still was happening.

  He tried not to keep looking at the two of them, together on the bench on the other side of the dance floor, arms around each other and lips locked. It was hard, though. He couldn’t believe how long they’d been like that, barely coming up for air.

  As suspected, Lisa and her friends had already been dancing when he and Neil had gone into the hall together. She’d spotted them and gestured that they should join in; reluctantly, Elliot had agreed. But a few songs later, feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable about how flirty Neil and Lisa were being with each other, he’d made an excuse about getting a drink. When he’d returned, he’d spotted Lisa’s friends but not the other two. And then he’d seen them, snogging each other’s faces off.

  And despite everything Elliot had told Neil earlier, he wasn’t happy about it. He was jealous. Even though Elliot had now developed a few other friendships with classmates, meaning he wasn’t the lunchtime loner any more, Neil was still his best friend at school. He was a nice guy. But that didn’t mean he was right for Lisa.

  Or maybe it did, Elliot thought sulkily. He and Neil had a lot in common – that was why they got along well – and yet in Neil’s case, it was better packaged. He was a sportsman, which everyone knew went down well with girls. Plus he was taller and better looking than Elliot, what with his floppy blond hair, warm smile and shoulders so broad it looked like he’d left the coat hanger in his shirt. He knew how to talk to girls too. He did it effortlessly, like it was no big deal. Elliot had noticed this when Neil had come home with him on the bus: not only talking to Lisa, but all the girls.

  He could probably have any of the girls here, Elliot mused. So why did he have to choose Lisa? Arriving with her was the one thing he’d had going for him tonight – and Neil had to go and ruin it.

  So why had he told him it was okay? He’d taken Neil over to dance with her. What had he expected?

  He’d considered telling Lisa how he felt lots of times. But he knew it wouldn’t make any difference. She clearly didn’t feel that way. He’d never got that vibe from her. And if he did say something, he ran the risk of wrecking what they already had.

  He looked over again at the happy couple and was surprised to see that they were actually talking now. And holding hands. For Christ’s sake. Seeing that was arguably worse than all the face eating.

  Elliot was thinking about going outside again when ‘Jump’ by Kris Kross started playing. This suddenly drew lots of boys to the dance floor, jostling each other and bouncing up a
nd down like their lives depended on it. Elliot didn’t bother. He hated the song and thought they all looked like imbeciles – especially the ones who turned their T-shirts back to front – but that probably had something to do with his bad mood. The good thing was that several spaces came free on the benches alongside the dance floor; seeing as most of the lads he’d been standing with had gone, he decided to sit down. Nowhere near Lisa and Neil, though. That would have been weird.

  It was a little awkward sitting there on his own, but he’d felt that way for most of the night, anyway. Plus there wasn’t too long left. He was essentially waiting to go home.

  Then, to his surprise, up walked Charlotte from the bus. He knew that she and Joanne were supposed to be at the disco, but this was the first time he’d seen either of them.

  Charlotte, a brunette, had recently cut her hair into a short bob. Lisa thought it had looked better long – not that she told her so – but Elliot liked it.

  She smiled and took a seat next to him, shouting into his ear: ‘There you are. Where’ve you been hiding?’

  Elliot shrugged. ‘Nowhere. I even danced a bit earlier. How’s it going? Having fun?’

  ‘Not as much as those two.’ Charlotte nodded towards Lisa and Neil, who were busy sucking face again. ‘Are you okay with it?’

  ‘Yeah, why not?’ Elliot was glad of the darkness as he felt his cheeks flush. ‘They’ll probably look good together when they’re not pretending to be Siamese twins.’

  Charlotte gave him a puzzled look. ‘Sorry?’

  ‘You know: because all they’ve done is snog.’

  ‘Oh, I see what you mean.’ She laughed. ‘Lisa was, um, a bit worried that you might not like it. That it might be weird, seeing as you’re good friends with both of them. That’s why she didn’t tell you that she fancied Neil, although it was pretty obvious from the way they were chatting on the bus, right?’

  Elliot nodded, wondering how he hadn’t noticed. Plus he was disappointed that Lisa hadn’t felt able to discuss it with him, although she’d obviously talked about it at length with Charlotte. Was the reason really that he was friends with the pair of them, or was it more down to the fact that she realised how he felt about her?