by M K Farrar
BACK AT HOME, SHE PREPARED dinner, close to tears the entire time. She kept replaying what had been said in the playground, wishing she’d handled things differently. She should have kept her temper, she knew that now, but that, combined with the slashed car tyres, and her sister, and Stephen, had all just been too much, and she’d snapped.
Kristen bent to take the tray containing the jacket potatoes out of the oven. Grabbing the edges in a tea towel, she slid the tray out.
“Shit!”
It had been hotter and heavier than she’d anticipated, and the tray slipped from her fingers, spilling cooked potatoes all over the floor.
Kristen stared down at their ruined dinner and burst into tears.
“Hey.” A concerned male voice came from behind her. “What’s wrong?”
Firm hands on her shoulders pulled her around, and she found her face pressed to a broad chest. Haiden’s comforting scent surrounded her, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her tight. The heat of his breath warmed the top of her head as she cried against his shirt.
“I’m sorry,” she said, embarrassed by her tears. “It’s just been a really horrible day.”
He released her and quickly stooped to pick up the potatoes. “Three second rule?”
She gave a wane smile. “More like three-minute rule.”
“It’ll be fine. We just won’t eat the skin.”
“Thanks Haiden.” She swiped her tears away with her palm.
“You want to tell me what happened?” he asked, setting the potatoes back down on the tray.
She considered not telling him, but realised she’d feel better by sharing. There wasn’t anything he could do about it, but a problem shared, and all that. She filled him in on everything, from the slashed tyres to the issues at school. Haiden listened, his normally smooth brow furrowed.
“That’s horrible,” he said when she’d finished. “No wonder you’re upset.”
“It’ll be fine. I’ve been through worse than this and come out of it. You just caught me at a bad time. I’m sorry I unloaded on you. This isn’t your problem.”
He reached out and touched her chin, so she lifted her face to his, her heart thumping for a whole different reason. “You can unload on me anytime, Kristen. I’m right here for you, okay?”
For the first time that day, she smiled. “Okay.”
It felt good to have someone on her side, for once.
Chapter Nineteen
The next day she dropped Ollie off at breakfast club as usual and went into her office. Her backside had barely hit her chair when Andrew appeared in the doorway.
“Kristen, can I speak with you for a moment, please?”
She shot straight back out of her chair and exchanged a glance with Anna, who was already at her desk on the other side of the room. “Oh, sure. Of course.”
She followed him out and into his office. It was still early, so the other children and parents hadn’t shown up yet, and the school was quiet, but she was surprised to see Margaret Dean sitting in the office as well.
“Good morning, Margaret,” she said to the head of the school Governors.
Margaret gave her a tight smile but didn’t say good morning in return.
“Please, sit,” Andrew said, gesturing to a chair on the other side of his desk.
Unease twisted like a whirlpool inside her.
“I’m afraid I’ve had a complaint from one of the other parents that you threatened to hurt their child. I’m sure you understand that this is a serious matter, which is why I’ve had to bring Margaret in to oversee this meeting”
Her mouth dropped open. “By one of the other parents, you mean Rachelle Hurst?”
“I’m afraid I can’t disclose who made the complaint.”
She clenched her teeth. “That’s okay. You don’t need to.”
“So, you admit the conversation happened? That you threatened to hurt the boy?”
“I was angry and frustrated. He’s been picking on Ollie constantly—physically hurting him—as you know. I’ve come to you about this several times now, and nothing changes. You haven’t made any attempt to discipline him, when the kid should have been suspended by now for what he’s put Ollie through.”
“Kristen, when I’ve spoken to the boys before, Ollie says they’re playing, and things just get a little rough.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right. What else is he going to say when you have the other boy sitting right there? Ollie is terrified of him. He’s not going to tell tales.”
“But I think you’re missing the point, Kristen. You can’t go around threatening the children, especially not when you work here. The most important part of our jobs is making sure the children are safe during their time here.”
“Ollie hasn’t been safe!” she blurted.
He lifted a hand to silence her. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to suspend you, effective immediately, while we look into matters further.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” Her mind pulled in at the edges, and she gripped the armrests of the chair, suddenly feeling like this was all a bad dream and she wasn’t quite there anymore.
“Frankly, I’ve been a little concerned about your performance at work lately. You’ve taken time off, and I’ve found you sneaking off to make personal phone calls during work time, which you know isn’t allowed.”
She could hardly believe it. This was so unfair. “I’ve had some family emergencies I’ve had to deal with. But tell me, Mr. Larsen, is this suspension about my work performance, or what I said to Rachelle, because it can’t be both.”
“It’s the threat, Kristen. I just thought I’d mention the other concerns so you can give them some consideration during your suspension.”
She clamped her jaw together, resisting the urge to tell him to fuck off. She needed this job, and she’d grovel to get it back, if she had to, even though every time she saw Rachelle in the playground or at school meetings, she was going to want to claw the other woman’s eyes out. That bitch. That fucking bitch.
She got to her feet, her legs wobbling beneath her. Her stomach felt weak and her hands were shaking. Her thoughts immediately went to Ollie. She was going to have to go and see him before school started. He’d want to know why she wasn’t in the office as normal. With everything else going on, it just seemed wrong that he was going to have this thrown at him as well.
A couple of steps took her towards the office door, but then she stopped and turned around.
“You know, I wouldn’t have needed to resort to this if you’d just dealt with Felix Hurst properly.”
She didn’t let him reply, knowing she was horribly close to tears and not wanting either of them to see them. Yanking open the door, she put her head down and went back to her own office. She needed to collect her coat and bag, and let Anna know she’d be working on her own today. Who would they bring in to cover her while she wasn’t there? There was no way Anna could handle everything by herself. It was hard enough when one of them had a day off, never mind a suspension. If he brought in Rachelle to cover her job, she thought she might scream.
Anna looked up with concerned curiosity as she walked in. Kristen went straight to her desk, swiping any personal items into her handbag.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“I’ve been suspended.”
“What? Why?”
“I threatened Rachelle that I’d hurt Felix if she didn’t do something to stop him bullying Ollie. Apparently, that’s a safe-guarding issue now that needs to be looked into.”
“I can’t believe Rachelle ratted you out. What a bitch!”
Kristen shook her head, her anger deflating to sadness and regret. “It’s my own fault. I never should have said it. I was just so angry. Now I have to go and tell Ollie that Mummy won’t be at school for the foreseeable future. With everything else going on, I really don’t know how he’s going to take it.”
Anna rose from her desk and put her arms around Kristen and hug
ged her tight. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”
The tears threatened again, and she waved at her face and blinked quickly to hold them back. “It’s okay. Don’t be nice to me. You’ll make me cry.”
“Okay.” She gave her a sympathetic smile. “But call me if you need me, okay? I can always drop Ollie home to you if you feel you can’t face coming up here.”
“At least he won’t need to go to breakfast or afterschool club,” she said, trying to think of the silver lining. Damn, she needed this job, though. What was she going to do if she got fired? She didn’t have any savings, and she still needed to pay the mortgage. Thank God for Haiden and the hosting money. If she didn’t have that coming in, she’d be beside herself right now. Shit, she already was beside herself. She loved her job. She prided herself in working for a living, and still being there for Ollie. This wasn’t how she’d intended for things to go at all.
With a heavy heart, she picked up the rest of her things and left the office. She crossed the playground to where the building for the breakfast club was located.
One of the women who worked there looked over at her, a question in her eyes.
“I just need to speak to Ollie a minute,” she said.
The woman nodded. “Of course. Ollie, your mummy’s here to see you.”
Ollie dropped what he was doing and ran over to her, slamming into her legs in a hug, as though he hadn’t seen her for days, not the fifteen minutes since she’d dropped him off. She hugged him back and then dropped to a crouch, so their faces were level.
“Ollie, I’m not going to be in the office for a while. Something has happened, and I need to go home. I just wanted you to know so you didn’t get a surprise when you saw I wasn’t there.”
His little forehead wrinkled in a frown. “Why won’t you be there?”
She wasn’t sure how much to tell him. “I said something I shouldn’t have, and now I’m in a bit of trouble for it.”
His chin trembled. “So, you’re like... in time out?”
She forced a smile. “Yeah, something like that. Time out for grownups. Hey, but the good news is that it means you won’t have to come to breakfast club or afterschool club until this all gets sorted out. So, I’ll be here to pick you up at the end of school like the other mums.”
A smile spread across his face. “I get to go home straight after school?”
“Yep.”
“Cool.” He threw his arms around her neck and hugged her again, and then spun back around and ran back to where he was playing with a car garage set.
Kristen got to her feet and made her way over to where the woman who ran the breakfast and afterschool club was filling in some forms, a cup of coffee on the table next to her.
“I don’t know if you overheard, but Ollie won’t be coming to breakfast and afterschool club for the next couple of weeks.”
“Right. Do you want me to keep his spot open for him? I will have to still charge you for the time, though, even if he’s not here. It’s a place another child could have.”
With so many parents both needing to work these days just to pay the bills, the club was an invaluable resource. She didn’t want to give up the spot, but she also couldn’t afford to keep paying for something she didn’t need.
“No, that’s okay. You don’t need to keep it open. I’ll figure something out.”
Her stomach sank, unsure if she was making the right choice. If she was allowed back into her role, she might struggle for childcare if she’d given her place away. But if she kept the place, she’d be spending money she would end up desperately needing if she didn’t have a job.
She’d just have to take her chances, and hope something could be arranged when this all got sorted.
Chapter Twenty
It felt strange leaving the school to go home before it was even nine in the morning. Parents were starting to arrive with their children, and she sensed them giving her curious glances as they spotted her leaving early with her bag slung over her shoulder and her head down. She prayed none of them would stop to ask her any questions. Humiliation and shame washed over her, and she was worried she’d cry if anyone was even the slightest bit kind to her.
She was alert for any sign of Rachelle Hurst and Felix, too. She hated that she wasn’t going to be in school to keep an eye on things. What if the bullying got worse, and Ollie didn’t have the confidence to tell her?
Maybe she should consider pulling him out of school. If she wasn’t going to be working there, perhaps it would be for the best. He did have friends, but he was only five and he’d make more somewhere else quickly enough. The school was convenient for where they lived, and she’d enjoyed him being at the school, up to this point. But now it felt like she’d been blacklisted, and that was only going to affect Ollie. Besides, it was clear nothing was going to be done about Felix, and she couldn’t deal with him and Rachelle for the next five years.
It felt like running away, but maybe it was the right decision for them both.
Her phone buzzed, and she fished it out of her handbag. She glanced down at it and sighed. Violet’s name appeared across the cracked screen. Kristen ignored the call and dropped the phone back into her bag. Her sister had been calling and sending numerous text messages telling her to stop ignoring her, but she couldn’t bring herself to talk to her. The image of her car’s slashed tyres was fresh in her mind—and she hadn’t even managed to get the car back yet. Was Violet responsible? She didn’t want to think so, but she knew if she was to see Violet, she’d have to ask her directly. Violet was bound to deny it, no matter if she was innocent or guilty, and would get defensive and they’d most likely fight again. With everything else going on, she just didn’t feel like she had the emotional strength to deal with her sister right now.
She reached her house and placed the key in the lock. It felt strange to come home to an empty house and have the whole day during the week stretching ahead of her with nothing to do. She couldn’t remember the last time that happened. Normally, she’d either be working, or Ollie would be home with her. Of course, she had the weekends when he was at his dad’s, but somehow that felt different. At least at the weekend you were supposed to be off work. Right now, it felt like she was doing something she shouldn’t by being here.
She turned the lock in the door and pushed it open. The postman had already been, and she stooped to pick up the letters waiting for her. She dumped them, unopened, on the hallway table. If one of them happened to contain anything close to bad news, she didn’t think she’d be able to handle it. What she needed right now was a hot cup of tea and some time to process what had happened. She was shaken by the whole thing and wished more than anything that she hadn’t confronted Rachelle. What could she do, though? She couldn’t have allowed Felix to get away with hurting Ollie.
Movement came from upstairs, and she froze, her heart pounding, her stomach lurching.
Someone was up there.
She’d waved Haiden off to the bus that morning, and she’d just left Ollie at school—not that she’d have ever expected Ollie to be in the house alone anyway.
Shit.
Her phone was in her handbag. Had whoever was up there heard her come in? She should call the police and tell them she had an intruder in her home. No, she was over-reacting. It was most likely only Lemmy. He’d probably brought in a mouse or something and had taken it upstairs. Knowing him, he’d let it go and it had run under one of the beds or wardrobes, and the noise she’d heard was him trying to fish it back out again.
Despite her reassurances, her blood fizzed through her veins, her ears straining, all the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck standing to attention. Her heart pounded fast, stealing her breath.
Still clutching her handbag to her shoulder and not bothering to take off her shoes, she crept up the stairs. Before she reached the top, she stopped.
Lemmy was sound asleep on the landing, right under the radiator. He didn’t look as though he’d done any mouse chasing rec
ently.
Her pulse stepped up a notch, and she hesitated, wondering what to do. She hadn’t heard anything else. Could she have imagined it?
There was no way she could just turn around and go back down the stairs and pretend she hadn’t heard anything. She needed to check the bedrooms and make sure everything was as she’d left it.
Sucking in another shaky breath, her legs wobbly, she forced herself to take the remaining stairs. Lemmy heard her approach and opened one eye to acknowledge her. Surely if there was a stranger in the house, Lemmy would have made himself scarce.
Someone stepped out of her bedroom, and Kristen screamed, her hand clutched to her chest.
“Jesus Christ, Haiden. You just about gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here? I thought you’d got the bus to go to school.”
“I forgot something,” he said, sheepishly, holding up a folder. “I’m going to need to catch the next one.” He must have realised something, as he frowned. “What are you doing home? I thought you would be at work.”
She sighed heavily, relieved she wasn’t going to have to fight off an intruder. “You know I told you about this bully Ollie has at school, and that I had a bit of an altercation with the mother the other day? Well, the headmaster sent me home.”
“He sent you home because your son is being bullied?”
“No, he sent me home because of the fight I had with the other mother.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “You had a fight with one of the other mothers?”
“Not like an actual fight,” she said, amused at his shocked expression. “Just words were said that shouldn’t have been, and it got me in trouble.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Poor Ollie. How’s he doing?”
“He’s okay, but I feel bad that I’m not there to watch out for him anymore. Not that it’s been making any difference.” She rubbed her hand over her eyes, suddenly exhausted. “If anything, I’ve only made things worse.”