TEACHER TEACHER! [re-uploaded due technical issues with first upload]

Chapter 32- Inspector Bhasin (Part 1)

WARNING:
EMOTIONAL CONTENT.
Includes mentions of death of a parent, bereavement, foster care, abandonment, bullying, fat shaming, emotional distress.

ELOISE'S POV.

On days when I'm not running around helping some of the other kids at my school, I like to go to the greenhouse. It's just a small, makeshift garden area on the far end of our school premises, away from the main building.

Our old Principal had it built about three years ago. It's pretty cool. The vegetables that grow there are used by the teachers for the food tech classes, and the year seven's have been known to have atleast two of their biology lessons out there.

It isn't protected by any gates, so some of the teens from other schools hang out there, and a few older teenagers even drink and smoke there.

I love going to the greenhouse.

My mum loved plants. She loved nature and wildlife in general. When we were younger, my mum used to take me to the local garden centre every weekend. She'd buy loads of plants every time, and gave me the task of picking out a special plant just for myself each time.

My dad lost his job so we had to be a lot more careful about what we spent our money on. Mum still made sure we always went to the garden centre though, and even though she stopped choosing her own plants, she still made sure I could get the plant I wanted.

My dad left when he found out my mum was pregnant. She had to work three jobs just to provide for us. When Ivan was born, she brought him along to our garden centre trips, but he was too young to appreciate the magic and beauty of the visits.

I feel like I'm the only one who remembers those things.

It's not Ivan's fault. He was only four when she died.

It was up to me to share stories about her.

"Do you think they'll have any leftover seeds for us?", I asked Spencer.

I often came to the greenhouse alone, but Spencer had come with me a handful of times. I was nervous about bringing him along at first. I mean, I don't really care if people don't like the things that I like, but the greenhouse was such a special place to me.

I actually asked him if he wanted to come with me, about a week or two after I first saw him having a panic attack.

He definitely hesitated at first, but then he said yes. I'll always remember that day. I rambled on and on about my mum's favourite plants, and some of the gardening tips she told me.

He didn't look at me weird or tell me to stop talking. He actually wanted to know more.

That was the day I knew we'd be good friends.

Spencer shrugged. "Guess we'll find out soon."

We walked along the path that led to the greenhouse. A trio of boys from Pepperden Private school, if their uniforms were anything to go by, were stood near the greenhouse.

One of the boys scrunched his nose up and wafted his hand in front of it, shaking his head.

"Ugh, can you guys smell that awful smell?", he asked. "Oh, it's just the Moorside Secondary kids."

The other boys laughed, turning their heads to look at us. I opened my mouth to say something to them, but Spencer tapped his hand against mine. I looked at him, sighing when he subtly shook his head.

Ok, yeah. Spencer was right. It was not a good idea for me to get in trouble. Kerry and Callum were still concerned about my bad grades, so the last thing I needed was for them to hear I got in trouble.