I'll keep you safe

Chapter 77

Wednesday rolled around quicker than Philip had expected.

At 6AM, his alarm went off. He jumped out of bed, dashing into the bathroom and checking the bruise on his cheek bone. It was a strong purplish-blue colour, very noticeable, but not swollen anymore. At school, he'd managed to get away with it by telling everyone he'd fallen over. But he knew Rachel wouldn't buy it and would be determined to get to the bottom of it. He couldn't be dealing with that.

He grabbed his Mum's concealer out of the cupboard, dabbing some onto his cheek in an attempt to cover the bruise. If you looked closely, you could see a small amount of discolouration. But otherwise, his face looked good as new. It didn't feel it, it was still painful to touch, but that didn't matter. As long as Rachel and Eddie couldn't see it, it didn't matter.

Once he was dressed and ready for the day, he went downstairs.

To his surprise, his Mum was already awake, having a coffee in the kitchen. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Morning" Philip mumbled

"Remember Marcus is here again tonight. So if you want tea you'll have to make it yourself" she reminded him

"It's fine. I'm going to Rachel's anyway" he told her

Melissa almost spat out her coffee

"What? Since when?" She questioned

"She invited me last week" he shrugged

"Well, tell her thanks for inviting me!" She grumbled sarcastically

"Maybe if you were nicer to her and Eddie, she would invite you, Mum" he retorted

Melissa scoffed

"Oh please, Philip! Like I'm going to show any respect to him! Rachel can do better" she huffed

"So could Marcus" Philip mumbled

Melissa heard him. She spun around, glaring at him furiously.

"What did you say?" She hissed

"Nothing" Philip shrugged

"How dare you say something like that?" She snarled

"What are you going to do, Mum? Hit me again? Maybe if you sorted out the divorce papers, I'd get off your case!" he shot back

"Maybe if you stopped making a big deal out of nothing, we wouldn't have a problem!" She retorted

Philip rolled his eyes

"Whatever Mum, I'm going" he sighed, exiting the kitchen

When he walked into the living room, he spotted Melissa's suitcase, lying open on the floor, various items thrown into it. Her passport was on the top. Philip grabbed it, putting it into his backpack. He smirked. She wasn't going anywhere on Friday.

He swung is backpack over his shoulder, heading out the front door to catch the bus to school.

...

Eight hours later...

The school bell rang out at Waterloo Road, signalling the end of another school day. Rachel sighed, finishing up her last bit of paperwork.

She was looking forward to seeing Philip this evening. She'd been worried about him being back at home with Melissa. That's partially why she'd invited him for dinner tonight, to make sure he was ok. The other reason was for her and Eddie to spend some time with him and get to know him better.

From what she knew about Philip so far, he was quiet but confident in his own way and not to be underestimated. He was into Maths and gaming. He did well at school (from what he had told her), and he was polite and kind. There was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn't go far in life, with the right influence and encouragement.

Eddie waltzed into the office. Rachel smiled at the way his face lit up when he saw her.

"You ready to go?" He asked

Rachel nodded, shutting down the computer. She stood up, grabbing her coat and bag.

As she walked passed him, Eddie grabbed her, catching her in his arms and pulling her into him. She squealed, giggling as he peppered kisses on her cheek.

"Eddie! We need to go and get Philip!" She protested, attempting and failing to wiggle out of his embrace

"We'll be there in 10 minutes, Rach! We've got plenty of time. I haven't seen you all day!" He whined, pulling her back into him

"That's not true! You saw me this morning!" She giggled

"So? I missed you!" He shrugged

Rachel smiled, pecking his lips softly as she shook her head.

"So needy!"

Eddie grinned cheekily, kissing her back. Rachel giggled again, delighting in the way butterflies erupted in her stomach when he kissed her.

She pulled apart from him, smacking his chest playfully.

"Come on! We're going to be late!" She insisted, dragging him out of the office

When they arrived at Forest Mount, Philip was waiting for them outside the gates, looking nervous and uncomfortable. He got into the car quietly. Rachel turned in her seat to greet him with a smile. He smiled weakly back at her.

"Good day?" She asked, as Eddie continued to drive

He nodded

"Thanks for uhm- picking me up. I could have got the bus though"

"Don't be silly! It was on our way home anyway!" Eddie reassured

They parked up on the drive and went into the house. Philip was growing more nervous by the second, more conscious of the bruise on his face. He could feel it burning under his concealer, desperate to be noticed. Rachel and Eddie seemed oblivious so far, and he wanted it to stay that way.

"Right, it's a takeaway for dinner, is that ok?" Rachel announced

"Sounds good" Philip nodded

"Ok. What do you fancy? We always go with the Chinese, but we can always try something else if you'd prefer? Or we can go out for dinner?"

"Chinese sounds good, thanks Rachel" Philip smiled

Rachel nodded, handing him a menu

"Alright, decide what you'd like and then we'll order it"

Rachel wrote down what Philip wanted, followed by her and Eddie's usual order. Chicken Chow Mein for Eddie, and a simple Chicken Curry for Rachel, with a portion of rice and spring rolls to share between them. Once she'd finished, she called the restaurant to pre-order it for delivery later on.

"Philip? Do you want a drink mate?" Eddie asked

"Just water would be great, thanks" Philip nodded

"What about you love? Tea?" He asked Rachel, placing a hand on the small of her back

"Yes, please" she nodded

Eddie nodded, switching on the kettle

"Eddie?" Philip piped up nervously

"Yes, mate?" He answered, handing Rachel her cup of tea

"I uhm- have some maths homework I need help with. I was wondering if you could go over with me please?" Philip asked

"Of course. We'll do it after dinner" he nodded, handing Philip his glass of water

"I'll keep out of that one I think! Maths was never my strong point!" Rachel laughed, sipping her tea

Philip and Eddie laughed

"It's not Mum's either. Not that she'd help me anyway" Philip sighed

"Does she know you're here?" Rachel asked

Philip nodded, suddenly becoming uncomfortable again. Rachel picked up on it instantly and decided to drop the subject.

"Why don't we go into the living room and pick a film to watch, hmm?" She suggested

Philip nodded, following Eddie and Rachel through to the living room, suddenly feeling at ease again.