Can we love again?- A Reddie Short Story

Chapter One

"I don't understand why you're so mad at me, Rachel! I did what you asked me to do! I spoke to Finn and put him in the cooler" Eddie argued

"That's not the point, Eddie! I told you to stay in there and keep an eye on him! And because you didn't, he's missing!" Rachel snapped

"Oh for goodness sake! You know full well he's not gone far! He'll be somewhere in the school! You're making a big deal out of nothing!" Eddie shot back

Rachel was furious with Eddie. She had given him one simple task and he'd failed. And then he had the audacity to tell her she was making a big deal out of nothing! How dare he?!

They'd been like this for months, ever since they'd split up at the end of last term, because of Melissa. It had been almost a year since it had happened. Eddie hadn't been successful in finding another job, and being unemployed with a baby on the way, wasn't an option for him. Rachel had agreed and had (reluctantly) let him stay.

It had been a huge mistake.

They argued, they snapped at each other, the tension between them when you walked into a room was suffocating, just ask the staff! They stayed out of each other's way as much as possible, but even then, it was awkward.

They still loved each other, there was no denying that. Rachel's heart had shattered into a million pieces when Melissa had turned up that day, pregnant with Eddie's baby. Things had been going so well between them, she was the happiest she'd been in a long time. And in a click of her fingers, it had all come crashing down.

She thought it would be easier to move on if he'd left Waterloo Road. She'd never have to see him again. It would make it easier to forget about him. But how could she forget Eddie Lawson? The love of her life. Her soul mate. The man who had saved her, who kept her grounded when everything was going wrong.

She didn't want him to leave, of course she didn't. But it was for the best.

What she hadn't expected was for him not to be able to find a job. With his experience and professionalism, she'd thought he'd get a new position at another school easily. But he hadn't. She couldn't leave him in the lurch, and she'd had trouble trying to find a replacement Deputy Head herself. So she let him stay, for the sake of his unborn baby. She figured one of their parents should be at least someone stable.

It had been going ok, until Rachel had discovered something she hadn't been expecting. It all went downhill after that. She couldn't look him in the eye. So she'd pushed him further and further away. And now their relationship was strained beyond repair. But it was for the best. Eddie had a son now, with Melissa. He needed to focus on that, not the fact that he was still in love with Rachel.

Suddenly, the office door slammed shut. Rachel and Eddie heard a key turning in the lock from the outside. She ran over, pulling the door handle to try and get it open. The door handle wouldn't budge. It had been locked from the outside.

"Hand me my keys, please?" Rachel requested, turning to Eddie

Eddie searched her desk, passing her the keys, which were all linked together on one big key chain. She picked through them, looking for the key for the office door.

It wasn't there.

"Where's the office key?" She asked aloud, sighing in frustration

"How should I know?" Eddie snapped

Rachel searched through the keys again, desperately hoping she'd been mistaken, that the key was there and she'd missed it.

But it wasn't.

Then she remembered. She'd left Finn alone in her office earlier on to go and fetch Eddie. He must have taken the opportunity to take the office key. He'd know which one it was. There was a very obvious label on it "office door".

She dashed over to the window. Sure enough, Finn was walking toward the school gates, a satisfied look on his face. She banged on the window angrily, calling Finn's name. Finn turned around, his gaze meeting with his Head Teacher's. He smirked, waving at her before walking away. Rachel groaned in frustration.