I'll keep you safe

Chapter 141

Bolton sat at his desk in the cooler, arms folded as he glared at Mr Clarkson.

He wasn't remorseful over what he'd done to Marley. Not one bit. He didn't care how much trouble he was in. Marley deserved it after what his brother had done to Maxine. How did they dare to show their faces here after everything? What made them think that Waterloo Road would welcome them back with open arms?

He didn't care if the consequences of his actions led him to being excluded. It was what he deserved. If he hadn't been such a coward and had spoken up about Earl having the gun in the first place, Maxine would probably still be alive, and Denzil wouldn't be in prison.

"Miss Mason's put a lot of work in with you, Bolton" Mr Clarkson spoke

"I never asked her to" he shrugged

"Oh, so that makes it alright, does it, to chuck it all back at her?"

Bolton huffed, rolling his eyes.

"Just get out of my face, man" he mumbled

Mr Clarkson scoffed, folding his arms angrily.

"You know what, Bolton? It's that kind of attitude that makes me wonder why we bother! It's no wonder Miss Mason wants to leave if this is how you repay her!"

Mr Clarkson walked away, leaving Bolton alone in the cooler.

That was when the guilt started to set in for Bolton. Not for what he'd done to Marley, but over Miss Mason wanting to leave. He would happily admit that she had done a lot for him, and he did feel bad that he had let her down, after he promised her he wouldn't. He looked up to Miss Mason and respected her in a way that he'd never done with any other teacher. She hadn't given up on him, but he was starting to think that maybe she was going to now.

He felt guilty because he knew why she wanted to leave. She thought Maxine's death was her fault. And he knew better than anyone that it wasn't. It was his. He hadn't spoken up when he should have done, and that's why Maxine was dead. Miss Mason shouldn't be the one taking the blame.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Miss Mason, he did, wholeheartedly. But how could he tell her and the Police what he knew about Earl without admitting that he had been a coward? He'd known the truth all this time, and he hadn't said a word. Maxine's blood was on his hands and his conscience, no matter what anyone said. He couldn't bear the thought of confessing and everyone looking at him like he was a wuss, or a murderer. Janeece would probably never speak to him again, or Miss Haydock.

No, it was best to stay silent and hope that Miss Mason would change her mind about wanting to leave.

...

Rachel had managed to kill two birds with one stone by paying a visit to Rob. It was his class with the Year 12's, meaning that he had Paul with him. She was relieved as it meant that, hopefully, after this, she could go back to her office and have fifteen minutes to herself. All the rushing around from place to place was making her feel lightheaded.

As she waited for Paul to come over to the side of the pitch, she thought about what Rob had said about Bolton. According to him, Bolton had been off his training all week. That had confirmed Rachel's suspicions immediately that there was more to Bolton's behaviour and actions than he was saying. As far as she was aware, Bolton loved Boxing. He was dedicated and passionate about it. Almost every morning for the last few weeks, she had seen him going into the gym to get an hour's practice in before the school day had officially begun. Bolton being off his training was out of character. He hadn't just punched Marley because he wanted the Kelly's gone from Waterloo Road. There was something else to it, and Rachel was hoping to get the answer out of Paul.

'How is this going to keep things quiet?'

Paul's words kept playing in her mind on a loop. It was an itch she couldn't scratch. She wanted to know what he meant. Paul knew more than what he was saying.

"Mr Cleaver said you wanted a word, Miss?" Paul said as he approached her

Rachel nodded, observing him carefully. He was fidgeting on the spot, his eyes darting from left to right as his trainers scuffed and kicked at the grass.

"Can you tell me what all that was about earlier, with Bolton and Marley?"

"I don't know what you mean, Miss" he shrugged, his eyes glued to the ground

Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"You know, you'd be a lot more convincing if you could look me in the eye" she snapped

Paul remained silent.

"Bolton had a reason for hitting Marley, I know that. But there's something he doesn't want to tell me about. So what is it, Paul?" she questioned

"I don't know, Miss" Paul shrugged again, shrinking into himself

Rachel sighed. As much as she wanted to, she wasn't going to give up. Paul would be a lot easier to get through to than Bolton. If she could just get even a little bit of information out of Paul, it would be worth it.

"You still haven't told me what you meant by 'keeping it quiet'. What was that?"

Paul didn't answer, causing Rachel's frustration to increase further.

"In case I didn't make myself clear, Bolton is in big trouble. So what do I not know?" she added, her tone a little more forceful

"I don't know! If you want to know, Miss, you need to ask Bolton" Paul huffed

Rachel sighed in defeat as he ran back onto the football pitch. She'd been wrong. Maybe neither Paul nor Bolton was going to crack.