Good Luck With That *ON HOLD*

Chapter 7: "Miss Evelyn, exactly what did you just say?"

Down on my knees I scrub the remaining paint from the carpeted floor of the office under the watchful eye of Ms Hopkinson. 

Earlier, after my shower and rather...awkward run-in with Hayden, I headed off to go get started on the cleaning and had to make up a very convincing story of why Hayden hadn't turned up to start cleaning yet. I told Mr Pendinski that Hayden was just at his locker dropping something off when I saw him last and that I'd be able to show Hayden where everything is. It took one hell of a very long and very convincing conversation to get Mr Pendinski to leave so I could get cleaning before the end of period four. Sometimes I really wonder why I get myself into these sort of situations. 

So here I am, picking up the bucket of soapy water filled with a combination of cleaning products Mr Pendinski put together and the scrub he gave me, heading into Mr Reed's office to finally finish cleaning up. I knock my knuckles against the door and receive nothing but silence. It seems as though nobody is in. Making sure Ms Hopkinson isn't looking, I quickly sneak inside and quietly shut the door behind me. 

"Aw maybe this isn't a good idea," I say to myself and turn to face the door again. However, an odd looking yellow manila folder that sits out of place on Mr Reed's desk catches my eye. I shift over to the desk and go to grab it, yet I stop myself before I can touch it. I shouldn't be doing this, I think to myself, it's just not right. 

A weird impulse streams through my veins, taunting me, encouraging me to just take the folder and see whats inside. I quickly distract those thoughts by grabbing the scrub, dipping it in the foamy water and rubbing it all over the plastic chair Hayden covered with red paint. Ugh there's a butt print, how nice. As every few seconds pass I'm distracted by the folder that looms from the table just inches away. 

"I guess one peak wouldn't hurt..." I muse, raising my shoulders in a shrug. Dumping the scrub and bucket on the chair, I leave my hands free to tear open the luminous manila folder. When I pull out the sheets two words under the bold heading 'behaviour records' strike me as something Hayden would typically do, but then I see the third sub heading and the paper falls from my hands, slowly the edges of the papers tilting side to side as they scatter across the ground. My mind blurs over in a muddled haze of thoughts and whirled emotions; everything twirling round and around each other en-capturing my mind. I feel my skin fall pale, shocked by the thought of such a thing that the folder could hold. 

Momentarily I'm distracted by nearing footsteps outside, but my bones have frozen the rest of my body in place. A breeze floats through the room as the door scrapes open behind me. I quickly spin around and catch myself on the desk. Mr Reed stands with his back to me and is chatting along casually with Ms Hopkinson. With my foot I kick all the papers under the desk just in time as Mr Reed closes the door and turns to face me with a surprised look on his face. 

"Evelyn?" he exclaims, releasing his hand from the door knob, "wh-"

"I was ju-just cleaning up in here. I didn't mean to come in here without your permission!" I squeak and by the end of my sentences you can hardly hear my voice. 

"Evelyn please, whilst I would have preferred you had asked first before entering my office, that is not what I was going to ask."

"Oh," I mumble feeling rather embarrassed as my cheeks flush a pale pink. 

"What I intended on asking was why Hayden is not here cleaning with you?" he ends with a sighs. Why is he sighing? I don't quite understand. 

"Sir-"

"Evelyn I believe I'm already aware of where Hayden currently is." Ok? So where does that leave me now, am I supposed to stay? "Evelyn, you may return to class now, and I shall have somebody clean this up, leaving Hayden with a detention."