Twenty day challenge.

Day Six

Day six *unedited*.

I come out the changing room without much luck knowing that my non-existent reputation had fallen, it was a little more than a miracle that no other pupils had seen Finch and I soaked through, was it luck or a coincidence? Most pupils would've been in the canteen but there were always the odd few pupils who were wandering around the corridors aimlessly, but they had all disappeared from sight.

"Right Miss Watts, Mr Finch I think you'd better see Mrs Conway don't you?" Mrs Jones asked and it seems to be a rhetorical question as I am too scared to reply whereas Finch is just standing there with a frozen expression, the sort of expression that hides all emotions.

We follow Mrs Jones who turned sharply around the corner with her clicking heels; I tried to act cool and confident like Finch, sadly my efforts died in vain as I had to look at the ground every time a pupil looked at me with questioning eyes. I had never been in this sort of trouble before, and I was scared, there was a first time for everything one might say, but I had never and not for one moment even dreamt I'd be in this position.

Finch is called first when we get to the office, and I wonder how he will successfully manage to avoid getting into trouble this time, but when you have a perfect record unscathed like Finch and you're head boy then teachers tend to favour you. But if you're like me, then they don't tend to favour you as much, lucky me.

"Ivy Watts," the secretary whose name I don't know called, and I walked in wondering what my next plan of action would be, Finch came out looking emotionless as he slouched with his hands in his pockets and no further clues of what had happened in there were given to me. Had he told the truth or had he invented some exaggerated lie?

I walked trying to act like I couldn't care less but Mrs Conway knew better than anyone that this was all an act, a pretence. "Ivy can you exclaim to me why you were in the rain with Oliver?" She asked, and it took me a moment or two to register what she is saying, I'm so used to calling Oliver 'Finch' that sometimes it takes me a moment to register that his birth name is actually Oliver.

I don't reply and Mrs Conway tries a different tact as she moved from the chair behind her desk to the sofa and she gestured for me to sit next to me, making it seem as informal as possible, and for a moment she's not just a head teacher but a friend, and I'm tempted to tell her the truth in that single split second.

"Come on Ivy," She said smiling as the words came out coaxingly, "I've never had a compliant about you before, is something bothering you?" She asked and the words slip out like honey on a spoon.

"Yes," I heard myself say, "my parents think I'm insane and they've sent me to psychiatrist even though I don't need to go, it's just because I'll never live up to Sophie's standards," I finished with a note of finality of my tone, I had avoided her question with ease and hopefully this was enough to deter her from the real reason why I was here in the first place.

"I'm sure that's not true, I did wonder though, and you're just as good as your sister don't ever doubt that," Mrs Conway said sincerely. "So, correct me if I'm wrong but was this just away to get noticed?" She asked and I nodded relieved that I wouldn't have to confess the truth to her, but at least the lie I had come up with; which was partly true come to think of it, sounded plausible.

"Yes I'm sorry Mrs Conway," I said in a small voice, a miniature version of my normal tone.

"Well, I'm glad you had the sense to talk to me, even though you've been keeping it bottled up for far too long, I don't know what has gotten into Mr Finch lately, I suppose he was part of your mad plan too? Hm?" She asked questionably and it seems ironic really, the truth was the opposite of what she thought, I was part of Finch's mad plan, but I knew correcting her would make matters even worse. I nodded and she continued, "well I cannot stress enough how irresponsible you two have been, you will be in detention for the next week, and I'll be phoning your parents." She said and I groaned but I knew better than to protest, the punishment would be far worse if only she knew the truth, but did she have to phone my parents' home? That was going to make the situation a million times worse.