Without Direction

Chapter 1

THIS IS A REWRITE OF 'BEFORE I FALL'. PLEASE REVIEW :)
****

The music blaring from his daughter's room signalled that Poppy Mead was in fact awake, as the sound of her favourite pop band making it increasingly difficult for Chris to call up the stairs.

"Poppy, breakfast!" He called from the living area where he had been shoving the final books he had stayed up to mark last night in the box.

When Poppy's mum died in a freak accident last year when Poppy was 16 Chris had decided that the memories their town house held were too much and decided to relocate to a nicer part outside of Rochdale. Their apartment wasn't huge but it had been ideal for just the two of them, it meant Poppy had her own space and she was still relitevely close to her friends, Josh, Finn, Lauren and Sambuca who had unfortunatley passed away a month ago after being sick for some time.

"Dad!" Poppy's voice bellowed from her room. With the music still on Chris had it difficult to hear what his daughter was saying. "Have you seen my Chemistry file?"

Chris shook his head. He could swear that Poppy would lose her head if it wasn't attached to the rest of her body. "I collected them in, remember."

"Oh yeah." Her voice quietened as she appeared into the kitchen area. Making herself a bowl of cereal she jumped up onto the counter top.

"Poppy, off." He groaned as he shifted through the last minute arrangements for the AS Level exams that would be starting next week. "And go turn that music off will you."

The young Mead grumbled as she hit the floor with a thud and began making her way to her room at the other end of the apartment.

"You can leave the cereal bowl and that attidude here." Chris smirked. A sigh of satisifaction crossed his features as he heard Poppy turning the music off. Looking up to the clock Chris noticed the time and decided they had to leave otherwise they'd be late. "Poppy, hurry up. We've got to leave."

"Coming" Came the response.

****
"Morning all." Chris beamed as he entered the staff room, having dropped off the shed load of marking he had done last night in his class he had been keen to get a fresh cup of coffee.

"Someone's happy." Grantley grumbled from behind the racing paper.

Chris chose to ignore him and concentrated on making his coffee only looking up when he heard his close friend walk in. "Coffee, Tom?"

"Please." The English teacher said appreaciatevly.

As their children became closer so did the two teachers. Other than Mr Byrne it had only been Mr Clarkson she got on with but she had also been a really good friend to Josh. When he had been receiving all the rubbish from his peers Poppy had been the one to stand up for him, it wasn't out of the ordinary for Poppy to cause a scene but this time had clearly been an exception. From that day Josh had became one of Poppy's best friends.

"How's Josh with these exams?" Chris asked after a moment or two. AS Level's started next week which meant Josh, Poppy and their group of friends were about to start their final exams.

Tom shrugged. "He's doing alright, I think so anyway. Not had too much complaint." He said with a chuckle. "What about Poppy, she sailed through them last year."

Chris shook his head. He didn't really know in all honesty, Poppy wasn't someone who would divulge her feeling especially not to her Dad and sometimes that concerned Chris. But at this moment in time he was more worried that she was putting too much pressure on herself. "Just a little worried."

"She'll manage." Tom said. He had taught Poppy ever since she started here at Waterloo Road and he was pretty confident that she would sail through her exams.