Class of '19 (A Steps School AU)

14 - Trouble

Faye's point of view
The following Friday was my birthday, and so it was my turn to wear the hideous pink birthday badge. I immediately regretted making Lisa wear it as I battled with her over her sticking the badge to the chest pocket of my blazer.
"Ouch!" I cried as she stuck the pin into me.
"Shit sorry." She replied, pulling it back a bit. "Now you know why I didn't fight you over it!" She added with a grin.
I rolled my eyes, rubbing my boob where she'd stabbed me as I did so. "Fine do it." I said, moving my hand away and allowing her to do the pin up on the front pocket of my blazer.
"And a Happy Birthday weirdo." She said with a smile when she was done. She tossed me a massive packet of sweets as we headed for the bus stop.
"God thanks." I replied. We stopped in the middle of the path and I hugged her for a good solid minute. Then I saw the bus coming over her shoulder and we had to run to get to our stop before the bus would leave. I grabbed her hand and half dragged her so I didn't leave her behind. We made it just in time. When I tumbled onto the seat next to her she kissed me playfully on the cheek as a weird little thank you.

When we got to school we had to wait for the others and we did in our usual spot.
"Oh god it's not assembly day is it?" I asked Lisa as we sat in waiting for the other three.
She looked up from her text conversation with H, who'd apparently managed to miss his bus (Claire's usual trick), for just long enough to answer my question. "Yep."
"Ah balls. That and PE, really shaping up to be a great Birthday." I joked.
"And drama, wait no, that's a good thing." She said. Ever since we'd made up the lot of us had teamed up in drama and now we included H too. I was beginning to think we were the expressive art department's worst nightmare.
Our conversation was cut short by the arrival of Lee, who grinned at me as he walked across the hard play. Lisa elbowed me playfully and I tried my best to ignore the winking she was aiming at the two of us. I smacked her arm, and thankfully she stopped.
"So it is today I didn't mess up." He said, handing me a present.
I looked at it, flipping it over in my hands and trying to work out how to get into it. I eventually found a gap in the tape and carefully pried up the edge with my nail. I tried my hardest not to tear the wrapping and somehow didn't. Inside was a necklace with a little hedgehog shaped charm and a bar of chocolate.
"I couldn't remember whether... which chocolate brand you liked more, so I thought I should get you something to go with it." Lee said as I smiled at him.
"I love it." I whispered, I could feel my cheeks heating up as I desperately tried to avoid eye contact with him. In the end I couldn't resist and hugged him.

The moment was ruined by Claire's excited squealing as she ran across to join us.
"Did you ask her out?" She asked when she was closer to us.
I shook my head.
Claire sighed in disappointment. "Shame, you could cut the sexual tension round here with a fucking knife."
"Right?" Lisa replied with a grin.
When Lee and I sat down with them we refused to sit next to each other, so not to give them any more fuel for their fire.

H's point of view
I wasn't so much dropped off at school by my dad as I was abandoned at the gates. I headed to our tutor room on some kind of automatic instinct, and found to my horror there was no-one there. Then I remembered it was assembly day and swore to myself. Apparently there was nothing more embarrassing than being late for assembly, Claire had already done it once this year and I remember everyone staring at her as she'd walked in. And this time it was going to be my turn to be late, because as I walked out of the new maths block the bell for tutor-time rung. I was the far side of the school grounds and far short of running there was no way I'd make it to the hall without everyone looking at me as I walked in late. Although considering how badly I ran even that would draw attention to me. I walked up the steps to the hard play and resigned myself to my fate. It wouldn't be too bad, right?
When I walked into the hall I realised how wrong I'd been. It was the deputy head Mrs Andrews giving assembly. I quickly ditched my bag on the table in the doorway and headed to our tutor group's seating block, hoping I could slip into a seat at the back of it without her noticing.
"And why are you late?" She asked, staring at me.
I froze as 180 pairs of eyes turned to look at me. "I missed the bus, because, teenager, you know, time keeping ain't my cup of tea." I replied.
A few people laughed, but through the gaps in the rows of our tutor group I could clearly see Faye put her head in her hands.
"What is your name?" She asked me.
Then I realised why. This was the teacher who hated Faye, and as a result hated most of our friendship group. I gulped before replying, still frozen to the spot. "Ian Watkins."
"Ian. Come see me at the end." She said with a shake of her head. "Now where was I."