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English
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Published:
2013-02-22
Updated:
2013-09-22
Words:
2,981
Chapters:
4/?
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12
Hits:
512

A Step Too Far

Summary:

After a stress filled day at the PRU and another load of arguments with Tom, Nicki can’t cope much longer.

Chapter Text

The bell went for the end of final period, the argument Nicki had earlier with Tom was still racing through her mind as Nicki dismissed her class. Scout saw the change in her teacher’s demeanour; they had agreed on a cease fire weeks before and Scout was growing rather attached to Miss Boston, even after everything that had happened. She didn’t like seeing her as anything but the quick witted, egotistic ex-army woman she was. As everyone else had just got out the class as quickly as possible in case Boston changed her mind and kept them back for another hour to do circuit training, Scout stayed behind packing her bag slowly waiting for everyone to leave. She walked towards Nicki’s desk. Nicki sat with her head in her hands elbows resting on the desk staring at the wood, as if it was going to give her an answer to all her problems while she waited for her students to leave. She felt someone watching her and looked up, finding the one person she never expected to stay behind watching her from in front of her desk. ‘Jodie, what’s wrong?’ Scout switched her weight from foot to foot trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for why she had stayed behind. ‘Seriously miss please call me Scout, everyone else does…I was wondering…are you okay? You seem…a little…not yourself today’ Scout quickly looked down at her shoes finding them really interesting all of a sudden. ‘Thanks for thinking about me J…Scout, but I’ll be fine just need some rest, not feeling to well today’ ‘As long as you haven’t gave it to us Miss’ Scout let out a small laugh making Nicki laugh too. ‘Don’t worry it’s nothing that can be passed on Scout, now off you go before Maggie wonders where you are’ Scout smiled at her before turning around and walking out the PRU, as she was walking down the stairs she saw Tom walking down the corridor, ‘Mr Clarkson!’ she yelled and started running down the stairs ‘Mr Clarkson, wait up’ Tom slowed down hearing his name being shouted and turned around. ‘Scout what’s wrong? Has something happened? Is Miss Boston causing you trouble again?’ Scout looked at him in shock, ‘No, Boston has been fine with me since Barry admitted to the robberies’ she looked down; him and Miss Boston had been great friends when they were back in Rochdale. What was going on between them? Should she tell him, he may make things worse if Miss Boston really was as low as she seemed. ‘It’s…You know what Sir, it doesn’t matter I better make my way back to the school house.’ Scout went to turn around and walk down the corridors that would lead her to the exit, but she really had a bad feeling about Miss Boston. ‘Mr Clarkson, ease up on Boston. She’s alright you know, she’s just in need of a friend’ Tom looked at Scout, this was the first wise thing he’d heard from her since moving to Greenock, maybe she was right maybe Nicki was just in need of a friend. Scout smiled at him and walked off. Tom headed up the stairs that Scout had just ran down and walked towards the PRU, he looked through the small window on the door, and all the lights were out. He tried the door, it was locked. Obviously Nicki had gone home for the night. He walked back to his room in the English block, packing up his things he decided once he’d had a shower and changed out of his work clothes he’d go and see Nicki. Nicki had written down her address on a small piece of paper and passed it to him when she first got to Greenock.

As soon as Scout had left the room Nicki let the tears flow, Tom was her closest and only friend and this is what they had become. She crossed her arms on the desk and lowered her head into them sobbing. She wished she knew why he hated her so much since she moved here, surely the friendship they had in Rochdale meant something to him, or was she just someone to talk to when he was sick of listening to the other members of staff and now as they were surrounded by new people she didn’t matter. Nicki could hear Scout in the corridor shouting Tom, she couldn’t deal with speaking to him now she quickly got up stuffing her things into her bag checked she hadn’t left anything and walked to the door, switching off the lights and locking the door on her way out. She quickly walked down the corridor leading away from the stairs her student had just walked down she knew a back way out. As pointed out by Bolton nothing screwed down went walkies so Nicki always kept everything with her where she went so there was no need to head to the staff room. Nicki found the back stair case that barely anyone realised were there and started to quickly walk down them, coming out at reception she just walked out the door. She still hadn’t had a chance to get a new car yet so she started to walk towards the gate and turned right to start her 45 minute walk back to her home. She really needed to get a car; although she had nothing against keeping healthy she went jogging every morning. It’s just when you’re in need of a quick getaway walking at a normal pace really isn’t helpful.

As soon as she got home she walked straight to the fridge getting out a beer, shaking off her coat and collapsing onto the sofa she needed a drink. Swigging back the beer, she knew it wouldn’t last long the mood she was in. She turned on her stereo hearing some strange music coming through the radio; she pressed the button on the remote that would change it to the CD player. Evanescence started playing through the speakers.