Tamper

Chapter 9

Alice stopped by Liam's classroom one day after lunch. She knocked once before poking her head through the door and said, "Are you busy?"

"Not at the moment," Liam replied. She walked into the classroom and sat at one of Liam's visitors' chairs.

"I like what you've done with the place." She gestured to his desk. "It really opens up the room." Alice self-consciously tucked back stray strands of white blond hair behind her ear. "So... Finland."

"Yes, it was something."

"I know you're trying to make it less awkward for me by not bringing it up these past two months, but I feel so foolish and embarrassed-"

Liam raised his hands up, halting her. "Alice, its water under the bridge. Don't fret about it. The reason I haven't mentioned it is because I know it was a mistake. While you're here-" Liam reached into his desk drawer and pulled out the Josephine Hart paperback. "You left this in the staff room. I've been meaning to return it, but I kept forgetting."

Alice reached for the paperback. "I was wondering where I left it." She flipped the book open to the first page, smoothed down the spine and read out loud. "There is an internal landscape, a geography of the soul; we search for its outlines all our lives." She looked up at Liam. "That line has always resonated with me. It just sums up life perfectly. Have you read Damage?"

"Yes."

She closed the book. "And what do you think of it?"

"The main character allowed an obsession to destroy his life."

"The narrator had lived a safe, comfortable, somewhat bloodless life. Anna was his last, if not only, chance to experience passion." Alice smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. "His infatuation with her made him cross unspeakable boundaries."

"Good that did him." Liam realised he could use Alice's impromptu visit to his advantage. "I just finished up with the Year 10s."

"An interesting group."

"Yes, they are," Liam agreed. "I forgot you also take them for English. Are they any students that are a handful to teach?"

"Just one."

"Should I guess? The name starts with M and rhymes with million."

"I'm sure I sound like a terrible person," Alice lowered her voice. "But taking the Year 10s without him present has been a vacation and a part of me wished he would never return to my class."

If Maximilian Grant-Whitfield knew what was good for him, he would never darken the doorstep of Liam's classroom ever again. Just the idea of that twat invading Zayn's personal space, thinking that he had the right to lay a finger on Zayn, made Liam stay up most nights, thinking of various ways he could make Max pay and pay.

"Max is a-" Cunt. "Nuisance. I'm also certain we aren't the only ones who are making hay while the sun shines, so to speak." When Alice raised quizzical eyebrow, Liam continued. "Since Max hasn't been present, I've noticed that some of the other students participate a great deal more in class discussions like Spencer, Natalie, and," the only person that mattered, "Zayn."

"Now that you mention it, I suppose so."

They both were silent, the far off sound of students' chattering filtering through the open windows. "Speaking of Zayn, what do you think of him?" Liam asked.

Alice shrugged. "He's an introvert. He's really quiet in class."

"That's Zayn, all right."

"He is creative and enjoys to read. He usually receives the highest marks in the class for his written work." She smiled. "It makes me glad that he's turned things around."