Forbidden Miss Foster

Chapter 11

Rosie's POV

Thursday afternoon couldn't have come around fast enough.

Last night I stepped through my front door after getting back from work at just-gone five o'clock , and was fully passed out on the couch by seven.

I think my extreme fatigue may have been due to a slight overdose on Ibuprofen ; my sinus headache didn't improve at all throughout the school day and I probably went through three quarters of box of tablets by the time I got home.

I woke up with my makeup still on and a pile of incompletely marked papers on the other side of the couch. I hadn't set an alarm either , but luckily my natural body clock caused me to wake up just ten minutes later than I usually would.

It's now Thursday afternoon ; my year seven's are getting on with a task and the end-of-day bell is due to go in about twenty minutes. Thank God.

I'm looking forward to seeing Christine again later ; she agreed to come on a walk with me after school finishes so we can catch up. Although it sounds boring , going on walks is one of my favourite past-times, and having somebody to chat with whilst walking really does make the experience doubly as enjoyable.

———

"Miss?" Daniel piped up from the front row.

"Yes , love?" I replied , looking up from my laptop.

"Question three doesn't make any sense?" he said , holding up the worksheet for me to see.

I sighed and leaned over my desk to take it from his hand. I then read over the question , and despite having explained it three times just ten minutes ago , I explained it again.

"Oh I get it.." he said , after I had gone through it another two times over.

I smiled slightly and passed him back his worksheet , which he took before saying , "Are you okay Miss? Your eyes are really dark , are you tired or something?" , he asked genuinely.

Oh children and their brutal honesty.

I sighed, "I'm fine , love..It's just been a long week.." I replied honestly.

It was a few seconds of silence before there was a gentle knock at the door. At the sound , almost my entire class looked up from their work and over at the door. I sighed , the last thing I need right now is for thirty eleven year olds , who took twenty minutes to settle in the first place , to lose their concentration so close to the end of the school day.

"Everybody concentrate on the worksheet, if it's not done by three thirty , you'll be completing it at break time tomorrow.." I said , getting most of them to put their heads down again.

"Come in!" I called out to the person on the other side of the door.

The door opened and Kennedy stood on the other side of it.

"Good afternoon, Miss Foster.." she said , a small smile playing at her lips.

"Good afternoon , Miss Matthews.." I replied, in a less provocative tone.

Leaning against the doorway , she smiled , "Miss Adams sent me to ask for the ethics text books. She said , and I quote , 'the teacher in Hi9 probably snatched them again while I wasn't looking' , so I assume she's talking about you?" she said , trying to stifle a laugh as she spoke.

Ever since I arrived at this school , Ethel Adams has always had something against me. I think it may have been because I replaced her as pastoral leader when I got this job , but that was just because they thought she was getting on a bit and needed somebody younger to take over. But that was over six years ago?