I'll keep you safe

Chapter 161

Forty minutes later...

The venue was bigger than Rachel had expected. The Boxing Ring was centred in the middle of the large room, hundreds of empty seats circling around it waiting to be filled. She couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face, knowing that, in less than twenty minutes, the room would be filled with people and noise, Bolton and his opponent being the centre of attention.

Forcing the students into an orderly queue was a team effort. They were all buzzing with excitement, keen to get the best seat they could to watch their fellow student compete.

"Right! I know you're all excited, and I'm glad, but pushing and shoving one another is NOT acceptable! Now, form a queue or we'll take you all straight back onto the coaches!" Rachel bellowed

The hall fell silent immediately, the sound of shoes shuffling into a line echoing in the air. Eddie smiled to himself. He loved seeing Rachel in Head Teacher mode.

Once the students were all in a line, she and Eddie chaperoned them into the aisles of the seats relatively quickly. Rachel shut down the kids who were on the brink of throwing tantrums because they couldn't sit with their friends by threatening to put them back on the coach. Within ten minutes, they were all seated, the staff filling in the empty spaces.

"Are you excited?" Eddie asked as they took their seats at the back of one of the stands

"I am. I'm nervous for him though" Rachel admitted

"Me too, I think he's got this in the bag though. He's put in the effort and hard work, and Rob is a great coach" Eddie pointed out

Rachel nodded, sipping on the water she'd pulled out of her bag. Eddie was immediately concerned.

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked

"I'm fine"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's just a bit warm in here, that's all" she reassured

Eddie nodded, taking her hand into his own.

"Should we count this as a date?" he asked playfully

Rachel giggled.

"A school trip? I don't think so!"

"Damn, and I thought I could get out of taking you out for dinner tonight" he teased, placing a kiss on her cheek

"You wouldn't be able to anyway. We told Philip we'd order a takeaway" she reminded him

"I was thinking he could order himself something and we could slip out"

Rachel shook her head.

"Maybe another night. I will count a snuggle on the sofa and a Chinese takeaway as a date night"

"We could always order from the Italian restaurant and pick it up on the way back from the hospital?" he suggested

Rachel shook her head again, causing Eddie to frown. Food from the Italian restaurant was usually her favourite.

"It's not just me who wants a Chinese" Rachel whispered, placing a hand on her stomach

Eddie smiled.

"Then we'll have a Chinese" he whispered back, squeezing her hand gently

Rachel smiled, pecking him on the lips.

...

Bolton sat in the changing rooms, bouncing his leg up and down nervously. The tablets he had taken earlier were wearing off, leaving him in a state of anxiety and fear. His worries about losing the match, of letting everyone down had returned. He could hear his friends and other students heading into the venue, all cheering and shouting his name. It was only making him more nervous.