Friday Drinks

It’s only your 3rd week teaching at St Perpetua’s, but you’re really settling in. This week was momentous, but it was also feeling normal. What it really needs is a drink to end the week.

{if Abigail > 0}

Thankfully Abigail pops her head round the door just after the final lesson of the day. “Drink at the Drowned Guppy?” she asks.

{elseif Krystal > 0}

Thankfully Krystal appears as you’re wrapping up. “Drinks?” she asks.

{else}

Amazingly just as your packing away Anissa appears at the door. “I was wondering whether you wanted to go for a drink, with the rest of us?” she asks

{endif}

Just what the doctor ordered. You follow her to the staff room where only a fraction of the usual suspects are waiting.

“No Spencer, or Blair?” you ask.

“Spencer had to go home, her husband insisted,” Abigail tells you.

“Blair’s getting ready for the first game of the year tomorrow. According to her, she can’t afford to come to the pub,” Krystal adds.

The four of you set off into town and the Drowned Guppy. Anissa states it’s her turn to buy the round. While she and Abigail deal with the drinks, you and Krystal find a seat at the back.

{if Harem = 2}

Abigail goes through the same story she told in the meeting. Anissa and Krystal are equally shocked at her story. Under the table your penis stiffens at what it implies.

“What’s made Kelly Golden suddenly take her schoolwork seriously?” Anissa asks. “And protect Ellie Jones?”

“I have no idea. John have you any idea?”

“None,” you lie.

“Maybe she’s trying to impress you,” Krystal adds. If only they knew. You blather that you don’t know what she’s talking about, which leads to Krystal explicitly telling you what she’s talking about, which leads to Anissa blushing furiously and Abigail insisting such ideas are unprofessional. You pretend you agree with her.

It’s quickly decided to change topic.

{else}

Abigail tells the tale of bullying she’d told in the meeting. Both Anissa and Krystal are horrified, both at the level of bullying and the fact that Mrs Oversight dismissed these worries.

“If Ellie’s having problems with her laptop, then I could have a look at it. I’ve rescued soaked laptops before,” Krystal volunteers.

“If her laptop is broken, I doubt anyone will realise. Ellie’s not the type to make a fuss, she’ll just carry on without a laptop.”

“I’ll keep an eye out. If she’s stopped using her laptop, I’ll drag her your way,” you add. That gets a chuckle from the women. “But what’s this about?” and you ask about the lead bully’s family.

“Haven’t you heard?” Krystal states conspiratorially. She looks around the pub, then leans towards you to whisper. “Apparently, he’s something big in the city’s underworld. Top mafioso or something. He’s tried to buy his way into town life, but the big knobs of the town just tolerate him. My understanding is that they came to an understanding. He doesn’t bring his crime into town, and they won’t run him out.”

“If he’s big mafioso they wouldn’t be able to run him out of town.”

“You say that. But it’s happened in the past. A couple of rich men from the city, move into town, try to throw their weight around, and end up slinking back to the city, poorer and chastened.”

Sounds nonsense to you. It’s good then that the others decide to change the topic.

{endif}

“So anyone got any plans for half term week?” Abigail asks.

“We’ve only just started this term,” you state in shock. You’ve just finished the third week, and already the others are talking about half term.

“And half term is in three weeks’ time. Trust me, in three weeks’ time you’ll be needing a week off.”

You take her word at it.

“I plan my usual,” Anissa tells you. “A week of relaxation and contemplation with the Congregation of the Sisters of the Sacred Trust.”

“What that nunnery about ten miles outside town?” Krystal asks. Anissa nods. Krystal doesn’t look impressed. “Always appeared strange to have a nunnery outside town.”

Yes, it is strange. As a local you knew about the nunnery and even had a lesson about it. Apparently, it somehow survived Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, not unscathed, but survived, and existed when being Catholic was a corporal crime. Moving away it always felt like another example of how cut off from normality your hometown was.

“And what are you planning, Krystal? Every day in here again?”

“Unless I can find something better,” Krystal looks earnestly as you as she says this. “And you?”

“Don’t know, depends on things,” Abigail is vague.

When they turn to ask you, the answer is that you hadn’t thought that far ahead.

The conversation continues to drift until the drinks are finished. Only Krystal appears interested in staying for another round.