‘As you’re probably aware,’ started Margaret Chillton, sitting behind her large imposing desk and indicating for Claire to be seated opposite her, ‘this is Joshua’s laptop. Unfortunately, we’ve found some extremely sensitive material on it. In cases such as these, we’re duty bound to inform the parents. I’m sure you understand.’

Porn?

Claire had felt her shoulders soften a fraction.

Porn she could deal with. It wasn’t ideal, but didn’t every teenage boy have some? Yes, he was an idiot for doing it on a school laptop but at least no one was hurt, and the incident hadn’t involved anybody else. She imagined Chris’s laugh when she told him, and no doubt Chris would regale her with his own teenage porn stash. Chris would have a man-to-man chat with Joshua and then the matter would be forgotten.

The headmistress had turned on the laptop and Claire had braced herself to see photos of stereotypical big-breasted random women in tantalising positions. But when Margaret Chillton had turned the screen towards her Claire had instinctively flinched. Gazing brazenly out at the camera was what looked to be a teenager wearing nothing but the bottom half of her school uniform.

Please God, let her be over sixteen years old. What the hell was Joshua thinking?

Claire felt sick. Porn was one thing but this was something else entirely.

‘As you’ve probably guessed, this girl is a student,’ said Margaret Chillton.

Claire felt the walls recede.

‘We have learnt that she’s in her second year at Trimour Sixth-Form College, seventeen years old, and she sent this to Joshua after a series of intimate email exchanges.’

Claire turned away from the image, trying to block out the photograph as the headmistress paused to let the information sink in.

‘I can see you feel exactly as we do here at the school, Mrs Carmichael. Joshua has rarely been in any trouble before. In fact, he’s been a model student. However, we take such things extremely seriously and our first step is to talk with the parents involved…’

Claire let the rest of the words float over her. She couldn’t do this on her own. Where the fuck was Chris?

‘What will happen next?’ asked Claire, finally finding her voice.

‘As far as we know, Joshua has only received this image and he’s told us he hasn’t distributed it or shared it.’

‘You’ve talked to Joshua? What else did he say?’ appealed Claire. ‘Who is this girl and why would she send things like this to him?’

‘I have talked to Joshua, Mrs Carmichael, and he was very upset to have the image discovered as you can imagine. He should have reported it immediately.’

Claire closed her eyes and tried to breathe.