‘Miss Ellis, can you escort Chelsea off site while she has a bit of time out. Then bring her straight back and take her upstairs to isolation – I don’t want her mixing with the other students today.’

Chelsea stood up with a cocky swagger. ‘Bothered?’ she hissed as she walked out of the hall with Janice close behind her.

Donny sighed. What a morning. Hopefully the day would get better, but he wasn’t holding his breath.

Donny was pacing up and down the side of the building, where no one inside would see him. His phone was pressed to his ear and his voice was low; he seemed stressed, looking around him before he spoke. ‘I said, I’ll be there later, fuck me, how many times do I have to tell you not to ring me when I’m in work?’ His nostrils flared as he sucked hard on his cigarette. As the call ended, he stood with his back to the wall for a few seconds, thinking. A few of the kids from the local high school walked past and Donny looked over at them. These were the ‘normal’ kids, the full uniform, homework done brigade. Arse lickers, he liked to call them. He watched them go by and smiled at them. The kids from his school had had plenty of beef with this lot before now and he’d had to come out of school to stop his pupils starting on them. As he headed back to the fray, he spotted Melanie sitting in her car. Trying to get a moment’s peace between lessons no doubt. This was his cue to go back inside; there was no way he wanted to get caught up talking to her on his own. Best to keep giving her a wide berth for sure.

Donny made for the door; he could see her using her rearview mirror to reapply the candy-pink lip gloss she never seemed to be without. He picked up his pace but too late, she’d spotted him.

‘Hello, boss, have you been waiting for me?’

Donny was cornered. He smiled at her though it didn’t reach his eyes. He was making an effort, didn’t like to appear rude.

‘Hello, Mel, you’re looking well. Did you have a good weekend?’ She locked her car and leant against the door.

‘You’re joking, aren’t you? I had the ex on the phone half the time. After he heard somebody had dropped me off that night after the pub, he hasn’t stopped giving me the third degree.’

Not what Donny wanted to hear. It wasn’t like there was even anything going on. Even so, if his missus got wind of this, she would scratch her eyeballs out and cut his balls off.

‘Just tell him it was a work thing; you work with me. If he needs to speak to me about it, then fine.’