Chapter 79

"Are you sure you're okay to come back to work?" Hannah asked for the umpteenth time. She'd been fussing over her all morning, making her drinks and going out of her way to make as little work as possible.

"Honestly," Jenna reassured her. "I'm completely fine."

Standing on her tiptoes, Jenna glanced over the teacher's shoulders at the classroom. The seat where Felix had always sat was now empty. There was something ominous about the way it was angled and edged away from the table—almost as if it were waiting for his return.

"I always knew he was a wrong'un." Hannah shook her head. "I still can't believe you aren't pressing charges, though. He's going to get away with it."

Her mother had said the same thing repeatedly, the thing they didn't understand though, was the trouble she'd be causing for Riley, Kai, Ray, and all the other lads if the prosecution started asking too many questions.

She'd told the officers it was a prank that went too far. All the others said the same, and so far, they were all sticking to their stories.

"I don't think his dad is going to go easy on him," Jenna said. The last thing she'd heard was Alden was sending him off to military school. The idea, Alden had explained, was to teach the boy some respect for authority—to follow the rules of society.

Jenna figured it was a mistake but dare not say as much. A guy like Felix, who felt neither emotions nor pain, would become a monster with military training under his belt. His problem wasn't with authority or discipline—he was simply a monster—but how could she explain this to his dad?

'I have no choice but to let it go,' she decided. 'Soon, Felix will be in another country. He'll find someone else to focus his attention on.'

As her eyes shifted to Riley, he flashed her a smile and a wink. Jenna felt her face becoming hot, remembering their night of passion. Then she realised she'd slept with a student and would be fired if anyone found out.

The thought made her stomach turn.

She made a mental note to pester him at lunch but found she couldn't wait. Sneaking into the classroom, she pulled him to one side by the sinks. The other students were chatting so loudly nobody would hear them.

"Riley, about what happened..." she started.

"It never happened." Riley winked again.

"Huh?" Jenna frowned. Was he really going to make this so easy for her?

"Aisha is back," he told her. "She took the money from Felix and never had the abortion. She only ran off to Devon because Felix was threatening to hurt her, but now he's gone."

Looking at Riley, he was so happy. His golden eyes were sparkling, and he couldn't stop smiling.

"We're going to move down there once I've graduated and the baby is born," he said.

"That's..." Jenna nodded and smiled, unsure what to say. "I'm happy for you."

She gave him a sneaky stroke on the arm and left as Hannah burst into the room, bellowing out instructions.

When she got back into the prep room there was little to do. She took a sip of her tea and checked her phone.

"Can we meet after work?" Kai had texted. "I'll be back at 7."

Kai and Ray had taken a job in Swindon, taking up most of his time since the incident. She hadn't spoken to him properly since deciding that she definitely wanted to get back with him. The entire time she'd been locked up, he was the only one whose company she'd craved. The one she'd missed. The one she wanted to see again before she died.

"I'll see you at 7," she replied.

###

The freinds argued the entire ride back from Swindon—about where to stop and eat, which music to listen to, and even silly habits like fingernail biting.

Kai could only conclude they had spent too much time together over the past week. He knew Ray was as stressed and tired as he was, yet it didn't stop him from wanting to crack him over the head.

When they got home, Ray went straight to the pub to meet Kenny and the others. He didn't even bother to unload the van.

"We'll sort it tomorrow," he told Kai.

When Kai glanced at his phone, he saw it was 6:47, giving him 13 minutes to tidy up the house before Jenna arrived. He had wanted to make a good impression but thinking about the state he'd left the place in, it wasn't looking promising. The mess in the living room, crumb-coated carpets and stacks of unwashed dishes weighed on his psyche as he let himself in the back door.

"What the heck?" he muttered, looking about at the spotless kitchen. As he walked into the living room, he found there wasn't a single empty crisp packet or empty can of cola.

'Someone broke in to clean up?' He frowned. 'But who?'

He heard footsteps descending the staircase and met Jenna's smiling face as she danced into the living room.

"You're back early." Jenna pulled the little headphones from her ears and pocketed them. "I wanted to surprise you."

Instead of a smile, Kai felt his face stretching into a grimace. "You didn't have to do this, you silly cow!"

Jenna's proud smile began to crack. "A—aren't you happy?"

Kai scratched his head as he looked about at the perfectly clean room. It looked like she'd even moved the sofas to hoover underneath then... the lunatic.

"You don't have to do this," he said. "I don't want you to be like my slave or something."

"Oh." Jenna giggled. "I didn't do this for you."

'Huh?' Kai screwed up his nose. 'Who did you do it for then? My Dad?'

It seemed like an odd move.

"Well... erm..." Jenna pointed to the garden where all his friends stood gathered. It looked like they were all hugging, but as he took a step closer, he saw they were all hugging a puppy. A blonde Labrador that looked like it had jumped right out of the Andrex advert.

He felt himself smiling before he'd fully registered what was going on. He loved dogs, and puppies brought out the child-like joy he managed to suppress most of the time.

"She would have eaten all the crumbs and made herself sick," Jenna explained.

Kai couldn't reply. He had to get his hands on that puppy.

As he stepped into the garden to join the others, Damien raised the dog to lick Kenny's face. As the others turned, Damien also turned to him and looked unsure for a second. He figured they had bought the puppy on impulse without much discussion and were now wondering if it was the right move.

It most definitely was.

"Gimme," Kai said.

He took the soft, warm bundle in his arms and ruffled her fur as she licked at his face.

Jenna hovered by the back door, one foot in the jamb, wearing a faint smile as she watched him play.

"What are you going to name her?" she called over.

"Hmm." Kai looked down at his new friend. "What do you think?"

Jenna ran her hand up the side of the house, feeling the lush green plant that grew up the brickwork. "Ivy?"

"Ivy." Kai nodded. "I like it."