Chapter 11
Leaning back in her chair, Polly yawned. She’d been looking through the information Declan had given her for hours. And still there was no sign of Zac. Whatever he was doing with Harold, the ranger, was taking him forever.
‘Hey, Polly, are you going out for lunch?’ Vicki called to her as she walked across the office.
Polly turned in her chair. She hadn’t even realised it was lunchtime already. Although now Vicki had mentioned the word, her stomach growled beneath her sweatshirt. ‘No, I don’t think so. I want to make a bit of a dent in looking through this stuff.’
‘Can I ask you a favour then, please?’
‘Of course. What’s up?’ Polly smiled. Even though this was only her second day, it was nice to feel needed and included.
‘Would you be able to look after Rolo while I pop to the sandwich shop with Art and Dennis, please? He’ll just sleep.’ Vicki scooped the small rat from her shoulder and held him in her cupped hands.
Polly looked at the creature. He wasn’t much bigger than the class hamster she’d used to look after. ‘Yes, of course.’
‘Thanks, you want anything?’
‘No, I’m good, thanks. I’ve got my lunch.’ Polly curled up the hem of her sweatshirt before taking the small rat from Vicki and carefully placing him in the pouch she’d just created.
‘Okay, cool. Thanks again.’ Kissing her fingertips, Vicki lightly pressed them against the rat’s fur. ‘Be good, little Rolo.’
Polly waited until the click of the office door sounded before spinning slowly around.
The office was empty. Declan had left to meet his wife for lunch half an hour ago and now, with Art, Dennis and Vicki gone, the only person unaccounted for was Zac.
Umm, hopefully he’d stay out, too. Carefully checking Rolo was secure in the makeshift nest of her sweatshirt, she leaned down and pulled her mobile from her bag before scrolling through to Stacey’s name.
With any luck, Stacey wouldn’t be covering lunchtime duty or detention, or anything, and would be free for a chat.
She picked up on the first ring. ‘Hey, Pols.’
‘Wow, that was quick!’ Polly laughed quietly, careful not to disturb Rolo, who had settled and was peacefully sleeping, seemingly oblivious to the change in his location.
‘Ah, what can I say, there’s only so many ways to describe autumn in a poem and only so much patience I have in correcting the spelling of the word hedgehog.’ Stacey sighed as the sound of a book being closed echoed down the line.
‘Teaching poetry was always my favourite part of the autumn syllabus.’ Polly smiled as she stroked Rolo’s nose. ‘How are things with you?’
‘Oh, you know. The same. We’re short-staffed, overstretched and Mrs Jedd is on the warpath for me to count calculators and hundred squares in the stockroom again. Good job I’ve not got anything better to do, isn’t it?’ The sarcasm rolled off Stacey’s tongue.
‘Ah, I don’t envy you. The responsibility and never-ending tasks of being a subject leader.’ Polly grimaced.
‘It’s fine. I’m sure I’ll have time this evening between telling Eden’s parents she needs to stop eating glue sticks, marking sixty books and finding enough bottles of poster paint that haven’t dried out for tomorrow’s art class.
’ Stacey took a gulp, presumably of the lunch she was shovelling down her throat between tasks. ‘Anyway, I need updates.’
‘Oh, it’s fine. I can’t complain.’ After being reminded of Stacey’s workload, Polly couldn’t really start moaning about her life.
‘Uh-huh and I’m the King of England. Tell me. Spill the beans. I need something else to focus on and I need the next instalment of life with Zac Sinclair. Go on, let me live vicariously through you before lunch is over.’
Scrunching her nose up, Polly looked across to Zac’s desk, with just his laptop perfectly centred on it and not even a hint of humanity – not a photo frame or even a pen or empty mug.
She picked up the photo frame she’d placed on her desk the moment she’d arrived and swallowed as she took in the image of her grandparents smiling back at her, herself as a small child holding hands between them.
Did Zac’s lack of ‘stuff’ go further to prove that he thought he had this promotion in the bag?
That he was ready to desk-hop with a moment’s notice? Or was she just being paranoid?
Placing the frame back in its position, she focused on Stacey again. ‘Okay, I’ll spill the beans, but unless you want to be part of a horror story or some thriller where I’ll be forced to drive Zac into the middle of the desert and abandon him, then you definitely don’t want to be living my life.’
‘Go on, what’s happened now? I take it that he hasn’t turned to you and admitted he has deep feelings of lust for you, then?’
‘Lust?’ Polly snorted. ‘The only thing Zac Sinclair feels about me is likely hatred. Not only did we both end up here in Meadowfield together in job roles neither of us has ever done before, but you know that promotion?’
‘The one you’ve been promised?’
‘Supposedly, but nope, Zac has been promised the exact same thing, so now we’re pitted against each other in some sort of office-based Hunger Games to see who can bring in the most funding and secure the promotion.
’ Polly sank back in the chair with a force she wouldn’t have if she’d remembered Rolo was in her lap.
Holding her breath, she peeked at him, thankfully still snuggled in the fold of her sweatshirt.
‘You’re kidding?’
‘Do I sound like I’m kidding?’ Polly sighed.
‘It’s like a nightmare. I’ve given up everything for this position and now I’ll end up skint and stuck in this job forever.
I mean, I love working here – or I will when I get to grips with my actual role.
Hopefully. But that’s not the point, I’m never going to get my new start here, am I?
Without that promotion, I’ll never be able to get my own place and settle down. ’
‘You never know, you might get more for your grandparents’ flat than you think. It’s close to the town centre, the perfect location for someone who works there. Plus, landlords will jump at it.’
‘But they haven’t, have they? The estate agent has already told me I’m going to have to lower the asking price again and redecorate, too.
’ With her elbow on the table, Polly lowered her chin to her hand.
When were things going to go right for her?
She’d been so excited to get this job. Her path had been laid out in front of her and then Zac had walked in and turned her world upside down.
She was sinking, and she didn’t know if she could pull herself out again.
‘This job was supposed to be the new start I needed after Grandma passed away. I needed this.’
‘I know, Pols.’ Stacey’s voice was full of concern.
‘I know you needed it, but try to think of the positives. You have this job. Yes, the promotion is no longer as guaranteed as it was, but you have as much chance of getting it as Zac has. You’ve given up and you can’t do that.
You need to show them the Polly I know and love. Show them how fierce you can be.’
Polly gave a small, quiet laugh. ‘I’ve never been fierce.’
‘No? That’s not the vibes I’ve got off you.
All you went through when you were just a kid, losing your parents as you did, moving in with your grandparents, later caring for them whilst you juggled full-time teaching.
I don’t know how you did it, Pols. I can barely get the job done and I haven’t got any responsibilities apart from Freddie and he can look after himself.
Then you were teaching part-time while volunteering for years.
You are fierce. And you’re not going to roll over and give up.
You want this promotion. You deserve it, after all you’ve done for the trust as a volunteer. Go get it.’
‘Umm, it’s not quite as easy as that, is it?’
‘Stop.’ The word vibrated in Polly’s eardrum.
‘What?’
‘This. All of this. You’ve been given this amazing opportunity and you’re just going to let it bypass you because you don’t believe in yourself. Well, I’m sorry, Polly, but that’s a you problem. Everyone else believes in you. You’ve just got to show up and live up to their expectations.’
Polly looked down as Rolo squirmed in his sleep, his long tail flicking out from beneath the fabric. ‘What about Zac? It’s hardly the clean slate I expected.’
‘No, but stuff happens, and you’ve just got to adapt.
Yes, it must be a bit awkward having to work with him after your leaving party and how he’s acted towards you since – but you want my advice?
Either put it behind you, pretend it never happened and treat him like any other colleague or else talk to him and clear the air.
See what his problem is with you and tell him to get over it. ’
‘Wow, that’ll be a fun conversation.’ Polly shook her head. There was no way she’d be talking to him about that.
‘Okay, then put it to the back of your mind. Treat him as you would anyone else and watch him come around to your charms.’
‘Haha, I can’t treat him like anyone else when he freezes me out of everything.’ Polly’s heart sank as she heard the telltale ring of the school bell in Stacey’s background, signalling the end of lunch and the end of the conversation.
‘Look, I’ve got to go, but don’t give up. Keep going. Zac is just a rat and people will see that. You’ve got this.’
Tucking Rolo’s tail back into the warmth of the fabric, Polly smiled. ‘No, Zac isn’t a rat. Rats are cute.’
‘Yuck, rats bite and give you rabies.’
‘You don’t get rabies in this country.’ Polly laughed softly as Rolo’s tail escaped the comfy cocoon again.
‘Okay, whatever it is, that other disease thing.’ Stacey’s voice was interrupted by the noise of her stacking books and the scraping of her chair against the floor.
‘Weil’s disease?’ Polly shrugged. Stacey had always had an aversion to small rodents, whether they were tame or otherwise.
‘See, told you. Zac is a rat. Ha, that almost rhymes. I might take a note and plan a lesson around Zac the Rat.’ Stacey laughed as the loud chatter and laughter of children erupted into the classroom. ‘Really got to go. Love you, Pols.’
‘Love you too.’ Polly grinned as she ended the call. Stacey was right. She shouldn’t just give up. Yes, this hadn’t been quite the opportunity she’d been led to believe it would be, but it was an opportunity all the same and she would only be harming herself if she gave up without a fight.