Chapter 2 #2
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll finish this drink, settle my nerves and all that, and then I’ll chat with other staff. I wouldn’t want you to think I was hanging off you all night long.”
“I think you’ll be well-liked here, Alba. Mingle and enjoy yourself.”
With a fresh drink in hand, Alba continued making the rounds through the staff she hadn’t yet had the chance to meet properly. The bar had grown louder since she’d first arrived, conversation swelling as glasses emptied and the first real wave of alcohol started to loosen everyone’s shoulders.
Clusters of teachers were scattered throughout the room, some leaning across tables in animated discussion while others laughed loud enough to draw attention from neighbouring groups.
Alba moved between them slowly, offering polite introductions and small snippets of conversation.
There was a lot to absorb. New names and new personalities…
new dynamics she would eventually have to learn how to navigate.
At one of the tables near the far wall, three women sat close together, their heads bent towards one another as they whispered. Their posture alone suggested they were deep in conversation—something private and not intended for the wider group.
Alba hesitated for a moment, then Ellie’s words from earlier drifted back into her mind.
We should all be looking out for one another.
Instead of turning away and leaving them to it, Alba stepped forward.
It wasn’t something she would have done a couple of months ago.
Back then, she would have retreated, avoiding any situation where she could accidentally intrude.
Leaving Audrey had scrambled something inside of her…
mostly her confidence and her sense of place in the world.
For months, she’d felt like someone drifting just outside everyone else’s lives.
But tonight felt different. Oddly enough, Ellie had sparked something in her that Alba hadn’t realised she’d been missing. A feeling of belonging. Which was strange, really, since she hadn’t even taught a class at the school yet.
“I still don’t think she should be working yet.”
An older blonde woman spoke quietly, though not quietly enough.
Alba cleared her throat and smiled. “Hi.”
Three pairs of eyes snapped towards her, and the same woman she’d overheard straightened immediately, crossing her legs as though she was trying to reclaim some composure. “Hi.”
“Do you have room for one more?” Alba gestured at the empty chair at their table, but none of them moved. None of them even spoke. The silence stretched long enough to answer her question. “No?” Alba shrugged. “Fair enough.”
She started to turn away, and the whispering resumed almost immediately behind her, low voices slipping back into the same hushed tone she’d interrupted. It reminded Alba unpleasantly of school corridors and teenage gossip.
Then one of the women called after her. Alba paused and glanced back over her shoulder, raising a brow.
She wasn’t offended that they hadn’t wanted her to join them.
That kind of thing happened everywhere—workplaces, social groups, classrooms. You couldn’t be friends with everyone, but it still felt childish seeing grown women whispering like first-year students.
“We’re sorry about that. We were just speaking about something…sensitive.” The brunette forced a polite smile. “Join us. We can continue later.”
“That’s okay. Carry on. I’ll make myself scarce.” Alba lifted her wine glass in a casual gesture between herself and the table. “There’s plenty of people to chat with.”
Probably people less rude than you lot.
Maybe several months from now, she would feel comfortable enough to call someone out on behaviour like that, but tonight? Tonight, she was still the new teacher. The last thing she needed was to alienate herself before the school year had even kicked off. “I’ll see you around school.”
Turning away from the table, Alba scanned the room again before deciding she needed a moment to breathe.
She collected her clutch bag and slipped onto one of the stools at the bar.
She just needed five minutes to regroup and replay the names she’d already learned, then mentally organise the dozens of new faces she’d encountered in the past hour.
There was a lot to take in, but she’d done this before.
As her gaze drifted across the bar, her attention snagged on a familiar figure. Ellie. She was sitting with another member of staff, leaning slightly towards them as they spoke. And then Alba saw it. Ellie lifted a hand and wiped a tear from her cheek.
Alba frowned. What was that all about? Was Ellie okay?
You don’t know her. Don’t get involved.
Alba looked away and reached into her bag, pulling out her phone. She guessed she should update her sister.
Hey! So far so good with the new job. I’ve been in school all day prepping my classroom and I’ve only had three texts from Audrey today! Love you x