The Class Trip

Clara has been looking forward to this school trip for months – almost weeks on the Isle of Skye. If only it wasn't for the obnoxious, irresponsible father of one of her students who only wants to be referred to as the Doctor and unfortunately has volunteered to accompany them on the trip. While one part of her is still considering if she could just push him off a cliff, another can't help but think that he looks quite attractive.

Chapter 1

"Thanks for driving me," Clara said sincerely from the passenger seat of her best friend's car, "I really wasn't keen on carrying my luggage all over the Tube during rush hour."

"No problem," Amy replied, "It told you I'd have passed your school anyway. And I'm sorry I was a bit late."

Clara checked her watch again. It was 8:55 and the bus was supposed to depart at 9. She looked ahead and could already spot the school, the bus and the large crowd gathering in front of it.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm the teacher, they can't leave without me," Clara said and suddenly she was startled by honking coming from behind them. A few seconds later a Mercedes was speeding past them.

"What an asshole!" Clara exclaimed.

Amy groaned. "He's been tailgaiting me for a minute and. . . hang on!"

They both gasped as the car pulled up at the school car park and when they came closer to the school Clara recognized the boy that stepped out of the car. It was Logan Smith, one of her students, followed by someone who appeared to be his father.

"Can you believe this man?!" Clara asked angrily, "Speeding right next to a school when he can clearly see there are children running about? And with his own son in his car?!"

Amy giggled when she parked the car in front of the school. "Uh-oh, that man's in trouble."

"You bet he is," she replied, still sounding angry and Clara hoped she could keep that anger up until she was done with Mr Smith, "He is going to get a top quality lecture."

Clara leaned over to the driver's seat and gave Amy a peck on each cheek to say goodbye.

"Thanks again for the lift. I'll give you a call when I know what time we'll be returning exactly," she said.

"Send me a postcard, will you?" Amy asked happily, "Oh, I miss Scotland."

"No, you don't," Clara smiled and closed the passenger door.

After retrieving her suitcase from the trunk she searched the crowd for Logan and his father and soon spotted him already halfway by the bus.

"Mr Smith," she called after him, trying not to give away how angry she was immediately, "Could you wait for me for a second?"

The man turned around and spotted her before he bent down towards his son and apparently told him to go ahead because Logan nodded and quickly darted off to meet his friends. Clara observed Mr Smith as she stepped closer. Logan had only come to Coal Hill at the beginning of the school year and his father had missed the first parent-teacher-night because the child had been sick with chicken pox at that time. He seemed to be in his late 50s, dressed in a long magician coat and a dark jumper with holes, his grey, curly hair a complete mess and from the smug smile on his face Clara already determined that she didn't like him. While she had been fixated on his strange sense of dress Clara had completely overlooked the fact that he was holding not one but two bags and an additional guitar case.

"I assume you are one of the teachers," he said, showing off a Scottish accent.

"You assume right," Clara spat, "And I assume your speedo must be broken because otherwise you would never drive so recklessly so close to a school and with your own son in your car."

Mr Smith gave a short laugh. "No need to worry, Miss Oswald. I am a very good driver."

"That is not the point. There are chil-" suddenly she stopped, frowning, "Hang on, how do you know who I am?"

The man's smile didn't falter and his eyes appeared to scan her from head to toe. "You're short and bossy and you seem like you're very good at being cross, I've heard my son's friends use these exact same words to describe their English teacher."

Clara opened her mouth to speak but Mr Smith was faster than her.

"Now, better get going," he winked at her and turned around, heading towards the bus station.

He had winked at her! Clara felt the urge to slap him. Not only was he irresponsible and rude but Mr Smith was also cheeky and he clearly wasn't a good father. Wordlessly she trudged after him, thinking of a dozen insults she would just love to throw at this insolent man when she spotted Danny and Martha, the two other other teachers who were going to Scotland, standing by the bus and she decided to go and say hello instead of starting a real fight with Logan's father.

Danny, the new maths teacher, and Martha, biology, had been dating ever since the start of the school year and they had both agreed to accompany the class on the school trip. Clara hadn't even thought twice about saying yes, she had been wanting to go to the Isle of Skye since she had known it existed but unfortunately they hadn't been able to find a fourth teacher that was necessary to watch over the kids. According to Coal Hill school policy there had to be one adult for every five children taking part in a school trip. Luckily for all of them one of the parents had volunteered to come to Scotland as well and keep an eye on 20 13-year-olds although Clara couldn't see him or her anywhere. The only other adults apart from her and the other teachers were Mr Smith and the bus driver.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Clara greeted her colleagues as she approached them.

"That's okay," Martha said happily, "The last kid only just arrived as well. Danny, can you check the attendance again?"

Danny, having been a soldier before becoming a teacher, saluted her jokingly and, the list in his hand, walked off to check if really everyone had arrived.

"So, who's the parent coming to Scotland with us?" Clara asked and looked around, still not seeing anyone.

"You've just been talking to him," Martha replied, pointing in the direction of the grey-haired stick insect with the magician coat.

Clara's mouth fell open as she turned towards her colleague. "No! Way!"

"Yes," Martha said, smiling, "Mr Smith, Logan's father."

"He can't!" she argued immediately, "He is irresponsible and rude! He can't be trusted with one child, let alone 20! Have you seen how he drove up to the school?"

"He's the only one that volunteered," her colleague explained, "Without him this trip wouldn't be taking place at all. And you and I both know that the one-per-five rule is silly. Most of these kids are angels, we can handle them."

"Have you forgotten Courtney Woods and how good she is at recruiting her fellow students to cause trouble?" Clara groaned, rolling her eyes, "I bet she'll be teaming up with Mr Smith next."

Martha started to laughed. "Now, come on before the bus leaves without us. Do you want the back or the front?"

Clara sighed. "Since Courtney will be taking over the back, I'll gladly stay in the front."

After handing over her suitcase to the bus driver to put in the trunk Clara got on the bus and took the window seat in the front row. They would only be driving as far as Glasgow today and spend the first night in a hostel and after a short tour through the city they would be on their way to the Isle of Skye and Clara was already looking forward to a quiet ride and finishing the novel in her purse when suddenly someone took the seat next to her. Clara looked up and spotted Mr Smith right by her side.

"Is there nowhere else you can sit?" Clara asked, probably more rudely than she should have. Mr Smith however smiled back at her.

"As a matter of fact, no. All the other seats is taken. Unless you want me to remain standing for the next seven hours?"

She let out a quiet groan.

"And please, call me John. Or the Doctor if you like. Both is fine."

"I'd rather not," she replied and when she looked around she spotted something next to John Smith's feet, "Is that a guitar case?"

"It might be," he replied with the brightest of smiles as the bus began to move.

Clara decided to just accept her fate and started rummaging through her purse to retrieve her book and opened it where she had left off. The protagonist was still in the hospital after a car accident and a mysterious woman kept paying him visits.

"What are you reading?"

She took a deep breath before she replied brusquely. "A book."

"Ahhhh, so that explains the pages and the writing on them. I wouldn't have guessed," Mr Smith giggled, the amusement so audible in his tone that Clara wanted to smack him.

"Listen," Clara shot around, her voice harsh, "The fact that someone is reading means they don't want to talk so either move away from this seat and stand next to someone who wants to talk or keep your mouth shut. Either is fine by me."

"You don't like me," Mr Smith said, still sounding a little amused, "You don't know me but you don't like me."

"I know that you're irresponsible and rude and annoying, that's enough for me."

Mr Smith raised an eyebrow but before he could reply the speakers in the bus crackled and a few moments later Ernie, the bus driver, made an announcement and that was finally enough to shut up the man sitting next to her. Clara leaned back in her seat and tried to think of every reason why she wanted to go to Scotland but one thing was for sure: it would be a very, very long ride.