“You rang my bell to say nothing?”
“Not exactly. I was wondering what would happen if I rang it. I was kind of hoping that you’d launch yourself at me and stick your tongue down my throat. Guess that was a one-time thing, huh?”
She swung the door. It slammed shut in his face. He had to be the world’s most annoying man. She marched back upstairs. She caught a glimpse of herself in the hall mirror. Her back was straight as a board, tightened by tension. Who knew stress could improve your posture?
“Okay,” she told the boys when she entered the room. “Let’s take it from the top. Ready?”
They started to film the scene. Again. The doorbell rang. Again. She threw her headset on the floor beside her and stalked back down to the door – again.
“Can I use the toilet?” Jack asked when she opened it.
Davina clutched the old wooden door to stop from throttling the man.
“No.”
“Come on, Davy, I’m desperate.”
“Pee behind a tree.”
She swung the door shut, pivoted on her heels and stomped back up the stairs. Everyone seemed to expect some sort of explanation, but there was nothing she could say that would explain Jack.
“From the top,” she ordered. “Again.”
The doorbell rang. Davina threw down her script and stamped on it.
“I am going to kill him!”
“Take a deep breath,” Marianne called behind her.
She was way past deep breathing. Images of torture flashed in her brain. She scoured the hall for a weapon as she marched through it. Nothing was handy. She thrust open the door.
It wasn’t Jack.
“Good day,” the older gentleman said. He wore an anorak and carried a clipboard. “I’m from the Education Board, the Truancy Office to be exact. I believe that David Carmichael, Joshua Davies, and Brian Smart are with you instead of attending their classes.”
“Oh no, it’s the fuzz,” one of the boys shouted down the stairs, which didn’t help.
“Ah.” Davina tried to think up a plausible excuse for their being in her home instead of at school. Nothing came to mind. Behind the man, at the bottom of the stairs, Jack was lazily pruning a bush – while listening to every word.
“I didn’t know that they were here without permission,” Davina said. “I
’ll make sure that they get back to school immediately.”
“I’m certain you’re aware that the parents can be prosecuted if the boys don’t attend school. If you’re involved in this matter you could find yourself in some serious trouble, Miss.”
Davina nodded. She’d never asked the boys if they had permission to leave school or not. She didn’t care. All she cared about was the movie. Plus she was pretty sure they were sixteen, couldn’t they do what they liked? Did they need permission to miss a day, or a week, or two?
“Get your stuff, boys, you need to go to school,” she called.
There was a lot of grumbling behind her. She thought she saw Jack hide a grin.
“What age are you?” she asked as they passed her.
“Fifteen, nearly sixteen.”
Great. The characters she’d written were seventeen and she’d just assumed the actors would be as well. As she watched the boys walk back to their scooters, she wondered how she would finish in time now.
“All of this will be in my report,” the man said. “You might want to think twice before you lead young people astray again. An education is an important thing.”