I followed Grandma and Mr Rogers down the corridor that led to his office. Grandma wasn’t giving anything away. In fact, she was acting QUITE COY and SLIGHTLY ALOOF, not even glancing in my direction, eyes fixed firmly on Mr Roger’s back.
‘Right. Come in. Take a seat. Make yourself comfortable.’
I wasn’t entirely sure which instruction I was expected to follow and in what order. So, I took a leaf out of Lukas’s book and just slowly blinked at him.
‘Go on. Sit down.’
Mr Rogers gestured to a chair facing his desk and to another one next to it for Grandma to sit in. Then he went and sat down looking much more serious than normal.
I laughed nervously. Things were getting QUITE TENSE in here. Something was definitely GOING ON. I was about to be in BIG TROUBLE. I decided to launch my defence. There really was no time like the present.
‘He started it, Sir,’ I offered meekly.
Mr Rogers frowned. ‘This isn’t about what you were doing in detention just now, Jake. Given the current situation, I’m sure you’ve had enough punishment for one day.’ He smiled sympathetically, his eyes crinkling at the corners like Mum’s do sometimes.
‘So, your grandma has told me that your mother had to go away for a while, Jake,’ he continued.
I blinked again.
‘I just want you to know you can always come and talk to me, about anything. It must be very hard for you.’
I blinked twice, it was almost like morse code for being SOMEWHAT STARTLED AND SUSPICIOUS.
‘If you ever need a break from your lessons, if things get too much, my door is always open.’
I looked towards the door, which was firmly shut.
Mr Rogers must have noticed me glancing over, as he said, ‘Metaphorically speaking, of course. Now, are you going to tell me why you were fighting with Neil?’
I still didn’t say anything. It had been Neil’s fault in the first place.
‘Well, if you want to talk, just let me know. And Jake, no more fighting, OK?’
I really had nothing to say whatsoever. MY HEAD WAS SPINNING. What did Mr Rogers know about Mum’s disappearance? What had Grandma told him? And WHY was no one telling me anything?
Why weren’t they doing more to try to FIND MUM? Why wasn’t ANYONE ELSE taking this seriously? Perhaps she had gone on HOLIDAY TO LANZAROTE and had just FORGOTTEN TO TAKE HER PASSPORT. Otherwise, surely they would be a lot MORE WORRIED by now.
Mr Rogers obviously didn’t know what he was talking about. He must have misunderstood something Grandma had said to him. Everything was fine at home. There was ABSOLUTELY NO REASON I could think of for Mum to leave. So, I decided it was best to keep quiet and not say a word. At least I was no longer in DEEP TROUBLE.
‘I think perhaps, given everything that’s happened, you might as well go home,’ Mr Rogers continued. ‘You can come back tomorrow, if you’re feeling up to it.’
Now I really didn’t know what to say. Was I being SUSPENDED for fighting with Neil? Or was there something much more SINISTER going on and they didn’t want me to know. I decided not to argue. If they weren’t going to take Mum’s departure seriously, at least being off school would give me plenty of time to look for her myself.
‘OK,’ I stuttered, unsure of what else to say. It was almost time to go home by now anyway.
‘See you tomorrow then, Jake,’ Mr Rogers said. ‘You can go. I just need to talk to your grandma for a second. We won’t be very long.’
‘I’ll see you at home,’ Grandma said.
I got up from my chair and stumbled blindly towards the door. I hesitated a moment, the door slightly ajar but Mr Rogers called out and I shut it firmly behind me. So much for being able to hear what they were going to say.
The doors in the school building might as well be BULLETPROOF. They were certainly designed to withstand the noise of a bunch of rowdy school children and I had absolutely zero chance of hearing the murmured conversation that Grandma and Mr Rogers were currently having.
The big clock in the hallway showed it was already TWENTY PAST THREE. If I was quick, I might catch Lukas and we could come up with a plan on our way home. Two heads were always better than one after all.