Page 20 of Lipstick Kiss

Kenny nodded.

“Good for you,” Luke replied.

Freya was about to protest when Luke’s eyes swung her way. They were intense, so she kept quiet. She’d never seen Luke that intense before, not even after a session with his aunt.

The other adults moved the boards to the front. The delinquent kids moved the tables and chairs while Luke spoke quietly with Kenny. It was all Luke talking while Kenny listened, nodded in places, and finally dropped his head and sighed.

“We clear?” Luke said in a louder voice.

“Yeah, Mr Turner,” Kenny said, and oddly, his face brightened.

Freya was desperate to know what had gone down. She’d never seen Kenny look so optimistic or look at the other kids without fear in his eyes.

Whatever Luke did was a marvel.

Later when the class was over, Luke helped her to take the ironing boards back to the cupboard, put the irons back in the suitcase and shove the shirts as tightly as possible in a pillowcase, ready for the next outing of how to iron a shirt. It turned out they were all a lot better at ironing a shirt than balancing their bank accounts. Each of them had a fake bank statement and a pile of receipts. None of them balanced. The whole class was laughing at Freya’s exasperation.

They were walking back to her classroom, where he took the suitcase on wheels from her hand while she locked up her classroom and kept it in his hand while they exited the school and strolled down the quiet road to her place.

“I really enjoyed the class. You looked good at the front, keeping their minds active while they got through two hours of punishment.”

“They’re good kids, really, just bored. I’d like a week where one of those five kids isn’t in one fight or another. Or skipping school or giving the staff backchat. The list is endless. Far worse in the winter. I swear they deliberately act up, so they have somewhere warm to go in the evenings. Those kids don’t have the best home life.”

“That’s a shame. They need a hobby or a job that keeps them active.”

“Not a lot to do on the island during the off-season. I’m sure they’ll be on the first boat off here when they finish their education.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

“What did you say to Kenny?”

“Guy talk, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to teach him how to fight?”

Luke gave her an expression of hurt, even stopping in the middle of the road to put his palm flat on his chest.

“I would never…” he said like she’d wounded his pride.

“Oh god, you are. I don’t want to know. Leave me out of it.”

“I’m not going to show him how to throw a punch. He’s fourteen. I have an idea, though. I need to talk to the others first. If they agree, I’ll talk to you next to see if it interferes with their schooling, rules, and shit.”

“Wow,” Freya said.

“What?”

“You’re following rules?”

“Yeah, kind of have to on an oil rig, boring as fuck, but it weened me off constantly wanting to break all the rules.”

“Ah, you see kindred spirits in those kids.”

“Maybe. But they don’t seem to have a dad or a mum steering them on the straight and narrow. They are each other’s best friends, so there is no voice of reason. I had a great dad and the best of best friends, and I don’t think they have that.”

Freya stopped in front of her house and looked at Luke standing in the middle of the road. He was looking around like he hadn’t said the sweetest thing. They didn’t do emotional talk. Ever. It was boisterous, tree climbing and getting into trouble with his aunt. Writing letters about what was happening in their lives. Not once did Luke tell her she was the best of friends. His brothers and sister were the shit. Pride burst in her chest at the words.

“Luke,” she said.

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