Free Wisps of Cloud by Ross Richdale

her eyes. Stephanie was safe and that was all that mattered.
    *
    "So you made one of your biggest pain-in-the-butts into a friend?" Ryan said two hours later after she had her cut arm bandaged and was declared fine by the Accident and Emergency doctor. She had had a warm shower at the hospital and changed into dry clothes Ryan had produced. Afterwards they took a suburban bus back to Tui Park School where both their vehicles were still parked.
    Karla grinned. "I guess so. Pauline was a genuinely upset, you know. I'm glad it turned out okay."
    "Yeah but if she wasn't so demanding of her child it probably wouldn't have happened in the first place. "
    "Possibly but who am I to judge one of our parents. I do my best for the children and take the adults for what they are."
    "Snobs and slobs?"
    Karla nodded. "And everyone in between."
    Ryan laughed. "Okay, point taken. Want to go and have a coffee?"
    "No thanks."
    "I could come to your place."
    "No thanks."
    Ryan grinned. "Well you can't blame a lad for trying."
    Karla reached up and kissed him on the lips. "I'm going home. See you tomorrow." She walked over to her Mazda, climbed in, waved and drove away.
    *
     

CHAPTER 6
    The following week's senior staff meeting at Tui Park came to a head after another disagreement about the school's assessment policy with Val continuing her opposition to the National Standards and insisting that the system they had used over the previous few years should be continued in parallel with the new system.
    Karla's argument was still that it duplicated work and should be replaced by the new system.  Gillian supported her and Murray, as usual remained neutral but after almost an hour of sometimes-heated proposals he agreed with her and Gillian.
    "So at the end of the year we will also change our school reports to parents to include the national standard graphs and cut out all the long written notes that tend to be flowery anyway?" Karla asked.
    "They are not," snapped Val. "My parents find them very informative. The comment boxes should stay."
    "So keep them in the Junior Reports to Parents," Gillian said.
    "Sounds reasonable," Murray replied. "We'll keep them for the juniors and phase them out in the senior school." He glanced up. "I guess you would use the Senior Reports in your syndicate, Karla?"
    "Well we're amalgamating next year anyway."
    "So you flutter your eyebrows and get your own way yet again." Val whispered. "It's like that episode with Stephanie McKay."
    Karla swung around. "What about that?"
    "Well you had to run off to find her and get the glory instead of following school protocol."
    "Which is?" Karla hissed and felt anger rise in her throat.
    "You should have stayed at school to coordinate the rescue and sent the boyfriend off up the track."
    Karla stood up, shaking and glowered at the smirking woman. "Boyfriend!" she retorted.
    "Everyone knows you're shacked up with him practically all the time. I doubt if that helps our school's good reputation."
    "And if you didn't roar out of the school grounds everyday by three-thirty instead of being here until the expected four you could have been the coordinator!" Karla found her voice was almost a scream. She lowered it to a whisper. "Anyway, what I do in my personal life is none of your business."
    "Ladies, please!" Murray stood up between them for Val was now also on her feet with her jaw stuck out and bosom heaving. He turned to Val. "I agree with Karla. A colleague's personal life is exactly that, personal."
    "She started it with her innuendo about me leaving early all the time. I wish to remind you that…"
    Murray held his hand up, "Stop it, Val. Please sit down."
    Karla also sat down but avoided looking at Val. She did, however notice Gillian's looking at her with slightly raised eyebrows and slight nod. Karla swallowed. "I'm sorry, Murray. I should not have reacted as I did."
    Val muttered her own apology under her breath but still sat on the edge of her chair with her face looking