Boy Who Made It Rain by Brian Conaghan Read Free Book Online Page B

bona fide. Bad news, or in this case inflammatory news, can act as a fire’s oxygen in a school. Tongues wagged. But I have seen events of this nature play themselves out before. This could have been the catalyst for the boy’s problems with his peers. And, let’s be honest, the subsequent event. As head of department, I had to approach the issue with prudence. It was no time for charging in like a gang of disgruntled NEDs. There were no facts on the table and without facts hearsay doesn’t help us advance things. I had an inclination, but like everyone else I heard it through the students. Some sixth-year lads I taught, good lads. Interested in their football and music, not much energy saved for their schoolwork, I have to say, but trustworthy fellows. They weren’t part of the NED culture in the school, which was a relief, so their inference had some weight and validity. Who better than sixth-year boys to know what the goings on in a school were…sixth-year girls, indeed. Quite right. Quite right.
    No, I didn’t investigate as such. How do you propose approaching such a thing? Instead I kept my eyes and ears open and endeavoured to observe Pauline Croal more closely. The lad in question I didn’t teach, but I was aware that he was a gifted student. It’s always difficult coming to a new school, but he had fitted in rather well by all accounts. Yes I was aware that he and Rosie Farrell were an item. I taught her in third- and fourth-year, a nice girl. Unusual, but nice. Her idiosyncrasies were certainly poles apart from her peers. I’d have never thought she’d have been implicated in this. By proxy or whatever. Never. My experience informs me that you can never be one hundred percent sure, can you?
    Of course, we, as a school, have to hold our hands up and accept our share of responsibility. Perhaps some of the staff could have made more valued judgements and acted before the situation got out of hand, which quite clearly it did. Obviously I am talking about colleagues such as Pauline Croal here, who was close to the boy, if you believed the school’s rumour mill. In this instance I hold my hands up and say that I did believe it initially. I am not saying that their dalliance had a direct effect in the event in question, but, I have to say, it could have been intrinsically linked in some perverse way. Everything has a cause and effect after all.

Conor Duffy’s Brainwave
    It wiz Cora who first attracted ma attention tae it. So did big Liam iz well, coz he wiz in her English class. The thing iz, big Liam wiznay the sharpest tool in the box so she wouldnay’ve givin him any attention at all. But big Liam said she used tae swoon over him in class. That’s just him bein jealous a suppose. Then he told me that she wiz all over him in the swots class after school…his wee sister goes tae the class sometimes, and she said that she felt that she wiz intrudin on two people hivin a date. I wiz like that, get in there my son! Wit guy wouldnay’ve wanted tae sha…erm…kiss Miss Croal? Am tellin ye he wiz the talk ay the common room fur a while. Come tae think of it, he’s still the talk ay the common room. Then wee Cora said that she suspected somethin and if it wiz true that she wiz goin tae scud him full force on the bawz…erm…penis… an then tell Rosie. An I thought she wouldiv as well.
    Clem knew all the rumours iz well coz when any ay us tried tae ask him aboot it, he always said somethin we didnay understand an then storm aff. He got that mad look in his eye an you were like, nae danger man, A’m no goin there. Am no gettin involved in any that caper. A’ll tell you wit though, if it wiz true he wiz some liar coz he an Rosie were still like Velcro knickers kickin aboot the school…aye she heard. She must’ve. You cannay keep anthin quiet at this school, we even know wit girls are…erm...on their period. Wit I meant iz