Chapter Text
It was the middle of the summer holidays. About 3 weeks after his kids had left, and Alfie couldn’t handle it. He knew that he couldn’t have had the kids forever, but they made his job worthwhile.
That night, he got pretty drunk. Drunk enough to regret things, not drunk enough to just curl up in bed and cry. But instead of staggering to Rosie’s and singing like an ostrich like he normally did, he somehow found himself outside Abbey Grove. He had no idea how he got there, since it was a 15 minute car drive away, but he decided not to question himself.
Abbey Grove had shit security, so he was able to get in pretty easily. He wandered the halls like a ghost, his drink addled mind wondering how he was going to cope with a new class, when his heart was so firmly set in his old one.
He had been trying to avoid his own classroom, but he quickly found himself stumbling towards it. He rested his hand on the door handle, contemplating whether to actually go in, when he heard a voice from down the corridor.
“Y’alright, Dickers?”
Alfie sighed, resting his head against the door.
“Hi Frank.” He responded, pushing himself away from the door to look at him, standing at the end of the corridor.
“What you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question.”
Frank paused, looking at his scuffed trainers. They weren’t even tied properly, obviously shoved on.
“I miss it, innit. I mean, I actually graduated din’t I? So now I can’t come back.” Frank muttered, kicking the ground.
“I mean, you could. You could get some qualifications, come back as a teaching assistant or something.”
“Yeah, right. A kid that was ‘eld back 5 years become a teacher. Fuck that.”
Alfie shrugged. Frank started to walk towards him, and leant against the wall were Alfie was stood.
“And it ain’t just leaving either. It was the protection innit.”
“I’m sorry?”
“It was this place that stopped me getting banged up, even though I ain’t even a minor. This place that got me away from my bitch of a mum. I need this place Wickers. And it’s gone.”
“I’m sorry mate. Aren’t you going to move out? I’m sure Stephen would take you in.”
“Nah, he’s off to London, some posh dance school. He’ll be busy enough as it is without me tagging along.”
“Did you break up?” Alfie asked, concerned.
“Not yet, but it’s coming. I can feel it. We ain’t as close as we used to be. It don’t matter now anyway, everybody’s got to move on innit. Give it six months and I’ll be getting a move on into the clink. Just gotta accept it.” Frank fished in his pocket for his pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He offered one to Alfie, who shook his head. As Frank lit up, Alfie had an idea.
“You need a place to go, right? You could live with me. You’d be close to the school, and I could help you with college. You could come back to Abbey Grove.”
“Yeah, thanks Wickers, but I really don’t think-”
“Alright then, go back to your mum.” Alfie said, the alcohol fucking up his thinking.
Frank flinched. Alfie was about to apologise, when Frank exhaled a large puff of smoke.
“Yeah. Alright then Wickers. I’ll come to yours. You sure Gulliver won’t mind?”
“We... We didn’t get back together.”
“Thank God, I’d had enough of your poxy whining about that bloody bird. Okay then. Am- Am I good to move in whenever?”
“Yeah sure, I need the company. Just don’t turn my flat into a drug den.”
“Can’t guarantee that.”
“I know.”