"I don't think that will be necessary," Kate answered. The last thing she wanted was Arabella giving her students a personal apology or a lecture. In fact, she didn't Arabella to step inside the school at all and she was pretty sure that the school board would agree.
"You and your fellow thespians giving your time for free to help raise funds for the school is more than enough. It will help you to establish some goodwill with the town's citizens. If you wish to make an apology to the two boys, then I suggest that you visit their parents to arrange a suitable time."
She got up from her chair and went over to Eve. "Miss Hardy, I will leave the details to you. We can work out a date when you have acquired the rest of the talent you need to put on this performance."
Eve nodded and said that she would start as soon as possible. What Eve hadn't told Arabella yet, was they were still going to put a few shows while they were rehearsing the charity play which would hopefully would make it hard for Arabella to get up to anything else that might cause trouble.
"Well, I think we have accomplished what we needed to do today. I will drop by after school to see how rehearsals are going. The school board will need to know how things are progressing." Kate said as she held out her hand to Eve, "Thank you again, Miss Hardy for all of your help in this matter."
After shaking hands with Eve, Kate went over to Ben and again held out her hand, "Mister Simon, thank you for allowing us to use your theatre at no expense to help us out."
Ben smiled as he took her hand, "My pleasure, Miss Bowen."
She then went over to Arabella, "I do hope, Miss Mudd that you will learn a lesson from this but somehow...well I do hope that you do. Good day."
At this point in time, she wasn't ready to shake hands with Arabella, so she just left it at that and made her way out.
@ [Javia
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"If you wish to make an apology to the two boys, then I suggest that you visit their parents to arrange a suitable time."
Arabella nodded her head obediently. “I’ll do just that!” she said firmly, imagining the great reception she would no doubt get from the families, being visited by a celebrity such as herself, and listening to her soothing words of apology.
After shaking everybody else’s hands, Miss Bowen then went over to Arabella, "I do hope, Miss Mudd that you will learn a lesson from this but somehow...well I do hope that you do. Good day."
Arabella held out her hand to shake Kate’s, just like everybody else had, but she was, to frame it in the modern parlance, left hanging.
At this point in time, she wasn't ready to shake hands with Arabella, so she just left it at that and made her way out.
The little actress stared down at her unshook hand.
“Oh!” she gasped softly. Somehow, despite the trouble she’d caused, she’d not expected to be snubbed in quite such a, well, deliberate and intimate way. Astoundingly, a genuine tear appeared in her eye and her bottom lip trembled.
She span on her heel and shouted after the now invisible schoolmarm.
“I… I really am sorry! I’ll go and I’ll visit them folks and…”
She turned and faced Mr Simons and Miss Hardy, holding up her right hand like it was some strange growth on the end of her arm that she’d never noticed before.
“I didn’t… I mean… I didn’t know she hated me that much…” the girl said haltingly, and despite having the body of a woman now, she was just a girl, a rather silly little girl at heart, when all was said and done. A silly little girl who wanted to be loved and admired as much as anyone else in the world.
And then this silly little girl burst into a flood of tears: real, bitter, heaving sobs as she stood there in the theatre office.
@JulieS