Ashton Hill Naked Sundays

*****

Chapter 7

Estelle's body held the dull ache of a well-fucked woman on Monday morning when she got ready for work. Whatever else Jason was or wasn't, he was great in bed, and she had to admit she had missed all those lovely endorphins that came along with great sex.

She had spent most of Saturday keeping busy by making sure all her assessment work was done and the results uploaded to the Education Department's network that their school used. She was grateful for that now, and found herself looking forward to the last week of term where the pressure was off and she could take the time to just enjoy her class of little ones.

"Miss Eastman," The Principal, Mrs. Hancock walked into her classroom just before the bell rang to start class for the day. "This is Mr. Jay, he will be taking your class today while you join me in the resource centre."

"Is something wrong?" Estelle immediately went into a panic that the photo of her and Jason that had been uploaded to the internet had made its way to her Principal.

"Not at all. I would just like your input into an event we need to organise in a hurry," she said. "Settle your class in and meet us in the resource centre."

Estelle hurriedly handed over the work she had planned for the children this morning, as they all came in and sat as a group on the carpet before she introduced the relief teacher and explained that she would be out of the classroom for a little while. She had no concerns; her class was beautiful and full of enthusiasm for everything they did. Sometimes that enthusiasm went a little too far, but, in general, they were great kids. She hurried to the resource centre that housed the library and art rooms.

"Tarlee, what's going on?" Estelle asked, seeing her friend sitting there with Anton Renshaw, one of the year six teachers.

"No idea, I just got pulled off class and told to meet Amber here," Tarlee said.

"Me too," Anton piped in, in his high soft voice.

Estelle let go of the breath she had been holding. If it had been about anything she had done personally, or the night out with Tarlee, Anton wouldn't be there with them. She looked up as Amber Hancock strode in with her deputy, Rhys Reynolds, looking harassed and concerned.

"It seems the high school put in a bid for and won a showcase grant using their school's Anti-bullying campaign. Dignitaries are going to their school to award the grant on Friday," Amber began.

"That's awesome!" Tarlee said enthusiastically. "We little country schools don't get enough resources or recognition for stuff like that. I'll be sure to congratulate them when I see them at the end of term drinks on Friday night."

"I'm glad you think so, Miss McLaren, because you just volunteered to put together a small concert for the dignitaries when they visit us on Friday morning to see if we are following the high school's lead," Amber said, staring at her as if challenging her to say no.

"A concert? Me? I don't have a musical bone in my body! I'm tone deaf! It would be a disaster!" Tarlee blurted. "Estelle's the one with all the musical knowledge and contacts. Why does it have to be one of us? Where is Shaina, she's the music teacher."

"Shaina is on leave, she flew to New Zealand last Friday," Rhys muttered unhappily.

"Shit!" Tarlee murmured under her breath.

"Estelle? Any ideas coming to mind?" Amber turned her attention to the quiet, reliable teacher.

"Well, the little ones can always do 'What I Am', it's not really an anti-bullying song, but it has a positivity angle, and they at least know the words and actions. The year ones and preps could do it together, and it's cute, so it will charm the dignitaries, if nothing else," she said lamely, thinking she could handle the junior school and work with the year two teachers if Tarlee did the threes and fours and Anton looked after the five and sixes.

"That could work, the junior school teachers could practice that while you organised the middle grades with Tarlee. What about you, Anton, ideas?" she asked abruptly as if the matter with the junior school was settled.

"There are a few raps around, but it would take longer than four days to ...." He began.

"Sounds good, I have another meeting to get to, you all have today to work it out and have the program on my desk by this afternoon. Your classes have been covered, and I need this done in such a way that it doesn't embarrass our school or us in any way." Amber said, and Rhys looked apologetically at the three teachers who stared open-mouthed at the Principals retreating back.

"I need caffeine and whiteboard markers," Tarlee said, standing. "Get what you need and meet back here in fifteen," she instructed, taking charge.

Estelle blinked at her friend, not comprehending what had just happened. Maybe Jason really had fucked her brains out last night, because she had no clue what she was going to do with Tarlee's grades in addition to organising the junior school to reteach 'What I Am' and the actions that went with the song. She rose and slowly walked out of the room trying to make her brain come up with an idea beyond running away.

When she arrived back in the resource centre, Tarlee was already on YouTube looking at choirs with a modern twist. Anton was also peering at his laptop, and there was brainstorming paper and pens in the middle of the table they had commandeered.

"Alright, she's here," Tarlee said, pushing her laptop aside and pulling the large piece of paper toward her and writing 'bully' in the centre of it. "Ideas, people, we need ideas quickly."

"I think we should focus on the positivity and resilience side and not the actual bullying. You know, the whole program achieve tenet we have been trying to drum into the kids' heads from grade one," Estelle said. It was the best thing she could come up with in the walk to her classroom and back.

"What was that movie about the dancer that taught the kids?" Tarlee exclaimed, dragging her laptop back. "You know, they had a big dance show at the end, and it had a song about I can do it, or I will do it, or something like that," she frowned, looking at her laptop and typing everything she said into the search bar.

"Honey?" Anton asked, and had the good grace to look embarrassed. "I was a bit of a Jessica Alba fan in the nineties."

"Yes!" Tarlee exclaimed and navigated to it so they could watch it. "It's positive, upbeat, we could get the kids to just sing the chorus, so there wasn't much to learn," she said as it came to an end.

"What about the main part? Just one kid?" Anton asked.

"Or a teacher with a great voice singing the main part. We wouldn't have them do the whole song, maybe just the last verse and a couple of choruses," she said.

"You'd never get the year six boys to sing like that, but if you kept the instrumental bit in they could do a drumline or something. How hard could that be to learn?" Anton said thoughtfully.

"But I wanted this for the year threes and fours. Amber told Estelle to help me with it, and she's the one with the great voice," Tarlee challenged him.

"No way, I'm not singing in front of all those people!" Estelle gasped, her brain suddenly waking up and trying desperately to come up with an alternative.

"What choice do we have? We have to get this locked in and work out the logistics today!" Tarlee said.

"Anton, he can sing, and his kids would love that and the drum line stuff," Estelle said.

"That's true, I could do the singing. I know and like the song," Anton shrugged, not wanting to have to do a rap. He didn't like the aggression most raps instilled in the kids. "Let's think about movies with kids and positive messages," Anton said. "What about Sister Act, the one where she's a teacher?"

"Sing about God on school grounds? Amber would have a full-on meltdown! What about something from Disney that the kids would already know, like Let It Go?" Tarlee suggested.

"Sure, it's not very positive, but it could work, as long as you were confident that enough of them would know the words," Estelle agreed.

"We can spend a little while longer looking, but then we have to make a plan, or we will never get this done in time," Tarlee said. "It's a shame one of us didn't know a bunch of musicians that could help us out."

"Even if I did, I doubt those musicians would be happy being here and singing Disney tunes," Estelle rolled her eyes.

"So just four or five songs, and then Amber can do one of her speeches about friendship and togetherness, and it's over," Anton agreed, seeing how uncomfortable Estelle was. "It shouldn't be too hard, especially as the little ones are sorted."

"You make it sound so easy," Estelle sighed.

"It is. This a small school in the middle of nowhere. They aren't expecting Andrew Lloyd Webber here," Anton chuckled. "They are expecting cute, and we got heaps of cute in this school, including the teachers," he grinned at Tarlee. "So, we just suck it up and get going on a practise schedule so we can do what we do best, teach."

"I guess," Estelle said, seeing her planning for some fun time with her class this week quickly disappearing.

"Maybe we should suggest Amber sing with the kids," Tarlee said with an evil grin.

An hour later they had found an anti-bullying video that was a remake of a popular Sam Smith song that Tarlee believed she could handle by dividing up the versus amongst the more outgoing students, and the chorus would be easy enough for the rest of them. During the lunch break, they met with their cohort teachers while those relieving in the classrooms took over the playground duties. With everyone on board, they went to face Amber and Rhys with what they had come up with and the suggestion of a speech to both introduce and finish the small concert.

"The Prep teachers want to do their own song and are confident of pulling it off in time. I can handle the year ones and twos," Estelle said. "The teachers are pretty happy with what we came up with and pulling things together themselves, for the most part, but we could pad it out with the year two's, maybe. The junior school classes are bigger than the upper school, so it would make sense to separate them if we could."

"There will be a lot of time ushering kids on and off the stage, and with your speeches it will easily fill an hour, even with just four songs," Anton reassured Amber.

"Alright, keep me updated. We'll have a full rehearsal Thursday and iron out any kinks then," Amber nodded. "That will give us a general timeframe; they won't be here for very long. It's a stop in on the way to the high school."

*****

The week rushed past Estelle from there. Jason had sent her flowers on Thursday, a sunshine yellow arrangement of sunflowers and gerberas that, along with his card, made her smile. Her mother had delayed her return to the city because of an illness in her husband's family that had taken her to another state instead. To say that Jason was happy that she had agreed to see him and stay with him on the weekend would have been an understatement.

She called him that night to thank him for the flowers rather than waiting for him to call her, as she had the past two nights. It had been so easy to get swept up in how sweet and attentive he was being, and she had to remind herself harshly that it wouldn't last. It couldn't last once the band started playing gigs again. His priorities would shift.

"Is it because you're bored with so much downtime?" she asked in a total change of subject during their call.

"What?" he asked. "I'm not bored." He sounded confused by the question.

"The attention I'm getting? Is it because you're bored?" she explained better as she asked again. "What happens when the band has to leave the ranch and start doing gigs and interviews again?"

"You know it's not," he sighed. "I thought we were getting past this!"

"I just...." She wanted to believe him, but all her memories told her that she wouldn't remain a priority for him.

"I can't do or say anything else to convince you that I haven't already done," he sighed. "Yes, I am going to have to travel with the band again, eventually, but people travel for work all the time, it doesn't mean I can't or won't come back as often as possible, or that you couldn't come to where the band is when you're able. We can work it out; we will work it out, because I don't want to lose you again."

"I guess I will just have to use you for your body then until you go back on tour or media runs," she said, feeling bad that she had lowered the mood.

"I'd be offended, except it sounds so hot when you say it like that," he chuckled.

"Uncle Jase," a young voice in the background called, and Estelle heard him move the phone from his ear momentarily.

"Hey, buddy, what's up?" Jason addressed Simon's eldest kid. It was strange living with a family for a month, but at least the band was staying in the guest house and didn't have to watch their language all the time.

"I'm singing tomorrow at school, and Dad said it was okay to ask if you wanted to come!" the child's voice sounded eager. "Eric already said yes!"

"Sure, buddy, wouldn't miss it," Jason said indulgently. "Where do you go to school?" he asked curiously, not having seen a school near the ranch.

"Ashton Hill, it's the best!" the young voice sounded proud and happy before walking away singing, "Play with me, come follow my lead."

"No!" Estelle said in a panicked voice into the phone.

"It will be great, people can see us together in a totally G-rated way," Jason said. "You don't want me to disappoint the little guy, do you? Eric is going to be there, regardless."

"No, but..." she tried to wrap her head around having Jason invade her quiet, well-ordered, normal everyday life like this. It wasn't what she wanted, she wasn't ready.

"But, what?" He asked. "You're doing all the things you're accusing me of. Keeping me at arm's length from anything in your life and just using me for my body. I'd be happy for you to come and hang out here and see the guys again. What's so bad about me showing up as a friend of the family of one of your students?"

"That's not fair!" she gasped, but heard the disappointment in his voice and felt the truth of his words.

"No, it's not," he sighed. "I said I'd play by your rules. If you don't want me there, I won't come, but I can't stop Eric going."

"Eric doesn't have the same effect on me that you do," she admitted, surprising herself.

"Geez, you got it bad for me," he teased. "if you can't even be in a crowded auditorium without wanting to jump me," he chuckled.

"Oh God!" she sighed. "Fine, come, but keep it low key, and no commenting on my musical ability! This is about the kids, okay?"

"I can do that. For you I can do anything," Jason's voice turned husky. "Now, can we talk about how I affect you? I'm getting hard thinking about you jumping me in front of a crowd."

"Maniac," she grumbled.

"Only for you, Stella. Only for you," he murmured.

*****

Estelle felt him enter the small school hall before she saw him. It was like they were linked somehow, and she looked around, seeing him take a seat with Eric and a couple who seemed to scan the sea of children looking for their own like every other parent who arrived. Estelle met Jason's eyes as they searched for hers and gave a half smile before registering the surprise on Eric's face.

Jason hadn't told him that she would be here. She glanced back at Jason; he wore jeans and a button-up shirt. He looked like every other father in the crowd, respectable and quite normal instead of the sex maniac rock god she knew him to be. She found this look on him equally as hot, if not hotter, as she took in his neatly styled dark hair.

"You'll never guess who's here!" Tarlee hurried over to where Estelle crouched down speaking quietly to her class as if she was hiding from the man looking at her with a heated gaze.

"Jason Jones and Eric Taylor," Estelle sighed. "I saw them come in."

"Are they here for you? Did they track you down to this school?" she asked.

"Maybe they know one of the kids. Do you recognise the couple they are sitting with?" Estelle asked. It had totally slipped her mind to ask the child's name after Jason's voice had turned husky last night.

"Seriously? You think they would be here for a child and not you?" Tarlee seemed totally stunned by the thought.

"I knew he was coming, he let me know," Estelle finally admitted. "The Crazy Horse exec is the band's manager. They are staying with him, and he has kids at our school. They invited them."

"He let you know? So, you're talking to him, and you didn't tell me?" Tarlee looked hurt.

"It's not what you think. Honestly, I don't know what it is, so there was nothing to tell you," Estelle was beyond glad that it was the last day of term and she would be leaving Ashton Hill for the city tonight and wouldn't have to deal with all of Tarlee's questions and recriminations. The tap of heels across the stage made both women look up, and Tarlee grumbled as she made her way back to her class. Estelle sat nervously with her class through the Acknowledgement to Country and the introduction done by Amber before heading toward the stage with the prep teachers and taking her guitar from the stand. It was a well-worn, well used, acoustic guitar, but it was in tune, and she strummed her way through, accompanying the preppies through their short but sweet song.

There was an awkward interval as the preppies went back to their seats and the year one students took their places on stage being herded by both Estelle and her co-teacher. Once lined up on the stage, Estelle and Caitlyn took their places in front of the stage where the children could see them.

Once again Estelle began strumming her guitar and then began to sing, prompting the kids to follow along as best they could as Caitlyn did the actions for them beside her. Caitlyn held the microphone for individual children to say the words they needed to as Estelle sang the main part with them.

The year six boys that she had been helping to find the beat all week on their makeshift drums did a good job keeping the tempo. Estelle played and sang with her charges. When it was over the children all posed with their arms up, flexing their biceps with the word "stronger" being shouted at the audience, then began cheering and bouncing around on the stage. It took a few minutes for Caitlyn and Estelle to gather them back to their space on the floor of the hall. Estelle took off her guitar, knowing the other teachers had found backing tracks for the next two songs, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she continued to try and settle some of the more excited students.

She barely took notice of the year two students, and looked up when the group Tarlee led moved onto the stage to wish her luck. She grinned and rolled her eyes as she took up her position with the children and the other teachers of the larger group. It went well; Estelle breathed a sigh of relief. With only one more performance to go, she felt like she could almost breathe again and allowed herself a small moment to look over her shoulder to where Jason sat. She found him watching her rather than the stage, and a small smile appeared as he caught her eye. She turned away quickly. She hadn't been lying last night when she had told him that he affected her on a physical level, and she found it hard to concentrate on what was happening here in the hall.

"Miss Eastman!" Estelle was snapped out of her reverie by a year six student calling her in panic and holding the microphone. "We need you! Mr. Renshaw threw up everywhere!"

"Oh God!" Estelle groaned prepared to go and help Anton. "Give the microphone to one of the other teachers and show me where he is," she instructed, while nodding to Caitlyn, who smiled crookedly, understanding she would need to watch both classes.