Oakleaf Academy For Boys

twenty six

"Mr Cooper, that door has been locked since 1996. What makes you think I'm going to open it for you?"

"Please, Mr Welding." He begged. "We need to give these students access to books. They can't just be locked away like that, it's a waste of knowledge."

The headteacher rose his brows and leant back in his chair. The last time Benji was sat in his office, he was in shock; it was his first day at Oakleaf and Mr Welding hadn't eased his concerns in the slightest. "The last headmaster closed down the library and I have no intent to reopen it. It was attracting no more than a couple of students a fortnight and the school was losing money from the librarian's salary."

"That was over twenty years ago!" Benji complained. "Things are different now. We want to learn, sir."

"Maybe you do, Mr Cooper. And maybe some kids might. But not here. Not at Oakleaf."

"You don't know that-"

"I would advise you to stop talking back, young man." He snapped. "This isn't how we do things here. You don't just come marching into my office demanding favours."

"I'm sorry, sir." Benji said sincerely, his eyes falling down to his lap where he played with his tie distractedly.

"Those books haven't been updated in twenty years." He continued. "They're no use to anyone."

"But they are, sir." Benji contradicted as respectfully as he could. "Classic literature only grows in value. Shakespeare, Hardy, Brontë, Dickens-"

"Yes, I know my literature, Mr Cooper." He silenced him. His cold eyes watched Benji for a moment, his expression blank and unreadable before he began to type away on the old fashioned computer. "For someone with such a passion for reading, your grades aren't particularly impressive. Not even in English." He said blandly, his eyes scanning the screen.

"I know, sir." Benji gulped, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "I have dyslexia so I'm not great in lessons, but I love to read."

Mr Welding sighed and turned his attention back to Benji. "Very well, Mr Cooper." He said stiffly.

Benji grinned in excitement, "Thank you-!"

"But there are conditions." He cut him off. "I will give you the key but that stays in your possession, no one else's. If you're so eager for everyone to have access to books, then it is your responsibility entirely. It needs to be supervised when open and you need to arrange closing times."

"W-Wait...does that mean I have to run it?"

"Precisely." He responded simply. "I will not be interfering, nor will any other members of staff. This is a big responsibility so I would suggest you only open it a couple days a week - at least in the beginning."

Benji nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah...uh, sure."

"If the library turns into a crack den or a place to deal drugs, it will be shut down immediately and I'll be holding you personally responsible for these activities. Do you understand?"

"Of course, sir."

Mr Welding leant down to riffle through a draw, before producing a large circular key ring, holding what had to be over fifty keys. It took a while before he finally located the right one and twisted it out of the bundle before sliding it over the table. Benji tucked it into his pocket, careful not to lose it before he had even left the room. "Oh, and it's going to need a deep clean." Mr Welding added as an afterthought. "Take anything you need from the storage cupboard on the second floor and make sure to return everything once you're done. You've got twenty years worth of dust to clean."