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Roland returned to North Bromsgrove High School after his exclusion, and stayed through the spring and summer term, to take his GCSEs.
Things seemed to be improving. Much to his surprise and delight, Rachel, who was in the same year at school, became his girlfriend. He was a frequent visitor to her home, as she was to his. She was very musical and loved to play Jeremy’s prized J45 guitar, and she taught Roland the rudiments of how to play it; they would also write stories on the computer. In the summer holidays Rachel accompanied Roland and his parents on a holiday to his grandparents’ at Seaton.
In September Rachel went back to school, to do ‘A’ levels. Roland, wishing he’d worked better at his studies, wanted to return to the school to improve his GCSE results (and probably to be near Rachel); he wasn’t allowed to because staff were not in agreement due to his previous record. So he started at NEW College instead.
The time at the college didn’t last the term, and Rachel ended the relationship. Roland felt desolate and started to go downhill again, getting drunk whenever he could and staying out late at night.
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