The noise and bustle of the classroom fills my ears as people are chattering away. It is a Friday morning and I am sat in tutor as Reynolds talks to the class about the importance of the upcoming exams, as if we don't already know. Sounds of background chatter fill my ears as people talk between themselves, not really listening to him. Our table included.

Laura leans over the table, pushing her work to one side, so we can hear her better. "I found out this morning that I get to be in charge of the fashion show," her voice is quiet as she tells us but is full of excitement at the same time.

"That's great love," Adam tells her, kissing her forehead.

"Yeah it is. Anyway I'm currently looking for models," she leaves the sentence hanging in mid-air, waiting for us to fill in the gaps.

Around the table I see that nobody is making eye contact with Laura. Adam has suddenly become interested in is work while Maddie is inspecting her nails with a ludicrous amount of attention. Cory seems to be doing what I'm doing which is looking around the table but avoiding eye contact with Laura.

"Come on guys. All you would have to do is come to a couple of fittings, a rehearsal and then walk up and down and you're done. I'm not asking you to do the backstage stuff which will take up more time. Although I am looking for volunteers to help with-"

"I'm sorry Laura but I really don't have the time to help out. You know I would if I could," I interrupt her to say.

"Okay, so Kristen's out. What about the rest of you?" she looks at the other's sat around the table with eager eyes.

Maddie looks up from her nails and looks at Laura for a moment. "I'll do it. I'm not as busy as the others so I don't really have an excuse not to take part."

"Thank you so much," Laura almost screams which grabs the attention of Reynolds at the front of the class.

"Miss Lace will you quieten down please?" he asks looking in Laura's direction.

Laura nods her head at him before turning her attention back towards us. "Are you two sure you can't help?" she turns her attention towards Cory and Adam.

"I've told you before that I can't. I'm either working or looking after Taylor," Adam tells her.

"And I have Erin," Coy says.

"Fine, fine. Well Maddie is now my favourite person here," Laura shrugs her shoulders at us.

"Are you saying that I wasn't your favourite beforehand?" Maddie asks with a laugh.

The conversation subject soon changes from the fashion and back to exams. The sound of the bell ringing gets our attention causing us to leap out of our seats and head into the direction of the cafeteria.

There are children running up and down the corridors as they make their way into the cafeteria. Their footsteps thump against the floor as they barge against people who are in their way.

"Why are the year sevens always running? Can't they walk anyway?" Adam asks as a little kid pushes past him.

"You would think that all the food was going to run out," I comment as I sit down at a table, taking my own lunch out of my bag. "It makes me glad I only have to lunch here one day a week," I tell everyone.

After a few minutes of sitting around the table (and Laura talking about what possible themes the fashion show should have) I feel my phone buzz in my pocket.

You want to meet tonight? – J

I read the message again even though there's not much to read.

"Who was that?" Cory asks while I am putting my phone away without replying.

"Oh it was nothing. Just a message about how much data I've used so far this month," and immediately I feel bad for lying but can't quite retract my words.

The rest of the day passes without much else happening. I manage to reply back to Jack before leaving school for the day. I tell him that I should be able to meet him later on.

"Do you mind if I go out for a bit? I feel like going on a run," I ask Cory after I have fed Erin.

Before he has chance to reply the sound of laughter fills the room as Erin is laughing at something on the telly. I turn to see that she is laughing at a song which is counting up to ten.

"Sure, I don't see why not," he tells me while staring at Erin who is still laughing hysterically. "She seems quite entertained at the moment so I can't see her being a handful."

"Great, I don't think I will be too long. I just want to get out for a bit,"

"I understand. At least I get to escape when I go to work. Who knew numbers were so funny?" Cory mutters the last part to himself as he sits down with Erin on the floor.

I quickly get changed into some running clothes before leaving the house. The nights are getting lighter now as spring begins to make its appearance. I notice the leaves on the trees are slowly making a return and birds are tweeting again. Flowers are beginning to bloom; daffodils are popping up in the park. Winter has finally gone.

I arrive in the park before Jack does so I sit myself down on one of the benches. There are a few children who are out playing but not that many. It is still quite cold outside even though the sun is still out which probably explains why there are not more people out.

A familiar figure begins walking through the park and straight towards the bench where I am sat.

"Hi," Jack greets me while he sits down.

"Hi. Was there any reason as to why you wanted to meet?" I cut straight to the chase and ask him.

"Oh, I just wanted a catch up, you know like friends do,"

"I didn't know we were friends?" I reply back to him, arching my eyebrow as I do so.

"Well whatever we are, I just wanted to say hi," Jack pulls out his packet of cigarettes from his pocket and immediately lights one. "Want one?" I shake my head at him.

"No thanks, lung cancer isn't really my style,"

"Suit yourself."

The two of us sit in silence for a couple of minutes. I watch as the world goes by, as children one by one soon leave the park, unwillingly as their parents drag them. 

Jack stifles a laugh as he watches one child who is screaming at their parents.

"What's so funny?" I ask him, feeling sorry for the parent on the receiving end.

"You have all of that to come," he says it as if it's a joke.

"And you don't?  Just because you don't have a child now doesn't mean you won't have a whiney brat in the future," I reply to him, folding my arms as I do so.

"Fair point. You just have that to come sooner then,"

"I might be able to cope with it better rather than being old," I say to him.

Another few moments go by without anything being said. Jack continues to smoke whole sometimes checking his phone.

"Was there any reason as to why you wanted me here?" I ask him, getting fed up of the silence.

"Like I said I wanted a catch up. What's been going on with you?" he asks me.

I tell him about the fashion show and how Laura is trying to make us all take part without much success. He listens as if he is really interested in everything I have to say, which I doubt he is.

"And that's about everything that is going on with my life. What about you?" I ask him, genuinely curious about what he does in his time away from school.

"Oh you know, this, that and the other,"

"That is not an answer," I tell him, feeling slightly mad now.

"Fine, I sometimes help my brother out after school. He has his own business," Jack tells me in a tone which suggests that I should have known that all along.

"What does he do?" I ask, glad to be tapping on the surface of him.

"Nothing you would be interested in,"

"And how would you know?"

"Okay he has his own printing business," Jack tells me while he drops his cigarette on the floor, putting it out with his foot.

"Oh, you were right, I'm not interested," I tell him bluntly.

He tells me more about his brothers business and how it is slowly growing but I am only half paying attention to what he is saying. I keep glancing at the time on my phone, realising that it is later than what I originally thought it was.

"I'm really sorry but I have to go now. I said that I wouldn't be out long," I tell Jack when he is halfway through a sentence.

"Okay. I'll walk with you,"

I freeze in the spot where I am stood, "that's probably a bad idea. I told Cory that I was going for a run, not that I was meeting anyone." I explain to him.

"Why did you lie?"

"I don't know," I tell him honestly, wondering what did cause me to lie.

"I'll walk you to the clearing at least. Once you're on the estate then you're on your own," he tells me.

I let him walk to the end of the park with me but this time he talking about the fashion show.

"You should model," I tell him just as the houses are coming into view. "Laura would love that. She thinks she's going to have a hard time finding male models," I say to Jack.

"Hmm I might think about it," he says, looking serious about it.

"Really?"

"Yeah, could be fun. Will there be an after party?" he asks with a grin on his face.

"I don't know but I'm sure if you suggest the idea to Laura she will make sure there is one," I hold back a laugh, knowing how eager Laura would be to throw a party.  "Anyway I have to go now so bye," I tell him rather awkwardly and he returns the same awkward goodbye to me.

I jog back to my house, trying to keep some sort of pretence up. As I open the front door, I wipe the invisible sweat from forehead and announce that I home.