School follows the next day and all anyone seems to be talking about is the fashion show. By the sounds of it, a lot of people can't believe it actually turned out well considering it was all organised by students. I have even heard people who weren't there say they wish they had.

Laura can't stop smiling everywhere she goes because of this. Every classroom she enters she does so with a smile on her face while still excitedly talking about the show and the party afterwards.

Apparently even more people turned up to it after Cory and I left making the house so packed that you couldn't move. According to Maddie people didn't care though because they were too drunk to. All in all, everything went smoothly for Laura in the end, even if she does have a lot of clearing up to do now.

"Yes, yes, yesterday was a great show but can I remind you all that your performing arts exam is in two weeks. You haven't got time to chitter chatter so will everybody get back to work?" Reynolds shouts over the noise towards the end of class.

I look around the performing arts studio, which already looks completely different to what it did yesterday, and see that most people are either sat on the floor talking or simply stood in their groups- also talking.

"I am never going to learn this monologue in time," I hear Maddie complain from the floor.

"Try finding an audio of it and listen to it on repeat like you would with a song," I suggest to her, sitting down on the floor with her.

For the next few minutes the two of us go over our lines, letting each other stumble over them as we mess up to see how the other corrects herself. Laura joins us after a few minutes but seems less focused than us on the task.

"What's wrong Laura? Are you still reeling in your victory from yesterday?" I ask her when she doesn't even start reciting her monologue like we asked her to.

"What? Oh no it's not that. I just get a funny feeling from that guy," Laura tells us while her gaze points directly ahead.

I follow the direction of her gaze with my own eyes, only for it to land on Jack.

"Why?" I ask her as I stare back at him.

"I don't know. He was at the party last night, which is fair enough because he was in the show and he was a fantastic model. Anyway back to the point. He was at the party and he didn't seem to be interacting with people, or at least not in a normal way. He just stayed in the kitchen and sulked. It's strange isn't it?"

"Maybe he's just shy?" Maddie suggests but Laura shakes her head.

"If he was shy then why would he take part in the show to begin with?" Laura makes a good point but I can't help but go back to the time in my head where I told him as a joke that he should model.

"What are you talking about?" Adam asks as he suddenly appears and sits down next to Laura.

"That weirdo," Laura slyly points towards Jack while Cory sits down in our little circle.

"Oh yeah he is strange. I heard he was selling drugs last night at the party," Adam says very nochantly causing us all to spin our heads towards him.

"What?" Laura shouts which gets the attention of Reynolds.

"Is everything okay over here?" he asks us, not looking very convinced.

"Yeah fine. I was shouting for a dramatic affect. I was louder than what I intended to be," Laura tells Reynolds which makes him happy as he then walks off. "What do you mean he was selling drugs in my house?" Laura now lowers her tone but the anger in it is certainly not missed.

"I don't know anything for certain. I just overheard Skye saying that," Adam sheepishly tells her.

"I also her Skye say the same thing. I think I also heard Rhys Kirin say the same thing," Cory then inputs into the conversation.

Laura's smile has vanished from her face, leaving a frown in its place. Her brows are furrowed together while her gaze is directed at the floor.

"What was he selling then? The house didn't stink of weed so unless everyone was polite enough to wait until they left, I doubt it was that,"

"Honey I don't know what it was. I'm just telling you the rumours that I heard," Adam tells her.

"What about you two? Have you heard anything about it?" Laura directs her question at Maddie and I.

Both of us shake our heads and immediately I feel guilt settle in the pit of my stomach. The narrative of Jack that is being told fits in with the version that was at the park when that ill-looking guy came over and asked if he was selling. An uneasy feeling came over me then and a bigger one is coming over me now.

"Don't forget you need to have learnt your lines by the end of this week," Reynolds shouts at us just before the bell rings which gets all of our attention.

Everyone heads in the direction of home except for me where I make my way up to the English department for my one on one session with Miss Lyles. The hour seems to drag by and all I can think really think about is Jack and the possibility of him selling drugs.

"You can go now Kristen. Your work has really improved over the last few weeks. I think you will do fine in the exams," Miss Lyles politely tells me at the end of the session after we have gone through one of my essays.

I thank her quickly before grabbing my belongings and making my way out as quickly as I can.

There are not many people hanging around outside of school at this time. There are a couple of younger kids who are probably waiting for friends in detention and some who look slightly older. There is one person who gets my attention who is sitting on the hill which is directly opposite school.

I start marching my way up the hill, which is probably against my better judgement but my legs can't seem to stop.

"I need to talk to you," I shout at Jack who is lying on his back with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Oh hi Kris, I didn't see you there,"

"Don't call me that," I first of all snap him. "Is it true that you have been selling drugs at Laura's house?" I ask him which gets his attention as he quickly sits up.

"Well not just at Laura's house, other places as well," he replies in a very relaxed manner.

"And you never thought to tell me all the times we met up? That's quite a big thing to hide. Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"I thought you knew after the incident in the park"

"I believed you when you said that man must have been mistaken but something about it didn't sit right with me. After hearing the rumours today then I knew you were lying," I tell him. "Is that why you modelled? So you could get into the party and expand your audience?"

"You're not just a pretty face after all. I told my brother about the party and he thought it was a good idea. Up until then I've just been the quiet boy in class but last night I think I actually made a few friends," he tells me as if I am supposed to be happy for him.

"Your brother? I bet there was never any printing business," I comment, still staring at him.

"No there wasn't although he may have had a go at printing one time or another. He's always between jobs but drugs are his main business. I don't get what the big deal is though. I never give people enough for them to hurt themselves. It's all just fun at a party," Jack tells before he takes a drag.

"Maybe a year or two ago I wouldn't have cared but now I do. I like to know the kind of person I am spending time with, especially if they end up being near my daughter. Also it didn't look like 'fun' for the man in the park. He looked like he was in trouble," I explain to him.

For a few moments Jack doesn't say anything but instead looks forward towards the school. He takes another drag from the cig, and then pulls a new one out of the packet in his pocket.

"There's always one who takes a little too far. Can't blame me for his lack of self-control. Anyway this is all rich coming from the girl who lied for months about taking her pills and has probably lied about all the meetings we've had in the park."

"That's different," I defend myself. "And it's not like we were up to anything when we met up. I don't know why I never told him but I know I should have done,"

"How? I remember you saying that Cory wasn't happy that you lied and was worried about the safety of Erin. How is this different? You're worried about your daughter just like he was-"

"-Shut up!" I stop him before he even begins to talk about the fact that no one knew I was meeting up with him. "You do what you want in your life. I'm just not going to have anything to do with it anymore," I tell him as I push my bag back onto my shoulder so that I look ready to leave.

"That's fine. You won't mind if I tell your dear Cory about the meetings then?" he asks, standing up as he does so.

"What?" I ask loss for anymore words.

"You won't mind if I tell Cory that you have been secretly meeting me the rumoured 'drug dealer'. You even brought your daughter along one time. How do you think he would feel about that?"

"I didn't bring her, we bumped into you," I quietly whisper with little force to my voice.

"But do you think he will believe that? From the girl who lied to him for months? Because I'm not sure he will. I'm not sure he will think everything was as innocent as it was either,"

"You wouldn't, would you?" I ask him, my voice breaking as I do.

"Yeah I think I would,"                                                                                                                 

"But why? What would you get out of that?"

"Probably nothing, maybe a black eye but I can't see Cory being that kind of guy. I just don't like hypocrites. You say I've been lying to you when you've been lying to him," he tells me with a smug smile on his face.

"I'm going. I can't do this any longer," I take one last look at Jack before leaving him on the top of the hill.

I feel a stinging in my eyes as tears begin to form but I wipe them away before anyone has the chance to see. I think back to Jack's words and how he threatens to tell Cory about everything even though nothing happened. Hopefully he was just bluffing because I don't understand what he would gain from doing so.

It doesn't take me long to get home after leaving Jack on the hill. It is a relief when I walk through the front door and into the hallway to see Cory standing there while Erin is on the floor, still attempting to crawl.

"Not managed it yet?" I ask him through a sniffle while looking down at Erin.

"I think she's close to crawling. Her arms easily move forward but her legs don't. Earlier she moved one of them and I thought she was going to do it but then the other wouldn't follow- hey are you alright?" Cory suddenly asks when he looks at me.

He must have noticed the redness of my eyes from the crying I did on the way home.  Shaking my head at him I manage to croak out a 'no' which leads to him wrapping his arms around me.

"Can we talk?" I ask him a few moments later.

He nods his head at me so the two of us make our way into the living room, not before picking Erin up off of the floor though.

"What's wrong Kris?" he asks as he sits down next to me, placing a hand on my back as he does so.

"You know that Jack? I've been seeing him – not in the kind of way though. Just as friends. I don't know why I never told you when I was meeting up with him," I continue to explain it all to him, about how we met up in the park a few times, including the time when I bumped into him when I had Erin. I tell him about the man who asked Jack if he was selling and how he denied it. I tell him about the fight on the hill just now and that I had no idea he was selling drugs because if I did then he would have been nowhere near me and nowhere near our daughter.

He sits there and listens to everything I have to say without interrupting. I see his face change from confusion, to anger to then sadness as I tell my tale. Erin bounces up and down on his knee, unaware of everything that is being said.

"So absolutely nothing happened between the two of you?" Cory asks when I finally finish talking.

"Nothing at all. We just chatted, that was all."

"And you had no idea that he sold drugs as a hobby?" he then asks me.

"Not until today. I thought the guy in the park was weird and I knew something wasn't right then so I left straight away,"

"The only thing I don't understand is why you never told me you were meeting up with him. That's what's confusing me. I don't have a problem with anything else. You were meeting up with a friend and when that friend turned dodgy then you got out. I just don't understand why you didn't tell me. I'm not saying this because you need to run everything by me but it would have been nice to know," Cory tells me as he continues to bounce Erin on his lap.

"I can't give you an answer because I don't know. Maybe I thought that you or my mum wouldn't want me to go. I honestly don't know," I cry at him, finally letting the tears pour down my face.

Cory's body moves closer to mine as I feel the heat radiate from him. Hesitantly I lean my head into the crook of his shoulder and Erin turn hear head around so that she is facing me. she lifts her little arm in the direction of my face so I take hold of her wrist and plant a kiss on it.

"I just wish you would start telling me things. First the pills and now this. It makes me wonder if you don't trust me," Cory says to me.

"Of course I trust you. Maybe I just don't trust myself," I lean into some more while I stroke Erin's face.

"Well start," he whispers into my ear before kissing my temple.

"I'll try," I whisper back to him, closing my eyes as I breathe him in, finally relieved that everything is off of my chest.