A couple hours pass but of Cory and I playing and looking after Erin while waiting for my mum to come home. Just before five o' clock, I hear the keys jangle in the doorway and the click of my mothers heels along the floorboards.

"I'm back," she shouts from the hallway. I get up form where I am sat and make my way to greet her.

"How was work?" I ask, taking her handbag from her and placing it on the table.

"Hectic. Remind me to never cover for someone on a Saturday ever again. What about you? How was your day?" She asks me, brushing her own blonde hair out of her eyes.

I fill her in on my walk in the park and bumping into Skye while she makes her self a cup of tea.

"Was Cory with you?" She asks when I've finished talking so I then fill her in on Cory's day with Adam and the slight drama beforehand. "Well at least they've put their drama behind them." We walk into the living where Cory is laid on the floor with Erin who is wide awake, her eyes beaming, admiring the room around her.

"Hi Ms Mason," Cory mumbles as he sees my mum walk into the room. She bends down so that she is next to Erin, close enough to stroke and kiss her forehead. I take my place in the sofa, placing a cushion on my lap.

"I don't know how many times I have told you but please call me Cheryl. You've been living here long enough Cory."

"About that, you're not going to kick me out are you?" Cory asks, looking genuinely concerned.

"No, of course not. Why would you ask that?" My mother stands up in shock, staring straight at Cory.

"Well Kristen said you wanted to talk to me," he murmurs, only just loud enough to hear.

"Oh that. Well there is something I want to talk to you about." For a brief moment, my mum pauses to look over at me. "Err Kristen, do you want to-"

"What leave? No I'm okay here, thank you," I tell her, playing with some of the bobbles on the cushion as I speak. When I look over at my mum I see that she has an eyebrow raised. "Seriously, whatever you say to him will only be repeated to me five minutes later. I'll find out so what's the point of me leaving?"

"Fine, I guess it's not really that big of thing anyway. I was thinking Cory, that you should probably look for a job,"

"Okay..." Cory replies at the same time as I ask why.

"Kristen he's living here rent free, I'm paying for all the nappies and basically anything that your baby needs. I don't know think it would hurt if he looked for some work to help contribute to some of that."

"I understand Ms Ma- I mean Cheryl. I'm grateful for everything you have done so far."

"Why him though? Why are you not asking me to go out and get a job? After all, I'm also living here rent free. I don't understand what is different." I butt into their conversation to make my point.

"Kristen, you're my daughter. That's the difference. Baby or no baby, I wouldn't make you pay rent, at least not yet. If you hadn't have gotten pregnant then I probably would be urging you to get a part time job but realistically, it isn't the right time for you. If you had been in full time work then you would be on maternity leave but instead of that, you're still attending school, granted, you don't have as many hours. Also, if one of you is at work then someone needs to look after Erin and I won't be doing that every Saturday or whenever you would have to work. That's why.

Cory, on the other hand, possibly has more time to work. Even if it's just a Saturday job, it's better than nothing. The money could be used to pay for her child minder you used throughout the week. I just feel like something else needs to be done. I don't mind paying towards the things that Erin needs, she is my granddaughter after all but you two are her parents. Maybe in a few months you could look for something Kristen and we would be able to work something out in terms of who looks after the baby but now is not the right time, at least for you." My mum explains and even though I understand where she is coming from, it still hurts.

"Is it not the right time because I'm crazy?" I ask.

"Kris, you're not crazy," Cory walk over and sits next to me on the sofa.

"Fine, I'm mentally ill. That's what the tablets are for, why deny it." I fold my arms and turn my attention towards my mum. "Is that why you think I shouldn't work?"

"Yes and no. I love you and I don't want you to get hurt and I think you're forgetting that I've been through this. I had post natal depression after having you. Getting a job might make it worse. Like I said, we'll revisit this subject again in a few months if you want but I am looking out for you." I'd forgotten that my mum had been through a similar experience to me so instead of saying anything, I continue to play with the cushion.

After a few minutes of silence and Erin shifting her gaze from each of us, Cory finally breaks it. "I'll start looking tomorrow for a job. Hopefully I'll be able to find something soon and the money can be used towards the childminder. If at the end of the week there is any left over then that could go towards nappies and clothes that Erin needs, or rent if you would prefer that?" He asks my mum.

"We'll see how it works out when you get something. You're lucky that I'm friends with Mary-Anne and was able to get your childminding rates down by half. Ordinarily she charges four pounds an hour but as you know, it's only two for you guys. Per week that's thirty three pounds which could have been sixty six so you really are lucky in that sense. If your able to find yourself a job Cory that pays roughly 7 pounds an hour and you work a Saturday for five hours then you've already paid for that a week. Just think about it. Anyway, shall I make some dinner?" My mum changes the conversation topic and all of a sudden it is like the last ten minutes have never even happened.

***
"Why am I useless?" I complain out loud before I've even realised I've said it.

A few hours have passed since my mum suggested that Cory should for a job and now we've put Erin to bed. The two of us are laid on my bed, my eyes close to closing fully.

"Who says you're useless?" Cory asks, turning himself on his side so he is facing me.

"Nobody but it feels like I am. You get to work and are able to support our daughter that way. What am I doing besides sitting around feeling sorry for myself?"

"Really Kris? You're her mum, the most important in the world to her. She needs you more than anyone else in the world. You're anything but useless in her eyes and mine." He comforts me, stroking my face. I scoot my body closer to his so that I can feel his body heat.

"I guess I don't always feel that way,"

"Well you are. You are so important to her. Without you, she would be nothing. Now let's try and guess some sleep before Erin wakes up." I lay my head again Cory's chest as he says this and allow my eyes to close.

***
The rest of the weekend passes in a blur and soon enough I am back in school. The Monday morning routines passes in its usual fashion of looking after the baby until it is time to drop her off at the childminders at half past twelve. I then make my way to school, getting there only moments before the lesson starts.

I enter the classroom to see that most people are still having lunch, meaning the classroom is empty other than Reynolds sitting there at his desk.

"Afternoon Kristen. Take a seat anywhere you want. I'm sure everyone else will be here soon." He says to me, not even looking up from his desk which is fine by me.

I still find it strange to be near him, especially alone after he briefly dated my mum earlier in the year. The only reason they broke it off was because it wasn't comfortable with the situation and now I wonder if that was the best thing to do.

Taking my seat, I keep my eyes on the clock, watching as the hands go by as I wait for the bell to ring to signal the end of lunch. Only two minutes to go.

"Afternoon Jack, you're here early," I hear Reynolds say so I shoot my head upwards to see Jack, one of the new students at the school, walking into the classroom.

"I thought I may as well get here early. There's nothing better to do." He says.

"Well take a seat wherever you want." Reynolds instructs him and he does. Right next to me. "I'm just going to nip out for a couple of minutes before class starts," he then says, leaving the classroom so there's only Jack and I in it.

Furrowing my eyebrows together, I ask him, "what the hell are you doing?"

"Sitting down,"

"But why next to me. There are like thirty other chairs to choose from."

"Yeah but you seem interesting and if I sat on one of the other chairs then I wouldn't have anyone to talk to." He informs me, looking perfectly happy at where he is sitting.

"Well my friends will be here soon so-"

"-so you want me to go? What, can you only have a certain number of friends?" He asks, not taking me seriously.

"No, of course not. It's because I'm trying to make up with one of my friends. We're not speaking at the moment and I want to change that, I want things to go back to how they were before." I blurt out, not realising what I have said.

Jack's face changes from having a smirk on his face to something that looks like concern. "I noticed. At the start of the school year you used to talk to the girl with the short, black hair but you don't seem to anymore. Why is that?"

What have I got to lose if I tell if I tell him what is going on? He might even be able to help, or give me some advice on the situation.

"She told me that she didn't think I was paying as much attention the rest of them I was before and maybe she was right but I have other things on my mind."

"Like looking after your daughter?"

"How did you know?"

"All I had to do was ask around. I noticed that we had English lit and performing arts together yet you were never in any of the morning classes. I thought at first that maybe you just weren't a morning person but then I asked someone and they explained that you had a baby over the summer." He tells me just as the bell rings. Students begin to fill the hallways as they make their way to their next lesson.

"Okay... anyway, back to what I was saying. Laura didn't think think I was listening to her and my other friends as much as I used to and flipped out about it. That's basically the gist of it all. I tried to apologise there and then but she didn't want to accept it and we've not spoken since then." As I am speaking, people from our class make their way into our classroom, sitting themselves down. I make eye contact with Maddie who raises an eyebrow at me when she see's who I am sat next to. I just shrug my shoulders in response.

"I don't think you're being unreasonable. Having a baby changes your priorities. I'm sure you want to be there for your friends but it doesn't mean you can." He says at what could possibly be the worst moment.

Just as Jack had begun talking, Laura walks in and overhears everything he says. I see it in her face that she knows we have been talking about as her smile disappears.

"That's it, you tell everyone else about our problems. Don't come to me and talk about them." She practically spits at me.

"Laura it's not like that. Let me explain it, please," I beg her.

"No Kristen. Go find someone else to gossip with." She turns herself away and walks out of the classroom just as Cory and Adam walk in. For a moment the two of them stand in the doorway before Adam runs off after her.

"What just happened?" Cory asks, siting down next to Jack, not even batting an eye lid that he's there.

I let Jack and Maddie fill him in on what he's missed and I just sit, staring ahead at the blank whiteboard waiting for the class to begin.

"Everyone sit down and get into your groups for your next project." Reynolds instructs as he walks back into the room. Jack moves away to sit in his group, leaving Cory, Maddie and I to work together.

Nobody brings up the events that have just happened, instead we stay completely focused on the work.

The day soon passes by in a blur, followed by the week and then followed by the rest of the month and Laura and I still haven't spoken to each other. Every time I try and speak to her, she just marches off in the other direction, leaving me wondering what I should do.

A/N: so things don't seem to be getting any better for Kristen and Laura which is a shame. I hope you enjoyed the chapter though.

I also want to say thank you for getting Fingerprints to 8K reads. It means a lot so thank you to everyone who has read it. I also can't believe how close this story is to 700 reads!!