Authors note - I know you must hate Tina. But she's my favourite character =)

11

'Olly. We need to talk.'

'Really?' I said sarcastically, looking up from my gossip mag.

'Yeah' she sat down at the end of the sofa and handed me a bag full of maternity clothes . I pulled them out, they were huge. Gross.

'About what exactly?' I asked.

'I think you know what' she replied.

'I think..., and this is just a random guess, it's something to do with babies' I said. Mum didn't look so amused.

'What are you going to do when people can see your pregnant.'

I looked up, confused 'umm... live my life.'

'I think you should stay with your grandfather until the baby's born, then go back to school' she said 'then people wouldn't talk-'

'No mum. I'll stay at school' I said firmly.

She shook her head 'Olly, at school they will hate you. Everyone will call you a slag and talk about you behind your back. I'm sorry but it's true, I mean I was eighteen but still...' her voice trailed off.

'I can deal with it.'

'Please Olly, what will people think?'

'That I'm pregnant' I said 'since when have you cared about what people think?'

'They'll say I'm an awful mother' she said, her eyes were suddenly shining 'I have to prove them wrong Olly, don't you understand?'

'No' I replied, firmly. Mum shook her head.

'You are going to give it up for adoption aren't you?'

'Yeah' I said 'I don't want some little snotty kid to raise thanks.'

'But you don't realize how hard it is' she said 'I was going to give you up for adoption, but when you were born I just couldn't. It seemed too hard and you're so young...'

'I don't want this baby' I replied.

'You don't know how you'll feel when you see it' she said 'it's like this rush to look after it, to be a mummy.'

'But I don't want to be a mum' I replied 'maybe never.'

'You don't know how you'll feel' she repeated. 'Giving it away is best for you and him. Believe me, Olly when I kept you...' she paused 'I'm so sorry Olly but it was the worst mistake of my life.'

'Mum-' I said, shocked.

'It was' she said 'I feel awful but it was. I was eighteen, way too young and your dad left me the instant he found out and disappeared. Then mum chucked me out and I ended up living in a shitty flat for three years before I had saved up enough to move out. I was going to go to college but that got completely screwed up so I could only get low paying jobs. As for my love life, as if that existed. No one wanted to come near me the state I was in. Even now I can't get the jobs I would love and Joshua pretty much on the verge of leaving me all together. If I hadn't kept you, my life would be so much better. And let's face it if you weren't my daughter you wouldn't be pregnant now. I'm so sorry I've fucked up both our lives.'

'Mum-' I croaked.

'I'm sorry' she said 'but I don't want you to make my mistake.'

I stood up 'I'm going' I said, walking quickly out of the room.

'Olly' called mum after me, 'Olly. Please don't be like that I was just being truthful with you.

'Maybe I didn't want the truth' I replied, and ran up the stairs, pushing into the toilet and staring at my reflection. I was mistake, fair enough I had none that but I didn't know that my mum still thought of me like that. Then my eyes dropped down to my stomach. I wasn't going to keep him, half of me was yearning to but I couldn't because he would just be another mistake child.

12

'Let me guess the party was awesome' I said tiredly as I opened the door on Monday morning.

'It. Was. Epic' she said.

My eyes fell to her tiny skirt and low cut top and I sighed 'God, you're not still trying to get Mike to sleep with you are you?'

She shrugged 'I call it reawakening Olly.'

'I call it you're a huge bitch' I replied, calmly.

She smiled 'I know I am. You don't.'

'Okay fine, I'm a bitch. Drop it and stop trying to get me drunk.'

'No' she paused 'why don't you want to get drunk?'

I didn't say anything, just walked quickly. Tina caught up with me, still grinning. 'Oh my God, that's your secret isn't it? You're an alcoholic.'

I stared at her, with one eyebrow raised. 'Seriously?'

'Hmm, alright I like a challenge' she hesitated 'you're not allowed to anymore.'

'I've never really been allowed to' I replied.

'You got an ASBO for drinking too much and you don't want to go to prison' she said 'that's it isn't it??'

'Nope.'

'You're pregnant.'

I froze, then smiled coolly 'get over it Tina.'

'Oh, I love guessing' she said in a little girly voice 'please let me have some fun.'

'You can have fun without me' I pointed out 'besides you're very clearly a mentally deranged physco bitch.'

She shrugged 'well I', hardly hiding it.'

'Maybe you should be. Then you'd get the guy you've been chasing' I replied.

She grinned 'who says I haven't already.'

I stared at her 'seriously.'

'At the party' she replied, then wet her lips 'twice.'

'You slag' I said again. 'So are you going out?'

'No. My new conquest is Mike.'

'You can have him' I said, swallowing a lump in my throat. 'He won't go out with me anyway.'

'What?' she looked confused 'Olly he, like... loves you, why not?'

I didn't reply and walked through the school, immediately starting a conversation with Fiona to escape from Tina's fierce questioning. I glanced over my shoulder and saw her standing completely still, staring at me looking confused, then she grinned and formed the word 'oh' before turning away and disappearing into a crowd of kids.