Author's note - I know this ones rubbish. SSorry I've been distracted lately.

15

2 months later.

'How many guys have you even slept with?'

'It must be hundreds.'

'I knew she was a slag but this is crazy.'

'Why don't you just have an abortion? It's only gonna be fucked up if you're the mum.'

And the way Mike just looked at me like he was sickened by the sight.

I opened my eyes into the darkness, my heart pounding and my body covered in sweat. It was okay, it was just a nightmare.

I got up and stared out my window. It was just getting light. Damn the baby made me wake up at the same annoying time very night, I glanced at my clock. It clicked to five. I walked across my room and to the bathroom to have a hot shower. The hot water poured over my aching muscles, and I stood for ages until it suddenly became cold and I shrieked. Jumping out and catching sight of my reflection. I looked like an alien, with a huge swollen belly and... stretch marks.

I shivered and wrapped a towel around myself and walked into my bedroom. It was five thirty and the sun was starting to come up. I stared at my reflection and pulled a brush through the limp, tangled ruins of my hair then tied it up into a loose ponytail and climbed back into bed.

My back hurt, unsurprisingly because this baby appeared to be killing me. I wriggled around, tangling myself in the sheets until I was tangled up and sweating all over again. I lay completely still and stared at the ceiling.

Have I mentioned? Being pregnant sucks. Big time.

I jammed my earphones in, turning up the music loud so it was thumping through my head and I couldn't think. Then I felt a sharp pain suddenly in my stomach and turned it off. The damn baby was kicking again.

'Okay, okay. I'll turn it off. Is that okay?'

It kicked again, harder this time and I cursed. 'I hope you had your ears closed' I muttered, and sat upright, feeling the stomach underneath me and feeling sick. The doctor said I was in the third semester now, and the baby was just growing. I looked it up on the internet and it said I couldn't have an abortion anymore, and if the baby was born now. There was a chance it would survive. It was nearly a person.

I stared down at it. I betted it didn't look like and alien/bean anymore. Well, I knew it didn't.

I climbed out of bed, and pulled on some clothes. They were all huge, elasticized jeans, tops that looked like parachutes. I used to be a size four, God that was a long time ago.

I walked down the stairs, feeling my stomach jiggle beneath me, and walked into the kitchen. Mum was slumped asleep on the table and I sighed, picking up the two empty wine bottles next to her and dropping them neatly in the bin.

'Mum' I said, shaking her.

She looked up with bleary eyes and ran her hands through her hair 'what time is it?'

'Quarter past six.'

Her eyes widened and I added 'in the morning.'

'Thank God' she sighed.

'Are you hung-over?' I asked pointlessly.

'A little bit' she replied.

'That was a clever idea' I said, boiling the kettle. 'I'm making some coffee.'

'I should have a shower.'

'I used up all the hot water' I replied.

'I'll have a cold one' she stood up and walked up the stairs slowly. She wasn't an alcoholic. Not by a long shot. She just tended to try and solve her problems... badly. She wasn't smashed all the time or anything, she was still a brilliant mum.

Why was I defending her? The way she dealt with things was awful.

When she came back downstairs five minutes later she was wet, wrapped in a bathrobe and looking confused. 'Did Joshua call?' she asked.

'No' I replied, setting the mug in front of her. I could have used some coffee. But the baby hated it.

'He said he would' she frowned.

'It's early in the morning. He'll probably call later' I lied. As if he would bother with this shitty situation.

'Hmm' she hesitated 'are you going back to school today?'

'Of course mother dear' I said, amused.

'Seriously. I worry about you sometimes Olly' she said, her eyes had alarmingly black circles underneath 'you've missed out of two months education. They'll hold you back a year at this rate.'

'That would be awful' I said, sarcastically. 'Claire says they have special schools for pregnant teenagers anyway.' Claire was my social worker.

'Where's the nearest one?'

I shrugged.

'We should find out' she said. It was a new found interest. I had told her about it when Claire first showed me the leaflets and things which I had lost long ago, clearly she hadn't bothered to care then.

'I'll ask' I said.

Mum out her head in her hands and moaned 'my head hurts' she said.

'Hardly surprising' I said 'drink your coffee it will help.'

She sipped gingerly at it. 'We've got another couple to see this afternoon.'

'Oh brilliant' I said sarcastically 'I seriously cannot wait.'

'You should be nicer' she said 'they're offering to get us out of this situation. Then everything will go back to normal.'

God, she was delusional if she thought that.

16

'Who's the dad?'

'I don't think she knows' said Tina, crossing her arms and smirking. 'There's been too many to count.'

'What was wrong with them? They were perfect.'

'Yeah. They were too perfect. There must be something really weird about them, it's the only plausible outcome.' I paused 'I bet they eat babies.'

'They do not' mum smiled. She was wearing sunglasses to hide her shadowed eyes, I wondered if it was actually safe for her to drive while probably still half drunk. As we pulled into our street I could see our neighbors stopping to stare at our car, then starting to talk. Mum shifted uncomfortably and pulled up into the drive. Walking as quickly as she could inside and nearly closing the door on my face.

Mum put her bag down on the sideboard and glanced anxiously out the window. She took her sunglasses off and looked at me 'do you think Joshua called?'

I could barely remember when he worshipped mum anymore, all I knew was her desperate to make him happy. 'No' I said. 'And if he did he'll call back.'

'Right' she nodded, and went to sit in the living room. Then the phone started ringing and my heart lifted. Maybe it was him, and he was apologizing. Trying to make it better.

'It's Tina' said mum, walking through and handing it to me. I put it to my ear.

'Go away Tina' I hissed.

'Wait Olly' she said.

'What or you to be a backstabbing bitch for what must be at least the eighth time?' I demanded.

She paused 'no.'

'Then why are you calling?'

'I was going to say sorry.'

'Wow. Thanks' I said sarcastically 'that's just two months overdue.'

'Yeah, I know' I could tell she was grinning. 'Listen I just want to be your friend again. Like the old days.'

'Yeah, cos they never had repercussions' I replied, wondering whether she was setting me up or something 'so you really don't hate me like everyone else then?'

'Well, it would be hypocritical, since I've been pregnant before' she said.

'Surprisingl' I said, sarcastically.

'Yeah, I know' she replied 'we have been a bit stupid haven't we?'

'Wow, you've changed a bit' I said.

'I had to' she groaned 'oh my God, it's so boring around school now you're gone. And I have like, no one to talk to, without falling asleep. Please come back.'

'I'm not coming back just because you want me to.'

'Please.'

'Have they stopped talking about me yet?'

'Well...'

'I'm not coming back until it's all out of the way' I said 'which is probably never. You don't know what it was like. It was so bad and it was your fault.'

'I didn't mean for it to happen' she said.

'Well you were hardly a good friend' I replied.

'I know. I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?'

I breathed in 'Tina. It's pretty much your fault this happened in the first place, and it will be a long time before I forgive you. Bye.' I put down the phone and ignored the rings that followed.