Honorary Hope

School

I'm slower than usual getting ready for school, I Suppose because my mind wasn't really on the task in hand. I'm sat at the table having breakfast with Vanessa and Carly when Carly looks up at me.

"Ava, I've got something to tell you." Carly tells me.

"What?" I ask

"Marlon's asked me to move in with him." Carly announces.

"That's Great but I'm going to be late for school" I reply grabbing my bag and run out of the door and over to the bus stop.

Later that day I'm sitting in geography staring into space.

"Ava, You ok?" Gabby asks me.

"Yeah fine." I say trying to stay focused on what we were supposed to be doing.

"You seem like your elsewhere." She persists.

"Seriously I'm fine Gabby." I tell her and she goes back to doing her work.

I know Gabby and Liv can both tell there's something bothering me, I can't focus on anything and I barley join in with a conversation all day we're in our last lesson which is ICT and we are building our own games. Our teacher lets us listen to music whilst we work since it's independent. I sit in a little bubble of my own ignoring the chaos that irrupts around me as different people request different songs.

"Put some Taylor swift on." Gabby calls out and I can't help but smile because I know she's just trying to cheer me up.

I start singing along in my head and I'm happy for the first time today but it's like my brain won't let me be happy as I remember me and mum singing along to this song at some charity night in our local pub. It was the only song I would sing because I knew all the words. I try to hold the tears in as I put in my earphones and block out the song with my own music.

"You ok?" Liv asks/mouths, since I can't hear her, As I turn to look at her and Gabby.

"Just trying to concentrate." I tell her going back to my work.

We're nearing the end of the lesson and I managed to get over the almost crying in a lesson thing when mum's favourite song plays in my headphones and the tears start rolling down my face. I get up from my chair and bolt out of the classroom.

It's only when I get to the bus stop that I realise I haven't brought my bag with me, Luckily I keep my bus money in my trouser pocket. I get the bus back to the village and make my way home. I open the door and go into the living room where Carly is sitting.

"Ava Have you been crying?" Carly asks me.

"Yeah but I'm fine." I reply.

"Where's your bag?" She then questions.

"I don't know." I say out of embarrassment and head up to my room closing the door behind me.

I try and listen to my music but it keeps getting interrupted as texts ping through on my phone.

It's about an hour later when there's a knock at the front door, a few minutes later and there's a knock at my door before Carly comes inside.

"Liv and Gabby are downstairs if you want to go and see them." Carly tells me from the doorway.

"I think I'm going to go to bed." I reply not really up for going out.

"I know today's been hard for you but I think you should go out and have some fun. You know your mum would want you to be happy." Carly tells me.

"Fine but I need to get changed." I tell her and she leaves the room. I change my clothes put some deodorant on and grab my phone. I make my way downstairs to see the girls waiting still in their uniform.

"Let me just grab some water." I say going over to the kitchen as the girls stand chatting by the door. I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge and notice the wine bottle sitting next to it. I take it out placing it in my bag and drink the water as I follow the girls out.

"We thought we could go to the cricket pavilion." Gabby tells me and I smile at her. The Cricket pavillion had become our place to hang out, hardly anyone ever went there and the only house around was Marlon's but he never disturbed us.

"Thanks for bringing my bag back" I say having noticed my bag by the door before we left.