One night, one too many, one boy... one mistake.

Chapter Twenty Three.

We waited at the bus stop with Sara until her bus turned up so that I knew she was safe. Sara's phone rang from inside her bag; she rushed to find it before the call ended.

"Hello?" Sara answered. I stood there patently waiting; I decided to lean against a nearby wall whilst I waited. "Yes, speaking... who is this? Oh right, hello Miss Johnson."

My heart skipped a beat; the butterflies began to flutter around in my stomach again. I looked at Rhys in shock.

“It’s my mum!” I whispered.

"Oh right, hello Miss Johnson?" I thought to myself. Why was my Mum calling Sara? I moved from the wall and stood closer to Sara to listen in to their conversation more. Sara mouthed the words "it's your Mum" to me and I pretended to look shocked.

"Yes I've seen Sapphire today," Sara replied. "Yeah, she's okay,"

I looked at Sara funny and mouthed "what does she want?" to her, Sara shrugged her shoulders at me. I looked at Sara with a worried expression plastered on my face and then went and stood by the wall again, I leant against it and slowly slid down the wall until I was sat on the cold floor. I decided it was probably best if I didn't hear what my Mum and Sara were talking about to avoid anymore upset.

“She’s probably just making sure you’re okay,” Rhys said.

“Why would she? She doesn’t care about me,” I sighed.

“I’m sure she does,”

I shook my head.

“She hates me Rhys,” I replied.

I had a weird feeling in the bottom of my stomach; I had no clue why my Mum all of a sudden wanted to know how I was, a few scenarios began to play themselves in my mind, in the most perfect scenario this phone call would mean that my Mum realised that maybe she was being too harsh on me and that she had finally came to terms that I was keeping this baby no matter what and maybe she wanted me to move back home considering I had no where else to go. I knew that this probably wasn't the way things were going to be and that I was just living in the dream world inside of my head. I rubbed my stomach softly through my clothes with my fingertips, I rubbed in a circular motion as if my baby could actually feel it, although I knew that my baby was still a tiny thing still growing inside of me.

"Things are going to be okay lil one," I whispered softly, rubbing my belly some more. "I promise, eventually things will all blow over,”

I sniffed and wiped my face with my sleeve as a tear began to fall down my left cheek. I glanced up at Sara; she was walking slowly around talking on the phone to my Mum. I sighed.

Rhys crouched down next to me and kissed me softly whilst rubbing my stomach.

“Hey little one, it’s Daddy. Everything is going to be okay don’t you worry. When you come out, we’ll have sorted everything out ready for you,” Rhys said.

I pulled my phone out and scrolled with one hand, the other hand still resting on my stomach because it almost felt as though I was touching my child, as though I was comforting it and bonding with it. I could feel my pulse as my hand rested on my stomach and I knew that soon I would be able to see and hear my unborn child's heart beating, this made my heart race. Rhys’ kind words to our child made me feel slightly more relaxed.

"Okay, I'll pass on the message for you. Thank you, was very pleasant speaking with you too Miss Johnson, bye now." Sara said whilst walking up to me, she was rolling her eyes as she attempted to put her phone back into her pocket once she'd ensured she'd hung up from my Mum.

"What was that all about?" I gulped I was unsure if I really wanted to know the answer to my question. Sara sighed and rolled her eyes once more. "Well?"

"She just wanted to ensure you were alright," Sara replied. I folded my arms. "What?"

"I know there's more than that, you two were on the phone to each other for a long time," I answered. "What's this message you need to 'pass on' to me?"

"She wants you to go over to the house and talk things through..." she responded hesitantly.

 "Why?" I asked. "I thought she hated me? I thought that was why she kicked me out..."

I sighed and looked away.

"You're her daughter, Saph, she can't hate you..." Sara responded trying to reassure me and make me feel better.

"Doesn't feel like it..." I sighed. "Anyway, when does she want me to pop over?" 

"Tomorrow afternoon," Sara replied.

"Is there any particular time?" I asked, Sara shook her head I sighed. "Fine, I'll go...but I'll be having your number on speed dial just in case,"

I also felt completely at ease, like nothing else that decided to pile on top of my current troubles would matter right now.  I felt a slight uneasy sensation in the lower part of my stomach but I dismissed it from my mind. Tomorrow was another day and it was about time I started capturing perfect moments and creating memories that I would cherish until the day I died.

“I hope she doesn’t kill you,” Sara chuckled.

“I know, where would you be without me, eh?” I replied in a cheeky manor.

“It honestly doesn’t bare thinking about if I’m honest,” Sara sighed.

“Well don’t think about it then! Silly,”

I checked my phone and sighed, it was almost time that the bus would be here.

“I’ve messed up my future, haven’t I?” I asked. Sara looked awkwardly around trying to avoid the subject.

“You haven’t messed up as such…” she started and then hesitated.

“Go on…” I urged.

“I mean, lots of women have children at young ages, some are even younger than you… but they still pull through and make something of themselves in the future. It will be harder for you though. Especially since you’ll be due just in time for exam season and when all your coursework is due in… and not to mention the fact that everyone will be submitting University applications around that time and it’ll be hard for you to get into uni without a proper support network. But I believe you’ll pull through, you’ve come this far. You’ve got me and my family as well as Rhys and his family to support you, and possibly even your Mum’s support if tomorrow goes well,” Sara continued. I sighed.

“Could have picked a better time,” I replied.

“Well I don’t think you planned for any of this to happen. I knew one of us was bound to get into this situation, but I expected it more from Amy than you,”

“I know you did,” I sighed and placed my left hand on my belly for comfort. “But I guess life has its surprises doesn’t it? It’s not always the things you predict or the things you want that happen. As my gran used to say that’s the ‘beauty of life, its unpredictable’,”

I sat there awkwardly in silence for a while and Sara looked away into the distance, the sun was beginning to set sinking down into the clouds which illuminated them with a bright orange and red glow across the sky. The bus then came into view; I stood up ready to go as soon as Sara was on the bus.

"I better get going," Sara said breaking the tension. I nodded and opened my arms out for a hug; she walked up to me and wrapped her arms around me briefly. "Take care and let me know how things go, okay?"

I nodded. "Of course I will," I replied. 

"That's good then," Sara smiled. "Catch you later,"

I waved at her as she climbed on the bus.

“Bye,” Rhys and I said in chorus.