Handprints ( #2 BOOK IN SERIES )

September (Part Two)

The walk to school is pleasant enough. The sun is shining, making it feel nice and warm and there are only a few clouds in the sky. However, none of this is enough to stop the anxiety that I am feeling. Only on rare occasions have I left the house without Erin and this is one of them. My mind keeps focusing on her, thinking about what she is doing, will she have everything she needs, and will my mum be able to cope? The logical side of my brain knows that she will be perfectly fine; after all, my mum raised me all by herself so she knows what she is doing.

Neither Cory nor I talk much on our way to school. I don't even know what I could say as we spend so much time together that everything has pretty much been said this morning. I guess that is a problem when you live together. He only ever moved in because his parents decided to move back to London as soon as they found out I was keeping the baby.

I still don't believe that it was a coincidence.

It doesn't take long before we get to school. There are not many people about, only those who are coming in for the introductory sixth form session. The younger kids have already started for the school day. I guess that is one perk of being a sixth former. That and no longer having to wear a uniform.

People lounge around outside the assembly hall, waiting to be called in. Cory and I join the large group and I scan my eyes around to see if I can spot any familiar faces. The majority of people here so far are those that have attended the school since they were eleven years old, though there are a few new faces in the crowd. The faces that I see are not the ones that I am looking for. It takes another few minutes before one of those faces becomes visible to me.

"Hey you," I hear from behind me so I turn around to see Laura standing there.

"You sound like you haven't seen me in ages. We spoke on the phone yesterday and saw each other face to face the day before that," I smile at her before pulling her into a hug.

"Yeah but seeing each other in school is different," she shrugs as if that is something I should understand. "Nice to see you too Cory. This must mark a year since you moved up here?"

"I can't say I've thought about it but now that you mention it, I have been here a year," he says back to her.

"Why does it feel like so much longer?" I question before seeing another of my friends walk towards us.

Maddie strides towards us with her long legs on show. Just by looking at her, you wouldn't think that she was dressed for her first day back at school but instead you would think she is still on holiday. The summer dress that she is wearing stops halfway down her thigh, her sunglasses are on top of her head rather that over her eyes and her hair looks like it has just been done in a salon. Her brown waves bounce as she walks.

And I'm pretty sure I'm wearing clothes with baby sick on them.

"Laura, you're here on time?" is the first thing that Maddie says when she sees us and I don't blame her. Laura has a habit of being late to things, especially school.

"My mum practically kicked me out of the house this morning so there was no chance of being late. Anyway, how are you today? You look pretty glammed up to say we're only at school," she then comments.

"The weather is still nice so I thought I better make the most of it. Where's prince charming today?" Maddie asks, still talking to Laura about her boyfriend.

"Yeah, where is Adam? Normally he would be here by now," I ask as well, wondering where my third, and oldest, best friend is.

"He had to drop his sister off at breakfast club in her school because both his parents had to work early today. He should be here soon though." She tells us looking down, while fiddling with the strap on her bag.