Fingerprints ( #1 BOOK IN THE SERIES )

May

The week follows on like this, having two exams a day and it is such a relief when Friday rolls around. I finish doing one of my science exams in the afternoon (which didn't go that well at all but that was to be expected) and I have plans to go to Maddie's house in the evening to have a girl's night with her and Laura.  I go home first though so I can change out of my school uniform (which hardly fits anymore) and drop my school books off. It feels nice knowing that I won't ever need some of these ever again.

I walk home with Cory who is telling me about how he thinks his last exam didn't go that well at all so I have to try and convince him that it probably went better than what he expects.

"Anyway, how was your day?" he asks me after he has finished talking.

"Could have been better but science was my last exam of the day so what was I to expect? Other than that it hasn't been too bad. Someone won't stop moving and kicking though." I tell him. Ever since the baby kicked on that first night, it hasn't seemed to stop or at least that is how it has felt like for me.

"Can I?" Cory asks, meaning can he place a hand on my bump.

"Of course. I can imagine him being a footballer later in life." I say.

"Him?" Cory raises an eyebrow and asks in a confused tone.

"Sorry, I just feel like it's a boy. That's what I always imagine in my head anyway."

"Really? I keep imaging it to be a girl though that could be because I'm used to dealing with Missy." He tells me.

"Well surely between the two of us, one of us has to be right." I say to him which makes him laugh. His laugh is probably one of my favourite things about him because it is so infectious so I can't help but laugh as well. Before we know it, we're laughing and we're not sure why but we don't care. It is nice to forget everything for a moment and just laugh. "Right, I'm off to Maddie's house now so I'll see you when I get back." I tell Cory after our random laughing fit. 

I arrive at Maddie's before Laura does which isn't a surprise. For as long as I've known Laura she has never arrived early to things, always fashionably late. I think we would all worry if she made it to a planned event early, or even on time.

Maddie and I both know that there is no point waiting until Laura turns up to order food and get ourselves settled because if we did we could be waiting hours. While we are flicking through takeaway menus I notice that Maddie is being unusually quiet.

"Is everything alright?" I ask her feeling concerned. She just nods her head in my direction and I decide to let it go. For all I know it could be the stress from the exams that are making her act like this.

"Any developments in your love life?" I ask her meaning for it to be taken as a joke even though I am generally curious about it.

"Kristen, can I tell you something?" Maddie asks me which makes me feel even more concerned.

"Of course you can but if you tell me you're pregnant I might end up killing you because after what happened to me, I didn't think the rest of you would be so stupid." I tell her, slightly seriously.

"I'm not pregnant. You don't have to worry about that." She stops speaking so I motion for her to keep going. "Remember when I told you I had a crush on someone and then you kept trying to guess who it was by naming all the boys at our school? Well you were never going to get it right that way." Maddie stops speaking again.

"Maddie you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to." I say, hoping it will comfort her.

"No I do. You're the only person I told about the crush and I really need to get what I'm about to say off of my chest. The person I fancy isn't a guy, she's a girl. Please don't say anything to anyone because I' not ready for people to know yet." She says to me. If I am completely honest the news does stun me in a way but only because I wasn't expecting it.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I just feel bad that you couldn't tell me or any of the others sooner. This isn't something you should have had to hide from your best friends. You love who you love and honestly with all the hormones that are raging through my body, you could tell me you're in love with a cactus and I wouldn't bat an eyelid." I say to her, hoping it makes her feel better. I think it works because I see her form a smile on her lips something that I haven't seen all night.

"Thank you. Like I said, don't tell any of the others. I need to do that in my on time."

"That's fine. If you need any support, I'll try and be there though I can't promise anything because in two months I should have had this baby and I think that is going to take up a lot of my time."

"I guess I can understand that." She jokes with me.

"Okay, so what are we going to have to eat? Laura will eat anything so we don't have to worry about her." I ask which makes her smile which I take to be a small thank you.

We settle on ordering Italian food because it is one of our favourites. Pizza and pasta makes everything better. Laura arrives not long after we have ordered the food, which is over an hour after the time we originally agreed to meet.

"Sorry I'm late. My parents were giving me a lecture on how I should be trying harder with my exams and wouldn't let me go for ages." She gives us as her excuse. It could be true because out of the five of us she is the one putting in the least effort but it isn't like she hasn't put any in.

"Is that what we're calling screwing your boyfriend these days. I didn't realise." Maddie teases her which makes me spit out my drink. Laura throws a cushion at Maddie in return but it is all in good fun.

The rest of the night seems to pass by really fast.  We do what we normally do which is watch a couple of films and listen to Laura complain about her parents. It's our own little routine.

"Even though it is only May, they have already gone on three holidays without me and like a thousand business trips. I swear they never wanted me, I must have been some kind of accident." She complains which makes me raise an eyebrow. "Oh crap, I didn't mean that Kristen." She quickly apologises.

"No worries. Maybe next time think before you speak." I say to her.

"Anyway, one good thing has come from my parents doing a job where they travel the world. They are away again the weekend of our last exam so I was thinking about throwing another party in celebration. What do you guys think?" Laura asks us. Ordinarily I would be straight there and helping her organize everything but my life has changed completely since the last party she threw.

"If you want to throw a party then go for it. I just can't guarantee that I'll be there or that I'll want to be there. When we finish the exams it will only be five weeks or so until my due date so I don't think I'll be up for partying." I explain. I leave out the bit where I don't want to be in a house full of people giving me judgemental looks.

"Oh yeah, I'd almost forgotten. I'll think about it then because I'd rather celebrate with you guys rather than house full of people I rarely ever speak to." She says to us.

"We'lldefinitely have to celebrate in some way." I agree with her. The exams havebarely stared and we are already counting down until they end. June can't comeany sooner.