The baby Project

Chapter 2

The whole class stared at him in bewilderment with their eyes wide open. I've heard about the project before in books and movies, but I never thought we would be taking part in  it.

"You will be put in partners with the opposite sex and will look after a mechanical baby for 6 months" Mr Richardson continued.

"This will teach you all about teen pregnancy and how to cope with it" He concluded.

There are a few girls in the year who are pregnant already and one girl in particular called Tara, is already having her second child. Not to be mean but I would be surprised if she knew who the father was because she does sleep around a lot.

After everyone recovered from their shocked state, hands started shooting up around the room. I got my notebook and pen out, so I could start writing notes about the project. Mr Richardson, then went around the room answering everyone's questions.

"Do we get to pick who our partners are" asked a quiet voice from the front.

"No, I am going to be picking your partners and seeing who you are most compatible with." Came his brisk reply.

"What are we going to tell our parents." This came from Nick who was looking at me while he asked. We both knew that our parents would be okay with it even if we were going to be working with other people.

"Your parents have already be notified about this project and have started gathering supplies for the baby." Mr Richardson said.

There were a couple more questions concerning the project, but then we moved on to who our partners may be. Mr Richardson started calling out the names of the partners. I prayed that I was with Nick because he is the only person I can really work with.

"Harry and Melissa
Nick and Norah
Zach and Sasha
Steffan and bailey
Caleb and Paige" Mr Richardson listed.

As Mr Richardson read off the last pair of names, I turned to look at Nick with a face full of pure horror. I could feel my eyes start to tear up at the thought of working with Caleb. Nick's hand automatically shot up in the air after the names were called.

"Sir, please can I work with Paige, you know how she gets when she works with others." He added, the last part in a whisper.

"No sorry Nicholas, you will work with Norah and Paige will work with caleb, right Paige." He asked me.

I nodded my head and turned to look at the board, fighting back my tears that I knew were about to spill down my cheeks. All of a sudden I heard hollering and laughing coming from the back of the class.I turned my head slightly to see the boys nudging and playfully pushing caleb. I could hear bits of their conversation such as "nerd","loser", "baby" and "you got her". I knew they were talking about me which made my unshed tears slip down my cheeks. I looked back up at caleb to see him glaring blatantly at the hollering boys beside him. The boys instantly stopped what they were doing as they recognised the authority and strength behind his gaze.

Caleb is well respected in this school, if you crossed him, he would make your life a living hell. I once heard that two years ago a boy ran into him in the middle of the hallway and Caleb and him got into a fight. Apparently, Caleb hit him hard enough to put him in a coma which he has yet to come out of.

I wiped my tears away with the back of my jumper, determined not to let people see me cry. I hung my head in shame and let my hair cover my face and cheeks. I could still hear their laughing and hollering in the back of my mind, like a continuous loop. Mr Richardson was still talking about the project and information about the living arrangements.  I realised then that I should start listening to him and take notes on where I'm going to be living.

"You will live in one of each others houses for the next 6 months which is where you will care for the baby. You will be granted with £50 a week to cover the babies expenses. With this money you need to buy nappies, bottles, formula, clothes etc... You need to treat the baby as if it's your own, this includes giving it a name and treating it properly. You will be supplied with a pram, cot and car seat. Your babies will be given to you this Friday, so you will have 3 days to prepare. Use this time wisely and communicate with you partner. Remember this is a big part of your final grade an...." He didn't get to finish because the bell cut him off.

We all slumped out of our seats and gathered our things together. I met up with Nick by the door and and we started to walk to our next class. That was until a rough hand on my shoulder pulled me backwards and into a supply room. I was turned around and my eyes met with a pair of sparkling  blue ones.

"Wha..what do...do yo..you want.. Want" I asked him.

"She has a voice, lady's and gentleman" his voice boomed sarcastically.

"I need you to take care of this little project of ours. I'm not working with you loser, so i need you to sort it out. I really don't care if you do it all by yourself, just get me an A so I can pass." Caleb demanded.

"Bu..but this... This I..isssss.... a part...partner project" I stuttered.

"I'm not working with you, you don't deserve to work with me. I'm going to come to your house once a week to check on that... that  thing but that is it. The rest you can do by yourself, okay." He said while giving me a hard glare.

I had no choice but to say yes, so I nod my head vigorously showing him I understand.

"Okay, I will be over every Friday and you better be there. Now wait here and don't come out for 10 minutes, I don't want people knowing that I have to associate with the likes of you." He commanded. He ripped the door open and slammed it closed behind him, bathing me in darkness once again. I took deep breaths trying to calm myself down but it wasn't working. I just wanted Nick to hold me and reassure me that everything will be okay.

When I was calm enough and I thought It had been 10 minutes, I opened the door a fraction so I could peep outside. It was still break so the corridors were still quite busy. I took the opportunity to open the door and sneak out. I managed to get out undetected and made my way to my next class. I arrived at art to find a frantic Nick looking around the classroom. He was quickly talking to one group of people  and then moving on to the next. When I got close enough I managed to hear the last few words of his conversation.

"She should be here by now" he said in a rush.

"Hey, Nicky" I said timidly, wary of the people around me.

"Jesus Christ Paige. Where have you been?" He demanded.

"When we were walking, caleb pulled me into the supply room and told me I had to do the project on my own. He also called me a loser an...and ....." I didn't finish because I burst out into tears. Nick grabbed me and pulled me into his chest. He kept kissing the top of my head while cooing at me to stop crying. Through my tears I heard him mutter what sounded like "son of a bitch". He picked me up bridal style and carried me across the classroom and back to his seat. He then placed me on his lap, where I proceeded to snuggle in to his warmth. We stayed in this position until the teacher came in to start the lesson. I then slid into my seat that was right next to Nick and carried on with my drawing. My topic for this unit was fairy tales, but mainly beauty and the beast. I've drawn a castle and a rose so far and I am now working on a sketch of belle.

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The final bell rang to show the day had ended and I couldn't be more happier. I hugged Nick goodbye and raced out of school entrance and up the path to meet my mum. Hopping in to my mums car, which was parked near the path, we drove home in silence. I'm still mad at her for not telling me about the project and keeping it a secret for so long.

"So" she started. "Did you find out about the baby project"

Edited-April 2nd 2017.