╔═══════════════════╗
"𝙁𝙍𝙊𝘿𝙊 𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙍 𝘿𝙊𝙀𝙎𝙉'𝙏
𝙃𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝘼 𝙂𝙊𝙊𝘿 𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙊 𝙄𝙏!"
╚═══════════════════╝
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘, 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐒. For Mollie Wilson, that time seemed to bring along alot of positive things, with her dad's road to recovery going well in hospital, while her friendships and relationship remained a constant source of support for her through it all.
But there was one area of her life that wasn't quite as stable or certain, and it was something that she constantly found herself pushing to the back of her mind: her future.
As the school year progressed, the teachers at Ackley Bridge quickly became more focused on the future of their sixth formers. They organised several assemblies that the students were forced to sit (or sleep) through, as well as handing out an obscene amount of leaflets, and even encouraging them to attend educational events in their spare time.
While Mollie wasn't really interested in any of it, she'd somehow managed to find herself wandering around a university fayre on a Saturday with Nas and Missy, who had somehow convinced her to come along.
"Got your eye on any courses, Mol?" Nas asked out of interest as the three girls walked the grand building which was full of individual stalls that were decked out to try and sell their courses.
Mollie shook her head. "Not really. It's not like I'm going anywhere in life, am I?"
"Don't be daft." Nas shook her head with a click of her tongue. "You're smarter than you think, you know. You could do so much with your life. Surely there must be something you'd love to do?"
"Nothing much." Mollie gave a simple shrug. "Might just stay and work at Stew's. Maybe I could take over when he retires, change the name and call it after myself."
"Good luck finding something that has a ring to it like Stew's News, babe." Missy chuckled, before looking around the hall in confusion. "Nas, I thought you said there was gonna be free food here."
"I mean, yeah there will be somewhere but we need to look around the stalls first-" Nas was quickly cut off by an excited Missy.
"Over there!" She said with a grin, pointing to the refreshments table. "Be right back!"
She dusted off her jacket before walking in that direction, a spring in her step that brought about a chuckle from her two friends.
"I'm gonna go find the toilets. Won't be long." Mollie said to Nas with a small smile, taking her chance while Missy was getting refreshments.
As she began to wander through the grand hall to find the bathroom, her eyes skimmed the different stalls and all of the different courses on offer. Thinking about the future was so overwhelming for Mollie, and if she was completely honest with herself it scared her a bit. She had another year left of school, but it felt like she was already being pushed to decide which path she wanted to take for the rest of her life. It was a huge decision, and it didn't help that seemingly everyone around her had something that they wanted to do, except her.
Cory had English, Nas had biology, Riz and Lewis had sports science, Naveed had comedy- and then there was her, coasting along with no sense of direction.
She sighed and tried to push it out of her mind when she spotted a stall that she couldn't help but drift towards. Noticing her interest, the woman behind the stall offered her a gentle smile. "Hello, are you interested in mental health nursing?"
"Oh, no, I'm just looking for a friend." She shook her head quickly.
"It's an incredibly rewarding job, you know. Making a difference to people's lives, helping them through their recovery. Don't rule it out. Your friend, I mean." The woman gave her a knowing smile.
"What qualifications do you need?" Mollie asked hesitantly, her fingertips edging slowly towards the pile of leaflets. "For my friend, of course."
"Of course." The woman nodded, before picking up one of the leaflets. "Your friend would need 5 GCSEs above a C, as well as three Bs at A Level. It helps if one of them is a science of some form."
"I could never get that." Mollie muttered without realising, eyes widening. "I mean, my friend-"
"Don't underestimate yourself." The woman shook her head, reaching out her hand and passing the leaflet to Mollie. "Here, at least take this so you can find out a little bit more about it. No harm in looking."
"Right, yeah. Thank you." Mollie smiled, accepting it and looking down at the front cover.
If she was honest with herself, it was the first course that she actually felt a pull towards as she'd seen for herself the way in which her dad's life had changed because of the nurses that had supported him from the moment he was admitted into hospital. Part of her wanted to make that kind of difference to people's lives, to help and support people the way her own family had been supported.
But before she could even begin to open it, she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder and when she turned to see who it was, she was met by one of the members of staff.
"Excuse me, Miss?"
"Yeah?" Mollie asked cautiously, sensing their serious tone.
"Your friend. She's, uh, had an accident." That was all that the member of staff needed to say before Mollie's eyes widened and she felt herself fill with worry.
She was quickly pointed towards the exit, and shoved the leaflet in her bag before rushing out as quickly as she could. Unaware of what to expect, her fear worsened when she spotted Missy lying on a stretcher that was being wheeled towards an ambulance by.
"There you are, Mol." Nas breathed out a sigh of relief when she spotted the brunette, and tugged her towards Missy before she could ask any questions. "Missy, can you hear me? You've just banged your head and they're gonna take you to hospital for a scan, okay?"
While Mollie let out a relieved breath that the girl wasn't seriously injured, Missy began to sit upwards slightly with a frown on her face. "I don't want a scan. No, stop the car! Get your hands off me!"
"Missy, it's just a scan, it won't hurt." Nas reassured her, but Missy only shook her head.
"No, its not me I'm worried about." Missy insisted, causing Mollie and Nas to exchange a confused look as they were completely unaware of just what was about to come out of their best friend's mouth.
"I'm pregnant."
✰ ✰ ✰
"𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐃𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐇𝐄'𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐓?" Mollie bit down on her lip nervously as she looked between Nas and Hayley, all three girls waiting in a worried silence while Missy told Aaron about her pregnancy.
Nas shrugged helplessly with a conflicted look on her face, while Hayley played with her fingernails in an attempt to settle her nerves. The three girls returned to an uneasy silence as they listened closely, trying to discern how the conversation was going in the kitchen. But it seemed that all Mollie could hear from there, too, was silence, and she began to wonder what that could mean for Missy.
Though after a moment, a small laugh from Aaron could be heard. "I'm gonna be a dad...I'm gonna be a dad!"
His voice became more upbeat and excited, and it was clear from his tone of voice that he was smiling. Mollie breathed out a sigh of relief on Missy's behalf, while Hayley looked up to her and grabbed her hand excitedly.
"I'm gonna be an auntie!" She spoke quietly at first, before her excitement grew and she let out a squeal. "I'm gonna be an auntie!"
Mollie sent her a smile, before the younger girl shot up and rushed into the kitchen to join the celebrations. Allowing them to have their moment, Mollie and Nas stayed sat on the stairs. Mollie wore a faint smile on her face at the excited sounds that came from the kitchen, while Nas looked at her suddenly with a worried expression.
"She's pregnant, Mol." Nas said quietly, still trying to wrap her head around it.
"I know, its alot to take in." Mollie sighed, running a hand through her dark hair. But she quickly jumped up to her feet, holding a hand out for Nas. "Come on. Best we can do is just be there for her, yeah?"
"Yeah, 'course." Nas nodded weakly, but placed a smile on her face as she pushed her doubts to the back of her mind. She took Mollie's hand, allowing herself to be pulled up onto her feet and dragged into the kitchen.
✰ ✰ ✰
𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐄. Always had done, and probably always would. All it took was one slip of the tongue, or for the wrong person to find out, and it would be common knowledge throughout the school by the time the next lesson rolled around.
Unfortunately for Missy, it was no different for her and the secret that she was hoping to keep quiet for as long as she could. All it took was an unfortunately timed vomit outside the school, and in no time Candace had figured out her pregnancy and was announcing it to the entire quad, students and teachers alike.
It was infuriating for Missy, but perhaps what was even more infuriating was the fact that Miss Carter had been in earshot and wasted no time in organising a meeting to discuss it that very lunchtime.
Sat between her two best friends, while Miss Carter and Miss Keane beamed at her, Missy wore an empty expression.
"Congratulations." Miss Carter grinned.
"Thanks." The blonde replied bluntly.
"I imagine there's not many people saying that." Lorraine added with a nod, however Missy still remained blank.
"When you're ready to sit down and look at your dates, we can work out a plan." Miss Keane smiled softly as she spoke, causing Missy to look back at her in confusion.
"For what?"
"Working around your pregnancy. I'm not just talking about your exams. I'm thinking next year, sixth form, college. This doesn't have to stop you from doing anything." The teacher reassured her.
"Can I go?" Missy rolled her eyes.
"Just to say, now we know you're pregnant, we will have to refer you to the Hospital Education Service. Its just so they can look after you." Miss Carter explained, doing her best to support the girl.
"I don't need looking after." The blonde girl insisted, growing more irritated by the second. She knew that they were only trying to help, but she couldn't help but feel incredibly patronised by it all. She was certain that she could handle it all herself, she didn't need anyone else's help.
Miss Carter shrugged at the girl's resistance. "I don't have a choice, I'm afraid."
"Are we done?"
"Yeah." The headmistress said hesitantly.
"Okay, thanks." Missy smiled sarcastically, letting out a deep sigh as she swung her bag over her shoulder and made for the door.
Getting up from her seat quickly, Mollie flashed the teachers a quick smile before following after her friends. As she began to close the office door behind her, she couldn't help but hear a faint whisper from Miss Keane that made her hert sink.
"Stupid, stupid kid."
✰ ✰ ✰
"𝐈'𝐌 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐍, 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐎 𝐈𝐅 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐘!" Mollie shook her head assertively as she debated intensely with the boy.
"'Course I can. Lord of the Rings is a literary masterpiece." Aaron huffed, before scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "And the only book I've ever read."
"Look, I'm not disagreeing with you on that one. I'm just saying 'Frodo Turner' doesn't have a good ring to it." Mollie explained with a grimace.
"Right, and what would you suggest then?" Aaron asked with a mocking smile, not expecting Mollie to have an answer ready so quickly.
"Aragorn." She smiled smugly. "Sounds way cooler, trust me."
"Well, unfortunately for you, I'm the dad so I think I get a pretty big say in it. And I'm sticking with Frodo." Aaron said dismissively.
"Pretty sure I'll be the baby's favourite auntie, so I think that gives me a right too." Mollie argued back, but this comment only seemed to earn her a surprise attack with a pillow to the face.
"Favorite auntie? Catch yourself on, Wilson." Hayley fired.
"Second place is still good, Hayls." Mollie smirked, which only earned her another whack from Hayley.
"Pack it in, you two!" Kaneez tutted at them as she brought a plate of food over to the coffee table and shot them a look that was more than enough to put the two girls in their place. Looking away, her gaze landed on Nas and Rashid, who were both engrossed in a piece of paper. "Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dumber, what are you up to?"
"Uh, Mr Hyatt has made a list of universities that he thinks I should be looking at and it's...very thorough." Nas said hesitantly.
"I have scored each one on various elements." He smiled proudly, causing Kaneez to grab it from his grasp.
"Let me see." She began reading it, a frown instantly appearing on her face. "Durham? Sussex? Scotland? I tell you what, why don't we look at the University of Timbuktu while we're at it?"
"Kaneez, I understand why you're concerned-" Rashid began.
"You don't know nothing. When it comes to my family, I know whats best for them, huh? I make the decisions. " Kaneez said firmly, before shoving the list back towards Rashid dismissively. "Keep the paper."
"Mum, come on-" Nas groaned as her mother walked away.
"I don't feel great, I might head back." Missy said suddenly, lifting herself out of the armchair.
"Babe, do you want me to come with you?" Aaron offered, but Missy simply shook her head.
"I'm fine."
"No, go with her! Look after her, it's your fault, innit?" Kaneez said, giving Aaron a pointed look from across the room.
"No it's not." Missy was quick to respond, the room falling into an awkward silence. But before anyone could say anything, Missy cleared her throat. "I just need a rest."
"Science homework can be very relaxing." Rashid pointed out enthusiastically.
"You won't be getting no more homework off me, Mr Hyatt. I'm done with school." Missy said with a small shrug before starting towards the door as everyone else simply watched her go in shock. Nas and Mollie exchanged a glance, the same thought running through their head about what the blonde's quick answer meant. They knew they needed to talk to her.
✰ ✰ ✰
bit of a filler, sorry!
but have we got a lil glimpse into mollie's future...hmmmm??
lots of love and thanks for reading! <33