"Ready?" Richard called around my office at about 7 o'clock that night holding violets hand. I didn't even look up to answer him.
"For what?" I asked typing away on the computer.
"For dinner, we said we'd go out. How about you invite that boy of yours too? Matt." Richard smirked glancing as he sent Violet back to the desk where Lily was.
"I'm sorry, I've still got work to do. I can catch up later-- wait how did you know about--"
"Matt? Oh it was obvious." Richard rolled his eyes. "How about we go ahead? It'll be ages while we wait for a table by the time you meet us at the restaurant we'll just be sitting down."
"You're sure?" I said still staring at my computer screen concentrating.
"Yes, I'll even pick up lover boy on the way there. See you in what 30-45 minutes at the pub down the road?" He asked.
"Yeah I'll see you there. 30..ish minutes." I smiled glancing at him quickly, where he winked at me and then disappeared going to get Violet and quickly leaving the newsroom.
- - - - -
"Shit." I slammed my hand down on the desk angrily, today was not going well.
"Well you sound happy." Lily said walking into my office.
"I thought I was finished but now I realise there is still a piece missing from tomorrow's edition. Whoever it is hasn't bothered to submit a piece and now I have to write it for them." I explained to Lily starting to pull up research on the Internet.
"Hey you have dinner with Violet right?" Lily asked.
"Yeah." I nodded.
"Go, I'll write the piece." She smiled at me gently.
"No, I should-- I'm the editor." I shook my head refusing her quickly.
"Exactly the editor not the writer. I'll do it, you know my work it's fine. You go catch up with your sister who is going home tomorrow and free her from Richards care." Lily smirked.
"Really?" I asked.
"Really. Now go." She said as I stood up and she sat down in my chair behind my desk.
"Lock up before you leave and uh text me if any things wrong. Seriously anything happens ill drop everything and come." I panicked as she pushed me towards the door.
"Alright now go." She pushed me away.
I walked out and started to get through the corridors quickly, when suddenly my psychology teacher caught me and grabbed my arm slightly. "Jenna do you have a minute? It's about your recent paper."
I knew I had a minute for that. I did the assignment in no less than an hour and to be honest I thought it was really good. I was expecting a good grade and when a teacher stops me she usually tells me I've done well.
"Yeah sure." I smiled stepping into her office and sitting down on the other side of her desk.
"So I've got your recent paper here and I'm not all that impressed. I mean it's an average for the class..."
"D/C?" I whispered as she handed me the paper.
"I wouldn't bring it up with anyone else it just seems-- well you're an outstanding student and I can see when someone is being over worked. You're taking 5 courses this year?" She asked me.
"I was told I could. I wanted to." I defended.
"I think you should drop my class. It's not that you're bad at it. You're not. Actually you are the smartest in the class but I can see you don't want to be a psychologist when you're older and frankly you're using other subjects to complete the essays."
"What?" I frowned at her.
"The most recent paper? Sounds like you used your business knowledge to apply to the study and the sample. And you're English is always coming through in your work." She continued.
"I wrote that in kind of a rush." I pointed at the sheet laying on the desk. "I was late for a meeting at the paper--"
"Exactly. There are very few student who take on 5 a level courses let alone run the school paper and have a job." She laughed at me. "You have no free time."
"I can handle my work. I'm sorry my paper wasn't fantastic but I'll get better I promise." I said feeling very sad that I was told I couldn't do it.
"Well I'm not forcing you." She told me. "I'm just merely suggesting you take a look at dropping my subject." She shrugged.
"Alright, well thanks." I said sarcastically as I stood up. "I'll give some real thought." I frowned at her as I left the room gripping the D/C grade paper tightly in my fist.
As if I had to go to dinner now.
- - - - -
"Hey I'm outside." I said picking up the phone as Richard called me. I'd been sat outside freezing half to death for about ten minutes now not wanting to move.
"Come in, we're about to order." He laughed gently.
"I--don't think I'm very hungry." I told him nervously.
"Hold on a sec. I'll come to you." Richard said quickly hanging up the phone. "She's outside. I'm going to go and grab her." Richard said pointing towards the door as he spoke to Matt, Violet and Molly.
"Do you want me to go?" Matt asked.
"Nah it's alright mate, I'll be 2 seconds." Richard tapped his shoulder before leading up and running for the door.
"Jenna?" Richards said as I stood there staring at the restaurant in my dress with no sleeves. I hadn't even thought about getting a jacket.
"I think I'm gunna go home." I mumbled slowly.
"Wait, wait, wait." He held my arms as I turned away. "What's up? You haven't even sat down to dinner and you're leaving already?" He scoffed.
"I'm not really feeling it." I stared into space.
"What's gotten into you? Are you okay?" He asked.
"What?"
"You okay?" He repeated.
"Why?" I scoffed.
"Cause You don't look okay." He responded.
"Jee thanks." I pursed my lips together on the brink of tears trying not to let them slip and just sniffing the feeling away.
"You know what I mean." Richard looked concerned. "I mean you look...worried, distracted." He said holding my arms gently.
"Distracted? Oh yeah ok distracted..that's new." I smiled sniffing some more to stop the tears.
"Jenna. Come on. Anything I can do?" He said trying to make eye contact with me as I stared at the floor in complete fear that if I looked up I'd burst into tears.
"Probably not." I mumbled.
"Jen." He snapped.
"You know before Maisie I would not have given up anything to have a kid. If you told me when I was at my old school that I could be a feature guest on 16 and pregnant..I would not have believed you. School was important to me, work and the future was important to me." I rambled.
"Right I get that." Richard said still with concern in his voice.
"And when I got pregnant I thought that the plans of me being a journalist and going to university was over. I'd given up on a future. Then I got my second chance, my time to shine. I take 5 courses, I run the paper... God I've even got a modelling job that pays well." I rambled on and on.
"What's the problem?" He asked.
"I got a D on a paper." I mumbled finally letting go and crying.
"Ok one bad grade but you're smart Jen, you'll get back up from this." Richard laughed gripping my hand.
"My teacher told me to drop a class. She thinks I don't have any free time and that I don't relax." I cried to him as he held my hand tightly.
"You don't have any free time." Richard argued.
"That's because free time means thinking. And recently all I can think about is Maisie." I cried on his shoulder. "I'm failing when I thought it was all going well." I sobbed.
"Hey come here." He wrapped his arms around me.
"I'm a failure." I repeated over and over about for about 5 minute while he shushed me and stroked my hair.
- - - - -
"Alright. Alright." He placed an arm around my shoulder as I cried into his coat jacket. "Why don't you go home?"'
"No, Violet--" I sniffed.
"You want to come in and eat?" He asked gently.
"Yeah." I said looking up into his eyes as he placed his jacket around my shoulders as I was shivering.
"Let me tell the lies. You sit back and chill out tonight alright? You need me just give me that death stare I know so well." He jokes as we stood up his arm around me as we walked all through to the restaurant and I saw Molly, Matt and Violet playing.
"Thank you." I whispered quickly to Richard before leaving his side and squeezing in next to Matt, kissing his cheek and smiling to Violet, who was excited to see me.