May 2008 – Leaving School

Somehow, school just didn’t seem that important any more. It wasn’t the same anyway, now that the rift had developed between her and Tom. Chloe couldn’t even get any enthusiasm for her favourite English teacher. Recently she had found that she couldn’t even work up the energy for concentrating in the lessons, even though the books were as interesting as ever. In fact lately, Chloe had been feeling permanently tired and her appetite seemed to have disappeared.

That morning had been the last day of proper school for her class. They would be going back over the next three weeks for exams, but the lessons were over. All her mates were in great spirits, signing each other’s shirts and brimming over with giggling laughter. But Chloe felt worse than ever and just couldn’t force herself to join in. She was sitting on the small wall that marked the start of the school driveway. Looking as if she had lost a pound and found sixpence.

A few yards away, her best mate had detached herself from the demobbed crowd and was looking across with a puzzled expression. Niamh strolled over and sat herself down on the wall beside her friend.

“You OK?”

“Yeah. It’s just my stomach. Must be picking something up.”

Chloe brushed her hair away from her face. Niamh thought she looked pale.

“Are you coming on?”

“Hope so.”

Niamh looked at her a friend a little more closely.

“You’re not pregnant are you?”

Shit thought Chloe. The feelings that that she had been suppressing bubbled to the surface. Maybe she was.

An hour later, Chloe and Niamh were sat at her house, either side of the neat pine kitchen table. They were staring at a small plastic object aligned perfectly between them. It was basically all white, but with two lines on it. Two blue lines.