Tess~1

The common room was half empty, mostly filled with people pretending to study while actually chatting, scrolling on their phones, or staring at their books like they could absorb the knowledge through sheer willpower. The last few days of school were dragging, and everyone knew it. Just a couple more days and they'd be free for Christmas.

Tess sat at a table with Katie, Freddie, Pandora, and JJ. The so-called study session had been Katie's idea. Tess had half-heartedly agreed, figuring she might as well try to get some media coursework done, but her head was pounding, her stomach was a mess, and focusing felt impossible.

Katie, sitting beside her, had already abandoned any actual work and was instead whispering for the third time that morning.

"Any updates?" she muttered.

Tess stiffened, barely looking up from her notebook. "Not now."

Katie sighed. "It's been weeks, Tess. You can't just—"

Tess turned her head sharply, eyes narrowed. "Not now."

Freddie, across from them, looked up from his book. "What are you two whispering about?."

Katie scoffed, "None of your business"

Katie shot Tess a look that clearly said this conversation isn't over, but for now, she dropped it.

Pandora was hunched over a textbook, her notes an absolute mess of scribbles and doodles. Every now and then, she'd underline something aggressively, only to immediately look confused about why she'd done it.

JJ, meanwhile, was muttering about something entirely different. "...Factual evidence, such as precise atomic clock experiments, has confirmed this phenomenon, reinforcing the theory's—uh—accuracy... no, validity. Yeah, that sounds better."

Freddie banged his head on the table. "J you're reading out loud again."

JJ nodded seriously. "Oh my apologies, it helps me focus."

Freddie frowned. "It's not helping me focus."

"You haven't been focused this whole time." Tess mumbled.

JJ groaned. "I'm actually quite stumped here Freds. Do you know anything about how special relativity impacts GPS?"

"What do you think?" He coughed

"Actually," JJ added, ignoring Freddie."They have to adjust for time dilation, or else we'd end up with the wrong location data, so-"

"That's riveting JJ," Tess interrupted, pinching the bridge of her nose. "But If you do that thing where you  turn a two second conversation into a full TED Talk, I'll have to throw myself down the nearest staircase."

JJ blinked. "Bollocks."

Freddie leaned back in his chair. "Tess, you alright? You're like extra aggravated."

Tess rolled her eyes but forced a shrug. "Just tired."

Pandora, oblivious, gasped dramatically. "Maybe you've got that thing—what's it called? Brain fog?"

Katie huffed a laugh, giving Tess a pointed look. "Yeah, brain fog alright."

Tess glared at her.

The bell rang and Tess quickly stuffed her things into her bag, eager to escape the classroom.

"Finally, lunch," Freddie groaned, stretching his arms out behind his head. "I'm fucking starving."

JJ shuddered as he packed away his things. "I just hope they don't have those mince pie specials again." The thought of them made Tess feel a bit queasy.

Since it was nearly Christmas, the canteen had been experimenting with weird holiday-themed meals. The mince pie and turkey mash-up was the worst of the lot, but Pandora seemed to be the only one who enjoyed them. 

"Really?" Pandora said with enthusiasm, her eyes lighting up. "I thought they were delicious!"

Katie grimaced. "Gross."

As they all packed up their things, JJ started to get into the festive mood. "I, for one, can't wait for Christmas."

"Oh yeah?" Freddie grinned, but his tone was playful.

"Me too!" Pandora nodded. "Mum makes a whacker Christmas lunch. Last year, I ate so much I had to take a nap before dessert."

JJ nodded approvingly. "I think my mum's gotten me another model of the Invader. I saw the bag, and I can see straight through her poker face."

Katie raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"A Plane," JJ clarified, as if it were obvious. "Though I hope it's the right model. I already have the '80s B-26... getting another wouldn't be ideal."

Freddie rolled his eyes. "Mate, they're all the same, honestly."

JJ's face went from confusion to a firm shake of his head. "I think you'll find they're not."

Freddie shrugged and then muttered, "I've never liked Christmas."

Pandora shot him a look. "No way. Not one kid hates Christmas."

Katie chuckled lightly. "Yeah, but if anyone had to, it would be Freddie."

"Honestly I don't get it. Karen just goes mad over Christmas," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "She spends the whole month buying stuff like we don't already have enough. It's like the whole house turns into a Christmas shrine. Dad just gets her whatever she wants, obviously."

Freddie sighed and went on. "The whole night, Grandpa just tells stories about 'the good old days,' over and over. It's all the same crap—'Oh, back in my day...'. "he mimicked, "Doesn't help when Cook invites himself over every year and steals all my dads booze."

Tess couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Cook crashing Freddie's family Christmas. But then she realised this probably meant he hadn't spent it with his own for years...

"Mine's the same. Except Mum forces me to go every year in case it's Grandma's last." Tess rolled her eyes. "It never is."

"I thought everyone liked Christmas. It's the best time of the year!" Pandora said, almost sadly "Aunt Elizabeth always throws a cracker of a party, gift swaps and everything. All her friends are loaded so it turns out great for me!"

She noticed Katie growing quiet again. Tess had been expecting it, and once Pandora started going on about her aunt's presents—weirdly thoughtful gifts, Tess couldn't help but think about Katie's situation.

Katie's family had been dealing with serious financial problems lately. They'd lost their house, and now they were living in a caravan for the time being. Katie hadn't let anyone visit, not even Tess.

Tess slowed her pace, falling behind from the rest of the group. Katie seemed to notice, and followed suit.

"You alright?" Tess asked, her voice soft, careful.

Katie glanced at her but didn't immediately respond. Then she shrugged. "Fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Tess could feel the tension in Katie's posture. "Just checking."

"Yeah, well... I'm fine." Katie shut her down quickly.

Katie deflected back to Tess. "So... have you gone to the doctor yet?"

Tess shrugged. "Not yet."

Katie raised an eyebrow. "Babe, you should. Just to see what's going on. I mean, you don't wanna wait too long, right?"

Tess stared at her shoes, feeling the tension grow. "I will. Eventually."

"Seriously... you should." Katie slowed her pace, watching her carefully. "Have you told Cook yet?"

Tess felt a familiar weight press down on her chest, and she shook her head. "No."

"That's expected," Katie sniggered. "But it's been ages, babe. You're gonna have to tell him at some point."

Tess rolled her eyes, unable to stop herself from smiling at Katie's bluntness. "There's no harm in him not knowing... at least at this stage."

Katie gave her a look, then let it go.

They turned a corner, and Tess's thoughts were cut off by the sight of Emily—walking out of the counsellor's office.

Katie immediately stiffened, her whole body rigid as she watched her sister disappear down the corridor. The whole situation between them was still a mess- as always, Tess couldn't keep up with those two.

But Tess barely processed it—because suddenly, she remembered something else.

"Shit. I've got a meeting with the new counsellor today," she blurted.

Katie blinked. "What? Why?"

Tess groaned. "Blood. He's been on my case for weeks."

Katie rolled her eyes. "He's really set on getting this school's grades up, huh?"

"Yep." Tess sighed. "And he'll stop at nothing."

---

The hallways were packed, bodies pressing past each other in every direction. The noise was overwhelming—students laughing, lockers slamming, teachers calling after stragglers. Tess moved through it all like a ghost, barely aware of her surroundings. Her head was pounding, each step sending a dull throb through her skull.

She swallowed against the nausea creeping up her throat. Her vision blurred slightly at the edges, the artificial lights overhead suddenly too bright. Great. Just what she needed.

As she neared the office, she slipped a couple of Panadols from her pocket, dry-swallowing them before pushing forward. If she had to endure a therapy session, she'd need a clear head.

Reaching the door, she knocked twice.

"Come in," a voice called.

Tess pushed the door open—and froze.

Louise.

Her stepmother sat at the desk, neat and composed as ever. She wore a navy-blue blouse, a neat cardigan and a gold watch resting on her wrist. Her blonde hair was pulled back effortlessly, not a strand out of place. She looked like she belonged here. Professional. Collected. But the second she saw Tess, something flickered in her expression. Surprise? Guilt?

Tess immediately stepped back. "Nope."

"Tess, wait," Louise said quickly, standing. "Just—just sit down for a minute, okay?"

Tess hesitated, hand still on the door handle. Every instinct told her to walk away, but after a long, exasperated breath, she finally dropped into the chair opposite Louise.

It was awkward. Painfully so. The ticking of the clock on the wall seemed louder than usual, filling the silence between them. Louise was smiling, but it was the kind of smile people used to avoid actual conversation.

"So," Louise finally said, clasping her hands together, "this might be a bit of a shock."

Tess stared at her. "You think?"

Louise exhaled, almost laughing at herself. "It totally didn't cross my mind that you would even go here when I accepted the job."

Tess narrowed her eyes. "So you're staying?"

Louise hesitated. "If it's—if that's okay with you."

Tess shrugged. "Not really up to me, is it?"

Louise sighed, smoothing her hands over her trousers. "How've you been?"

"Fine."

The last time Tess had seen Louise was months ago—when she'd stormed out of Holly's birthday party. So much had changed since then...

Louise hesitated again, choosing her words carefully. "Your dad's been... he's been missing you."

Tess scoffed. "Doubt it."

Louise's expression softened. "He really has, sweetie."

"Then why hasn't he called?" Tess shot back.

To be fair, she hadn't called him either. But still.

Louise hesitated again. "I know the way he was acting at the party was... wrong. To say the least. But I had a chat with him about it, and I think he really regrets it."

Tess let out a short laugh. "Right." She didn't believe a word of it.

She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "Michelle's been over, though, right?"

Louise nodded. "A couple times. Just to babysit."

"She must just need the extra money." Tess said it coldly, like it didn't matter. But something twisted in her stomach.

Louise pressed her lips together. "Oh."

A beat of silence passed.

"Look, I'm sorry this is how you found out about my job here," Louise said, her voice softer now.

"It's ok." Tess shook her head. "But I'm definitely not doing this with you."

"Oh no! No, no, of course not," Louise said quickly. "That would be a conflict of interest."

"Good," Tess muttered. "So can I leave now?"

Louise hesitated, then gave a small nod. "I suppose so, yes."

"Great. See you!"

Tess pushed herself up too fast.

The room tilted, her vision going blurry, darkening at the edges. The sound of Louise's voice was muffled, like she was speaking from underwater.

"You should come over soon!"

But Tess didn't hear the rest—because she was already falling.

---

Tess stirred, her mind groggy, the world slow to come into focus. The ceiling above her swayed slightly before settling into place. She was lying down. On a couch. In the same office.

Louise sat in the chair across from her, leaning forward, brows drawn together in concern.

"Tess? Are you okay?"

Tess blinked, her throat dry. "What happened?"

"You fainted," Louise said gently.

Tess's forehead creased. "What?"

"You've been out for a couple of minutes." Louise reached for a bottle of water on the desk and handed it to her. "Here, have some."

Tess sat up slightly, her body protesting the movement. "I'm fine now."

But the second she tried to push herself up fully, the dizziness hit her like a punch, and she dropped back down with a frustrated sigh.

Louise frowned. "Please, just stay there for a minute. I'll go get someone."

Tess shook her head. "No, that's really not necessary—"

"I'll just check the nurse's office," Louise insisted, already standing.

"Louise, wait, there's no nurse-"

But the door had already shut behind her.

Tess let out a long breath, staring at the ceiling again. Her stepmother worked here now. She could barely wrap her head around it. She didn't want to constantly be bumping into her.

It felt like another invasion—another piece of her dad's life forcing its way into hers. It was easier when she could keep things separate.

She thought about the fight with her dad at Holly's birthday. About the way his voice had cut through her like a blade.

She felt something sharp in her chest, something she didn't want to name.

And then there was the other thing. The reason she felt like shit. She had a pretty good idea what that was, too.

Tess closed her eyes. She felt warm, too warm, but her body was heavy, and before she knew it, she was drifting.

—

The door opening snapped her awake. She blinked, her body sluggish.

Louise walked in, sighing. "There's no nurse."

Tess smirked faintly, voice still hoarse. "Tried to tell you so you didn't waste your time."

Louise shook her head. "No, it's alright. There were instructions to call a doctor if necessary."

Tess frowned. "Well, it's not."

Louise was already dialing. "I already did. Talked to a nice lady at reception. They should call back soon."

Tess groaned, rubbing her temples. "Louise, I'm fine. I don't even feel sick anymore, so I'm just gonna—"

"Tess." Louise's voice was firm. "You can barely stand. You just fainted, and you've got a fever. That's not nothing."

Tess scowled. "I'm probably just overtired. Stressed." She sat up, slower this time. "And I can stand."

Louise just gave her a look.

Tess sighed, leaning back against the couch, waiting anxiously. She really didn't want to get doctors involved.

After what felt like forever, Louise's phone rang. Tess watched as she picked it up, pacing around her office.

"Yes, thank you, that would be great... Uh, fever, fainting, headache... Yes, it's definitely Tess... Teresa Richardson."

A pause. A long one.

Louise's expression changed. Her lips parted slightly, her fingers tightening around the phone.

Then, slowly, she hung up, her mouth still slightly open.

Tess frowned. "What did they say?"

Louise didn't answer immediately. Instead, she walked over and sat next to her on the couch.

Louise hesitated, her voice quieter now. "I just spoke to a nurse... or an assistant, maybe. Doesn't matter."

Tess's stomach twisted. "And?" She had a bad feeling about this.

Louise exhaled. "They asked if you were the young lady that came in the other day... expecting. Expecting a baby."

Silence. Tess' heart stopped. The clinic surely wasn't allowed to disclose stuff like that, right?

She opened her mouth, but the denial came out too fast, too desperate. "What? That's not— No Im..I'm not- Uh. No."

Louise saw right through her. Of course she did. She was a therapist, after all.

"So it's true?"

Tess's breath caught.

It was too much. Too overwhelming. It took everything in her, but she pushed herself up, forcing her legs to move, running out of the room as fast as she could. She needed to get out. Now. 

---

Tess pushed through the bathroom door, her hands shaking, her vision blurring at the edges. She barely registered Emily standing at the sink, drying her hands.

"I just saw that new counsellor," Emily was saying, crumpling the paper towel. "She's real sweet and—Tess, what's going on?"

Tess froze, her stomach twisting violently. She didn't answer—just turned and stumbled into a stall, barely making it to her knees before she started throwing up.

Emily followed instantly, pushing the door shut behind them, crouching down. She held Tess's hair back without hesitation, the way Tess had done for her so many times before. But this time, it wasn't from too much vodka.

Tess coughed, gasping, her throat burning. Tears streamed down her face, but she wasn't even sure if it was from being sick or from the crushing panic pressing down on her chest.

Louise knew. Louise fucking knew.

And if she knew, that meant her dad was going to know. And then surely her mum would be told.

Her breathing hitched, her whole body trembling.

No. She couldn't handle that, couldn't face them. She couldn't.

Emily rubbed slow circles on her back, her voice calm but concerned. "Tess, talk to me. What happened?"

Tess could barely get the words out. Her thoughts were tangled, spilling out between shallow, panicked breaths.

"She knows, Em," she gasped. "Louise knows."

Emily frowned, confused. "What—Louise? Like, the new counsellor?"

"Yes!" Tess's voice cracked. "My step mum!"

Emily's face shifted, brows furrowing. "Step mum? Wait- What?"

Tess let out a shaky breath, squeezing her eyes shut. "Now my dad's gonna know. And then my mum. And then Michelle." Her voice grew more frantic, the words coming faster, spiralling. "And I'm fucked. I'm so fucking dead."

Emily's hands tightened on her shoulders, trying to ground her. "Tess, breathe. What does Louise know?"

Tess's breath hitched again. And then, before she could stop herself, the words burst out like a dam breaking.

"The baby!"

Emily blinked. "What baby?"

And then it hit her.

The colour drained from her face, realisation settling in. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out at first.

Tess let out a small, broken noise, burying her face in her hands.

Emily exhaled slowly, her own shock giving way to something softer. She didn't push, didn't ask anything else. She just pulled Tess into her arms, holding her tight as Tess sobbed against her shoulder, the weight of everything crashing down.

---

Tess had gone straight home after that.

Besides the fact that she still felt sick, she couldn't risk bumping into Louise again. Emily had promised not to tell anyone, and even though the thought of other people knowing terrified her, she felt lighter now that Emily knew. But that didn't change the reality of it. Louise knew. And she had no idea what she was gonna do with that information.

But she had no idea she was walking straight into something worse.

She had just shut the front door behind her and started up the stairs when she heard heavy footsteps storming toward her room. She barely had time to process before her bedroom door slammed open, hitting the wall with a loud bang.

Michelle stood there, looking absolutely furious, gripping something between her fingers like it was evidence in a crime scene.

Tess didn't even need to look. She knew exactly what it was.

The pregnancy test.

Her heart stopped. She hadn't expected anyone to find it—hadn't even thought about it after tossing it in the bin. She had taken it after the doctors, just to check.

Michelle's voice was sharp and demanding. "What the fuck is this?!" She shook the test at her, her expression a mixture of shock and disbelief.

Tess froze.

"Chelle—"

Michelle cut her off immediately, stepping further into the room. "Tell me it's not yours, Tess."

Tess didn't say anything. She didn't need to. The silence said it all.

Michelle's face changed instantly, her features contorting in frustration and something close to panic. "What the fuck," she muttered, then louder, "What the fuck!"

Tess winced. "Look—"

But Michelle wasn't done. "Jesus Christ, Mum's gonna actually kill you! This is so stupid, Tess. You're actually pregnant?!"

Tess's stomach churned. Everything about this was already overwhelming enough—she couldn't handle Michelle adding to it.

"Oh, fuck off," she snapped.

Michelle let out a disbelieving laugh. "No, no—I actually can't believe you right now," she said, pacing across the room, one hand in her hair. Then she stopped suddenly, her eyes widening like something had just clicked.

"Oh my God."

Tess tensed. "What?"

Michelle's jaw tightened, her voice sharp. "Oh my God. I swear, if this is Cook's—"

Tess let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Who the fuck else would it be?"

Michelle let out another exasperated noise, her hands gripping her hair in frustration. "Fucking hell. You let Cook knock you up?!"

Tess's whole body burned with irritation. "I didn't let him, it wasn't on purpose, for fuck's sake."

Michelle's nostrils flared. "Do you have any idea how much you've fucked up?"

Tess threw her hands up. "Yeah, Michelle, you're making that pretty clear right now!"

"Cook." Michelle paced again, muttering to herself. "Cook. He's in jail. In fucking jail. Not to mention he's a complete arse, fuck up, stupid fucking unbearable tosser, Tess!"

Tess squeezed her eyes shut, exhaling through her nose. "Okay, okay, I get it."

Michelle took a deep breath, like she was trying to stop herself from spiralling. Then she let it out and asked, more controlled this time, "What are you gonna do?"

Tess hesitated, shifting on her feet. "No idea. I've been avoiding that question."

Michelle let out a short, humourless laugh. "You can't run from it forever. You've only got nine months, girl."

Tess groaned, pressing a pillow against her face. "God, don't remind me."

Michelle sat down on the bed, shaking her head. "Who else knows?"

Tess sighed. "Katie, Ems, and now you. Oh—and Louise."

Michelle's head snapped up. "Louise Louise?"

Tess gave her an impatient look. "Obviously."

Michelle blinked at her. "Like—our dad's wife Louise?"

Tess rolled her eyes. "Yes, Chelle!"

Michelle stared at her, like the words weren't making sense. "How the fuck did she find out?"

Tess crossed her arms. "She got a job at Roundview, and I fainted in her office—"

Michelle scoffed, shaking her head. "Dramatic."

Tess shot her a glare before continuing. "And then she called the doctors, and they told her. Which, by the way, is totally not cool. Like, surely that's against the law? I could sue... Should I sue?"

Michelle ignored the question entirely. "This is bad."

Tess let out a tired laugh. "She's gonna tell Dad."

Michelle scoffed. "That evil witch."

Tess sighed, dropping onto the edge of her bed. "Alright, alright. She hasn't done anything yet."

Michelle shot her a look. "Yet." Then she leaned back on her hands, exhaling sharply. "And that's not even the worst part. Just wait till Mum finds out."

Tess swallowed, a deep weight settling in her stomach.

"That's what I'm scared of," she admitted. Her voice was quieter now, the panic creeping back in. She shook her head. "What the fuck am I supposed to do now? Just wait around until one of them confronts me about it?"

Michelle raised an eyebrow. "Or you could tell them first. Get it over with."

Tess let out a short, dry laugh. "No way."

Michelle gave her a knowing look but didn't argue.

"Well," she muttered after a pause. "You probably won't be waiting long anyway."

Silence filled the space between them.

Tess pressed her fingers against her temple, her heartbeat loud in her ears. She already knew Michelle was right. She wouldn't be waiting long before this all blew up in her face.

Her voice was quiet when she finally spoke. "Mum's not home, is she?"

Michelle shook her head. "No."

Tess exhaled slowly. "Paul?"

Michelle rolled her eyes. "No! Relax. Besides, Paul would do anything to get on your good side. He wouldn't tell Mum."

Tess let out a dry, humourless laugh. "I've really fucked it, haven't I?"

Michelle stretched out dramatically. "Yep." She turned her head, looking at Tess with a smirk. "My little sister. Pregnant. Guess you're really the fuck-up now."