Chapter 10: BBQ.

The smell of burgers made my stomach rumble. I looked over for what felt like the hundreth time to the BBQ. I had been here since 12 ready for a big plate of meat, meat and more meat. It was now 4 and they were only just putting the burgers and sausages on.

"You should have warned me." I hissed at Haley, who was sitting next to me happily bouncing a baby on her knee. Her eyes darted in the direction of Abel who had been flirting with one of the girls from Caracara since I got there.

"I didn't know he'd-"

"Not that." I interupted. It stung like hell but I'm not a hypocrite. I could hardly play the wounded victim when the very night before I had slept with Darryl. "I would have got something to eat for lunch if I knew we weren't eating till midnight."

"Hardly." She cooed at the baby. "I got told 12 but you know what these guys are like. They have they're own clock."

"Well lets hope they start soon or I'll be taking a bite out of him." I nodded towards the baby.

I had literelly taken the last bit of my third burger when I saw Haleys face sour.

"What's up?"

"I think" She didn't need to finish her sentence, the smell hit me and I flinched back. "Yeah."

"Here I'll take him." Haley put up no protest as I swung him into my arms. I headed over to a circle of lawn chairs where his mom sat. she seemed to know instantly.

"Crap." She put her plate down and sighed heavily. I felt a pang of guilt. One look told you she was a stressed out mom. The bags under her eyes, her split frizzy hair not to mention the look of pure exahaustion.

"I've got it just point me to the nappy bag."

"You sure." It wasn't really a question just a nicety she made as she settled back into her seat.

"Sure."

"The nappies are just in the the bag by the bathroom door."

Before I new it I was cuddling up to a nice clean baby. I hadn't changed a diaper in years and it had suprised me how automatic it was for me. As I looked into the baby's big brown eyes I couldn't help wonder if I'd ever have one. I know I'm young but as each year slipped by the less it seemed likely I'd meet the love of my life and have the big hectic family I'd always craved. As soon as the thought popped into my head I pushed it to the back of my mind. I picked the baby up and headed back outside. I came round the corner and stopped in my tracks. It was mom... and Abel... Abel and mom. Uh-oh. As they both sat with there backs to me I froze.

"Thing you got to understand hun." She touched his arm, why was she touching his arm. "is that I'm a crap mom. I know it, the girls know it, you probably knew it." Abel shrugged. "Don't get me wrong I love my girls but when I got pregnant I thought I was so grown up. Mark, K's dad was so... so intense I thought it'd be us two for life. Course I was an idiot. Mark split before I even popped and well, I was still a kid. My point is I wasn't ready to be a mom let alone a single mom, so I wasn't. I dumped K on anyone who'd have her. Things got worse when I had Haley she ended up doing most of the things I should have done. Getting up for midnight feedings, doing diapers. Even when Haley went to school I relied on K to get her up and ready, make her lunch. Hell even now she acts like my mother. What I'm saying is that she's been the strong one all her life, both me and Haley depend on her so much. She's never been able to really, and I mean really deepened on anyone." I quickly wiped away the tear that had slid down my cheek.

"So she's gun shy?" Abel asked. Mom laughed and shook her head.

"Not exactly, she just needs a man who SHE can lean on. And I hate to say it kid but standing her up and flirting with any tramp that bats her eyelashes at you isn't exactly inspiring confidence. Get what I'm saying?"

"I'm not a white picket fence kind of guy."

"That's a shame coz I can promise you K's worth it." I had heard enough, I snuck back down the hall then came back down making as much noise as possible.

I desperatly wanted to go home to digest what I had heard but as I was about to make my excuses I noticed mom. She had been knocking drinks back like there was no tomorow and the effects were becoming visible. She cackled loudly at one of the old ladies jokes and I saw her wobble. I was going to ask Haley to keep an eye on her but she seemed to busy with some boy. Staying turned out to one of the best things I did. Exactly forty-six minutes after I had walked in on mom and Abel Darryl crashed the party along with twelve of his police friends. With a warrent in his hand he systimatcally searched through the house and then moved on to peoples bags. At the corner of my eye I saw Haley stiffen when they reached her bag.

"Whose is this?" his eyes scanned the crowd. My gut screamed for me to say something.

"Mine." Darryl looked at me skeptically but I just shrugged.

"Well." My mouth fell open when I saw the packet of pills he pulled out. "You sure it's yours? Coz it seems to have you sisters id." I shot a very pissed of look at Haley who seemed to shrink back.

"She didn't bring one so she put her stuff in mine." I had to spit the words out.

"I'm afraid your going to have to come down to the station."

"Yeah." Whatever those pills were I was screwed and Haley was most definatly dead.