Chapter One Hundred and Three

Today would be Leanna's first day back at school for months. She has been given work to do at home but they told her to come in now. Though she wasn't happy about it as she still had to wear her school uniform unlike her friends Noah and Gabby (who were quite happily attending college in their normal attire). Liam and Henrietta knew the girl was not best pleased with this as this was suppose to be the year she could finally put her uniform away forever. So when she came down the stairs in it, they both gave her a small smirk. Making her shake her head.

"Don't even mention it" Leanna hissed as she slung her schoolbag around her back.

"I hated my school uniform as well, Leanna. Me and my sister use to wear bright socks as a protest" Henrietta spoke up.

"It's gonna be so embarrassing though because all my friends get to wear their normal clothes. I'm going to look so dumb"

"Well it's only going to be for a few months. Just think about that and besides, you still get to see your friends at break, don't you?"

"If they still want to talk to me...It's fine anyway, Noah's going to walk with me to school. His niece is going to be in my class and she's pretty cool for somebody in Year 11" Leanna insisted.

Making her father give another smirk. A year seems like such a big difference to teenagers, doesn't it?

"I still can't get over that...Sarah and Noah look more like brother and sister, you wouldn't think they were uncle and niece" Liam remarked.

"Are they really?" Henrietta questioned; not understanding the Dingle family tree. Even though she had a fling with one.

"Oh yes" Liam confirmed.

Leanna rolled her eyes at their little chitchat. She just snatched a bit of toast from her father's plate and made her way out before he could even say 'Hey!'. She walked down the street and made her way to the bus stop. She was going to meet Noah in the town centre of Hotten. She walked towards said bus stop and a couple of teenagers were there already however they were going to some local high school in Leeds. They just looked at her and noticed her uniform was 'Hotten Academy'. One of these teenagers was the boy next door as he gave her a small nod. She didn't even give so much of a nod back, she just wanted the bus to come so she could see her friends. He said something quietly to one of the other boys and he laughed back at whatever he said.

"Hey...She might be one of the foster kids, don't say stuff like that" one of the girls spoke up. They knew Henrietta fostered trouble children and teenagers sometimes.

The boy next door was called Peter Cull. He lived there with his mother (his father, the same guy who knocked down Henrietta last year) left his mother when he found out she was pregnant. Peter still sees him now and then however they don't have a close bond at all. Anyway, he's been living next door to Henrietta all his life (his mother lived there even longer) and he knew about her daughter and that she would foster abused children. His friends knew too because he would talk about it sometimes, he even use to play with the foster children himself when he was younger.

"She not...She's Maya's old step-daughter" Peter told this girl firmly. He knew that too.

"Thank you very much" Leanna spoke up with very dry sarcasm. She hated it being the one thing people know about her.

She no longer felt like her own person, she just felt like being 'Maya's old step-daughter' is the first and sometimes the only thing people know about her. Peter giving a shrug for he didn't quite understand that. Though yes, he supposed nobody wants to be exposed as that. He just said "Sorry" to her in response. Making her shake her head, whatever she thought. The bus finally came into the view as the teenagers got out their masks and and got on one by one.

"I'm really sorry" Peter repeated to Leanna as he was sat two rows behind her.

"Leave me alone" Leanna simply relied.

Making him give a sigh before going back to talking to his mates. Leanna looking out the window and thinking about the mocking which is to come her way. She's being held back a year and has the unfortunate baggage that comes with once being the step-daughter of that. She was just grateful it would only be a few months and hey, she knew at the very least that Sarah Sugden would be on her side. Though the other teenagers, they might not be so understanding to her whole situation.

...

David was on his way to Priya's for he promised he would come for lunch. He knocked on the door and Priya answered it as expected. She just gave him a smile as she told him to come in and not to mind the company. Meena was the said company as Priya just excused herself as she had some food to finish preparing. Meena gave a small smile as she invited him to sit besides her. He did this however he did so with caution, he sort of worked out that she fancied him.

"It's good to see you without your dad" Meena told him. That's what she thought was the problem in the shop two days ago.

"Yeah I'm sorry about that but erm...It had nothing to do with him"

"So it was just me then?"

"No. I just hasn't had a woman flirt with me for a long time...Not like that anyway. Look, it doesn't matter"

The truth was that he didn't know if he wanted to move on yet. Meena seemed friendly enough but so did Maya at the start, he didn't trust women anymore. Only the ones that he knew well did he trust. Meena didn't know the half of it, she didn't know anything about David's past. He was Amba's father and that was all she knew, he was a handsome man she thought and he was very nice. That's all she could think and she didn't really bother asking about his past or anything.

"You still hung up on your ex?" Meena asked; thinking that's why he was being cold.

"No, it's not that...I just had a really bad relationship and it pretty much ruined everything" David told her.

"It couldn't have been that bad"

He just gave a sad laugh, if only it wasn't that bad. Meena could at least see now that he was hurting. He wasn't being funny with her on purpose, he just had a really bad past relationship. Though despite this, she still liked him and was willing to wait a bit longer. She didn't exactly have her eye on any other man. Billy might have been a bit of fun until it was obvious he wasn't over his ex and she thought that might have been the problem with David too. Though she could see it went deeper than that with him. He's clearly been hurt really badly in the past.

"I don't want to go into it" David admitted with a sigh.

"Okay I get it, you don't have to tell me anything. Though don't let a bad previous relationship ruin everything. Trust me, it's no way to live. I'm not asking for anything serious, I could just come to your shop and we can have a takeaway with a bottle of wine. If it gets too much, tell me to go...Nothing heavy" Meena suggested, she was keen.

"I don't expect you to play second fiddle to my emotions"

"So are you saying never? You can't punish yourself forever"

"Nothing heavy?"

"Nothing heavy...Just a takeaway with a bottle of wine in your shop. Come on David, I never had to beg for a date before" Meena spoke with a small smile.

He gave one in return for the first time. It was nice he supposed to have a woman actually interested in him and only him. Priya returned a few moments before with three plates of toasties on a tray. She sat on the opposite side of the bar, she didn't think it was bad if Meena was interested in him. It was no skin off her nose, she was happy with Al. Besides, she wanted David to be happy.

"This looks good. This can be our delayed start for tonight" Meena then spoke up.

"Delayed starter?" Priya questioned her.

"Yeah. Were having a takeaway tonight and a bottle of wine in David's shop. Nothing heavy" Meena explained.

Priya just looked at David as if to say 'Are you okay with this?'. He got her message as he confirmed "Yeah, it will be good"

...

Leanna finally came to school for the first time in months. She walked in with Noah however they would soon have to part for they were now in different classes. Noah was in sixth form and she was stuck in Year 11 still. She noticed some students looking at her and sniggering, no doubt plenty of things have been said. Most students were wondering why she suddenly had to leave after Maya's death, all sorts of rumours have been flying. Though she was back now and so she put them straight. Noah would be happy to stick up for her when needs be as well. They parted ways as they went up the stairs, Noah heading to the sixth form block as he told he will see her at lunch. So she was left on her own as she made her way to class, her face already red from embarrassment for she would have to sit with the fifteen year olds. She was sixteen now and wanted to move on as all teenagers her age want to. Though she was stuck here for a few more months. She bit the bullet and finally entered the classroom, she got some oohing from the class.

"Guys, come on" the teacher spoke up; most of the class just smirking in response.

The tables were now one chair per desk. Sarah giving her a small smile as she watched her sit on the remaining empty seat. Samson and Amelia were the only other two she knew in here and that was only because they lived in the same village. So the girl felt pretty alone in here. She wasn't friends with anyone in here, she did speak to Sarah but she wouldn't consider her a friend exactly. Though she was the closest person in here she could say is a friend.

"Hey...You okay?" Sarah asked her from two rows down; the girl in between them telling Sarah to have her seat.

Sarah thanked her as they quickly swapped places, meaning Sarah was now behind Leanna. The slightly older girl turning towards her now.

"Yeah I guess but I just wanna get through it" Leanna admitted.

"We aren't all bad in here. We want to get our exams done such as must as you"

"Except you weren't held back a year"

"Get over yourself, Leanna. Liv had to do her exams a year late and she didn't complain, so you shouldn't either"

Leanna just rolled her eyes as she turned back to the front. Sarah leaning back again as she did the 'cuckoo gesture' as she twirled her finger near her head. Making Samson give a small laugh in response. She didn't quite see what Noah saw in her but she knew he liked her so she was willing to be as nice as she could be.

...

TBC