Chapter 30

Joey sat on the school field leaning back against a tree. The sun was shining, a soft heat beating down as he pulled strands of grass up aimlessly from the floor.

"alright Mate" Joey looked left to see Tyler next to him. Joey didn't respond, he just sat squinting into the distance. "nice day in it? Love a bit of English sun, nothing like the Spanish sun, now that was hot…."

"no offence …but I ain't really in the mood for talking" Joey sighed fiddling with the pile of destroyed grass at his feet, Tyler holding his hands up in surrender.

" suit yourself…" they sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, Tyler looking around uncomfortably . "what's up? Sun's shining, schools out in a week... not girl trouble is it ?"

Joey scoffed rolling his eyes "you could say that…I got my final exam result"

"what's that got to do with anything ?"

"I passed" Joey mused

He was greeted with a slap on the back "well done Mate… that's great news" Joey shook his head "not great news?"

"it means I leave at the end of the month… it means I have to leave Lau…" he stopped himself from saying her name, it hurt to say her name, to even think of her.

"Lauren?" Tyler questioned, Joey's head shooting up as he searched for answers on Tyler face "I didn't think you two were together anymore?" Joey shrugged and Tyler smiled having got all the evidence he needed now. "I've seen you, you can't even walk past her house without stopping and looking to see if she's in the window or something."

"is it that obvious?"

"it was obvious from the first time we came round yours and she was mentioned… you we like, protective of her"

"I have to be no one else is" Joey sighed running his hands over his face "They definitely ain't " he murmured referring to Max and Tanya.

Tyler's face scrunched up as things seemed to suddenly click, it was like he had a lightbulb moment "she didn't fall down the stairs did she ?"

"is that what they told you?" Tyler nodded "god they really are something"

"Seriously what's gone on?"

" I can't tell you everything but just understand, things round here ain't all they seem"

"she must be pretty special" Joey nodded pulling out his wallet and showing the inside picture to him, it was the same picture Lauren had as her phone screen. "she looks pretty amazing"

"She really is... especially with what she's going through" Joey stood up slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"you can't just say that and go…" Tyler shouted causing Joey to stand still.

"look just do me a favour …Keep an eye on Lauren and number 5, just keep me in the loop"

"Of course... but what's gone one. Have you like knocked her up or something and no one knows?" he laughed but stopped when Joey's face fell "Shit ! No mate I'm sorry I didn't know" but he didn't receive an answer, knowing that if Tyler knew, his Dad had even more ways of finding out and that just wasn't an option.

*JL*JL*JL*

Joey marched home as quick as he could walking into his house and slamming the door shut, much like Lauren had done over at number 5 a few days earlier.

He dropped his bag on the floor and went to the kitchen finding his mum cooking. She turned around hearing his movement "Joe love ?"

Her words were the breaking of him. He moved across the room and broke into his mothers arms. "Alright son... come on".

She held him tightly cradling him to her body. Joey didn't cry, he barely showed any emotion at all, so for him to be crying she knew something had happened. Dry sobs wracked his body as he let everyone out.

*JL*JL*JL*

It was another 5 minutes before he'd stopped enough for Sara to get any sense from him. They sat at the kitchen table, Joey staring at the papers he'd shown his Mum.

"You need to talk to me Joey... you need to tell me what you want to do. All I want is for you to be happy son."

"I'm sorry mum, but I can't do this anymore... I can't go on pretending I don't want anything to do with her. I love her Mum. I really love her"

Sara reached out running her hand through her son's hair and smiling weakly "I'm sorry Joe, why don't you go and see her, talk to her properly ay?"

"And say what? I love you but I can't be with you because my Dad will kill us."

"She's probably hurting twice as much as you are Joey... her hormones will be running all over the shop. How far a ling is she now ?"

"she'll be nearly 6 months...I dont know what to do Mum" he sighed leaning heavily onto he table. "These results show I'm going to uni as soon as Dad see them that's it..."

"so you are still going then?" he nodded "going to university wont wipe Lauren from you head Joe...you know that. If anything it'll make you want her even more."

"that's not possible Mum, I can't want her anymore than I do now... but moving away might just make it that little less painful waking up in the morning".

so Tyler kind of knows and Joey's going to go to university ...can he do it though ? And now Sara knows how hes really feeling ... will she do anything about it ? I could be persuaded for another chapter !Xxx