Thank you so much for the ideas waterlooroad9 x
Rachel was rushing to Daisy's primary school to pick her up. She'd had a stressful day at work and had ended up leaving later than she should have.
As she made her way from the car, she passed lots of children with their parents going in the opposite direction. Rachel hoped Daisy wouldn't be the only one left in her classroom by the time she got there.
By the time Rachel got to Daisy's classroom, the teacher was letting the last few pupils go.
Rachel was surprised when she didn't send Daisy out and instead came over.
"Hi Rachel. Would you mind coming inside so we can have a quick chat. Daisy's just with the TA"
"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked as they walked into the classroom wondering if Daisy had got into a bit of trouble
"Daisy hasn't really been herself today. She's not been concentrating or focusing on her work and she's been really tearful too. I've tried speaking to her a few times but she won't tell me what's wrong"
"Did you tell her off for not doing her work properly? She's so sensitive so that probably would have been enough to make her tearful all day"
"No not at all. It's not like Daisy so I just wanted to check how she's been at home"
"She's been absolutely fine. She seemed happy before school today"
"Yeah she was happy this morning but then after break she didn't seem right at all"
"Right. Well thanks for letting me know. I'll have a chat with her when we get home to find out what's wrong"
"Will you let me know how she is on Monday?"
"Yeah course I will"
Daisy's teacher went to get her before saying goodbye to them both.
"Have a good weekend Daisy, see you on Monday"
Rachel took hold of Daisy's hand as they walked back to the car. Daisy definitely wasn't her usual self so Rachel was wondering what had happened at school to upset her.
"Is everything okay love?" Rachel asked and Daisy nodded
"Miss Davies told me you've been a bit upset at school today"
"No I haven't" Daisy said defensively
"She must have got a bit confused then. If something did happen at school, you know you can tell me about it though don't you"
"I know"
Rachel decided not to say anything more about it for now as she didn't want to push Daisy. She'd worked with children for long enough to know it was best not to force them into saying what was wrong and was better to let them come to you when they were ready.
They got back to the car and then Rachel started to drive home. She was eager to get home as Lexie'd had her final GCSE exam today so she wanted to see her.
When they were about halfway home Rachel glanced in the mirror at Daisy and saw tears in her eyes. She didn't mention it though as she could tell Daisy wouldn't want a fuss made.
After parking on the drive, Rachel got all of the bags out of the boot before walking inside with Daisy.
"Hiya Lexie, we're home" Rachel called
As soon as she heard Rachel's voice, Lexie went downstairs. She was feeling a bit flat which wasn't how she was expecting to feel after her last GCSE exam. She thought she'd feel a massive sense of relief but that wasn't how she was feeling at all.
"How did your last exam go?"
"Not very well. The questions were so much harder than the ones in the past papers"
"You worked so hard for it though Lex so I'm sure your hard work has paid off"
"I don't think it has to be honest"
"You know I've told you this before. When you come out of an exam you only ever remember the bits you couldn't do and completely forget about all the bits you could answer. You must be feeling relieved to be done though"
"Yeah I guess so" Lexie replied but then she burst into tears all of a sudden
"Oh love, come here" Rachel said before wrapping her arms around Lexie
"I know you wanted this exam to go well and I'm sure it has gone better than you think. There's no point thinking about it now. You've done what you could so now you just need to forget about it and concentrate on having a good summer"
"I know. I don't know why I'm crying. I just thought I'd be feeling a lot more relieved than I am now but I just feel a bit... I don't even know how to describe it" Lexie cried
"You're probably just feeling a bit overwhelmed. You've been working so hard so you're absolutely shattered too"
"I guess. I don't even feel like going to the party tonight anymore"
"I'm sure you'll have a great time once you get there. You've got so much to celebrate with all your friends, you all deserve to have some fun tonight"
"I'll see how I feel later"
"Do you know what I think you should do?"
"What?"
"I think you should go and lie down for a bit, try and have a nap. And then I'll come and wake you up in an hour or so, you can get ready for your party, we'll have a BBQ and then you can go and have an amazing night with your friends"
"I do feel like I could fall asleep right now"
"Exactly. I'm sure you'll feel better for a rest and more in the mood"
"Okay I'll go and have a nap" Lexie said smiling before turning around to go upstairs
"Lexie" Rachel said causing Lexie to turn back around
"I'm so proud of you. You have worked so hard and you should be proud of yourself too" Rachel said before giving Lexie a kiss
"Thanks Rach" Lexie said before going upstairs
Rachel then went to see Daisy who had gone straight upstairs after they'd walked through the front door.
Daisy was lying down on her bed and she looked really sad. Rachel always hated seeing kids upset so went over hoping she'd be able to make Daisy to feel better.
Rachel sat down on the bed and scooped Daisy onto her lap.
"Are you going to tell me what the matter is?" Rachel asked gently
"There's nothing the matter"
"I'm not so sure that's the case Daisy. You don't have to tell me what the matter is but are you feeling a bit upset?"
Daisy nodded before leaning against Rachel's chest as tears formed in her eyes again.
"Are you going to tell me what's making you upset?" Rachel asked but Daisy didn't say anything
"No? Don't want to tell me?"
Daisy simply shook her head as she didn't want to talk about it
"That's okay. How about we just have a cuddle for a bit. Would you like that?"
"Yes please"
Daisy cuddled into Rachel for a while and enjoyed having her back rubbed.
After a while though Daisy stood up.
"I'm going to change out of my school uniform, I'm too hot"
Daisy got a skirt out of her wardrobe and then chose a top too. Rachel stayed with her whilst she got changed.
"What are you going to do now?"
"Can I watch a film?"
"Of course you can. Just come and find me if you want to talk about whatever it is upsetting you. I want to help you sweetheart, but I'm not going to force you to tell me what's wrong"
"Okay" Daisy said before walking out of her bedroom leaving Rachel feeling concerned. She really wished that Daisy would tell her what was wrong rather than keeping her feelings bottled up
Rachel went and got changed out of her work clothes before going downstairs to prepare some food for the BBQ tonight.
She was busy doing that when Olivia came in. She'd been into town with some of her friends after school.
"Hi Liv" Rachel said smiling
"Daisy's crying loads but she won't tell me what's wrong" Olivia said feeling worried about her sister
"Okay I'll go and have a word with her"
Rachel went into the lounge where Daisy was sat crying.
"Please tell me what's making you so upset Daisy" Rachel said as she sat down on the sofa "I'm sure it won't seem half as bad if you tell me what it is"
"I don't want to talk about it"
"Why not though?"
"Because I'm trying to forget so I can feel happy again. But I won't be able to forget if you make me talk about it"
"I'd say the best way to feel happy again is to talk about it. Honestly darling it's much better to do that than keep it to yourself"
"It's all Chloe's fault"
"Who's Chloe?" Rachel asked
"She's a new girl in my class. She started on Monday"
"Has she been mean to you?"
"No"
"So what's her fault?"
"She was asking me loads of questions about Mummy and Daddy and now I can't stop thinking about them" Daisy admitted
"What sort of things was she asking you?"
"Well someone told her that I live with you now because of what happened to Mummy and Daddy so she was asking me about what it was like living with you. I told her that I really like living with you but then she said that she'd hate to not have a Mum or Dad and that it must be horrible"
"I'm sure she didn't mean to upset you love but I can see why it's made you feel sad"
"I wanted to stop talking about it but she kept asking me loads of things"
"Well next time someone says something that makes you feel a bit upset or uncomfortable, tell them you don't want to talk about it"
"I didn't want to be rude though. Miss Davies said we have to be nice to her because she's new so she's probably a bit nervous"
"It's not being rude sweetheart. Nobody should have to feel upset because they're having to talk about something they don't want to. I'll have a word with Miss Davies on Monday so she can tell Chloe not to ask so many questions in future"
"I really like Chloe though, I don't want her to get into trouble"
"She won't get into trouble, I promise"
"Rachel is it weird that I like living with you? Should I miss Mummy and Daddy more than I do?"
"Of course it's not weird. I'm really glad that you like living with me. I'd hate to think you're unhappy here and I know Mummy and Daddy would too"
"So you don't think they're cross with me for not missing them enough?"
"They most definitely aren't cross with you, no. Just because you don't think about them all the time, doesn't mean you don't miss them because I know you still miss them lots and lots. But I know that what Mummy and Daddy would want more than anything else, is for you and Olivia to be happy"
"I feel sad now though"
"You do now but everyone feels sad sometimes. You're going to miss them for the rest of your life and get upset sometimes but what they'd hope is that you feel happy most of the time"
"I think I feel happy most of the time"
"You seem happy to me most of the time. Just remember you don't always have to be okay and I'm here for you whenever you aren't. Well I'm here for you when you are okay too"
"I love you Rachel" Daisy said as she cuddled Rachel tighter
"I love you too sweetheart, so so much"
"Rachel please can I look through some photo albums?" Daisy asked
"That's a good idea. Do you want to look through them in the kitchen whilst I get stuff ready for the BBQ"
"I forgot we're having a BBQ. I love BBQs"
Rachel found a couple of photo albums for Daisy to look through. One of Vicky's of when Olivia and Daisy were little and one that Rachel had put together from a holiday she'd been on with Angela and Vicky at the end of uni.
The two of them went through to the kitchen. Daisy sat at the breakfast bar to look through the photo albums and Rachel went back to preparing the salad.
After a few minutes there was a knock at the door.
Rachel went to let Eddie in as he was coming over for the BBQ.
They hadn't seen each other for a few days now so Rachel had been really looking forward to his company tonight. She really did miss seeing him everyday at Waterloo Road.
Eddie joined Daisy and Rachel in the kitchen so Rachel poured them a gin and tonic each.
"How did Lexie's last exam go?" Eddie asked
"Not as well as she was hoping"
"Well at least she's done. I bet she's so happy to have finished them"
"She's actually a bit overwhelmed and emotional. She's having a nap so I'm hoping she'll feel a bit better once she wakes up"
"It's a big day. She's starting one of the best times of her life"
"She sure is"
They were soon joined by Olivia who was glad to see that Daisy was looking a lot happier.
"I just went to see Lexie but she's asleep" Olivia said
"Yeah she's absolutely shattered. She's just having a nap but I'm going to wake her up soon"
Rachel could hear Daisy giggling and was glad she was feeling happier.
"What are you giggling at missy?" Rachel asked her
"You're kissing a boy in this photo"
Rachel had forgotten about that photo and was beginning to wonder what else Daisy could end up finding in the photo album, knowing at times that holiday had been quite wild.
After that, Rachel kept a close eye on the photos Daisy was looking at and was relieved when she decided to move onto another one.
Rachel decided to go upstairs to wake Lexie up.
Lexie was fast asleep when Rachel went into her bedroom so she did feel a bit bad waking her. She knew she'd want to get ready properly though and would be rushing if she didn't wake up soon.
Rachel gently woke Lexie up.
Lexie sleepily sat up in bed.
"I wasn't expecting to actually fall asleep"
"Do you feel better for it?"
"Not sure yet. Hopefully once I start moving"
"I would have left you to sleep longer but I thought you'd want to start getting ready or do you still not feel like going?"
"I do want to go, I know I'll regret it if I don't go. Rachel please will you curl my hair for me tonight?"
"Yeah sure. Just shout when you're ready for me"
Rachel was about to go downstairs but suddenly remembered something.
"Can you come downstairs with me quickly before you start getting ready?"
"Why?"
"You'll see"
Lexie put on a pair of pyjama bottoms as she'd gone to sleep just in her top and knickers before going down with Rachel.
As soon as she walked in, Lexie noticed the present and card with her name on.
Rachel picked it up and gave it to her.
"We got you a little something to say well done for all the hard work you've put in for your exams. I'm so proud of how hard you've worked" Rachel said
"Thank you, you didn't have to get me anything though. We don't know what my results are going to be like yet either"
"I don't care what your results are. This is a present for trying your best"
Lexie opened the card first and then the present. She smiled when she saw it was an eyeshadow palette that she'd been wanting for a while now and a new lipstick.
"Thank you so much. I'm glad you gave it to me before I did my makeup, I can't wait to use it"
Lexie gave them all a hug to say thank you before going upstairs to get ready.
She put on her concealer and foundation before having a proper look through her new eye shadow palette to decide which colours to use. After deciding Lexie spent a while on her eye makeup and ended up doing a really good job.
Once she'd finished her makeup Lexie got changed before shouting to Rachel that she was ready to have her hair done.
Whilst she was waiting for Rachel Lexie looked in the mirror at what she was wearing and felt unhappy with her outfit.
When Rachel came in Lexie was looking through her wardrobe trying to find a different top to wear with the high waisted black denim skirt she had on.
Rachel had a look at Lexie's eye makeup.
"Wow Lex, your eyes look amazing"
"The palette is so good. The colours are all so nice, it took me ages to decide which ones to use first"
"Your eyes look stunning"
"Rach I don't know what to wear"
"What's wrong with what you've got on?"
"I don't think it looks right. I'm trying to choose a different top"
"How about that crop top you bought a few weeks ago? The black and white spotty one"
"Don't you think it's a bit casual?"
"No I think it will look lovely especially with your hair and makeup done nicely"
"I'll try it on"
Rachel plugged the straighteners in whilst Lexie quickly changed her top.
Lexie decided she would wear it so sat down ready for Rachel to curl her hair.
It felt really nice to be able to just get ready and not be worrying about revision, which seemed to have taken over her life recently. She was definitely feeling much more relieved about finishing than she did earlier and was starting to get really excited about the party.
Rachel and Lexie had a nice chat whilst Lexie had her hair curled. Once it was done the two of them went downstairs.
"Right Eddie are you in charge of the BBQ?" Rachel asked handing him a plate with all the raw meat on
"Do I have choice?" Eddie asked laughing
"Not really"
Lexie enjoyed having a BBQ with them all but now she just wanted to get to the party.
"Are you ready to go now?" Rachel asked
"Yes please if that's okay"
"Course it is. Come on, I'll drop you over now"
Lexie quickly went upstairs to put on some lipstick and pick up her stuff before going to the hallway where Rachel was waiting for her.
"Did you buy the bottle of Malibu for me?" Lexie asked
"Yes, it's in the boot still. Make sure you drink sensibly tonight please"
"I will"
"I think tonight is going to be a massive celebration for everyone so I'd imagine lots of people are going to end up getting a bit carried away. Just remember to drink slowly so that the alcohol doesn't suddenly hit you and make you too drunk"
"I'll be sensible"
"I'm not saying to not let your hair down though, you deserve to have so much fun tonight"
"I'm really excited now"
"Come on then, let's get going"
Rachel dropped Lexie to the party.
After saying goodbye to Rachel Lexie went inside and took her stuff up to Amy's room before going outside where she spotted Matt.
Lexie had been dating Matt for about a month now. She'd made up with her friends and Abbey had said she was happy if she wanted to start a relationship with Matt in the end.
Matt was drinking a beer so Lexie poured herself a Malibu and lemonade.
After a while the house had filled up considerably and Lexie was feeling really happy.
It was such a nice feeling to be chatting with all of her friends and drinking knowing that they'd all finished their exams.
Lexie was beginning to feel quite tipsy. She always did love the feeling but knew she needed to slow down on the drinking a bit so that she could enjoy the whole evening. Unlike some of her friends, Lexie was quite good at knowing her limits.
Jess suddenly appeared next to Lexie and Lexie realised that she hadn't seen Jess for ages.
"Where've you been?" Lexie asked
"Just inside. You don't have a drink"
"I know I'll get another one in a minute"
Jess was definitely not taking things slowly and was getting a bit carried away.
After a little while Jess and Lexie decided to go up to the toilet.
"Did you see some year 13s have turned up?" Jess asked
"Yeah I did"
"I was talking to Ryan James for ages. I think he was flirting with me"
"Really?"
"Yeah and he's so hot" Jess said clearly impressed by the fact she'd had the attention of a year 13 boy
"I know he's hot but he's been with so many girls"
"Maybe I'll be one of them soon too" Jess said giggling
Once Lexie and Jess had both been to the loo they went back downstairs and Lexie had a few more drinks.
She was stood with her five best friends and they were all fairly drunk and starting to get emotional.
"I love you all so much" Lexie said as she started to cry "I don't know what I'd do without you"
Lexie felt so grateful to have such a close group of friends. They all often got a bit soppy when they'd been drinking.
The evening was going really quickly and Lexie wished that it would slow down because she was having so much fun.
"I think we should do a shot" Amy said
"I'll go get Jess, we should all do one together" Lexie said as Jess wasn't with them
Lexie went to try and find Jess. She'd seen her getting off with Ryan earlier though so guessed she might be with him.
After looking everywhere downstairs and outside Lexie decided to try upstairs.
She wasn't in the bathroom or Amy's bedroom so Lexie was beginning to wonder where she was.
Lexie then opened the door to the spare bedroom and was in utter shock at what she saw.
Going to continue this in the next chapter xx