Ellie - It did didn't it
? Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.Adrienneleigh - Thanks for reading.
Flamehair - I'm glad you enjoyed 'the talk' after it being put off for so long I was a bit worried about an anticlimax.
Emz80m - Well it's a small step, but it's a step right?
Natalie36 - Thanks, hope you continue to enjoy the last few chapters
thetvgeneral - I'm only glad you enjoyed it.
roswell3053 - I think Emily is probably getting to know Max to an extent, but give it time and more will come I'm sure.
DreamWeaver - Isabel and Kyle - well....what do you think? lol As for Max and Liz, they have to start somewhere right?
begonia9508 - I guess they are lucky in some ways, but at the same time, it must be really difficult too, don't underestimate how hard it must be seeing someone so like their lost loves, and yet knowing it's not them. As for their ages, Liz is 17, Max is 20.
keepsmiling7 - Sorry, that deadline disappeared when I realised I'd forgotten about Nano, which was unsuccessful but still took away about a month. I am close to finishing this though, only a few more chapters left.
isabelle - I'm sure that it was difficult for both of them, but important at the same time. How can you build a friendship afterall when you don't know someone. I imagine some of the time they were talking they were looking down, trying not to look at one another, but what is important is that they continued and they did speak, and I think that's a good first step.
Okay guys, so I think there are four more chapters after this one, and I have to admit, getting so close to finishing after so long brings with it major nerves, I hope this isn't going to be a let down for anyone. As said earlier, I had hoped to be able to post this sooner, but things didn't work out that way, sorry to keep you waiting.
I'm going to ask for this chapter to be pruned as soon as I finish posting this, so you might like to check if you have notifications on the thread that they are still active
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Thanks to anyone reading, love to know what you think of the new chapter.
Oh, and I know it's a bit late but I'll wish it anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR, I hope it's a good year for everyone!
Kat
Chapter 54
Serina, could I borrow your phone a moment, the battery on mine’s dead…?” Maria questioned as she poked her head into the other room after knocking on the door..
No answer…
“Serina…?” She pushed the door wide open and walked in, looked around briefly. With a smile, she noted the small pile of clothes on the one of the beds and a couple of toys on the floor There was no sign of the young woman in question, or her son though…
Then, suddenly from behind, the door to the bathroom opened part-way and a head of slightly wavy long brown hair emerged. “Oh, it is you Maria, I thought it was. Sorry, I’m just giving Thomas a bath, won’t be more than a few minutes…” She assured the younger girl with a smile.
“No problem, it wasn’t actually you I was wanting, as much as a favour…” The curley haired young woman admitted with a slightly awkward smile before hurrying to clarify, “Not that I wouldn’t want to talk to you of course…”
Serina allowed herself an amused smile, holding up a hand to stop the other girl’s hedging and nodded. “I understand, so shoot, what do you want…?”
“Well, my phone’s kinda dead, not to mention out of credit, and I wanted to call into work, to see about picking up my payslip before we leave…I was wondering if I could borrow yours…?” She shrugged sheepishly. “Everyone’s always telling me to remember to watch the balance of course, but I’m afraid I do have a bad habit of forgetting to do so…” Organisation had never been her strong point afterall…
Serina laughed openily at that. “Oh, I do that all the time, and sure, help yourself to my phone, it’s in my bag by the bed I think…” She turned at the sound of water splashing to look behind her a moment before turning back to Maria briefly. “If you just bring it back when you’re done, and I’ll be out in a few minutes anyway…I’m just going to have to finish up in here before he floods the bathroom though…”
Chuckling in amusement, Maria nodded and responded by telling her to to take her time. As the door shut once more, she then moved towards the bed to look for the bag which had been spoken of. Leaning over one side she smiled - Ah, there it was just as the side as she had said… Reaching to pick it up and putting it on her lap, she took a seat on the bed, crossing one leg over the other as she hunted in the bag for the phone.
Unfortunately, not unlike her own bag if she were to admit it, Serina’s bag was jam-packed full, and Maria quickly came to the conclusion that the easiest way to do this would be to empty it first…which she proceeded to do.
After removing the first few items, which including a purse and a lip-stick, she soon spotted the phone she was wanting and pilled it out, laying it on one side before beginning to put everything else back… The purse, however, seemed to slip through her hand as she picked it up, falling to the floor and opening on impact, it’s contents spilling out all over the floor..
Dropping down and muttering in frustration, Maria scrambled quickly to try and collect up the coins and paper, the latter of which appeared to be mostly receipts. Grabbing the purse, she dropped a handful of coins back inside, refastening the catch for safety before opening the back more fully to replace the papers.
It was at this point that she stopped though, her eyes widening as she caught sight of something. A small picture, probably from one of those photo booths, showing two people with a baby. Her immediate thought was that the guy was Thomas’ dad, except…he couldn’t be…
There was no mistaking the grinning face which looked back at her…Alex… Her brow furrowed in concusion…
“Maria..?”
Her head spun around quickly, immediately dropping the purse in a guilty manner as she became aware that mother and son had reentered the room. “Oh, sorry, I had to empty your bag to get your phone, and then the purse fell and it spilt stuff and-“
Serina gave a smile of encouragement. “Don’t worry about it…” Considering that she had already spotted a coin still lurking at the side of the bed, she didn’t doubt what Maria was saying, although the look on the other girl’s face seemed to suggest there was more. “Are you okay though…you seem kinda…nervy or something…?” She suggested hesitantly, looking over at her as she ussured Thomas further into the room while wrapped in his towel.
Blinking, Maria shook her head. What was she supposed to say…? “What, oh no, I’m okay…I just…” She paused a moment, reaching again for the purse. “I was putting the stuff away again, when I saw the picture you have in the back…”
“The picture…?” Serina’s brow furrowed for a moment as she tried to remember what she was talking about. “Oh yeah, the one that Alex and I had taken together with Thomas…” She smiled at the thought of her friend.
Alex… She had confirmed his name… Maria swallowed in an attempt to try and maintain her composure as she dared to ask, “H-he’s not Thom-“
”Thomas’ father, what, oh NO!” Although she had broken off without finishing, Serina’s eyes widened in amazement as she realised what the other girl might be thinking, and then again, her brow creased as the questions in her head continued to multiply. “B-but why would you care anyway…d-do you know him…?” Suddenly she remembered how Liz had spoken of him as a friend, and with a start, she realised that he would indeed have been the same age as the majority of the group…
Swallowing again, Maria bit down on her lip and nodded slowly. She was in fact hardly able to speak it seemed, strugging past the lump in her throat. “A-actually yeah, he was one of my best friends, other than Liz of course…we were called the three musketeers…before we got to know the others of course…” She smiled softly as she remembered so many times when she had hung out with just the two of them. Simpler, happier times in many ways… She was the only one left now… She closed her eyes at the realisation, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
“Hey, don’t cry…what’s wrong…?” Serina reached out towards the younger woman, touching her arm and causing her to look up.
Maria sniffed. “Sorry, I’m just being silly…” She paused a moment. “It’s just I’m the only one left…out of the three of us…it gets to me sometimes” She admitted softly, hating to voice the words she was implying…
“You mean…?” Serina’s face went white. “Oh my…I hadn’t heard from him in over two years now I’d say, but I just assumed he was busy, I never thought…” She trailed off, shaking her head.
Dabbing at her eyes, Maria looked over. “H-how did you know him…?”
The simple question caused Serina to smile as she thought of her friend. “How did I know him…?” She repeated softly. “Well, I guess you could say he saved me…”
The other girl looked at her blankly. “I don’t understand…” She shook her head.
The older woman nodded. “Okay, well I met Alex when I was in my first year of college… I was already struggling, I was getting no sleep, gave myself no break and was trying to hold down a part time job to pay for my accommodation and childcare too… I was a wreck basically, completely on the edge, and I wouldn’t admit it…” She shook her head and sighed. “I was determined that I had to do everything, and Alex well…he showed me I didn’t…”
“You mean he convinced you to drop out?”
She shook her head quickly. “No, definitely not! That was my decision the following year, I just couldn’t keep up, and much as I tried to deny it, when my marks began to drop, meaning the partial scholarship I had was in peril, I had to admit defeat… It was just too much…” A contemplative, slightly sad look passed over her eyes as she ran a hand through her hair. “No, but Alex the previous year showed me that I was pushing myself too hard, he said that there was nothing wrong with having a bit of fun sometimes, and he was right… He was sweet, and gentle and funny and-“
“sensitive…” Maria blinked and bit down on her lip, looking over apologetically as she immediately realised she shouldn’t have done that. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted, just-“
“No, it’s fine, he was your friend, I understand that…” She looked over at Maria reaching out, offering her hand. “I’m sorry for your loss Maria, he was a wonderful guy…”
“Yeah…he was…”
The two women lapsed into a silence which was only broken as Thomas cried out, tugging on his mother’s leg “mommy!” as he pressed close. She looked down, realising that he was shivering and knelt to give him a hug “Come on, let’s get you dried off!”
“I should…go…” Maria motioned towards the door awkwardly.
“Not at all, unless you want to…you’re welcome to stay…” Her suggestion was quickly rebuffed as Serina looked up briefly before returning her attention to her son as she got him to sit on the bed and she used a spare towel to dry him off quickly without reveaing too much.
“Are you sure…?”
“Didn’t I say so?” She raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Seriously though Maria, you’re welcome to stay, I mean it…” She gestured to the other side of the bed. “Sit down if you like, we haven’t really chatted much I know…” Looking back at Thomas, she grabbed some of his pyjamas from the pile of clothing and handed them to him. Still wrapped in the towel, he slipped back into the bathroom to get changed, returning a few minutes later, padding across the floor with bare feet.
“No, I guess things have been busy, which isn’t so unusual…” The younger of the girls watched the older mother as she had the little boy get ready for bed. “How are you doing…?”
“You mean with the whole aliens are-“
“real..? Along with alternate realities…” Maria nodded. “Yeah, that would be part of the question…”
There was a pause as Serina seemed to think, before nodding slightly. “Perhaps surprisingly well… Maybe that has to do with me having been a scientist anyway… They’re amazing suggestions, but at the same time, science has suggested they’re possible for a long time…you just have to understand the theories and equations…” She paused a moment to check whether her son had cleaned his teeth and, upon receiving confirmation, pulled back the covers and padded the mattress as she told him to get in. Pulling up the covers once he was inside, she tucked them tightly around his small frame and gave him a goodnight kiss before addressing her friend again.. “I mean I’m not saying I don’t think it’s incredible, and that there aren’t times when I question it all, but…” She nodded again, one hand smoothing Thomas’ hair as though on autopilot.. “I’m getting used to it…”
Maria nodded slowly in response. “I bet you never imagined what you were getting into when you insisted on leaving with Liz…”
Serina shook her head. “No, but you know what, it might sound crazy considering how it’s turned our lives upside down for Thomas and I, but I wouldn’t choose different…” She shrugged awkwardly as she withdrew her hand at a cry of displeasure from the little boy. “The moment I met Liz, there was just this connection, she reminded me so much of myself a couple of years back, and I wanted to mother her I suppose, but there was something more too… Perhaps it all goes back to having known Alex, but while I hate having left Ju, because she’s been a wonderful friend, I just feel like I’m in the right place now, with you guys…”
Listening carefully to what she had to say, Maria smiled softly, struggling to think of how to respond.. “Well, maybe you are…” She finally responded in a low voice.
“Y-yeah…” Serina sounded almost hesitant as she thought it over. “Maybe I am…” She murmured as she watched the sleeping figure of her son.
