Corrupting the Good girl

Chapter 55

"Fran are you still coming with us?" Lilly yelled over the bustle of everyone around us as we rose from our seats and packed up our things as the final lesson of the day had ended.

"Yeah sure." I chirped as I slung my bag over my shoulder. The girls and I had arranged to go out for coffee after school today as Paige had said that she had some 'exciting news' to tell us.

Lilly and I rushed out to the front of the school and met the others; we quickly left campus and made a quick get away to beat the school crowds. After a short walk into town we found a quiet café and walked in.

"Paige go get us a table and I'll get your drink." I called over my shoulder.

"Latte with chocolate sprinkles please!" Paige said, dragging out the word 'please'.

I rolled my eyes at her and went up to the till to order our drinks; the rest of us soon moved over to the table that Paige was sat at with our drinks and took our seats.

"So...?" Ella asked, directing her question to Paige.         

"So..." Paige responded sounding extremely confused.

"What's this news you've got for us?" Ella asked impatiently making Paige giggle.

"Oh yeah, right. So I went for my sixteen week ultra-sound scan yesterday." Paige mentioned as she placed a tender hand over her small bump. We all sat up in our seats and looked at her with bright smiling faces, causing Paige to smile giddily.

"So how's everything?" I asked inquisitively.

"Well... Everything's looking good, the baby's developing as it should be and we found out what the gender is." Paige cooed happily.

"And?!" We all cried expectantly.

"We're having a girl!" Paige squealed excitedly. We all jumped out of our seats and surrounded Paige, bringing her into a tight group hug.

"Aw Pai!"

"That's so great!"

"Congrats hun!"

After a few moments of excited chatter we resumed our seats, all of us grinning like idiots.

"So any names yet?" Lilly asked curiously.

"Not yet, me and Darren have agreed that we're each going to come up with two names each and then we'll decide from then." Paige explained as she took a slurp from her drink.

"I'm really happy for you Paige." I said smiling as I put my hand on top of hers and Paige smiled back brightly at me. Just then the bell above the coffee shop door jangled loudly as a young couple walked in: they looked to be around our age, the girl was short, blonde and pretty and the boy was tall, dark haired and handsome; they playfully wrapped their arms around each other as they casually strolled over to the till and decided what to order. I watched them as they stood there, him with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and her with her hands tenderly placed atop of his. They looked incredibly happy and in love; they reminded me of Ethan and myself in the later stages of our relationship when we'd moved on from the nervous and awkward phase yet there was still that spark that meant we couldn't keep our hands off of each other.

"Fran!"

"Huh! What?" I gasped in surprise as Ella's voice grasped my attention.

"Fran you've been staring at that couple over there for like five minutes." Ella said wide eyed and I sank down in my chair in embarrassment.

"Oh God I had no idea." I groaned as I face palmed.

"What was that even about?" Paige asked confusedly.

"I don't know it just... well I guess they kinda just reminded me of Ethan and I when we were together."

"So you're still into him then?" Amelia asked softly.

"Yes." I murmured softly.

"You really love him don't you." Paige commented.

"Yes." I whispered gently.

"Well then I think you have to tell him." Paige said plainly.

"What?" I gasped confusedly.

"Well Ethan's not a mind reader Fran. He doesn't know how you're feeling and you can't expect him to know what's going on in your head." She informed, gaining nods from the others around the table.

"Ugh I know." I sighed. "I just don't know if it's worth it."

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked kindly.

"Well... Is being with Ethan worth the risk of being hurt again?" I mused as I stared down at my tea.

"Well you need to think about this logically." Lilly commented. I raised an eyebrow at her in doubt and she shook her head before continuing. "A pros and cons list Fran. You need to think about the good things you'll get out of being with Ethan and then the bad things."

"You're really suggesting I should make up my mind about my feelings for someone by making a list?" I asked cautiously.

Lilly pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "Well yes." She responded plainly. "Just try, it'll help you to get your head around things a bit more... How about you start with the good points?"

"Ok... well - um - we had fun together, he can make me laugh, I felt happy around him, he made me feel pretty, he was easy to get along with, he's funny, he's considerate, he makes me forget about my problems, he understands me, he listens to what I have to say, he always put my needs first, him and Dan get along so well, he was like a best friend as well as a boyfrien-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, we get it, Ethan's perfect." Amelia jeered playfully from next to me and I chuckled as I slapped her arm lightly.

"And the bad things...?" Lilly pressed.

"I don't know if he'll hurt me again." I murmured sheepishly as I stared down at my drink.

"Maybe some people are worth the risk." Paige said beaming from beside me. Her words took a moment to sink in and I then turned to look at her.

"Yeah, maybe they are." I agreed, a small smile playing along my lips.