Pretty, Ugly Girl

The fact that a screaming baby had kept her up for most of the night was not something that Abi was happy about. In fact she had muttered about how she wouldn't care if the kid died from cot death or something like that just so long as she could get some sleep in her house then she would be fine with it. Hell, it wasn't even Casey's house and yet she was here with that kid screaming his head of. In all honesty, they all knew that the kid wasn't James, it was as clear as day and yet he was going to go out his way to get a paternity test.

Abi figured it was all what Casey was planning from the beginning. She didn't know exactly why though.

She wasn't the only one who was disturbed by the screaming baby; Jade and Hannah each were woken up by it as was Mel. The only one who wasn't disturbed by it was their father and that was only because he was too tired to be woken up by anything really. Mel was the only one, however, who didn't hold it against the child because she knew it wasn't his fault and really it was the only way he could act because in case the others didn't realise, he was a child who was only a mere six days old.

Hannah got the day off because she hardly had any sleep because of the screaming and there was no way she'd be able to focus in school, much less do some actual work.

In the end, after six long hours of screaming, James left his room with the screaming baby and located Mel downstairs. “He won't shut up and we've been trying for fucking hours,” he stressed, looking as if he hadn't slept in days. It was true though but all the other times the kid hadn't been as loud as he was today. “Please just take him and... well do anything to shut him up. Please!”

Mel had never seen James so desperate before. He was literally begging for her to stop the kid from crying so she did just that. She took him from James' arms, situated him comfortably in her arms before holding him close to her body and rocking gently from side to side. “Have you fed him?”

“Casey tried just now.”

“And he didn't feed?”

“He took a little but wouldn't take anymore.”

She nodded and looked back down the baby. In all honesty she thought Gordon suited him even though it seemed like a right ugly name. Now she wasn't saying that the kid was ugly because after all, he was only a kid, but for some reason the name just suited him.

Mel told James to go back to bed and that she would take care of him for a while so he and Casey could get some sleep. He thanked her – something that surprised her greatly – and hurried back upstairs where he literally fell onto his bed as soon as he stepped foot in his room. He and Casey were asleep so quickly after that.

Hannah also went back to bed too. Jade and Abi didn't because they knew that Gordon would start crying in a few hours time and they figured its better to be awake then to go back asleep just to be woken up suddenly by him screaming again.

“I hate that kid,” Jade mumbled to her sister.

“I hate the mother.” Abi muttered back to her

“He's not even the father and yet he's taking care of him.”

“When they getting the paternity test?”

“Dunno. I don't reckon it will happen. Casey will find a way out of it, tenner bet.

Abi thought for a moment. “Okay... tenner bet. I'll give you a tenner if Casey finds a way out of the paternity test happening and you give me a tenner if the test happens. Deal?” Jade nodded and they shook on it.

It was rare times like these when the sisters actually got along with each other. They both knew it wouldn't last too long because each couldn't stand the other for extended periods of time, but for the time being they enjoyed it.

Mel found it enjoyable looking after Gordon. Abi thought she was mad for enjoying it because really, who'd enjoy looking after a baby who isn't even related by you (yes, she wasn't even related to them anyway but she was by marriage, to be fair) who just screams its head off all the time? Well obvious Mel did.

When John got up he took one look at Mel with the baby before moaning about James and Casey not taking their responsibilities seriously and how she shouldn't be looking after their mess like she was. That prompted Jade to have a go at him about him having a go at Mel.

“You can't fucking talk. Who did you dump us on after mum died? A babysitter. Who did you dump us on after that? Mel. So don't you fucking dare criticise the two of them who are younger and a lot less experienced then you were.”

It was weird to hear her sticking up for James in a way, but it was something that Abi agreed with her about. She didn't like the time when they were babysat by that girl. She never told anyone why though.

John just shook his head at his daughter before leaving the room. Soon after the front door slammed shut and it was obvious he had just left for work. At times Jade wondered why he came home from it. It would be so easy for him to just never come back and go off with someone else where he didn't have the burden of providing for four kids. She wouldn't put it past their father to do such a thing.

Abi stood up from her seat, fed up of being in the house and watching Mel rock the damn kid backwards and forwards. “I'm going out,” she told them before walking out the room and down the hallway. In a way it surprised Mel that she actually told them that she was going out rather than just walking out like normal.

Mel had noticed that Abi was acting rather strangely at times and although she would never question the girl about it (she knew she'd never get an answer), she did often wonder. She wonder about what she did during the days that she was out and whether or not the rumours of her hanging out with the nineteen year old boy were true. Sure, Jade said that they were true but Mel didn't know herself whether they were or not. If they were true then Mel couldn't help but wonder whether Abi was getting into trouble or not whilst with him. After all, why would a nineteen year old boy want to hang out with a fifteen year old girl? Surely he knew that he couldn't do anything with her because she was under age, Mel thought.

“Bet she's gone to fuck that guy,” Jade noted suddenly, making Mel look over to her.

“What?”

Jade rolled her eyes. “You heard me.” With that she stood up from where she was, gave a glance at the child in Mel's arms before leaving the room and going back upstairs.

It left Mel to ponder what Jade had said, even whilst she was dealing with Gordon.