With the conversation regarding Lottie and Harvey still brewing, Francesca had put herself on drinks duty, to ensure that Grace had a constant flow. Even if she wasn't showing it, Francesca knew how much it was bothering her, and also knew she'd need a little help to get her through the night.
The girls had now managed to situate themselves on a different table to the guys, which had worked in Grace's favour for now. She knew they were all still talking about Harvey and Lottie, so this way was able to avoid listening to it as much as she could.
However, considering she did happen to be sat with Kiara, she knew it wouldn't be long until it was brought up once again.
"I'm going to make an observation, which could be incredibly offensive or really clever." Kiara said out of the blue, as though she had been contemplating something in her mind for the past few minutes.
The girls were all immediately guessing that it was going to be offensive rather than clever, considering most things that came out of Kiara's mouth were. However, they knew that she was still going to say it anyway, so they may as well just go with it.
"What is it?" Grace sighed, not even afraid to hide that she was already fed up with Kiara for one night.
Her need to start drama and round up gossip like she was going to be reading the 6 o'clock news was tiring. In addition, Grace was very used to always being the center of attention, yet had some touch competition on her hands when this girl was around.
"I'm pretty sure that Lottie is pregnant." Kiara replied so simply, while everyone else was now looking at her as though she was crazy.
Those had not been the words any of them expected to leave her lips, and this girl's need to create drama was just getting more and more pathetic.
"What?" Grace laughed, considering that was the most natural reaction to come from her body in response. "Why do you even think that?"
"Yeah, that is a bit random, Kiara." Zoe surprisingly went against her friend and agreed.
"No, just hear me out. I totally get that she could have just put on some weight, it happens right?" Kiara raised a brow with a spiteful grin across her face, before continuing. "But I'm more than certain that it's a bump that she's growing under there. I noticed before she left."
"Babes..." Grace said in her most patronising voice. "...we all know you love a bit of drama but now you're just taking it way too far. Surely there are other ways you can keep yourself entertained?"
Grace was fed up with Kiara's behaviour at this point. It had been one thing after another and it was as though everything was to make a dig in her direction. Splitting up with Harvey had been hard enough, she didn't need anyone else trying to knock her while she was already down.
"No but I'm not even joking! I'm being deadly serious. I thought it before she left but didn't say anything because I wasn't sure... now it all makes more sense though."
"How does it make more sense?" Zoe asked, genuinely wanting to understand her friend's thought process.
"Because she and Harvey are in Cambridge together. Harvey broke up with Grace and ran off with her there, so now they can get excited over their baby in secret. It's like something from a soap opera!"
No one even responded to Kiara for a moment as they were all watching her in bewilderment. It was so difficult to know if she was being serious sometimes or just over-dramatising something that wasn't even real. However, she showed no signs of backing down from this story and that was frustratingly putting Grace even more on edge.
"Wait." Francesca announced as she placed her bottle down on the table with a loud thump. "If you're saying that she's pregnant, then you're also saying that Harvey cheated on Grace. You realise that's a huge fucking accusation, right?"
Shrugging her shoulders, Kiara looked unfazed and that wasn't exactly surprising. She couldn't care less about anyone's feelings but her own, so why would she care if she had just said something that could potentially crush Grace's.
"They hadn't been broken up that long when he got with Grace. He probably wasn't over her."
"I think you're full of shit, Kiara." Grace bit, not prepared to take any of this. She wanted to play games and no one else had the energy for it.
"I'm really not, I'm actually being real with you here. I even have proof!"
The girls watched as Kiara pulled her phone out from her bag and laid it on the table.
"What proof could you possibly have?" Francesca laughed, as though she had truly lost her mind. "You got a baby scan picture in there or something?"
"No but I have Lottie's Instagram and I'm certain you can make out the bump in her last photo."
Flicking through her apps and pulling up Lottie's Instagram page, Kiara then held her phone out in the direction of the other girls. They each took a look because at this point they just needed to clear it up for their own peace of mind.
While Grace took a very quick look before passing it over to her friend, Francesca was a little more thorough in her gaze.
"This one?" She asked as she pointed to the first photo and gained a nod of approval from Kiara.
"See there, you can make it out. She's been wearing baggy shirts and stuff lately but in that one the winds caught her stomach and you can see it."
Grace had turned her attention back to the drinks laid out in front of her, as she tried so desperately to avoid this conversation. As she was taking a sip, she noticed Max was watching them all, now her in particular, and he had a questionable look on his face. He could clearly see the tension rising between them but wasn't quite sure what it was all about.
"Grace..." Francesca said in a tone that made her instantly feel sick. It sounded like pity, as though she felt sorry for her. "Kiara could be right, you know. It does kinda look like she's got a bump, look..."
Letting out one deep breath, Grace took the phone from her friend, while doing everything to keep herself composed.
Glimpsing down at the photo of Lottie for longer than a second this time, finally gave her chance to see what Kiara had seen. The photo had been taken outside and the wind had managed to sweep across her top, causing it to grip to her stomach. As she was stood at a slight side angle, it did seem to curve around her and highlight what could have been a bump.
It wasn't a big looking bump and judging from Grace's own experience, she couldn't have been far gone.
"She's probably pregnant, isn't she?" Francesca muttered, looking at her best friend and waiting on a reaction.
"She's definitely pregnant." Kiara corrected in a sharp and cunning tone. "Damn! That boy is sneaky!"
....
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