Chapter Two.

Lauren.

Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at our usual, Dine With Us which most people called DWU. We found Carl seated at the counter table with wobbly legs speaking to someone who we guessed worked at the diner but rather seemed new cause at least we always recognized all the diner men.

"Here they are," he signaled to us. I think talking to his friend whose eyes were still staring at whatever he was holding which

looked like a glass.

"I think they have been talking about us.” Jess whispered to me as we sauntered towards them.

“Yeah, I think so....” Before I could complete my statement, I heard Jess say OH MY GOD. I stared back ahead of us and my eyes went

wide almost that very second. It was him again. Corrie was the newest of the diner men. He had changed from the sweat shirt he

had on earlier to a more simple white shirt with the words Just as me written on the front.

"Oh my God." I said back to Jess. He was here as well.

"Don't you find today just so awesome?" She snapped back. As I wass still in shock, she pulled me ahead towards the two men.

"Hey bitches, we meet again," I heard Corrie say.

Carl looked surprised that we actually knew each other but he let it pass and moved to kiss his girlfriend welcome and wrapped his arms around her waist. Their romanticism always made feel so much woe for being so single after I had broken up with my very first boyfriend who turned out to be gay after all. I had started suspecting he could have been cheating on me when I overheard some girls talking in the washrooms and laughing at some girl who was dating a gay guy and didn't seem aware of his status. I started feeling so much remorse for the girl just before I heard the girl's name. I was filled with so much incredulity that I felt tears cloud my cheeks. I crouched as I put my hands over my face. I vamoosed for the exit after the girls were out and more tears even ran down my cheeks when I realized who I had bumped into.

"What's wrong?" Terry asked me. Just like that after I had explained everything, he told me he thought he had changed for me but he discovered he couldn't and that he hadn't found a way to tell me so he admitted he was cheating on me with men. Yeah he had said men. Fucking moron. I felt so rueful and ended up finding comfort in Jess. And

that's how I met Jess when I ran into her in the parking lot where she offered me a lift saying she had seen my apartment was on the way to hers. I found myself telling her everything and that was how we became friends and currently even more than just friends cause saying we were friends had become an understatement to both of us which I couldn't say for Terry fucking Winston. Fuck him for using me. Carl then snapped his fingers in front of me to get my attention. It was then that I realised I was staring at Corrie. I don't know for how long but what I was sure of is that it was long enough for the situation to get embarrassing. I hoped no one had noticed or rather I pretended to believe no one had. We went on to our usual reserved table as Carl was friends to all the diner men where he sometimes worked evenings after school. We ordered for drinks first where as always I asked for a lemonade. Jess asked for a pinacolada drink which I found rather disgusting but she liked it.

Carl found it disgusting as well but he told me to always keep it to myself cause he didn't want to hurt Jess. I always felt I was betraying her but just like she always said what you don't know won't kill you. We drunk on until our food was delivered to the table by one of the waitresses which surprised Jess and I cause we hadn't yet ordered. We looked at Carl in question where he just dismissed the waitress with a smirky expression.

"Do you want to question the meal or just eat it cause I don't know about you but I am so fucking ravenous from all the day's starving?"

Carl said as he distributed everyone's meal. Jess and I looked at each other as though thanking God for we had one other person in common who knew us so fucking well. So we ate as Jess and Carl kept talking and giving flirtatious remarks to each other and at

some point talking in hushed voices which they always explained they did cause they didn't want me to feel alone. But I found it

doing totally the opposite of what they wanted so I always kept my mind else where.

Corrie.

I couldn't believe my eyes once again. I stared ahead as Carl introduced his friends that he had been waiting for. It was my first day at DWU and I was working evenings on the days Carl wasn't cause apparently the guy before me thought he was now too cool for this job. Asshole. He fucking said it to my face insinuating I was not cool enough but what could I say I was not yet even done with school. Earlier yesterday I had thought of earning some money and my friend, Carl brought me here and just like that I was hired. The mirth that ran through me immediately couldn't even be explained. He also happens to be my new room mate since I decided I couldn't keep staying at my old apartment alone. After my previous room mate, Noel had failed school continue with school cause he thought he didn't see himself anywhere with it, he decided to go for something else. He never really told me much about it but who fucking cares. Anyway he moved out and since the place was farther away from school than Carl's apartment who at the same point needed a room mate, he invited me to move in with him. We just became close recently and I admit he may be the greatest guy I have met so far since I just started school here. I stole glimpses of the table he sat with his friends where I noticed the taller girl with darker hair could have been her girlfriend. If I had heard right, I think earlier on somebody who takes up most of my thoughts lately called her by Jess which which is not a bad name either just like Lauren. I got to know her name from Carrie who keeps asking me why I keep staring at her. But what wasn't their to stare at. She was tall though not so tall with black hair not so dark but looked good on her, the best part that I always appreciated were her long legs cause she had the most eye

taking legs I had ever seen. Even my fucking new friend who is gay, I mean really gay says so, so who doesn't fucking see it. Jezz. I just

always imagined gripping them. And not like I was ever stalking her but she looked pretty with her hair tied up. I had sat at their table

earlier today trying to avoid Carrie before she arrived cause I was tired of her wails every single fucking day. Honestly who can even

stand her. She called me earlier asking why I didn't make it to the library but I just told her I was feeling sick. I thought she would notice my presence at a different spot but I thank God she didn't cause I wasn't ready for another episode of her taunting Lauren in

her absence. Why she always acted like we were dating is what I don't understand cause I have never told her I even pretended to

like her. It has even never occurred to me as a possibility. Luckily she doesn't know that cause she would really be put off her own

thunder that she makes known to not just her friends but every fucking person on campus. She's so pathetic. So I wonder what her deal is. She is just so haughty and cryptic.

"Hey man." I was brought back from my thoughts by Trey who also happens to work here as Carl had said earlier.

“So I guess you're the new guy who just got hired.”

“Yes I am. I mean who else do you see back here other than this asshole you see right in front of you.”

“I think I already like you cause with that attitude on top of your looks, we shall definitely get more people coming in here especially the ladies.” He said to me with a wink.

"We shall definitely be friends," I mumbled back to him.

“I'm Trey.” I heard him say as he brought out his hand to me so that I could shake.

"I'm Corrie," I said as I shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you. Carl over there had already told me you would be coming.”

He looked towards the very direction of the table where Carl and his friends sat and nodded.

"I saw you staring at that Miss gorgeous legs over there," he said with his brows moving in Lauren's direction. Not wanting to admit

to it, I blundered saying he was definitely out of his snoopy mind.

“I don't think so but never mind. Let me come around and help you.”

I nodded as if agreeing to what he had said. I mean just to the part of helping out back here not the other part and just then I realised Lauren had just caught me staring at her. Again. Her eyes were the blue rare kind and just like that I thought I had fallen for her. She had looked at me just the same way she had earlier on when we met in the library when Jess asked why I wasn't at my usual spot. I

turned away and concentrated on wiping the glasses as Trey served the customers that came by. At least he had stopped messing with me as he looked from Lauren to me like a spy. I hadn't even noticed that I had become too obvious about my admiration for Lauren. He also appreciated that she had awesome legs so who was I not to see that.

Lauren.

I had just been caught staring once again. But he looked even better than before working behind that counter. I found myself staring at him each time my best friend and her boyfriend were having a moment. I always felt like a third wheeler but they always claimed they loved having me around. They even thought we could have double dates but I had no boyfriend as yet. Just like that they had decided to ask Corrie to the next date as though they read my thoughts. I promised myself I would kill my best friend the moment

we were alone once again cause I am sure she may have told Carl that I was crushing on Corrie in a hushed voice that I didn't hear.

Carl said he would convince Corrie pretty soon the fact that he washis new room mate and that Corrie had just moved in with him just the other weekend. Yes I heard right. Carl and my crush were now room mates and now even work mates. Avoiding him, now more

than ever was getting harder than I had thought. I was going to be seeing Corrie almost everyday and almost everywhere. It was getting late so I decided I should get home and leave the two love birds but mostly I was hurt I wasn't going to be seeing him again tonight which I wanted so

badly. I was in so much trepidation.

Just Like That ©2020 by Laurie Lae.