Chapter Seven.

Three days later.

Lauren.

It was Wednesday. I had waited nearly for three fucking days. Corrie hadn't called or texted me back. I had barely eaten where I only tried when Carl and Jess took me out and forced me to it. I didn't even sleep cause I was always worried and in too much thought. This was a heartbreak I never saw coming. I was alone. I had hoped we could actually be friends but he had just played with my feelings. I always stared at my phone screen hoping for a miracle but it never did not even once.

As usual, I attended class, went to the diner hoping he would turn up for work. He was never there. I always cried. My pillow was soaking wet each morning but he still never called or texted once to say he was serious. After Carl and Jess dropped me off by my apartment that night, I decided I had to move on and get back my life. I freshened up, baked cookies with Tess who had decided not to go out today with her boyfriend for my sake. We danced to dancehall, watched a movie until we passed out and woke up the next morning on sleeping bags that we had laid out in the living room. Just like that I felt new again but under so much trepidation. We each headed for the showers to get ready for school. Tess was normally fast so by the time I had gotten

out of the bathroom, she had made coffee which we took on our way to school as she drove. I still didn't have a car. My dad said he

would give me one for my nineteenth birthday which was a month away from now. I was finally going to be able to drive myself

around in my own car. It would feel good not having to bother Carl and Jess or even Tess any longer though they always claimed they

were happy to do it. We pulled into the school's packing lot but I still looked at Corrie's spot. What was wrong with me? But he still wasn't back. I just hoped he was fine.

"You should really stop checking out his spot every time we get here cause you always get like this." Tess mentioned as she turned

off the engine. I didn't answer back cause I couldn't find anything to say back that would be appropriate.

"Come on, let's get to the library." I had even forgotten it was Thursday, library day where our first class was supposed to be in the library just for personal research. I remembered my last memories in the library last week were mind blowing and euphoric. We reached the library shortly but there was no Jess at our usual, no Carl who normally sat with his other friends cause by the time we grouped up Jess and him were not even friends and worst of all no Corrie. I was alone. I decided to first text Jess.

Me.

Babe, where are you?

Then I waited for a reply as I searched around the library for what I also wasn't sure of.

Jess

Carl and I won't make it for research. Jazz you later.

Love you.

So I guessed I had the whole table to myself. I decided to open up my notes searching for which topic I could research on. I finally

settled for a business plan. I plugged in my ear phones as I went through the notes so that I could forget the part of being alone. I

felt I should have stayed home but today I was livelier than ever and more into the spirit of moving on without minding Mr.

Heartbreaker. He had quickly changed from being my crush to my heartbreaker just like that. I didn't notice the time pass until the

next bell which I think had been sounded cause I saw people packing up and grabbing the exit. I also plugged out my earphones

and picked up my stuff so I could be in time for my next class hoping Carl and Jess had finally made it.

"I guess all your bodyguards finally came into realization you were not worth their time, huh?” I had a voice say from behind me.

Who else could it be other than the infamous pathetic girl, Carrie herself.

“Excuse me?”

"Yeah, you heard me right."

“Let's see who gets to save you today.”

“I can save myself if you didn't know.”

"Let me see how well to phrase this. Do you mind keeping your "I admit" dainty feet in your own path and put your hands off what you also clearly know won't ever belong to you. And I mean, Never. Just stick to your gay boyfriends who won't ever stop cheating on

you more so with men. I imagine what it feels like to be compared to a man which I am sure by now is so well known to you. You are just meant to be used and dumped cause that's what you're good for. Good for nothing serious and important other than just that.”

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you. You're just a jealous,mean and pathetic loner who thinks you can get your way just because you consider yourself to be the "prettiest" around." A familiar cocky voice snapped back from behind me leaving a surprised look on Carrie's face.

"You may as well let us decide on whether you're really the prettiest, bitch." Another voice announced which I now guessed was Carl meaning the other person had been, Corrie. He was back and he had just defended me. Again. I felt tears run down my cheeks that I couldn't even control as I turned around and yes it was them again, always my saviours. He looked even better than ever with a sorry yet cockier expression than everyone else. I feltlike running towards him and feeling his body, smelling his cologne that had always made my day but I couldn't cause I remembered he had taken advantage of my feelings.

"I should have known better than to ever leave you all by yourself. I'm so sorry." Jess said as I felt her arms wrap around me.

"Where do your bodyguards even keep showing up from?"

"First, just to be clear, you are the one that will never have me. It has even never occurred to me as a possibility. So stop telling everyone you own me cause I wouldn't want to humiliate you in front of all your friends. Second, just please stop bothering the people that I care about and go back to your league."

Corrie's words surprised everyone including me which forced the angry disappointed Carrie to turn on her heels where I guessed she would be sobbing by the time she reached wherever it was she was heading. I didn't notice everyone's eyes were just as focused as mine were on Corrie. He had just said he cared about me yet we even barely knew each other.

"What? You guys never seen me before or what?"

He was really awesome. He had just said something so not like him but didn't even seem to notice. I think I had already forgotten I had felt so much anger towards him for the past three days but now I was in love again just like that.

Corrie.

I had woken up this morning with so much energy after my mum had forced me to move back to school telling me that the worst had come to pass. Catie was jollier and livelier again so she had also started school today. I had decided to go back to school and perhaps I really missed my friends, most of all, I missed Lauren.

The day after the burial which happened to be a Sunday, I had received a text from a number that was unknown. I just guessed it was Lauren. I didn't know why but maybe cause everyone else I knew would be worried had already texted or called me earlier even Terry, my only gay friend but her. I don't know what made me so sure she was worried but I just knew which turned out not to be wrong. My instincts were right. The number belonged to her. When she asked me who smiley was, for a moment I thought maybe it wasn't her cause I thought she would recall I had once called her that until she apologized for the other night when a similar incident just like this one had transpired. When I asked her if we could now be friends and she hadn't responded for about five minutes, I knew all my hopes were yet to get trashed. I kept praying and hoping it wasn't the case and told myself she would reply but I sent the next message, there was still no reply, I almost broke down. I sent the last trial message ready for any eventuality and then the reply came almost immediately.

"I guess so."

I was so overwhelmed but before I could think of a reply, my phone went dead. I remembered I hadn't packed anything to come with when I had seen my mum's message so which meant I had no charger and the chargers my mum used were quite different from the ones I used so I had no charger. I thought of what I could do but nothing seemed to come up. I stared at my phone as if waiting for a miracle but it never came until yesterday, Wednesday when I had moved out to see an old friend of mine who offered to help but I figured it would be too late for a reply. I decided to just return and talk to her when I got back. Unfortunately, I had wanted to surprise everyone since they all expected me back in a week's time but my car wouldn't start early this morning. The only person that came up in my mind who I thought could lend a hand was Carl. I called him and asked him if he could pick me up and also bring along a tow truck and he had agreed. An hour later surprisingly he had arrived where I had directed him to find me. It had been thirty minutes to our research and which we admitted we wouldn't make it in time for it. I couldn't stop myself from reminiscing about the last library day when I sat by Lauren's table and I was so close to her for the first time physically yet she felt even farther away than before in actuality. Carl had showed up with Jess who still seemed tired but I didn't ask questions cause I guessed it wasn't my business. She received a text where I figured it had been from Lauren by the way she had looked at Carl and I. They had asked me earlier why I had never replied to Lauren's text which had left her so sad. That's when I knew I had messed up. I didn't even know if she would ever be able to forgive me. I explained everything that had happened and they had understood but assured me I was going to need more than just an apology to lure her into believing me again. I decided I needed to get her something beautiful and thoughtful. We first stopped by our apartment to get a change of clothes before heading to school. We reached right on time to stop a mean Carrie again from hurting Lauren at least physically though not emotionally cause with all those words we had heard Carrie say to her, I bet she was on the verge of breaking down. Carrie looked at us with so much astonishment to an extent that even her mouth fell open and eyes went wide. Lauren on the other hand turned looking surprised though relieved to see us. Seeing tears run down her cheeks made me feel even worse than I had felt for making her think I had just played her. She looked so amazing and sexy that I could just beat up anyone I saw looking at even just her legs from a distance. I had decided she was mine. Just looking at her made me so hard that I realized I needed her so bad. I finally got the courage to tell off Carrie who took off running with so much disappointment and woe. I felt I had to be the one hugging her and not Jess but remembered she was still angry and needed to settle that first. We first headed for our next classes with Jess trying to calm down Lauren.

"I hope you're not planning to run off again like that other night after saving her, are you?" Carl hushed into my ear.

"Cause I swear this time round, I will kick your ass." He added as he tapped my back and continued ahead. Jess followed him almost immediately leaving me alone with a sad Lauren. Not knowing where to start exactly, I stared ahead but managed to say, I'm so sorry. She looked at me as if puzzled so I decided to keep talking.

“I'm sorry that I didn't reply to your text the other day but I meant it when I asked if we could be friends. And I meant everything I said earlier. I care about you and don't believe anything that witch said to you cause to me, you're everything, you're special and you mean a lot to me.”

More tears fell down her cheeks and before I could say anything else, I felt her arms wrap around my neck and she cried into my shirt. So I guessed she had forgiven me after all. Just like that, I decided I would never let anything bad happen to her with me present. I promised myself I would never hurt her intentionally. I hugged her back cooing at her telling her it was all over. I don't know for how long we were in each other's embrace but what I'm sure of is that it was the most amazing way anyone had ever hugged me before yet even the longest hug ever.

Just Like That ©2020 by Laurie Lae.