The Mesh (Raura)

Chapter 3

One week ago

Laura's POV

"Hello? ", I answer the phone. The person on the other line begins to talk but I don't quite understand them considering I'm having a hangover. My head is dizzy and I look to my right to find naked Joey next to me.

"Wait. Wait. Could you repeat that?", I murmur into the receiver.

"Laura! Can you listen to what I say once in your goddamn life? ", my friend Anna growls at me from the other line.

"No. I'm still sobering up. Hurry with your speech so I can get back to my sleep. What did you want?"

"Your cousin Colton and Kate invited his best friend to the wedding. I researched a little and found out that he's moving to New York and is going to go to our college. He's also super rich and fucking hot. "

"And I should care why?", I say bluntly. I really don't want to do this right now. Not with Joey's eyes watching me as I speak.

"Because he's from Boston, your birth place. His name is Ross Lynch. "

I stare at my black painted nails and run my thumb over the other.

Ross Lynch.

I remember him. We were just kids when we first met at Colton's place. Cute dimples, wavy blonde hair, mouth smeared with ketchup and at other times, chocolate. He loved cupcakes, as I recall. We've hung out very often but as we grew older, our paths separated and went in two different directions. I haven't seen him after the incident and we knew each other since birth. So, we'd known each other for about twelve years.

The memories of our times together flash like a lighting through my head, quick and not so clear. I recall loving our hangouts and admiring him for a few things he said or did but that's a long time in the past, so the memories are a little blurry.

He was also cute, I guess. I absolutely adored seeing him blush, for whatever reason I had, and I sometimes embarrassed him on purpose. It was not mean or malicious in any way, since we were friends; it was pure childish fun and teasing.

"Laura? ", Anna breaks me from my thoughts.

"Yeah. I know him. We used to be friends when we were kids."

"Great! That's great. We are having a rebound when he comes here and as your good friend, I, Anastasia Maslow, am telling you to hook up with him. "

"Are you crazy? I'm not hooking up with my cousin's best friend."

"He could take you anywhere for vacation if he gets to like you that much.", she teases.

"I'm not fucking him. I don't need his money and even if I wanted to be him, it wouldn't be for his wealth. He needs to be hot for me to consider dragging him to bed.", I protest.

"Just think about it. If he turns out hot, please sleep with him. For me. ", Anna pleas. I roll my eyes.

"Whatever. I gotta go now."

"Alright. See you in class. "

"Bye, Ann. ", I hang up frustrated.

Why does she think I would do this with Lynch? For his stupid ass money? I am no prostitute. When I have sex, it's for pure fun.

Sex is not a job to me. It's more like a hoby. I have had several sexual partners in my life. By society’s standards, I guess I’d be marked in red, like polluted air or an old dilapidated building whose foundation is just about to give way. But it's not like I care. I like to have fun and I don’t like love stories; they just exhaust. Regardless of my turbulent sex life, such that I currently have a new partner at three-four months, I am highly respected in society by people who love me. They know my value maybe better than I do. Everyone has always told me that I am above average smart, which has been shown by my success in college. High school, though, didn't go the best for me, because of the bad company and the deeds I tangled myself with, but I managed to regain my score in senior year. Books about meditation and philosophy fill my soul, so much so that I could talk about it for hours without even stopping once.