Mended Hearts x Revised

Chapter Twenty One

Lauren's POV

I sit in my room and fume. There's a knock on my door and I reluctantly get up to answer it. "Annie..." I say, "You're here, why?"
She glances at me and raises an eyebrow, "I mean you seemed pretty mad back there. Sure, you threw yourself at Carson and kissed him but we're still friends. Besides, it's not like Carson and I were even dating. I guess I'm not mad about it anymore and I just want to be friends, again. So, what's going on?"
I sigh, "I was convinced I liked Hayden but he was the safer option. Brother's best friend...I mean really. I knew John would hate me for it, but I knew he'd get over it eventually. I just didn't count on Hayden not liking me back. So, I made a fool of myself in front of him, then I made a fool of myself in front of Carson."
She nods and I continue, "I like Carson, I really do. I just didn't want to admit it because he liked you and I didn't want to hurt you. But I still ended up hurting you. He's really sweet and kind, I couldn't help but like him."
Annie smiles, "He really is perfect, isn't he?" I glance at her and she laughs lightly, "I'm over him, Laur. I love your brother, you know that. I know how you feel though. I thought Carson was the safer option, so I went for him. That doesn't mean I didn't like him, I did at one point. But I was in love with the idea of him...not Carson himself. Don't hold yourself back, in a few years you'll look back and think, what if?"
She looks away, "Johnny and I took a long time to repair our relationship and when we finally got together, it was amazing. It took forever and if I had to, I'd do it all over again. I'd go through the pain just to end up with John. But, don't be like us Lauren. You and Carson can be happy, but you have to work for it. Don't let him slip away."
"Oh, and Lilia wanted me to tell you there's no reason for you to hate her. She and Carson are just friends. The magazine and websites got it all wrong, it was just gossip. Whatever they said about them, it wasn't at all true." She pats my shoulder and stands up, heading out of my room and down the hallway.
I reach for my phone and start to hesitate, but then I take a deep breath and pick it up. I text Carson and ask him to call me. Baby steps...right?

Will's POV

        The door flies open as Jack and Annie burst into my room. "Get up, we're going out!" They chorus. I roll off my bed and switch off the tv, checking my reflection in the mirror. I smooth my hair and grab my sunglasses, sliding on my shoes.
        "Where are we-" Annie presses her finger on my mouth, shaking her head. "Shh, don't ask any questions." She grabs my wrist and eagerly drags me out of my room, and towards the elevator. Jack scrambles after us, closing the door behind us and grinning at me.
         As we wait in the elevator, I can't help but be curious. "Are we-" Annie shushes me once more, while Jack smirks and leans against the wall.
         When the doors open, we step out and into the lobby. My eyes widen as I see a flash of auburn hair. "You guys didn't!" I exclaim as my two friends exchange giddy smiles.
         Arms wrap around me, as I look down and see Isabel. She smiles up at me, tucking her long auburn hair behind her ears. "It's been awhile, William."
         I smile down at her, hugging her tightly, "It sure has been, Isabella." She kisses my cheek before pulling away, and turning to the others. She throws open her arms and tackles Annie in a hug.
        They giggle and whisper, while Jack and I watch. Isabel immediately spots the ring and looks at the engraving, gasping, "Ohmygoodnessthatissocute!"
        Annie flushes pink and smiles, "It really is, but you know what else is cute? You and Will." This time Isabel flushes, and so do I.
         After a few more minutes of talking, Jack finally drags Annie away and leaves Isabel and I alone. "You know, I've missed you." She whispers.
         I smile, "I've missed you, too. But I'm glad you're here." I lean down and kiss her lightly before taking her hand, "Let's go sightsee." She grins and we head outside, hand in hand.

Jack's POV - A few hours later...

       The door flies open and Annie bursts into the room. She drops down onto the bed, "As my best friend, I trust you to tell me the truth." I glance at her, "Ok?"
She gulps and unwinds the scarf from her hair, letting it fall down in soft waves. My eyes widen, "Oh..." she bites her lip, "Is it really that bad?" I try to stutter out a response, but I end up falling silent.
"Thisismynaturalhaircolorsoreally-" I cut her off and smile, "You look great." She glances at me, as if she doesn't believe me.
I glance at her, taking in her honey blonde hair and her hazel eyes. She twirls her hair around her finger, before turning to me, "Do you think Johnny will like it?"
"Doesn't he know you have blonde hair? You guys grew up together." She shrugs, "We met when I was five, I started dying my hair the next year. I don't think he'll know or remember."
I nudge her, "You know...maybe I should go blonde, too." She shakes her head, "No." She runs a hand through my hair, "You're not doing that. I won't let you do that."
"Ok, mom." She rolls her eyes, "Shut up." We talk for awhile longer before Annie gets up. "I need to get ready for the show." I nod and she leaves, her blonde hair glistening. It'll take awhile to get used to that.,.

[A/N: In the story, Annie is blonde so...just go with it]

ꕥ 𝚂𝚘...𝙰𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚠...𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝? ꕥ
♥︎ 𝚡𝚘, 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚊 ♥︎