On a Loop

24| "THAT'S A DOWNGRADE AND YOU KNOW IT" - GIVEON

When Lauren woke up around 2, she laid in bed for about thirty minutes unmoving, trying to snap back into her current reality.

Which universe was I in? The one with Gabe or the one with Trent?

Her mind was dizzy like she was hungover, and she was paralyzed by the realization that she was being stretched between the two of them. She sat up in her bed, slowly regaining bodily functions when her blurry eyes fell on the records Gabe had given her. Her stomach twisted like it was a record on a turntable.

When the quiet of her room finally made her thoughts too loud, Lauren got up and opened the door to listen for a sound or a stir, but there was nothing. She was alone.

Lauren made her way to the kitchen. She wasn't hungry, but she knew she needed to eat. She turned on the kettle to make peppermint tea and opened the fridge door. Lauren stood searching its shelves for her next meal when the front door swung open and Amani and Toni poured through its frame, struggling with their arms full of brown, paper grocery bags.

"Let me help you." Lauren said walking towards Toni with open arms to take a bag from her.

"I'm good." Toni replied brushing past Lauren, placing them in the kitchen instead.

Lauren stood still, letting scorn and embarrassment wash over her. She wasn't gonna let Toni's olive branch refusal get to her. She exhaled and turned around, determined to apologize.

"Toni, I'm really -"

"Save it for someone who cares. I'm not the one." Toni spoke bitterly, each syllable was loaded with resentment, and aimed at Lauren.

"Really, Toni?" Lauren scoffed.

"Listen, I know about your fucked up love triangle. Now that shit didn't pan out you're crawling back to the one person, the one supporter, the only friend that's always been there for you. How fucked up is that shit?" Toni fired.

"Okay. You know what Toni? Fuck you! I am sick and-"

"Alright! Enough!" Amani shouted as she slammed something canned she had been unpacking onto the counter.

"You bitches better fix this shit because I have had enough. I've had enough of the bickering and the fake shit. We are friends. Friends don't act like this. This is bird behaviour! Fuck this drama. You know how shitty it is? A whole ass month wasted! I travelled; wasting my time, coin and energy on repairing this friendship... but fuck this shit!" Amani ranted all in a single breath, her voice tapering from a loud shout, to a soft, exasperated whisper.

Toni and Lauren both stood in silence, their bodies limp from the wounds of Amani's words. Amani is outspoken and honest, yes, but intense and brash wasn't her style. She certainly had never cussed Lauren out before. Her attitude, which was usually around a 7/10 at best, had been a full 12 as she reamed them out. Amani had been bobbing her head and clapping her hands syllabically to get her point across while walking towards the balcony doors, and had just slammed them shut once she was outside.

Once Toni and Lauren had felt the cold gust of wind slip inside and bite at their skin, it zapped them into motion. They snapped from the trance Amani had left them, simultaneously darting outside to find her sitting on one the loungers with her arms crossed like that one Tiffany Pollard meme. Amni shot them an annoyed glance, groaning as she stood up. She pushed between them on her walk back towards the door.

"Amani, wait." Lauren called. "I'm sorry."

She stopped short in the opened doorway and rolled her eyes as she turned her head back to face Lauren. "For what?" Amani shrugged.