Stay With Me → Lauren Cimorelli

iii

Lauren's point of view

It's been exactly one week since the day I got the results and I'm feeling weaker and weaker. I really wanna tell my family already but I don't know how. I don't want them to think about me and worry about me. I don't want them crying over me because of this. I can't handle that.

"Lauren," someone says at the other side of my door.

"Yes?" I answered.

"Food's ready, sweetie," I heard the person answer. I then realized it was my mom from the other side of the door.

"Okay mom I'm coming," I answered, standing up slowly to avoid falling off considering I'm too weak by now. I started walking but lost balance and fell to the door. A loud thump bothering the whole house.

"Oh my gosh, Lauren are you okay?!" My mom asks, opening the door quickly and running to my side.

"Mom, I'm fine," I laughed nervously to prove her I'm fine.

"I've been noticing you getting so clumsy these past few days baby," she says worriedly, "are you really sure you're fine, Lauren?"

"Yes mom, I'm fine," I answered, "you don't have to worry about me okay?"

She sighs. "Okay okay, but please Lauren if something's wrong just tell me. Don't ever hesitate."

"Okay mom," I answered smiling at her, silently saying "I'm okay, don't worry about me," even if the truth is that's the exact opposite. I'm not okay and I'll never will be ever again.

"Okay Lauren, you should probably go down already," she says, walking over to my closet. "I'll just clean your room."

"What mom?" I asked surprised because my mom never really cleans our room. In this house, if your room is dirty, you're the one in charge on cleaning it and no one else.

"I'll clean it, sweetie," she smiles at me.

"Okay?" I said... well more like a question actually. I went out of my room, still confused as to why my mom volunteered to clean my room. I head down the stairs and started a weird conversation with Dani.

As Lauren went out of her room, her mom, Lynne immediately locked her door and started looking for stuff that can answer her questions; why is Lauren acting so weird, off, and weak lately? She even lost weight if you're an observant. Lynne thought.

She started looking at her closet and when she sees an envelope under her mountain of clothes; she
obviously tried hiding the envelope but just her luck, Lynne still found it.

She was intrigued at what that envelope is about so she opened it and her mouth hung open when she sees what the envelope contains.

"Holy..." She trails off, covering her mouth and trying to bottle up her emotions but after reading a handwriting written at the envelope, she lost it.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

That was the exact sentence that had been written at the end of the envelope. It was Lauren's handwriting.

"Why didn't she tell us..." Lynne whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"She can't go through this by herself. She needs us. She'll stay with us. She won't leave us. I need to do something about this." She thought. She went to Lauren's bathroom; grabbing a tissue and wiping her tearstained face to not show any trace of tears on her face.

Lisa's point of view

The four other girls and I are all gonna head to our parents' house for a band meeting with the two little chickens.