tw // verbal abuse, mentions of ED and su1c1d3 attempt
songs that go with the chapter because i said so:
• 1 step forward, 3 steps back - my wife (olivia rodrigo)
• breathe (taylor's version) - taylor swift ft. colbie caillat
• happier than ever (2nd part) - billie eilish
YOU WOULD THINK THAT LAUREN and jaeden would get better over the next couple weeks. but it was quite the opposite actually.
they still talked every now and then but they both got extremely busy with everything. school for lauren, work for jaeden. their schedules clashed and they fought when they talked. sure they had their moments but the fighting overshadowed them. one day, the unthinkable happened. they ran out of things to talk about. the silence was so uncomfortable, they felt like strangers and so lauren did what she did best nowadays.
pick a fight.
"who's sateen?" she asked the brunet whose face was buried in his hands. he let out an annoyed groan, lifting his head up from his hands and saying
"she's just a friend"
"sure. whatever you say"
"she is! she's erin's friend, who's wyatt's friend, who's my friend. it's literally nothing stop being overdramatic" he grumbled, screwing his eyes shut before rubbing his temple continuing with
"who are you to talk, who the fuck is riley"
"he's literally just a classmate. i have those jaeden i go to school"
"yeah and sateen's just a friend. i have those lauren, i'm a human being. we socialize"
"and if he's just a classmate then what was he doing in your room"
"a project? look who's being overdramatic now" the blonde scoffed, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend before crossing her arms
"you would question me if i had another girl in my room"
"so why are you calling me overdramatic for questioning sateen?"
"because i was with a whole group of friends and you decided to pick her out of everyone there"
"because you were right next to her and you had an arm wrapped around her?"
"for a damn picture?! riley was sitting in your fucking bed playing with ollie!"
"so what other guys are not allowed to play with ollie?!"
"what happened when i hung up?"
"do you actually think i would cheat on you?" she exhaled, eyes widening in disbelief before jaeden coldly replied with
"well you had no problem almost kissing me and flirting with me when you were with lucas."
"this again? seriously?"
"yes this again. who's to say history won't repeat itself"
"okay may i remind that you also made a few moves when i was in a relationship. literally what was the point of telling me that you would've asked me out if i wasn't dating lucas when i was in a relationship with him huh? don't be a hypocrite"
"listen jae, i love you way more than i ever loved lucas. i met riley two weeks ago and i'm not interested because from the moment i looked at him i could point out all the red flags"
"i love you jae. do you believe that?" her voice softened, raising an eyebrow at the brunet who sighed heavily, nodding slowly before replying to her with
"yes i do. and i love you too. so why are we fighting?"
"because you don't trust me!"
"you don't trust me either! you literally started it!"
"how can i when you're around all these pretty girls?!"
"laur believe me. i think you are the most gorgeous woman on the planet and you have nothing to worry about. ellie's not into me, or men in general. sateen's just a friend, who else do you want to question? promise i can answer every single one of those because i would never ever cheat. why would i when i have the most perfect girlfriend ever?"
"okay that was sweet now i feel bad"
"no i feel bad. sorry for not trusting you. you're right this guy does have a lot of red flags" he said, chuckling softly as he stalked riley's social media
"sorry for picking a fight"
"eh sorry for prolonging it kinda. we need to stop doing this"
"i know." she huffed, pressing her lips into a thin line
"i have a break coming up soon, i think i should go fly out to see you. we need some, you know — time, together. alone. physically"
"as much as i want that, and to see you in person, i wouldn't have time for you if you came here. it'd be the same thing"
"that's true. well we'll just have to wait. i miss you a lot lolo"
"i miss you too"
꧁꧂
𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑡
lauren violet holland protection squad
[ ᴀᴜᴅʀᴇʏ, ʙᴇʟʟᴀ, ʙᴇᴛʜ, ᴄʜᴏsᴇɴ, ғɪɴɴ, ᴊᴀᴇᴅᴇɴ, ᴊᴜsᴛɪɴ, ʟᴇxɪᴇ, ʟᴜᴄᴀs, sᴏᴘʜɪᴀ, ᴡʏᴀᴛᴛ ]
justin
audrey
and beth
is lauren with
you?
beth
no bestie i'm
on a date
finn
at 10pm??
beth
yes
sophia
ooh with who?
beth
her name is
august she's hot
i met her online :)
audrey
i love her already
wyatt
you're there too??
audrey
yes i'm on a
date with joshua
wyatt
huh
audrey
kidding btw
anyways
yeah bella and i are
sitting a few seats
away to make sure
everything's going
smoothly
bella
she likes audrey's
songs that's why
audrey loves her
audrey
don't remind me
of my songs i don't
have any inspiration
chosen
wait which ones
are out officially
so far
driver's license,
brutal, traitor, favorite
crime, and deja vu right?
wyatt
yeah
she can't think
of anything bc
we're happy :D
audrey
bitch wdym happy
you called me a
rat
sophia
wyatt what the
fuck how many
times do i have
to tell you that
not everyone considers
that as a compliment
wyatt
i'm learning okay
write a song about
being in love with me
just say curly
hair it'd be a
giveaway
justin
but that's so
boring tbh
audrey
true
breakup songs people
can scream out loud
hit different
wyatt
oh —
okay then
justin
anyway
can we stay on
topic
where is lauren
@lucas is she
with you?
lucas
no? i'm going
to bella rn i
got hungry
lexie
i can't track her
phone
why what's wrong?
justin
she's not home
her closet is wide
open and some of
her clothes are
gone i figured she
was at a sleepover
but she's not answering
my calls or texts
my mom's doing
an abdominal wall
transplant rn i don't
wanna worry her
jaeden
wait what
what do you mean
where's lauren
beth
we don't have
any sleepovers planned
and when we do
it's usually at your
house or bella's
hold up someone ruin
this date i'm worried
audrey
i'll choke
bella
on what
wyatt
i —
audrey
ew
not the time
you dirty minded
bitch
lucas
bella
bella
NO I MEAN CHOKE
ON WHAT YOU'RE NOT
EATING OR DRINKING
ANYTHING
YOU'RE THE DIRTY
MINDED BITCH
audrey
OH YEAH
HMM
LUCAS HEYY BESTIE
I SEE U WALKING IN
THE RESTAURANT
OKAY BELLA YOU
CHOKE
bella
NO ONE NEEDS
TO CHOKE WE CAN
JUST TELL BETH
THERE'S AN EMERGENCY
audrey
OKAY TRUE LUCAS
BREAK YOUR LEG
lucas
i don't think violence
is necessary
finn
if you think about it
it makes it more
believable
elsie agrees
audrey
listen to finn!!
justin
yeah listen to
him
you guys know
how scary audrey
is
i mean look
at her
wyatt
saved
look at my
wittle rat aw
audrey
SHUT UP WYATT
FUCKING COCKROACH
wyatt
NO I'M NOT
audrey
IF I'M A RAT
YOU'RE A ROACH
THAT'S HOW IT WORKS
ANYWAYS
I HATE YOU JUSTIN
TWO CAN PLAY
IT THAT GAME
lexie
BABY
YOU'RE SO
TINY
I WANNA HUG
justin
THEN COME BACK
HERE AND HUG ME
ANYWAYS
FUCK YOU AUDREY
audrey
YOU WISH YOU
COULD
old you i
mean
not you now
lexie
true true
i don't blame
him i mean look
at audrey
she's so hot
wyatt
i mean
apparently he
was down bad
lucas
he was
but that's not
the point rn
lauren's missing
jaeden
she's not answering
me
is she active
on any of her
socials?
bella
nope
sophia
her thing says
last active two
hours ago tho
beth
okay told august the
truth she understands
we're gonna go try to
look for her now
keep calling her
jaeden
did she tell
you guys anything
justin
we don't talk
audrey
no nothing
bella
guys
i'm worried
i was scrolling
through my for you
page and i found this
*insert tiktok link here*
if you thought that
video was bad enough
check the comments
top comment is her
acc. they found her
and the rest of
the connents are :((
jaeden
i don't have
tiktok what is
it
chosen
that's—
that's messed up
beth
I'M THROWING HANDS
HOW'D THEY FIND
HER ACCOUNT???
audrey
WHAT THE FUCK
sophia
wait i don't have
tiktok either
neither does wyatt
so he doesn't have
to say anything
lucas too
lexie
this is so
wrong :((
lucas
what
no you don't
understand i'm actually
fuming right now
i can actually
hire a hitman if
you guys need me
too i know who to
call
bella
do it bestie
justin
oh
jaeden
what the fuck
sophia
i don't claim
them
no
nope
not my fandom
wyatt
justin i'm so
sorry
finn
i am too
chosen
^^^^
jaeden
this is so upsetting
justin i'm sorry
justin
why are you
apologizing to me
no need or whatever
just find lauren
a chill just ran
down my spine
thinking of all
the things she
could be doing rn
or where she
could be
audrey
no bc her history
i'm literally shaking
rn she's still not
answering me
lucas
how much time
before we report
her as a missing
person???
justin
a day i think
or is it six
hours
one of those
beth
contacting literally
everyone rn
who are her
other friends
jules and jayden
said they saw her
at starbucks a few
hours ago but that's
it.
lexie
try contacting riley
sloan he's my cousin
they were partners
in a project together
he's kinda into
her
jaeden
oh my god did
he kidnap her
finn
dude
wyatt
uh no i feel
like she packed her
own things herself
sophia
maybe they
eloped
jaeden
yeah that isn't
helping me
beth
riley answered
jaeden
airport?
so she's on
a plane...
justin
to where
audrey
to jaeden maybe?
alright wyatt tell
us your secret did
she contact you or
smth to surprise him
wyatt
no
our last interaction
was the other day
i called ollie a
rat
justin
you're a rat
bella
justin he thinks
it's a compliment
justin
oh
cool i guess
so what now...
do we just
wait??
bella
lauren's tiktok just
got banned
beth
for what
bella
"going against community
guidelines"
BITCH SHE DID
NOTHING WHAT DO
THEY MEAN
SHE DOESN'T EVEN
POST WTF
justin
they mass reported
her
they tried to
do that to
audrey too
audrey
they did 💀
look at what you
people did
wyatt
who are you
talking to
audrey
your fans
jaeden
okay what the fuck
can we please focus
on trying to find lauren
i physically can't do
anything just thinking
about where she could be
chosen
think we've established
that she might be on
a plane
how about we give her
like three hours??
maybe four
if she still
doesn't answer we
come up with something
more solid
beth
did she leave
a note or smth
justin
like last time
sophia
last time?
jaeden
?
justin
long story
like really really
long
audrey can you
tell them
just so they're
aware
audrey
kay kay it cast
hop on the discord
server i'll tell you
what i can
the rest of you
go look for lauren
okay losers
this is a lot
to unpack
꧁꧂
maybe lauren missed jaeden a little too much. see lauren's head wasn't exactly in the right space. justin was out doing god knows what and mer focused all her energy on work. they all have yet to talk to each other or do anything with each other so what did lauren do?
book a flight to jaeden.
it was a six hour flight, no big deal, it's not like everyone at home would go crazy and start looking for her if she left all of a sudden with absolutely no warning. hint the sarcasm.
the blonde was sitting in the airport, scrolling through her social media for the first time in weeks because she had nothing to do and no one to talk to, she put her phone on do not disturb so her friends wouldn't bother her. she scrolled through her for you page, watching videos of dogs with their owners and taking note of the tricks she wanted to teach ollie too when suddenly, she got a notification of her account being mentioned.
"what the fuck?" she mumbled, tapping on the notification.
her tiktok was private, her username was some random taylor swift reference, she had no profile picture, only had one video which was her doing some challenge with beth and audrey but even then that was only made available to her friends. her name, age, or school was nowhere in her bio. she literally only had her pronouns and a few emojis. no trace of jaeden or her brother either. she specifically asked justin, audrey, beth, and bella not to follow her on their main accounts so people wouldn't dig through their following and find her. so why was she being mentioned by an account that was clearly a fan account of her boyfriend's?
she took a deep breath once the video started to play and what she saw made her heart sink. they were body shaming her.
she knew she should've stopped watching, but for some reason she couldn't. her eyes brimmed with tears as she watched these so called fans comment on her figure, talking about how she probably forcefully purges, which she stopped doing long before she met jaeden.
she scrolled through the comments, and they were filled with people chiming in, bringing up the rumors they made about her. calling her all sorts of names.
then she saw a comment that ruined her day even further.
user: jaeden deserves so much better than her, i hope she joins her dad.
and the replies to that comment were much worse.
they were making fun of derek's death.
she turned off her phone almost immediately, shoving the device back into her purse before contemplating on whether or not she should push through with the trip. on one hand, she already spent money on it, but on the other hand, she wasn't sure if she wanted to see jaeden.
she knew he had no control over what they said and what they did and she was well aware of that. she knew he was sorry for their behavior and all that, but she just couldn't find it in herself to go to him.
she should've known better than to date someone with jaeden's platform.
"i mean, i don't have to go to him now do i?" she mumbled, figuring that she could just book a cheap hotel room and stay there for the weekend. disappear for a few days and do her own thing to wind down. after all, she already spent money on this flight. guess she could just do that instead
꧁꧂
she went straight to a hotel after arriving at the airport. she found a relatively cheap one that was still good quality. she texted her mom about her leaving for the weekend but she knew her mom was in a big surgery so she probably wouldn't see it until after. but lauren completely forgot to inform her brother and friends about her whereabouts too.
after taking a much needed relaxing bubble bath, she checked her tiktok once again (out of habit) only to see that she had been logged out and banned.
great. the it fandom strikes again.
not even bothering to check her other socials, fully knowing that she was going to have to scroll through an influx of hate, she tossed her phone on the couch before plopping on the bed. letting out a contented sigh as she indulged in the softness of the cold white mattress and thick comforter.
she decided to think about what to do. if she wasn't going to see jaeden, she might as well find something to do here. she couldn't stay cooped up in this hotel room all weekend. well she could, but she couldn't. what was the point of going on a six hour flight then?
if there was one thing her father taught her, it was to save, save, and save. she did the math, and she had enough in her card to go shopping. maybe not too much because she was just here by herself. it was perfect. a weekend by herself. away from everyone and everything. it was all she needed.
meanwhile, her phone looked a little something like this
(15) missed calls from chosen jacobs
(12) missed calls from finn wolfhard
(10) missed calls from elsie ritcher
(20) missed calls from sophia lillis
(7) missed calls from amelia holland
(31) missed calls from lexie sloan
(37) missed calls from bella yang
(29) missed calls from wyatt oleff
(4) missed calls from riley sloan
(55) missed calls from beth parker
(46) missed calls from lucas brown
(60) missed calls from audrey smith
(58) missed calls from justin holland
(80) missed calls from jaeden martell
meredith holland (mom): okay have fun sweetie!
꧁꧂
"dude get off your phones we're literally walking around the mall right now you guys might run into a fucking pole" noah jupe, jaeden's co-star, said. giving ellie, erin, and sateen a 'back me up' look. jaeden and wyatt have been on their phones for hours, it's like they weren't even there.
wyatt was filming near jaeden so they met up frequently, eventually forming their own little group with jaeden's co-stars, and the friends wyatt made near where he was staying too.
"can't. lauren's missing. no idea where she is. she's not answering anything. worried she might be dead" jaeden replied straightforwardly, trying to call his girlfriend for the umpteenth time.
"she's always got something going on" noah remarked, rolling his eyes discretely
"her dad just died, she's a mess. her head is not in the right space so how about you shut the fuck up" jaeden hissed, shooting his co-star a glare. he raised his arms arms up in surrender, putting them back in his pocket before saying
"look i get it — she's going through something. it's just, she can't use that as an excuse for everything"
"oh yeah? let's see the most important person in your life get hit by semi. and have everyone else you love leave. i'd like to see you all put back together and okay in less than two months"
"jae calm down" sateen mumbled, placing a hand on the brunet's shoulder. jaeden let out a long exhale, shaking his head before apologizing to noah.
jaeden and sateen were well, complicated. sateen was the sweetest girl on earth and she respected his and lauren's relationship. she saw hers and jaeden's relationship as a completely platonic thing and so did he. but there were moments.
those moments weren't anything that bad, but sometimes they'd just be laughing with each other, or looking at each other and something just sparks in the both of them. sateen never acted on them, not once. she didn't want to be that girl. not to mention, she adored lauren, and wanted to be her friend. based on all the stories she would hear about her (that weren't about the fights). jaeden on the other hand? would get a little flirty. they liked to think of it as his natural charm, but something was there. they just refused to acknowledge it.
they were friends with maybe feelings but they refused to act on it because one of them was taken and he was madly in love with his girlfriend but he was also slightly attracted to her but they were gonna pretend that he wasn't because they respected lauren too much.
erin and wyatt, that's another story. but they're about the same. no they're not cheating on audrey (or else traitor would have an entirely different meaning and wyatt would be put through the wringer) but it's a little complicated between them too. they did like to believe that they were totally platonic though.
"hey uhh wyatt" erin whispered, tapping the curly haired boy's shoulder
"what?"
"i don't really know her face so i could be wrong. but is that lauren?" she asked, pointing at one of the restaurants.
low and behold, she wad right. because there was lauren, sitting on one of the chairs right next to the window in the japanese restaurant jaeden and wyatt's group liked going to so much, she was reading a book while munching on something they couldn't quite make out.
"jaeden. lauren's here"
"what?"
"look over there"
jaeden whipped his head towards the direction was pointing at, letting out a breath he was holding in since last night (metaphorically). wyatt told him that he'd text the group himself, giving jaeden the go signal to approach his own girlfriend.
the brunet sprinted to the restaurant, yelling out lauren's name which obviously caught her attention. her eyes widened as she promptly got up from her seat, getting ready for her boyfriend's embrace.
he tackled her so hard they almost fell to the ground. his grip around her remained tight, as he buried his head in her chest. trying to hold back tears of joy.
"you're here" he breathed, peppering her face with affectionate kisses as lauren tried to maintain their balance.
a weary smile made its way to her lips when her arms snaked around his neck, mumbling
"surprise?"
"don't — lauren — what the fuck you scared me"
"what did i do?"
"what did you — okay i don't wanna get mad. but what are you doing here? you didn't answer your phone we were all so worried about you" he told her, lifting a hand up to her cheek before pressing their foreheads together.
"i came here to surprise you"
"but?"
"but — something came up. also i realized this was all very impulsive. i don't even know where you're staying so i'd have to text you and ruin the surprise. but i paid for the ticket already and i didn't wanna waste my money"
"where are you staying? you can stay with me. so you don't have to pay for much. we can get your things now and —"
"jaeden it's fine. i'm going home tomorrow. i have school. i just needed a weekend away. left my phone in my hotel room because — well it's basically a brick right now. nothing to do because every time i open social media i — well you know"
"but you could've texted, or called. you could've face timed me, or the girls. beth was on a date you could've come with them and spied with bella and audrey. lauren — you scared the crap out of me. justin too, same with audrey and beth they were so worried that —"
"they'd find my dead body sprawled across the freeway after getting hit by an eighteen-wheeler because no one was there to stop me so i finally jumped off the bridge of the highway?"
"laur..."
"i was kidding"
"it's not funny."
"yikes sorry" she scoffed. jaeden leaned in to give her a firm kiss on the lips once again, pulling the blonde to his chest before taking a little whiff of her hair, relishing the feeling of finally having her in his arms.
"lauren! what the hell you rat you scared me!"
"wyatt stop calling people rats it's not a compliment"
"i wasn't complimenting her. audrey couldn't sleep last night because of you we were all so worried she literally crying you have to call her" wyatt scoffed, approaching the two with the rest of the group following behind him before pulling lauren into a bear hug. now that? that was platonic.
"oh wow, you're all here" lauren mumbled a little unenthusiastically, smiling politely at the rest of the group as she and wyatt pulled away from their hug
"mind if we join you? i mean — it's okay if you don't. if you want some alone time it's fine we can leave. just tell me where you're staying, i missed you" jaeden then said to her, intertwining their fingers before leaving a gentle kiss on her knuckles.
"uh — no it's cool! you guys can sit here, i was just waiting for my main course i got here like seven minutes ago" she replied, gesturing for the rest of the group to sit down. she moved over to the far left, letting jaeden wrap an arm around her as the group gathered around the table
they ordered their usual as lauren silently fiddled with the napkin on her table, quietly listening to the six's conversation about acting which she had zero interest in. actors? maybe. acting? nope.
she wanted to be alone, but she didn't wanna seem rude. so she kind of had no choice but to let them join her.
"wait — how rude. lauren! these are mine and wyatt's friends! that's erin, that's sateen, that's noah, and that girl over there is ellie"
"finally! it's so nice to meet you. i knew you were hot but like — you're so much hotter in person" ellie chirped flirtatiously, propping her elbow up on the table before placing her head on her palm, eyeing the blonde who blushed lightly.
"you by any chance into girls?"
"down girl, she's taken" sateen chimed in playfully, nudging ellie who rolled eyes at the brunette, then turning to lauren before winking at her. she leaned into the backrest of her chair before folding her arms across her chest
"that sucks. good luck with this one. he's an ass"
"hey!"
"i mean, like i didn't already know that" lauren retorted, jaeden gasped dramatically, placing a hand over his chest making lauren giggle softly.
"that's very true. so your friend beth, is she single?"
꧁꧂
"you didn't have to accompany me here. i'm fine. you have work in the morning" lauren muttered, padding into her hotel room with her boyfriend trailing behind her.
jaeden simply hummed in response, locking the door before taking his coat off, hanging it on the little rack provided before following his girlfriend into the tiny living room, his mood shifting from caring to frustrated in a matter if seconds when he said
"what happened the past few days can't happen again"
"what?"
"you! disappearing! you scared the shit out of us!"
"yes jaeden, you told me about a hundred times. i know. i'll let someone know next time okay?" the blonde replied, picking her phone up from the couch. she furrowed her eyebrows before looking up at her boyfriend, saying
"ninety-nine missed calls? are you fucking insane?!"
"you left without warning! you could've at least told one of them you were coming here! who knows what might have happened to you!"
"i get that but i'm fine now you can get off my ass about it!"
"i can't! especially after the bridge story i —"
"you know the bridge story?" the blonde muttered under her breath, her eyes widening in shock.
memories of that cold night night began flashing in her mind like some kind of presentation, a chill ran down her spine upon remembering the rain, dripping down her skin and the cold air breezing through her hair.
she vividly remembered what it felt like to look down when stood atop the cement railing of the bridge, she remembered her life flashing before her eyes as she stared deep into the river where she figured her body would be flowing down on in a matter of minutes
she tried to think of reasons of the stay, but at the time, the negatives outweighed the positives. the bullies, the fake friends, the brother problems, school problems. to this day lauren could still list down every problem she had when she first thought of taking her life because she always thought it couldn't get any worse than that.
clearly she was wrong.
she remembered the sound of her friends and family calling out her name, begging her not to jump. but they all hesitated to go near her, worrying that she'd pull them down with her.
but not derek.
how everything happened was a blur, but to this day she could still feel her father's comforting embrace. she recalled breaking down in his arms and sobbing into his chest while he assured her that everything was going to be okay. and how they were all going to be there for her.
how he promised that he was going to be there for her.
and now that she needed him most? he wasn't there. and words can't explain how much it angers her that he isn't. she wanted to hate her father for going to soon, for leaving her, but she couldn't. of course she couldn't. but he broke his promise.
the same way her brother and best friends broke theirs. jaeden wasn't supposed to know about it. it would only make him freak out more. which it did.
"laur, they didn't wanna tell us believe me. don't get mad at them. audrey hesitated, took us half an hour to get it out of her. but we know —"
"we? so the entire group knows? that's just great. more unnecessary babysitters" she scoffed, rolling her eyed at her boyfriend as she paced back and forth
"lauren you can't blame us for worrying. especially after the similarities! if anything what you're going through right now even worse!"
"oh yeah and whose fault is that?!"
"now what is that supposed to mean?"
"nothing it's — no. look, i promise it won't happen again so just shut the fuck up. please stop worrying about me"
"lauren all i do is worry! how can i not?! you haven't been yourself!"
"jaeden i'm fine! literally look at me!"
"no you're not! you've said 'fine' so much it doesn't even sound like a word anymore. laur, you're not fine."
"oh because you know me so well. because you're the all knowing being that knows what i'm feeling?! jaeden i'm alright! my dad's dead i've accepted that. my brother's leaving i've accepted that. you're not with me, and you're gonna extend your stay because you got another role i've accepted that! my mother's gonna be absent now more than ever! and guess what?! i've accepted that too! i'm fine stop hovering!"
"it's not that i just — you need someone. you have people but they don't seem to be giving the effort they should be giving. so you know what? i'm gonna do it. i'm gonna visit you every weekend to make sure you're alright. and i'm gonna turn down that role so i can watch over you"
"you're gonna turn down the opportunity to be the lead role in another stephen king movie adaptation? are you out of your fucking mind?!"
"it's fine! don't worry about it. you —"
"no! jaeden are you dumb?! are you fucking stupid?! why the fuck would you do that?!"
"because someone needs to take care of you!"
"i'm alright! you don't just turn down the opportunity of a lifetime for a girl! i can handle myself! i'm a big girl! i'm fine! stop suffocating me!"
"i don't want to suffocate you laur, but you have been impulsive, irresponsible, erratic and messy. i can't trust you!"
"can't trust me with what?! what you think that i'll cheat on you because i'm such a mess?! can't trust me with my life because i'm so irresponsible?! is that it?!"
"yes!"
"do you really think i'm that dependent on you that i need to have you by my side to be able to make sound decisions?!"
"by the looks of this?! yes! you are a six hour plane ride away from home because you felt like it! you ghosted everyone that cares about you and for a little while made us think you were dead!"
"you're all just fucking overreacting! i'm fine! i'm alive and i'm healthy! hell you know what, i was peaceful until you showed up!"
grief creates a monster out of us. a terrible, terrible monster. you may think you have it all figured out but you don't. and more often than not, the monster makes you say things you don't even mean. and you'll only realize the damage you've created when it's too late.
"i said we could leave you alone if you needed some alone time but you —"
"no it's not just today. i'm talking about my life"
"what?"
"you ruined my life jaeden martell" she deadpanned, looking her boyfriend straight in the eye, her voice laced with disgust.
"my life hasn't been the same since i sent you those stupid messages and not in a good way! i had lucas brown. i could've settled for lucas brown. he was rich, he was into me. and i was into him. and then you came into my life and wrecked everything!"
"and then what happened?! drama! drama for audrey, wyatt, and justin. drama for us! then dating you brought a truck load of haters that make fun of my dead dad, make up rumors about me, tell me to kill myself, and send me hateful comments on a daily basis! i didn't ask for any of this jae! but here i am getting called a slut, a whore, a clout chaser on a daily basis just because i'm dating you"
"don't you see?! you ruined my life! if i never met you this wouldn't be happening to me! i hate you jaeden. i hate you so much"
"laur — laur come on you don't mean that" his voice broke, his eyes glistening with tears.
"i do. i mean every single word. you have been nothing but a pain in my ass ever since my dad died. all you do is hover and suffocate me then you go out and accuse me of cheating when you and sateen were basically eye fucking each other right in front of me!"
"and then you're gonna call me paranoid. and bring up riley who i still have no interest in. then you're gonna call me overdramatic because it's very healthy to call your girlfriend overdramatic whenever she freaks out over things she has a right to freak out about! talk about being fucking toxic?! 'you can't use your grief as an excuse all the time'. i'll do whatever the fuck i want!"
"you talk about not trusting me as if i can trust you. you're a hypocrite jaeden. you're a lying, manipulative, toxic hypocrite that constantly hovers. you're stupid and immature and you ruined my life!"
"you don't mean any of this laur. stop" he tried to say calmly, holding back tears as his heart pounded out of his chest.
"get out jaeden! i don't wanna see you!"
"we'll talk it out tomorrow. okay? wait for me. you're just upset"
"get out now!"
"i'll be back — this isn't — this isn't over. this can't be over" he insisted, ambling towards his girlfriend. he cupped both her cheeks before kissing the top of her head, exhaling sharply before walking out of the suite. she just needed space. they weren't over yet. they couldn't be.
right?
꧁꧂
it was the following evening and lauren's flight got delayed due to inclement weather. instead of going around like lauren initially planned for her last day, she spent her time reflecting on what went down last night.
she hated herself for the things she said to jaeden, she didn't know what came over her. it all just came out. it couldn't happen again, she wasn't going to let herself talk to him that way.
what she did to him last night? that was abuse, verbal abuse. she didn't want to do that to him. she wasn't going to let it happen again.
forever.
she was going to leave then break up with him over the phone. she was ashamed of what she let herself become the other night and she didn't want to face him. but the universe really said 'fuck you lauren' and sent a whole thunderstorm so now she was stranded. and jaeden was on his way.
at exactly seven pm, lauren heard a loud knock on her door. sighing heavily, she dragged herself out of bed, padding towards the door while going over the points she rehearsed in her head before slowly opening the door revealing jaeden, who seemed both nervous and excited to see her.
"hey you" he greeted, kissing her on the forehead before strolling into the room. lauren pursed her lips, closing the door behind her before stuffing her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, following behind her boyfriend. her gaze remained on the ground as jaeden went on about his day, and deciding that it was time to out both of them out of their miseries, she said
"are we not gonna talk about last night?"
"last night? it's alright. i know you didn't mean anything you said" he replied innocently, taking a seat on the couch
"also it's my fault. you were right, i hovered, but that was only because i cared and i was frightened but i took the time to process and understand what you want. i'll give you space, as much as you want. i'll be right here when you're ready"
"jaeden — jaeden no" she sighed, sitting right across from him
"the things i said last night — yeah, i didn't mean them. but that doesn't mean it was okay for me to say them to you"
"lauren it's fine"
"not it's not, it's not at all"
"listen, i did some reflecting. i'm gonna go home, and take the advice of my aunts and uncles. i'm gonna go to therapy, and everything else they suggested. i'm gonna work on making sure that something like that never happens again"
"that's great laur"
"yeah, it is. but look jaeden — jaeden i love you"
"and i love you too"
"i know you do. which is why i have to end this. now" she let out quickly, letting out a deep exhale before lowering her gaze. too scared to look her boyfriend in the eye
"wait what?"
and just like that, the world began to fall apart as he knew it. there was absolutely no way lauren had just said those words. he didn't want to believe it, he refused to.
"we can't be together anymore"
"but why? is it me?"
"no — jae. not at all, you're great. i didn't mean anything i said last night. you were amazing. i love you, i loved how close you were with my family and how you quickly became friends with my friends, i love how you are with ollie, i love you and everything about you"
"but i am hurting you. those things i said to you last night? i — they were horrible. you don't deserve that. you don't deserve a girl like me. you deserve so much better than what i can give you right now"
"you're right, i'm a mess. and i need to put myself back together, and i know you want to help, but if that means holding you back? then i don't want you to. i don't wanna hold you back jae" she told him wholeheartedly, tears streamed down her cheeks as she inched towards him, wiping the tears that trickled down her now ex-boyfriend's cheek. it absolutely pained her to see him like this, but it was what was best for the both of them. they were hurting each other. it wasn't going to get them anywhere.
"no — no lauren. you aren't. please — please don't give up on us"
"i don't want to jae"
"then don't do it"
"but i need to" her voice cracked just as her heart did, streams of tears coursing dow her cheeks.
"this is hard for me too — look i don't wanna leave a relationship i wanna stay in. i love you so much jaeden. but i don't wanna hurt you anymore. i don't wanna burden you with me either."
"lauren no — please. you're the love of my life, i can't lose you"
"as much as i want to be, i'm not. the love of your life wouldn't hurt you like this" the blonde said shakily, her voice trembling as she screwed her eyes shut,
"i love you. i really do. but i'm only going to hold you back and hurt you."
she carefully opened her eyes once again, her emerald green orbs meeting her boyfriend's, whose eyes clouded with anguish and misery. slowly, she leaned in, keeping her hands on his cheeks as she placed her lips onto his for a soft, passionate kiss.
jaeden loved kissing her, he always did. but this time? not so much. because this kiss? felt like goodbye. and he didn't want to say goodbye to her. not now. not ever.
every time their lips touched, their hearts broke even further. these kisses were the ones that broke them apart, which was ironic since just a few months ago, kisses by the same pair of lips were what sealed their temporary union.
he didn't want to stop kissing her, he didn't want to pull away because he knew that at the end of their kissing? was also the end of their relationship.
and so lauren was the one to pull away, her eyes were puffy, the smile she frequently wore that he adored had been completely wiped out by a heartbroken frown. her eyes that twinkled under the gleam of the moonlight, now dull, filled with hurt and regret. it was a far cry from the lauren he once fell in love with, but even then, he was still head over heels for the blonde that sat in front of him. because she was his lauren.
in a final attempt to keep her in his life, he let himself be vulnerable, completely and unyieldingly desperate, in a sob, or whisper(?) he couldn't tell, he begged her, one last time
"stay with me"
"i can't"
꧁꧂
author: next chapter is the epilogue yay!
also don't fret there will be a sequel
sateen and erin slander are also not tolerated here! you even try to say something bad about the loves of my life and i will mute you <33