July 14th, 1985 7:03am New York
Lauren's eyes pecked open when her door opened, yet there was no one there, so she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get even an ounce of sleep on the hard bed. She felt an overly small hand on her back. She turned to see the five-year-old Jennie standing beside her bed. "Mama told me to get you up." Lauren rolled back over, ignoring the girl. The girl grabbed her arm and started pulling her out of the bed. "Get up."
"What does she want?"
"You." Lauren pulled the blanket off of her body and slid out the door, followed by the blonde. The apartment hall was brightly and filled with what were nearly fluorescent hospital lights. When she walked into the kitchen, she saw her mother in a long conservative dress and Bill in a suit.
"Morning, Starshine." Lauren just looked at the man who seemed to be trying way too hard. She grabbed a coffee cup and poured her a glass. She really needed it with her lack of sleep. "We got a coffee drinker here."
"Is that a problem?" She raised her eyebrows. Generally asking, not just being her typical sarcastic self.
"No," Bill shrugged, looking back to his newspaper from the day before.
"Lauren, go get dressed for church." Lauren looked at her mother like she was crazy. I'm only getting the most serious look back. The only time they ever went to church her whole childhood was Easter with her mom's mom. Then when Walt convinced her to go a few times, so it was less miserable for him.
"Sunday mornings are for coffee and contemplation, not church." She said, sturring some sugar into her coffee.
"Your father said something like that all the time." Lauren took a sip of her coffee again, looking at her like she was stupid. That was the whole reason she had said it.
"I know," she started walking back to her room.
"What are you contemplating, kid?" Bill asked she turned around.
"Suicide." She said. She didn't really mean it. Although she normally always accompanies such a claim with a follow-up of not really, don't worry. She didn't see a point she didn't care about what her mom thought.
"Lauren, that's not funny," Diane slammed her hand down on the table. Lauren rolled her eyes. Now she cared when it wasn't even a real possibility, Lauren thought.
"It was joke," Lauren said, bringing the mug to her mouth.
"Lauren, with your history, you shouldn't be joking like that." Lauren rolled her eyes again. Her mom should be the last person to talk about Lauren's history.
"History?" Bill asked, looking between the two girls.
"Oh, you know. Tried to kill myself." She shrugged. "Regular Tuesdays night if you ask me." She smiled and walked back to the hallway. "I'll be ready as soon as I can." She said with extreme fake excitement. She pushed her bedroom door open, kicking closed. Lauren stared into the child's room that was now hers. Hers. She lived with her mom and was going to for a while. She might as well be locked up in Alcatraz. This was going to be hell on earth. Lauren unzipped her suit case and pulled out the first dress she found.
The first thing she grabbed was a bra. Once it was on, she grabbed some underwear and went to change. Her hair wasn't horrible like it normally was when she first woke in the mornings, so she just ran a brush through it. She had only been her for a week, but in that week, she released how much she left.
She didn't have any makeup to put on, but despite the little sleep she got, she looked well rested. Lauren ran a brush through her hair she didn't bother to do her hair regularly. Instead, she put her hair into two individual braids. The bedroom door opened with a woman in a long dress standing in the doorway. "You-"
"Knock, please, it is one of the only things I've asked you to do."
"I might have something you can wear." Lauren looked down at her dress.
"It ain't the dress, I've just got big boobs."
"I didn't. Fine, are you ready."
"Since when do you go to church? And why do i have to go? I don't believe in God?"
"Since I said so." She snapped for the girl to follow her. "It would be good for you anyway. A little faith never hurt anybody." Lauren stood up with an eye roll.
"Someone clearly hasn't been to history class in a while." She said under her breath, closing the door that still remained as shrine to her sister.
☆
July 14th, 1985 7:03am Indiana
Steve walked out of the bathroom connected to his room with nothing to do with his day. There was no work to report to no girlfriend to go and see. Other than sleep and talking on the phone with Lauren a couple of times, he hadn't done anything. He hadn't talked to anyone. Before laying down in the comfort of his sheets, he shuffled through Lauren's record collection, skipping past several and finally landing on Pink Floyd's: I Wish You Were Here.
In the corner of his eye, Steve saw the backpack that belonged to the girl he wouldn't get to see who he wouldn't get to hold or to kiss for a long time. He grabbed the backpack, digging his hand through it. There was a lot of junk she carried around with her for a reason unbenounced to him the thing he was looking for was gone just like them. He set the bag down. Instead of his bed, he made his way to his closet to grab a hoddie to cover his mess of a week in bed.
Along with that, he grabbed the spare key that was no longer a spare key and walked out the door. "Good to see someone out of his room." Steve glanced at his mother but didn't pay mind to it. "Can you for one second talk to me." She said from the top of the stairs Steve standing by the door. "Are you okay?"
"No, mom. I'm not doing great."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Adopt Lauren."
"That would make you siblings."
"No. No. Nevermind. I just..."
"You want her here?" Beatrice stopped what she was doing and walked down the stairs as she said this.
"Yeah. She's halfway across the country for a year." The woman sat down on a step signaling for Steve to sit down with her. "Mom, it's been a week. I don't know what to do. It's like I'm a lost puppy."
"You're your own person that I know. When you like someone you want to be with them all the time, but now you can't, so you're going to have to be that person I know you are." The woman put her arm around her son who for once wasn't yell at her. He had relaxed into her, and she used it to hold him tight.
"I love her. More than I've ever loved anybody. And yeah, I know I can be my own person. That's not the problem here. My problem is that I don't know what I'm going to do without her for a year."
"Steve." Beatrice waited for their eyes to meet. "Maybe..."
"No."
"Steven, maybe this is for the best. No one should have to wait a year for a girl who isn't even what's best for him." Steve leaned his head up to look at her and try not to yell at her.
"And what's best for me you've made its clear you don't like her. Who do you think is best because if you say Nancy, I might punch the wall." He said, containing his anger at least a little.
"Nancy was a good girl. I like her."
"We're better as friends."
"But why?"
"She fucked somebody else. She resented me. And our "love" wasn't really real. Nancy was not right for me the girl I thought was the prettiest girl I'd ever seen at the stupid arcade six years ago is the one that's right for me."
"Is this about sex Steve, because she puts out? And i know that lust and sex can be amazing but it can give you false sense of love."
"Oh my god can we never have a okay moment. I don't love her because we have sex or because she beautiful there are so many reasons I do I love her why can that alone not be good enough for you? I don't understand."
"When you a father you will see that you only want the very best for your children."
"Of course but I also want them to be happy ultimately happiness is what I want for them." Beatrice placed her hand on his cheek.
"Looks fade, and she's already and addict." Steve's eyes widened.
"A fucking addict? Are you serious? She smokes a little weed every now and them yeah so do I so does every other teenager in the world. She's hardly an addict. You know where I was going? I was going to get some so am I an addict too mom?"
"No honey you're not. She's a sex addict."
"I'm am so done having this argument over and over and over again she is not a slut." Beatrice tilted her head in obvious disagreement. "I took her virginity she is not a slut stop saying that."
"Don't be naive Steven girls lie." Finally Steve couldn't take it anymore so he stood up. "Where are you going?"
"Going to get some goddamn cigarettes." Steve slammed the door behind him. They had had this argument over ten times and every time it was more and more outrageous stances from Beatrice about how Lauren was less than ideal.
☆
July 14th, 1985 8:25am New York
Lauren felt the sun on her face the warmth it gave off on her skin before she walked into the building with a large cross on the front. They walked through the doors carrying on conversation from the car. "And tomorrow Bill has set up a meeting for us to meet with your new school councilor about everything school wise."
"I don't have very many requirements left can I just sign up for some summer courses get those done graduate a year early? Start working?" Diane looked over at her.
"We'll talk about that later." Lauren rolled her eyes, crossing her arms on her chest. Diane plaster a smile on her face as a woman around the same age as her walked up. "Good morning."
"Good morning to you too." The woman pulled away from the hug. "Jennifer, Father Bill." She greeted the other two, looking to Lauren.
"Gloria, this is my other daughter Lauren." The woman looked at her and extended her arms.
"Lovely to meet you, sweetie. I was thrilled to hear you'd be joining us." Her arms held Lauren tight, her cold fake pearls touched Lauren's chest. "You are so beautiful, my goodness." As she pulled away with a smile to look Diane. "You bless with such beautiful daughters, Diane." Tbe smiled in her mother's face, which made her won't to vomit being in church and made her want to vomit.
Church, though not a bad thing, was hardly something that was "her thing." She went every now and again with Walt but only because he didn't want her to leave, so she went for an hour. Going without him didn't seem right. She didn't believe in God, so why do she have to go and pray or whatever Christians do at church.
Being her wasn't even the worst part of this whole experience the worst thing was seeing the stupid ass smile on her mom's face as she talked to Gloria and how unbelievably fake her mom looked talking to her.
Through this week, besides slucking in her room, she watched how fake her mom seemed to be all the time. The way she talked to Bill was so different from the way she acted with Jim. The way she treated Jennie was way different than how she treated her or Sara. Everything she did seemed like she was trying to empress someone. And Lauren was sure it wasn't her she didn't give a true shit about Lauren, and at least it was clear to her.
The room began emptying as people started moving into a large room. When Lauren walked in beside Diane and Jennie, the large crucifix remained her of the one in Indiana, the same gold lining, the same one that stood above her best friends casket. The benches we far from comfortable as they we made of wood that sat right up.
Standing in front of everyone was Bill as he started speaking. Everyone bowed their heads. When he finished his prayer, there was a plate of bread followed by a plate of little cups of juice. The little girl beside Lauren looked beyond excited to get both things immediately swallowing both down. Lauren just passed down both plates, not taking any.
"You don't want any juice it's awesome."
"It's the blood of Jesus Christ, honey." Diane corrected Jennie, taking her little sacrament cup.
"Oh yeah, I'm sorry, Mama." Lauren sighed, seeing Bill still standing in the front.
"Is he like a priest?"
"A preacher."
"Don't they have a vow or celibacy and like monogamy to Jesus or something?" Diane looked annoyed with her immediately, so she just stopped taking that. It didn't stop her mom from answering quietly.
"No. It's not required if he we somewhere else, yeah, maybe." Even though it was quiet, it was still said with a tremendous amount of attitude.
"You really got yourself a winner doctor and a preacher goddamn." Lauren said sarcastically with an eye roll Diane's eyes we wide.
"Shut the fuck up."
"Mama."
"Don't listen to mama Jen. Lauren do not say that at church." She whispered, yelled at his point, and her mom got mote of the eyes on them. Then Lauren did, and she got angry from the first words to come out of her mouth.
"Sorry." Lauren swallowed with a deep breath. "I didn't even do it on purpose. I'm sorry."
"You're forgiven." Lauren's jaw nearly dropped open. Yes, what she said was not appropriate, and she in no way tried to disrespect a religion, but her mom's anger was the thing that should need to be forgiven. It could have been the fact that it was coming from her mom, but those words pissed her off.
For an hour there were may people that came up and talked about there life and happiness and hardships, many songs sung, and many prayers all of which Lauren didn't weather would be more disrespectful not doing them or doing them but thinking the whole time that it was dumb and wasn't real. They closed with a final prayer before people allowed themselfs to start talking.
The hand of the random woman that say next to Lauren squeezing against hers. "Can I tell you something?" Lauren nodded. "Don't resist it only makes everything harder." Lauren nodded with a smile, turning her head to her mother, and Jennie started scooching off the benches . She took this chance to pull away from the woman that slightly creeper her out.
Lauren turned her head back forward, looking away from the older woman, but was stopped in her tracks, bumping into someone.
"Shit so -"
"Lauren!" Diane yelled, pulling her away from the boy. "She's sorry."
"I was saying sorry, Go..." Lauren swallowed down her irritation. "I'm sorry." Lauren said, looking at the boy.
"You're fine." He smiled while Diane ran a hand down Lauren's back only for her to pull away.
"Lauren, this is Pierce. Pierce, this is my daughter Lauren." Diane looked at Lauren, "he's going to take you to the teens group."
"There's more?" Lauren groaned questions, turning to her mom. "I dont want to be here. Can I just take the train to the apartment?"
"No. Honey." Lauren rolled her eyes. "Go with Pierce he's a nice boy and have fun. He's cute, isn't he?" Diane whispered.
"I have a boyfriend, mom." Diane grabbed Lauren's hand and did the same with Pierce, interlocking the too, pushing them away.
"Have fun." Lauren pulled her hand away, making the boy look down.
"You not like me?" He joked. Lauren turned to hide her disgusted look, but some of it came through.
"Boy, I didn't know you."
"You are testy, aren't ya."
"Sorry church isn't exactly my thing. Neither are stupid questions." Lauren gave him a fake smile as she followed beside him into a small room with chairs in a circle. Pierce sat down, and Lauren sat beside him as the last few people filled the room.
"I'm Perice Fouts."
"What?"
"You said "boy I don't even know you." So, I'm Perice Fouts. I'm seventeen. I was born in New Orleans, and I think orange is the most underrated color." Lauren nodded and sighed.
"I'm Lauren."
"I know. Before he left, Father Hedricks was talking about you coming and how he was excited for everyone to meet you."
"How much did my... Diane, pay you to say that?" He looked beyond confused. "Never mind."
A man walked into the room and sat in the front of the room. "Morning everybody. I hope everyone was a touched Moby Margaret's testimony as I was. First order of business, we have a new young lady with us. Can everybody welcome Lauren Hendricks."
"Hi Lauren." The rest of the teens said, feeling like an AA meeting.
"Thanks, but it's Hopper, not Hendricks."
"Oh, my apologies."
☆
July 14th, 1985 7:30am Indiana
Steve stood outside his car with a cigarette between his lips. The feeling of the smoke running through his lungs brought an old sense of relief and relaxation. His last cigarette was before his birthday until now, and he truly missed them. The morning sun quickly heated him up in his hoodie that he used to hide the horror that was his hair.
"Can I bum one?" A voice form behind him on that he recognized.
"Yeah, sure." Steve held out the box of cigarettes for the girl who took one and held it for the boy to light it.
"Hey, umm, sorry."
"For what?"
"How I acted at the funeral. I was kinda drunk."
"Yeah, I know you're alright." Steve let a breath out, looking at the blonde girl next to him. "I dontn't want to sound like a dick but, why you still here?" She scoffed, pulling the cigarette to her mouth.
"Im staying her for a while. A year or two." Mollie said, holding the smoke in.
"Cool." Steve nooded, looking to the wooded area across the gas station before he got nudged by her arm.
"Is it safe to say I have a friend?"
"I want to say yes, but."
"You're dating someone."
"Lauren."
"Yeah, i know."
"If It's okay with her, I just dont want to make her feel... we've had sex. I just dont want her to be uncomfortable."
"Steve, I get it."
"I mean, I dont think she'll mind."
"I'm sure she will. Besides, I don't need you, I make friends easily." She joked, giving Steve a toothy smile. The two sat in each others presence until they finished with their cigarette. Mollie pushed off the car.
"Thanks, can't exactly smoke in Aunt Dorothy's house." Steve didn't have a clue who that was. "Walts, mom." Steve's face looked to immediately realize.
"Please, after all the shit she let Walt get way with, you can't have a cigarette." Mollie's fave looked very interested while she crossed her arms on her chest.
"Now I need to hear this? What did my perfect do?" Steve couldn't help but laugh.
"Mr. perfect?"
"Yes, Mr. Football Mr. Gynecologist."
"No, OBGYN, there's a difference."
"I don't care. He's still Mr. Somehow, I'm going to balance that and football and do it so well. Like he does everything."
"Walt was one of my best friends, but he was perfect." Mollie's face was pale after he said this. "Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean."
"No, no, no, you're fine. I should start using past tense. It's not really going to change." Steve didn't want to say she didn't have to because realistically it should happen, but it wasn't his place to tell her that, so he just said nothing. "Will I think I see you around l, I hope you know if it's okay." A slight she walked away she winked at him. Steve sighed, stepping in his car.
He had nothing to do. He put the car in reverse and pulled out of his spot, making his way down the road. Trees passed, streets passed as he drove with nowhere to go. Steve found himself on a familiar street, pulling into a familiar driveway. The cabin sat still untouched yet minorly destroyed. The car door opened before Steve's feet hit the ground.
Steve himself was unsure why he was here. Lauren wasn't going to be in her room painting and Jim wasn't going to be asleep on the recliner, waking up with his super senses to give him a dirty look as Steve went to her room.
His hand tured the handle, pushing the door open to a dim room lit by the "sky light," really being a hole in the ceiling. His feet took step after step to Lauren's room, almost like he had no control over them.
The room says in utter chaos, clothes all over the floor and bed. The walls seemed to bear with only the posters. Mostly, everything remained the same. The fact that she didn't get to take anything with her pissed him off slightly. The fact that she didn't get the time or choice whether she went or not.
The bookshelf remained full of books she had read him. Her desk stacked with notebook and pens. A picture frame with a picture of her and Walt together on his hammock the had spent several nights on hanging above it. All of Lauren's stuff just left like she was the one that... all of it left just to be untouched for a year.
Being here was like being at an abandoned warehouse it was errire. So Steve grabbed the picture of Lauren and Walt and set back off for his car.
☆
July 14th 1985 1:15 pm New York.
Lauren was walking around looking for Diane and Jennie and Bill. Bill was the first person in her sight when he saw her he waved her over. "Todd, this is my Step- Daughter Lauren." Todd smiled and stuck out his hand.
"Nice to meet you."
"You too." Lauren turned to Bill. "Do you know where my mom is?"
"She should be grabbing Jennie from littles."
"Litties?"
"Down the hall to the left." Bill said his hand on Lauren's shoulder softly, nudging her in the direction.
"Thank you." Lauren made he way to her mom that met her on her way. "Can I leave?"
"We're about to get going." Diane said while Lauren turned, so she was walking in the same direction.
"Okay, well, can I get off the train sooner? I need to look for a job."
"That can wait, can't it. We're having everyone over for dinner to celebrate." Lauren looked over at the woman figuring she must have missed something.
"Celebrate?"
"You coming home." Jennie ran way into Bill's arms as soon as she saw him.
"Can you just stop, please?"
"Stop what?" Lauren stared he blank in the eyes. They are both new, exactly what she was talking about.
"Pretending you want me here. With all the babies, honeys and the rubbing my back. I'm only here because dad died. If he didn't, you wouldn't have bothered disrupting your picture-perfect life." Lauren said calmly, not gaining any attention from others. Diane pulled her into an empty hallway.
"Because you've said time and time again for me not to." Diane defended herself with a raised voice. Still, nobody else paid mind to it even if it wasn't a deserted hallway.
"Are you dense? I have plenty of enough reason to not want you in my life." Lauren eyes grew wide when a hand slapped across her face. She's was short of breath for a second. "So, are you going to start hitting me now?"
"Never have a ever been disrespected like this before." Lauren took a deep breath. "I not going to hit you, but I will knock some scenes into you." The hair in Lauren's fave was moved by the gental hand of Diane. "You look just like Ruby. It's uncanny." Diane's hand dropped while she walked out to the hallway. Lauren followed behind her, holding on to her ruby necklace, wishing she was with her at the moment.
☆
July 14th 1985 6:37 pm New York.
"I miss you so much." Steve said on the other end of the phone.
"I miss you too." Lauren said, holing the phone in the kitchen as Diane and Bill continued to cook. She walked into the hallway as far as the collied cord would allow. "I'm running away to Mexico. Are you coming?" She joked before she could hear him scoff through the phone.
"How is it there?" Lauren sighed, sliding on her back down the wall to sit down.
"I'm living in a shrine to my sister."
"What do you mean."
"I mean, her room hasn't been touched since December of seventy eight. Steve, there are crayons on the ground we left out before we had to run her to the hospital. Nothing has been touched."
"It's been like seven years and nothing?"
"Nothing. I moved the sheets so I could sleep but haven't touched anything else. I feel like my mom will kill me if I do."
"I'm sure if she gave you the room, she's alright if you move things."
"I mean Bill said I could, but like I feel wired, I just wish I had my old room. I used to love my room my dad painted a sun on the ceiling and in the dark part of it glowed so it looked like the moon that would be cool a fuck but I have something i don't know what to do with." Both of them wished they we together so they could see each others face while they talked. Lauren wished he could be here and hold her and help her move things.
"That sounds nice. I'm sorry. I wish I knew what to tell you."Lauren twirled the cord on her finger.
"How's things at home."
"Things seem to be going back to normal. I talked to Eleven yesterday, and she seems like she's doing okay. I know she called."
"Yeah. Her and Joyce they told me about the move, and it's probably a good thing. Get her out of there for a little bit. How are you?"
"I miss everybody, and I keep fighting with my mom she just keeps pissing me off. I stomed out today, I can't live with her anymore." There was nothing Lauren wanted to do more than hug him and run her fingers through his hair.
"Me too I'm getting a job as soon as I can and saving as much money as I can so when I get back I can afford a place for me and Eleven until I can get a job there."
"Yeah, Robin and I are looking for a new job right now."
"Together?"
"Yeah. We were looking at theater again because it's thriving again, but she quit, and Langdon wouldn't tear her, so we don't know."
"That sounds nice. I can call you at work to talk to you both at the same time. And I applied to the family video before I left the might still be hiring, though you'll have to work for Keith."
"Keith?"
"You don't know who Keith -" Diane was cut off by Diane standing over her.
"People are getting here. Hang up the phone."
"Can I get like five minutes."
"Huh?" Steve asked, but the phone was away from her ear.
"No, say you goodbyes and get off the floor." Lauren picked the phone back to her eye when Diane walked way.
"I have to go to some dinner."
"No, skip it, don't leave me." He whined, joking making Lauren smile.
"I have to. I don't want to get slapped again. I love you."
"Slapped?"
"My mom was being a bitch it's nothing." Lauren stood up walking to return the phone to the receiver. "I love you."
"I love you too. Can you call me after."
"Yes. Bye." Lauren had to yell while Diane took the phone and placed it on the hook. "You could not have waited two seconds?"
"Lo, baby!" Lauren's grandma yelled her arms extended. A huge smile appeared on Lauren's face when she wrapped her arms around the shot woman.
"Hi Grandma."
"My goodness, you look beautiful. So big." Lauren's smile didn't fade as she looked down at the woman with white hair. The only thing she missed about Diane was her mother. "You remember Uncle Kal." Kal extended his arms, and Lauren interlocked her arms with his.
"You look great so mature," he said in a tight hug before Lauren pulled away, moving toward her grandmother. Lauren grabbed her grandmother's arm and pulled her to the dinner tablesirrimg next to her.
"When did you move out here?"
"About a year ago. Your mom insisted, you know how she is.
"And Uncle Kal?"
"Well, you know how he can't live without his mama." A reasurrueing hand ran across her back. "I want to hear how you're doing. Your father was a great man."