I got to school around the time I always do except I noticed that Lauren's bike wasn't in her spot.
I swear to God, that girl better just be running late or I'll flip a bitch. This presentation is important to both of our grades and we can't make it up. God, I hope this doesn't get fucked up.
I walked into Biology and noticed the seat in the back was empty. I shook my head and quickly took my seat before the bell rang.
Mr. Adams walked up to the front of the class and smiled, "Now. I'm gonna take roll and afterwards, I'll be calling you up one at a time to present your projects." I tried not to make eye contact so he wouldn't notice me but no luck. "Y/N, since your partner has yet to show before the tardy bell, I'm sure you'd be fine with presenting as a solo worker."
I sighed out sadly even though I don't want to, "Yes sir."
As he called roll, I kept hoping that Lauren would've just ran through the door but she didn't. She left me to present on my own. Oh God. When I see her, she's getting hell from me.
"Y/N, please come up and present your project on the heart." He smiled looking at his clipboard and taking a seat at his desk.
I grabbed the essay from my bag and mentally begged for the door to swing open.
Her parents are gonna flip out because her grade is going to turn to shit.
I turned towards my peers and looked down at the paper. "My topic was the heart. It's a muscular organ found in humans and animals that pumps blood through the vessels in the circulatory system. It also provides oxygen and nutrients to help you with your metabolic wastes." I paused to look over the paper. I need her here. "The heart is divided into four chambers. The first is the upper left and right atria. The second part to those chambers are the left and-"
The class room door opened and I turned to see Lauren. Except she wasn't all clean cut and mysterious like she usually is. It was like she hadn't slept all night and she rushed to get to class.
"Ah, Lauren." Mr. Adam's said, looking over from the student desk he was at to grade us as we showed our projects. Lauren kissed my cheek as she hurried over to hand in her late slip she got from the office. "I guess you two can go next while you both review over your project before showing it to the class."
I let out a slight breath breath of relief and hurried to the back of the class to take a seat next to the disheveled Lauren. I scooted up close to her chair so I could just talk in her ear and be quiet enough for the class to hear the other students perform in the basically deafening silent class. The air conditioning would come on and fill some noise in the quiet room, but during these final projects, we were all kind of worriedly quiet because we slacked off just enough to barely pass.
"Why were you late?" I asked her.
"First, my alarm didn't go off, but my little sister goes to school later than us so she just so happened to come into my room to steal a pair of my shoes last minute before getting picked up, and saw that I was dead asleep. I honestly had never slept that hard in my life. I don't know what came over me." I could tell she felt a little bad. She even looked like she was still exhausted and could sleep a whole other eight hours. "But then when I got on my bike to speed to get on the highway there was a detour. Some pickup truck was about to turn left onto the highway and a semi just went right through them. I mean, pieces to the pickup truck were just everywhere. So, I just had to drive down and get on the highway from another street."
My eyes were wide because it sounded like a bad wreck, "I wonder if anyone survived."
"I doubt it. It looked bad." She frowned.
..
A few hours later, it was lunch time and Lauren decided to sit with me and my group today. She didn't want to be around her friends only because when they find out she's quitting the game, they won't be the happiest. Mostly because she's their dealer ever since freshman year.
"Well, I'm happy for you, Lauren." Normani spoke up, shaking her fry at the girl sitting across from her. "You're finally doing something really good for yourself after four years of being a shitty person." Everyone looked at Normani with wide eyes, like they couldn't believe she said that, but Lauren and I knew what she meant. "What? I'm not saying that as a bad thing. I'm accepting that she's taking her steps towards Jesus."
"Thanks, Normani. You were actually the last person that I would think to congratulate me. I guess you're changing, too. Hell, you may even be taking steps towards, Jesus, too."
"Why do more than half of our conversations at this table consist of Jesus talk?" I questioned the group.
"Because we have Allysus in our presence." Dinah snickered behind her fork. Ally smirked and chucked a fry at the bigger girl jokingly.
Dinah retorted by throwing a fry back and Ally continued the food fight. Camila quickly stepped in, "Hey guys! Stop. We don't want Mr. Pollock to come over and make us clean up again. Last time I was late for my last class, the PE teacher made me run two laps."
--
After school, I walked to my car to see Lauren was leaning against it, thoroughly scrolling through her phone. I liked seeing her there every day after school. I always knew that was where I would find her, leaned up against my car, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
"Hey loser!" I hollered out to her as I got closer.
Her head quickly shot up in my direction, and the biggest, cheesiest smile was cemented on her face. She held her arms out for me to quickly take my place in them, and our bodies were pressed close together under the hot Miami sun. I rested my arms on her shoulders, and pecked her lips before asking, "So, you're going to do it?"
Lauren looked into my eyes, "Yeah, right now. I told Carlos I needed to talk to him."
I was very scared for her, and I'm sure I was making it obvious. "Are you nervous?"
"Not really. I'm just gonna make something up about school. I mean, it would be really fucked up of him if he refused me of an education since he knows how hard I work in school."
I knew that this could possibly the last time I would see those beautiful green eyes because things like this don't always go well. "Just promise me that you'll be safe."
She pecked the corner of my mouth and looked back into my eyes, "I promise."
I nodded and that signaled her to connect her lips to mine. That passionate kiss was enough to reassure me that she would do whatever she could to see me again after this. It was almost as if I knew everything would be alright. She retreated even though I could tell that she didn't want to. We both pulled away from each other and Lauren began to walk towards her motorcycle. "I'll text you and let you know everything as soon as I can."
"Okay," I pressed the button on my keys to unlock my car, "I love you."
"I love you, too."
--
The first hour of waiting wasn't so bad and neither was the second due to the excessive amounts of homework that my classes had given me. It all kept me busy until around 8:59 PM and I had realized that I still hadn't heard from Lauren. So, I decided to text her.
9:02 PM
Y/N: baby, are you okay?
9:10 PM
Y/N: Laur, stop playing games.
9:23 PM
Y/N: if you dont answer soon, I'm calling your parents
After I sent the last text there was a knock on my bedroom window that startled me. Lauren had a beanie and black hoodie on. Normally, I'd expect to see that famous leather jacket, but she seemed to have forgotten it.
I unlocked the window and let her climb in with a black duffle hanging by a strap across her chest.
Lauren grabbed me by my waist to pull me into a deep kiss. Her warm lips massaged mine for a few measily moments before she pulled away to talk to me, "Did you miss me?"
I pushed her off and lightly smacked her arm, but Lauren quickly pulled me back in by my hips, "You worried me, Fucker." I scolded her.
"Well, I'm glad to know you care." Lauren pecked my lips once more before pulling away to grab my hand and yank me further into my room towards my bed. She took a seat on an empty spot beside a stack of papers, and I took a seat beside her. "But we need to talk because the news I have isn't the best." My heart fell into my stomach when I heard Lauren say that. I didn't want to overthink or ask questions, so I nodded to allow her to tell me what she needed to say. Even though every nerve inside of my body was making me stress out. Lauren took a deep breath and grabbed my hand, "Well, I had it completely wrong. Apparently, education shouldn't matter for his 'best dealer'."
"So, what does that mean?"
Lauren looked down at our hands and smiled, "Do you remember when I said I would go anywhere in the world if it meant that I could escape with you?"
"Yes."
"Do you love me?"
"Of course I do."
She licked over her bottom lip, "Do you trust me?"
I used my free hand to push her chin up so that her eyes would meet mine, "More than anything, but what are you getting at?"
"Let's leave Miami. Let's go to Australia or Chile. Maybe even London. Let's just get out of here and never come back."
Lately, when I stare into my girlfriend's eyes, I'm easily able to read her and at the moment she seems serious and worried all wrapped up into one. I know this is a big deal to runaway, especially since I only have one year of school left, but I love Lauren and there's obviously something she wants to run away from. And she wants to runaway from it with me.
"Okay, I'm in, but how can we get money for the tickets?"
Lauren gave me this mischevious smile and got up to fetch her duffle bag. She brought it over to sit it down on the spot of my bed she was just at. She unzipped it and pushed a few shirts around to expose the stacks of cash she had hidden underneath the fabric. "You seem to forget that I previously sold drugs." I couldn't help but smile down at all of that money. "So, when do you wanna leave?" She asked me.
I turned my head to look at the clock by my trophy case to see that it said 9:36 PM. "I'll be able to get my passport from the safe when my family goes to bed at 11."
Lauren leaned in to kiss my lips, "Then we will leave this place by 11:30. Deal?" I nodded, "Pack light and I'll be back with a uber. I have to take my motorcycle back and say goodbye to Chris and Taylor while my parents are asleep."
And just like that, Lauren crawled back out of my window with her duffle on her shoulder, ready to leave all of this behind.
--
After getting my passport and putting it into the packed duffle filled with clothes and underwear that I'd need, a thought came into my mind that I should write a letter.
See, I know my family is going to be worried if I just go missing. Police will be called and areas will be combed to look for my body. This way, if I write a letter, I'm just thought of as a runaway case rather than a homicide or sex trafficking victim.
I went to my desk to pull out a piece of paper and a pen to start writing.
Dear Mom, Dad, Grayson, and Dylan,
I know it's strange that I'm not at home and I have a good explanation for that. Although, none of you are happy that I've run off, I can promise you that I'm fine. Lauren is in trouble and I love her too much to let her go off and deal with this herself. As soon as I can, I will contact you to let you know that I'm safe. Please don't let Nonna worry too much, and just know that I will try to be back as soon as I can. I love you all.
Signed,
Y/F/N
P.S. TO GRAYSON AND DYLAN. DONT TOUCH MY STUFF, PRICKS.
I folded the paper long ways, and pulled out an old envelope from one of the drawers on my desk. I wrote Mom's name on the outside and slipped the folded paper into the container before closing the seal.
11: 37 PM
Lauren knocked on my window and waved at me to tell me it was time to go. I got up and grabbed my duffle, then I looked back at the room that I had created so many good memories in. I sat my phone on the desk beside the letter and hurried to open my window. After crawling out, I slid the frame back down in place and began shimmying down the drainpipe to get onto the ground.
I saw a running car parked about 100 feet away with Lauren standing outside of it. I began sprinting as fast as I could and once I made it, Lauren opened the back door and let me scoot in before taking her seat inside. She took a deep breath and smiled to me, "You ready?" I nodded, "Then lets leave this hell hole."
And with that, the driver started to pull away and drive Lauren and I to the airport to start our new lives together. But it took every fiber in my being to not take one last look at what I would be leaving behind for love.