"What's your game Jauregui?" Someone hissed as I made my way to History that Monday. Was that Jade? My curiosity, which I should have told to piss off, peaked and I crept around the corner to see Lauren sat where she had on Friday, partially hidden by the way Jade's body towered over her.
Those green eyes found mine and seemed to pierce through the room and right through me, but then they softened for a moment before turning back to Jade with a predatory expression. The taller girl seemed to flinch a little, but only a little.
Lauren said something too quietly for me to hear, but the other girl quickly turned to face me, making myself flinch backwards.
"Hi." I croaked after a moment of them just staring at me.
"Hey!" Jade snapped out of some sort of trance (or just became a fake bitch again) and smiled broadly before making her way over to me, putting an arm over my shoulder as we entered the classroom.
What.
The.
Actual?
Their relationship was highly confusing, and I couldn't help but wonder what had happened between them for them to be acting like that all the time. Something was off. It probably wasn't my place to ask about it, though, and so I let it be.
Still, there was a little part of me nagging me to figure out what had happened; and it was starting to wear me down.
—
"Glad you could finally join us, Lauren." The teacher announced sarcastically as the brunette finally entered the room even though she'd been just outside all morning as I was beginning to learn was usual for her. She pouted and quirked a brow in response, an action the would likely get anyone else a detention but for some reason got her off scot free, and sat in her seat beside the only three people who seemed to be allowed to speak to her.
"Today we are working in partners!" He exclaimed, and everyone cheered; apart from me, of course, because the only person I knew in that room was Jade and I really could not be bothered to work with her. She's a lot of effort.
"-Which I will be choosing." He continued, and everyone groaned.
As he went through a list or two to put partners together, I waiting impatiently for my name. It never came, though, and he had already set the assignment, a week-long project that would require working together outside of the classroom as well, without having realized. I awkwardly got out of my seat and headed to the front of the room, but I wasn't the only one who did that. Behind me now stood Lauren Jauregui, and I silently hoped she wasn't up there for another reason. Something about her just, ugh! She was like a magnet, and I couldn't help but want to be pulled in by her.
"Yes?" The teacher huffed, looking up at me. Wow, way o be polite.
"I don't have a partner, sir." I explained. He looked over at Lauren, practically ignoring me entirely.
"Neither do I." She said in a voice smoother than I had remembered.
"Great. Work together." He said, shooing is away. I turned on my heels and looked up at Lauren.
"I- I don't think that's a-" she began, but stopped once she looked at me.
"Hi." I muttered, and she smiled a little before her face turned almost steely again.
"Hi." She replied, her tone hard as she began walking back to her table. Had someone put a post-it note on my forehead and written 'Please disregard that fact that I am an actual human and not a piece of trash' on it because I swear to god that's how today had been going. I hesitated before going to mine to retrieve my belongings.
Jade shot me a dirty look as I grabbed my stuff before turning back to her partner, and I shook my head before I looked up to see that Lauren had already situated herself at the spare table at the back center of the room. I hurried over there and put my things on my side of the table before greeting her again.
"Hi." She looked up at me with that same cold expression, though her green eyes seem warmer that the rest of her and oh I could have just got lost in them right then and there and- woah, calm down. You literally don't know the girl. Hmm... maybe it's time I get to know her then? Screw what Jade says. I can make my own friends, thank you very much.
"It's Lauren, right?" I asked, even though I knew damn well what her name was.
"Yeah." She nodded, and tore her eyes from mine, "So, y/n, did you understand Coach Taylor's explanation of the project?"
I hummed and nodded in response and she span the worksheet around so I could read it.
"So, if you fill this out I can get the rest." She offered and I looked over the worksheet. That meant she'd be doing 90 percent of the work, including making a poster board displaying it all, whilst I just had to do matching and truth or false questions.
"That's a crap ton of work for one person." I frown, and she looks up at me again, "Don't you want to split it more evenly?"
She smiled a little again before replying, "Ok. Usually when we do projects I end up doing the whole thing." She explained, "But yes, we can try to do as close to the same amount of work as possible."
"Great." I grin, and this time her smile is wider and stays for much longer.
Yes! This is how you make friends! Now make conversation!
Thanks for the advice, brain.
"So, if you usually do all of the work, do you like history much?" I asked once she'd turned the worksheet back around and was looking over the others. She looked back up at me with a smirk.
"I am History." She said, or at least I thought that's what she said, but that made no sense.
"What?" I asked to make sure I'd heard her right.
"I love history." She repeats. That made miles more sense, "Always have."