We all dragged our suitcases along the winding dirt path, just like we had a mere fourteen days beforehand. I couldn't help but reminisce on the past two weeks, thinking about how different my life would've turned out if my mum had let me stay home from camp. I would've never known why Lauren bullied me all these years, I would've never had my first real kiss, my first time being intimate with someone, my first everything.
Two weeks, fourteen days, 336 hours, 20160 minutes, 1209600 seconds. That's all it took for me to fall head over heels with my enemy, and that scared the shit out of me. I didn't doubt that she cared about me, because I knew that she did, but would her kind demeanour last when we were back at school?
I made my way up to the bus with Dakota and Bella, both of us hauling our heavy suitcases into the storage cabin underneath the bus. I pushed it further back so other people could put their suitcases in, and when I stood up and turned around I came face to face with Lauren.
"Oh, hey!" I smiled nervously at her, wondering how she would treat me when we were surrounded by our classmates.
"Hey," she said softly, her hand finding mine and giving it a firm squeeze before letting it go.
We stood in a nervous silence, both of us most likely thinking the same thing but unsure of whether or not to say it. I wanted to ask her if this was the end of it, of us.
"Sit with me," she suddenly said, pulling me from my (hopefully) irrational thoughts.
"Your friends though...won't they talk?" I asked nervously.
"They're not my friends, Scar. Let them talk. I don't care, I want to sit with my girl," she told me.
Those two words were enough to make my heart stop and go into overdrive at the same time. 'My girl'. I had never been someone's girl before, and the thought of being Lauren's was so incredibly appealing to me.
"Y...your girl?" I stammered excitedly.
Lauren instantly turned bright red, her eyes nervously finding their way to the ground as she shuffled her feet awkwardly.
"I mean...I'd like you to be. But only if you want to be," she said anxiously, and I couldn't help but smile at her nervousness.
In the past two weeks I had seen a whole new side of Lauren that I had never seen before. Before camp, I had only ever seen a hard exterior that she showed off in front of everyone, but I had managed to break down her walls and see her for who she truly was.
"I'd like that," I smiled widely at her, and she looked up at me with a huge smile on her face.
"Really?" she asked excitedly, and I nodded.
I took a step closer to her and wrapped my arms around her waist, gently resting my head against her shoulder. I felt her exhale deeply, her arms wrapping around my shoulders as her chin rested on my head. It was crazy that someone who used to terrify me now made me feel so safe.
We pulled apart and she pressed a firm kiss to my forehead, then moving forward to place her suitcase in the storage cabin. I watched as she did so, the muscles in her back peaking through as she hauled her suitcase effortlessly onto the bus. I didn't feel guilty about admiring her beauty anymore, she was my girlfriend. I was allowed to.
"Let's grab a seat," she said, taking my hand and pulling me towards the bus.
We climbed on board the bus, both saying hello to the driver before making our way down the aisle. I could see her eyes flicker towards the back seat of the bus, her usual spot, before pulling me into a seat on the side of the aisle.
"Is right here okay?" she asked, and I nodded before sitting down next to her.
Our classmates began to file onto the bus, my friends all sitting around us and chatting animatedly about how much fun they had on camp.
"Is this for real?" I heard a bitchy voice say, and all seven of us turned to see Emily and Louise standing beside us, looking at us with disgust.
"What do you want?" Lauren sighed, her hand finding mine and squeezing it comfortingly.
"This is a joke, right?" Louise exclaimed.
"The only joke here is you, now fuck off and leave us alone!" Lauren snapped.
"You've changed, Lauren!" Emily whinged.
"Good. Now go before I smack you both," Lauren spat angrily at them, and they both huffed dramatically before walking to the back of the bus and sitting down.
They looked lost with Lauren, who had acted as their leader since I had known them. It was an odd sight to see them so clueless, sitting awkwardly at the back of the bus not really knowing what to do.
"Sorry, I told them in the cabin that I didn't want to hang with them anymore. Obviously they didn't take me seriously..." Lauren apologised, putting her arm around my shoulder and pulling me into her body gently.
"It's okay, I don't want people giving you a hard time because of me..." I told her.
"No, I don't care, Scar. I want to be with you, don't let them ruin this," she told me seriously, taking a strand of my hair that had fallen in front of my face and tucking it behind my ear.
"I will never get used to this..." Dakota suddenly commented, and everyone chuckled, including myself.
"Well, you better start trying, because I don't plan on fucking this up," Lauren smiled, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.
"Seriously, guys...what changed between you two?" Bella asked, and the other girls all nodded in agreement, wanting to know how it all began.
I looked at Lauren nervously, unsure if she wanted to talk about what we had been through in the cabin. She glanced at me momentarily before turning back to the girls.
"I told her the truth, about how I bullied her because I was threatened by her. Being alone with her made me realise how perfect she really was...and everything kind of unfolded from there," Lauren explained.
"Who made the first move?" Alyssa asked eagerly.
"Me," Lauren answered.
"Were you nervous?" Karina asked.
"Yeah, really nervous," Lauren admitted.
"What! Why?" I asked Lauren.
"Because I knew you hated me, and I knew I'd hurt you. I was expecting rejection, but I had to kiss you," she answered, and I couldn't help but 'aww' at her honesty.
"And, also," Lauren continued, "I'd never met someone who loved to watch the sunrise as much as I did. And now we can watch it together."
The girls all awww'd collectively, Dakota wiping away a fake tear and clutching her chest dramatically.
"That makes me sick," she choked out dramatically, and Ellen slapped her arm and rolled her eyes.
It's crazy to think that just two short weeks ago I was slouching down on this exact bus to hide from the person who was now my girlfriend. I watched as she leant against the bus window, her eyelids dropping closed as she drifted off into oblivion. Every now and then the bus would jolt to a stop and she would wake up, squeezing my hand tightly before going back to sleep.
"What are you thinking about?" Alyssa whispered to me from the seat in front.
"Nothing," I lied.
"Don't give me that...tell me what's wrong?" she badgered.
"I guess I'm just worried. What if things go back to how they were before? I trust her, but — " I began, but Alyssa shook her head at me.
"I've known her for as long as I can remember. She may be a bitch, but she's no liar. She genuinely likes you Scar, trust me..." Alyssa said.
I believed her, I really did, but I feel like a small part of me in the back of my brain will always be scared. Like always, I pushed it to the back of my mind and tried to enjoy what was happening right now; Lauren's head resting peacefully on my shoulder, her hand in mine. Even in her sleep she held onto it tightly.
The bus pulled up to the front of the school and we saw our parents all standing at the gates waiting to pick us up.
"Lauren," I whispered, shaking her lightly.
"Mmm?" she groaned, stretching her neck and sitting up in her seat.
"We're here," I told her, and she blinked her eyes before looking out the window groggily.
"Oh shit, we are, too!" she exclaimed.
I climbed out of the seat and grabbed my backpack, moving to the side so she could do the same.
"Don't trip me this time," I joked, referring to when she had tripped me when getting of the bus after we arrived at camp.
"I'm sorry," she said, looking down at the floor.
"Don't be, I was joking," I smiled, but her bad mood didn't shift.
We walked together off the bus, both making our way over to our mothers.
"Mum!" I said, giving her a tight hug.
"How was camp? Are you glad I sent you?" she grinned at me, and I nodded happily.
"Yeah, I am. Thanks for insisting I go!" I smiled at her.
While she might've sent me to camp to ensure that I was to be accepted into a prestigious university, that didn't enter my mind the entire time I was away.
"Scar!" I heard Lauren call, and I turned to see Lauren running up to me.
She placed a slip of paper in my hand, curling my fist tightly around it and holding her hand over mine.
"Call me, okay?" she said softly.
"I will," I replied, putting my hand over hers.
"You promise?" she asked.
"I promise," I smiled.
She leaned forward hesitantly and then pressed a kiss to my cheek. I heard my mother shift awkwardly on her feet as Lauren pulled back, her cheeks flushed red.
"I'll see you on Monday," she smiled at me before turning around and running back to her mum.
I watched her as she left, her hair swaying behind her as she ran. My mother then coughed loudly, causing me to turn and look at her.
"I think you have some explaining to do, Scarlet!" she said sternly, but I could see her trying to hide a smile.
"I'll tell you when we get home," I chuckled.
Two weeks.
Two weeks was all it took to completely change my life, all because of one person.
Lauren Knight.
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