After the Ink [PUBLISHED]

Chapter Eighteen

I'm walking to my first period when I feel a presence to my left. Lauren's long black hair brushes against my arms she's that close to me. I give her a strange look and she sighs.

"I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now," she says, looking straight ahead. Her winged eyeliner looks sharp enough to kill.

"Believe it or not, you aren't the last person," I admit. Xavier and Kay are the last people. "What do you want?"

Lauren sweeps her hair out of her face. "I need your advice."

"My advice?" What can she possibly want advice on?

"Yeah, about Jacob."

Oh.

Before I can respond, she speaks up. "You're the perfect yet worst person to talk to about this. I just don't know what to do about him. Ever since his parents split up, he's been like a hermit. I can't get him to go out anywhere with me. He's not the same person."

Jacob is usually a social butterfly. Always down to go to any party or whatever school function that will allow him a chance to go drink with his friends. I've noticed in class that he isn't as talkative, but I didn't think he was like that outside of class. She's telling me everything for a reason and that either means that she wants to help him, or she wants to leave him and I hope for his sake it's the first option.

"Have you talked to him about it?" I ask her. It feel a little strange talking about my ex to his new girlfriend, but it doesn't hurt and I'm glad it doesn't.

She nods. "He always brushes it off. He just tells me he's tired."

"What exactly are you asking me then?" Is she asking me to talk to him? Or give her advice on how to deal with him?

"Was he ever like this with you?" she tilts her head.

This is weird, so I take a deep breath. "Not really. Then again, his parents were still together and he didn't have to get a job."

"I don't know what to do. Part of me wants to leave him because he's different now, but the other part feels...guilty I guess?" she says, looking at me. "I don't want to leave him when he's feeling down or whatever."

"Honestly, if you're not happy then leave. Maybe talk to him first though."

"Can you talk to him? I can't get through to him. I know this might be weird..." she trails off. "Well, really fucking weird, but you'd be helping me a lot. Even though I did technically steal him from you."

I haven't had a real conversation with Lauren since the day I found out Jacob had cheated on me. Maybe I shouldn't open old wounds by doing this. Or maybe not. "Yeah, I'll talk to him."

She quickly gives me her number before both of us have to go to class and this only adds another thing on my plate. Involving myself in Jacob's relationship with Lauren might backfire somehow, and I mentally hit myself for not thinking it through.

When lunch comes around, Dylan sits with the guys and Casey and I get our own table. Lauren texts me and asks if I've talked to him yet. As I'm texting her back, Casey takes a peek at my phone and I tilt it so she can see.

"Does that contact say 'Lauren,' or am I stupid?" she asks.

I sigh. "She wants me to talk to Jacob for her. Apparently there's trouble in paradise."

"And she wants you to help her?" she scrunches her nose as she asks.

"I'm going to talk to him later in class so I can be done with this. I don't want to get stuck in the middle. Plus, it'll keep me distracted from the fact that I can't see Dylan." I know Casey blames herself for the trouble with Xavier, so I instantly regret saying that last part out loud. "We'll work it out."