Accidentally

Chapter 10

Heyyyy, I know that last chap was longer and very drama-heavy, so get ready for a different feeling chapter. This one will be a bit shorter, and filled with Laurade fluff.

fyi: I don't wanna hear any Laurade complains bc POOR JADE DESERVES A BREAK OK

So, without further ado, enjoy :)

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The next couple weeks flew by. Perrie was still ignoring me and Leigh Anne. Alex had started asking questions again, so I found myself hanging out more and more with Leigh Anne, and, to my own surprise, Lauren. It was incredibly nice to be around someone who wasn't from our school, who had no preconceived notions about me, and who I could learn about from them and not rumors.  

On this particular unusually warm Sunday afternoon, Lauren and I were sitting on a bridge overlooking a small river, our bare feet skimming the water as we chatted. 

"So, how's school?" I asked, taking a bite of my ice cream sandwich. "You haven't talked much about it lately."

Lauren shrugged, leaning back on her hands. "That's because there isn't much to talk about," she replied, staring off into the distance. "Private school is, well, boring."

"I guess," I mused, watching the wind blow her raven hair behind her. "I wish my school was half as boring as yours."

"Why's that?" She asked, turning to face me. I sighed, realizing the situation I'd put myself in. 

"Just, there's so much drama always," I replied finally. "There's a strict social pyramid, and lots of rumors about everyone. Everyone's always in each other's business, which is really annoying."

She nodded, tearing her eyes from mine and turning to face the horizon again. "I guess there's a bit of that," she admitted, "but I tend to stay away from drama like that. I have my few friends, and that's good enough for me."

I nodded, my eyes flicking to her and then down to my ice cream novelty. "I wish I could stay out of drama," I sighed. 

"What do you mean?" Lauren asked, turning to face me with curiosity. 

I froze, realizing my mistake. "Well, I'm not very popular and my best friend is the most popular girl in our grade, maybe the school," I said lamely, praying she accepted my response.

She seemed to, leaning back on her hands again as her posture slackened. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said. "The concept of popularity is stupid. And they're all stupid too, you know."

"Well, yes," I amended, "but what do you mean?"

"What I mean is how they clearly don't appreciate you enough," she replied, staring at me with more intensity than before. "They must be blind if they can't see how amazing you are."

I blushed, looking down at my hands as I suddenly found the remaining bite of my ice cream sandwich fascinating. "Wow, I uh," I mumbled, unable to form a coherent sentence. "Thanks."

She chuckled, and when I snuck a glance at her she had returned to staring at the horizon. "I doubt there'll be many more warm days after this for a while," she finally said. 

"I guess," I replied, glad for the change of subject. "But, who even knows anymore. I'm going to be grateful for this weather while it lasts. I'm sick of winter."

Lauren laughed again, and I noticed her scoot a little closer to me. I subconsciously brushed my checkered skirt to smooth out the wrinkles, then ate the last bite of my ice cream sandwich with a gulp. 

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?" Lauren asked, standing up and offering me a hand. 

"Eh, not really," I replied, staring at her oustretched hand for a moment before accepting it. Her hand was soft and her hold was gentle but firm as she helped me to my feet. Without meaning to, my face began to flush and my hand had tightened around hers. 

She stared down at our connected hands, her face beginning to color as well. I realized what she was looking at and quickly pulled my hand away. 

"Uh, sorry," I mumbled, smoothing out my skirt again. 

Lauren blinked then shook herself. "No worries," she laughed, nudging me with her shoulder as she began to walk. I fell into step beside her, staring down at the wrapper in my hand. 

When she spoke again it made me jump, pulling me out of my trance. "So, I was thinking if you didn't have anything else to do we could go for a drive or something," she offered. "Y'know, take advantage of this nice weather."

I found myself nodding before I could fully process her words. "Yeah, sure," I finally managed. 

Her face lit up at my response and the sight of her excited smile made me feel warm inside. "Great!" She said. "There's this great road a little bit outside of town where it's all open! It goes on forever and it basically makes this giant loop around a lake. It's great for a joyride!"

I laughed at her enthusiam, following her to the car. She opened the door for me, gesturing inside with a grand sweep of her hand. 

"Why thank you," I said, adopting a posh accent as I slid into the passenger seat. 

"Of course," Lauren replied, copying my imitation. She got in on the driver's side, started the car, and handed me her phone. "Here, you can play DJ. Passcode's 1-0-4-8-5-9."

I closed my hand around her phone, brushing against her fingers as she pulled away. "Uh, yeah, thanks," I said, cursing myself as my cheeks started to feel warm again. Unlike last time, Lauren merely hummed in response and put the car in reverse, getting ready to back out. 

I took the oppurtunity to clear my head and pick some songs. I queued a few and set her phone in a cupholder, relieved to feel my cheeks cooling down. The first song started playing as we drove out of the parking lot. 

"I love this one!" Lauren exclaimed as she rolled the windows down and threw one arm out into the air. I grinned and followed suit. 

The next half hour was bliss. Lauren and I drove around the lake, our hands riding the wind and our lungs full of clear air as we sang. At one point I snuck a glance over at Lauren and found myself unable to look away. Her hair was blowing in the wind and her eyes were sparkling with joy. I felt my chest tighten the longer I looked at her. 

She glanced my way and I flushed red, realizing I was caught. Instead of teasing me she merely gave me a little smile before returning her focus to the road. I dropped my eyes to my hands laced in my lap, and allowed myself a giddy smile. 

When we finally pulled back into the parking lot I found myself fighting a wave of disappointment. Lauren put the car in park and sat back in her seat. "That was really fun," she said, her lips curved up in a smile. 

"It was," I agreed. "You have a great voice, and you somehow knew all of the lyrics to every song I chose!"

Lauren chuckled. "Well, I happen to be a woman of culture," she replied, puffing out her chest then turning to open the door. I did the same, and we walked around the car to face one another. 

"I should probably get going," I said, glancing back at my car. "Mom likes me to be home for dinner on Sunday so we can plan our week, and it's my turn to cook."

"Makes sense," she replied. "Sometime you have to cook for me though. Gotta know if you have what it takes."

It was my turn to chuckle as I leaned against the trunk of Lauren's car. "Well, see you tomorrow then," I said, leaning forward to give her a brief hug. 

Lauren returned the embrace, her arms tightening around me for a second longer than expected before she stepped back. "Oh and by the way," she said, crossing her arms, "your voice is angelic." She shot me a wink and laughed as she got back in her car. 

I stood frozen for a moment before I forced myself into action. Your voice is angelic. Wow. When was the last time I had recieved a compliment like that? 

I slid into my car and waved to Lauren as she pulled out of the parking lot. I sat back in my seat, thought for a moment, then started my car. As I drove away, my momentary peace was inturrupted as I realized that for nearly the entire time I was with Lauren, I hadn't thought about Perrie once. 

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Yeah yeah I know this was a shorter chapter, but tbh we needed a nice break from the drama. Don't get too used to that though :)