Never Meant To Be

Part 8

As I enter my eighth period class, I hand my art teacher my slip for soccer that excuses me at a certain time. I grab my poster that has my project on it and walk over to my table. I still haven't spoken to Mani yet. I love Mani but for as long as I have been friends with her, I feel like I am always second choice. I always forgive her for putting me aside because I love her, and our friendship means so much to me but it's starting to get on my nerves. When I sit at the table there is clearly tension between us. 

- 

15 minutes into class Mani still hasn't spoken to me, but I'm not going to initiate anything she has to come to me. Mani turns her head towards me as if she is about to say something to me, but she's cut off by the teacher "Lauren you can go now" I let out a sigh and get up to put my things away. As I exit the art room it's like a wave of relief leaves my body. I felt like I was holding my breath in that room. 

-

I grabbed my gear and started to walk towards the gym to get changed with the other girls, I was walking a bit fast because there was a certain someone I wanted to see. 

"Hey Lauren" I hear a loud voice yell from behind me. I turn around and it's Anthony. He jogs up towards me, once he reaches where I am we continue to walk together towards the gym "hey I just wanted to walk you to the gym before your game" he says this with a big smile. I can't help but smile. This would be perfect if he just wasn't... Anthony. My smile is replaced with a small frown "hey what's wrong?" "Oh nothing" I smile facing up towards him "I'm just nervous for the game." "You totally have this! I think you guys will win." 

For the rest of the walk to the gym we just talked about random things, it felt...peaceful, it didn't feel like a forced conversation, it felt natural, it was just us two here. We reached the gym doors, and I could hear some of the girls already and by some girls I mean Dinah. She is the loudest one in there. "Well, I hope you have a good game; I have to get back to class" he smiles and pulls me into a short hug and speed walks away. I can't help but smile as I watch him walk away, I turn to enter the gym and enter the locker room. 

"LAUREN!" I hear collectively from the girls, Dinah walks towards me and puts her arm around my neck "Finally girl, you took forever to come" as Dinah was talking my eyes scanned the room for the one person I wanted to see. I didn't see her, but I saw the door to one of the stalls open from the left side of the locker room. 

Camila walks out in her all-white uniform putting her hair into a ponytail, and I just stopped breathing. The shorts were short on her but hugged her thighs and hips perfectly, the jersey hugged her frame perfectly as well, when she finished tightening her hair, she scanned the room and her eyes stopped to look at me, she smiled and mouthed the word "hi" to me. I couldn't get over how she looked, she was so damn pretty, the baby hairs fell perfectly on her face, her eyes are a perfect shade of brown and her smile, her smile is everything to me. 

"Lauren?" I'm sucked back into reality "huh?" I look over to Dinah  "Ally said when she was going into the locker room, she saw you walking here with a guy, so who is he huh?" the room busted into ooooos by all the girls, I laugh nervously "he's just my friend nothing more" I glance over to Camila, but she's not interested in this conversation, she's just packing her things into her bag, Dinah grabs me by my shoulders and shakes me a bit "yeah right! come on tell me, have you guys kissed."  

A voice from the crowd saves me "Dinah let her change we are leaving soon" Dinah lets go of me and I start to walk towards the stall that Camila used "come on Mila she was going to give us all the details." 

All the girls went back to talking to each other and I began to change. My senses were all over the place, the stall smelled like the perfume that Camila uses, I wanted to stay in this stall for the rest of my life, but I had to walk out because it was time to go to the bus.