Rough Exterior

part seventeen - trouble in paradise

Lauren

It was the next morning and we were awoken by a knocking on our front door. Yn groaned and pulled herself out of bed as I wrapped myself in her button up.

We walked downstairs to see Dinah with the door open and Ella standing in the door. " ah Yn. Just who I was looking for. I've got a proposal for you and Dinah. If you'd like it."

*Time skip*

Yn

We were all now awake and sitting in the tv room waiting for Ella to talk.

" so we've been needing some stuff for our workers and crops and so on and we were wondering if you and Dinah would come with my daughter and some other on a run. It'll only take about a week or so-" Lauren immediately cut Ella off. " no, Yn you are not going on that run." She said firmly but Ella only smiled. " In return I would like to grant you all a permanent home here in Hillvalley." She said. Immediately my eyes found Dinah's. It's what we were planning. What we talked about to keep the girls safe. " will Kara be leading the group?" Camila asked anxiously. Ella smiled and shook her head, her eyes finding me again. " Yn will."

Lauren got up, " I said no, why are we even listening to her?" She angrily asked looking at me. " Laur, it could mean we all will be safe. Here." I tried to reason with her but she just threw up her hands and rushed upstairs. " So, what will it be?" Ella asked, completely dismissing what just happened. " What do you girls think?" I asked Ally and Camz seeing that Dinah and Mani was in one of their own arguments.

" well, it would mean a safe home. You can take care of yourself and of Dinah. I mean you did with all of us." Camila said getting up. Ally followed. " I mean, Yn, I'm with whatever you choose. You're our leader after all." Ally smiled. Camila nodded in agreement while patting my shoulder. " just keep yourself and Dinah safe." Ally added. Camz smiled and leaned in, " Keep an eye on Kara for me too, please." I gave her a nod and a big smile as they walked away.

" Mani, come on. Don't walk away like that." Dinah said getting up to follow her. She looked at me and nodded, Indicating that we're on the same page. " we accept Ella." I said as Dinah rushed after Mani leaving me to go after Lauren. She gave me a smile and nodded. " be at the gate in 4 hours. Gather all your stuff." Ella said while walking out, closing the door behind her.

I groaned as I walked myself up the stairs and into our shared room to find Lauren completely under the covers. " Laur, come on. Let's talk." I said sitting on the bed while my hand rested on her covered shoulder. She slowly sat up and glared at me as I reached up to wipe her hair from her face. " Yn, you know I don't like you going on such trips. Let alone a week long trips." I sighed at her words while looking down. " love, if Dinah and I go on the trip it would mean we get a forever home here. You know I can take care of myself. I've protected us all since we met." I tried to reason with her. I was going to go on this run one way or another. Even if it meant me and Lauren would fight constantly.

" Yn. You can't just let me love you then just walk out of the gates leaving me to bite blood from my lip in worry and the constant thought of you never walking back through that gate alive." She said softly, now looking down. I sighed once more and put my hand over her shoulder. " I would never leave you to worry and to have bad thoughts constantly. That's why I'm telling you that I will do everything in my power to keep myself and Dinah safe. Even if it means that someone else should end up hurt. I won't leave you." She looked up at me, searching for a sign of a lie or untruthfulness in my eyes but couldn't find any.

She gave me a soft nod and got up, " let me help you pack." She started towards the closet but I stopped her, " we've got 4 hours. Let's go out, do something fun."

*Time skip*

We were walking around the camp, hand in hand with smiles on our faces. I had picked Lauren a little pink flower and walked her around the trading booths. We were on our way back home.

When we got there I got I went to go check the attic for a bag but instead I found a little boxed camera. I smiled and walked to where Lauren was, she was sat on the bed with a shirt in hand, folding it. I sneakily took a picture, the shutter catching her attention as I shook the developing picture. " no, it's not gonna look good I was focussed." She said walking to me, j turned the photo ove an smiled. " you are gorgeous Lauren." I put the picture into the back pocket of my jeans and put the camera down as I grabbed the last of my stuff. Lauren gave me a look that I couldn't decipher as we walked down the stairs and out to see Dinah standing there, normani was nowhere to be seen.

"Yn, you can still tell Ella that you don't want to go." Lauren tried when she saw her friend wasn't here. I sighed and turned to her, " I can't." I told her truthfully, wearing my emotions on my face. " why not? You leave me, Dinah leaves Mani after she proposed, how do you know you'll come back." She raised her voice slightly which made me mad, " so the only reason you 'forgave' me and spent the day with me was so that I would decide to stay back?" I was hurt but also angry that she thought she could trick me like that.

She looked at me and then to Dinah, who heard the whole thing. " damn, you couldn't just accept that I wanted to do this, I wanted to protect you and make sure you're safe and happy. I only want what's best for you." I sighed, my hand on her shoulder, " yn, you are the one that makes me feel safe and happy, you're the one that makes me feel protected. You are what's best for me." She looked me in the eyes. I went to say something but was cut short by Kara yelling for us at the end of the corner. Lauren shook her head, " you don't mean you can't, you mean you won't Yn. That's what it is. You know, no, I'm done." Lauren said as I looked at Kara. She backed up making my hand fall from her shoulder.

I turned back to Lauren, " we'll talk about this when I get back." Was all I said before turning and walking off with Dinah, I heard the door open and close and out of the corner of my eye i saw Lauren and Mani embrace each other.

This was something we had to do, why couldn't they just understand?

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That's all for now, c y'all.

~S