Back To You;

CHAPTER 6

It's funny how easily you can go from being in sync with someone to feeling like you're on completely different wavelengths. That's exactly what happened with me and Lauren.

One minute, we were hanging out, sharing street food, and laughing like we were the best of friends, and the next? Nothing. At least, nothing close to what we'd had.

It all started after the "Belle incident." That girl-Belle-kept popping up in all the wrong places, and I couldn't escape it. Every time I saw Lauren, she was with her. They were talking, laughing, or, you know, just looking way too comfortable together. It was like we had never shared a moment.

I tried to ignore it. Really, I did. I even focused on my studies (thank you, finals), and hung out with Mae and John, pretending like I wasn't completely bothered.

But who was I kidding? Every time I saw Lauren, all I could think about was her.

"Hey, Marie, do you want to walk to class together?" Mae asked one morning as I sat at our usual spot in the cafeteria.

I glanced at Lauren's table. He was sitting with Belle, talking and laughing like they were best friends. I could almost see the smile on his face in my head without looking. Ugh.

"Uh, sure," I said to Mae, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

We stood up, and as we passed Lauren's table, I couldn't help but glance over.

Lauren was facing me now, but when our eyes met, he didn't smile. Not even a little.

I swallowed. Was he... avoiding me?

Mae noticed my confusion and nudged me. "What's up? You've got that look on your face again."

"I don't know," I muttered. "I think I messed things up."

"Uh-oh. How?" she asked, giving me a pointed look.

"I don't know, Mae. He's been hanging out with Belle a lot lately... and I feel like we're drifting apart."

Mae's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa. You're actually worried about this?"

"I'm not worried!" I said quickly. "I'm just... frustrated."

"You're so obvious, Marie," she said with a teasing grin. "You're acting like he's already chosen Belle over you."

"I didn't say that." I sighed, rolling my eyes. "But it feels like it. Whenever I try to talk to him, he's either with her or busy. And I... I don't know what to do."

Mae tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, for starters, I think you should talk to him about it. Because right now, it's like you're both walking around in your own little bubble, and nobody's saying anything."

"Yeah, but how do you even start a conversation about that?" I asked, frustrated. "Hey, Lauren, I think I'm secretly in love with you and also super jealous of Belle. Wanna talk?"

Mae snorted. "Not exactly the best icebreaker. But hey, honesty's the best policy, right?"

I sighed again, glancing over at Lauren. He was still talking to Belle, laughing, and flipping through his phone. I wanted to walk up to him, grab him by the shoulders, and shake him.

But no. I was just... here-watching him, wishing he'd see me again.

Later that day, I found myself walking down the hall, trying to ignore the knot in my stomach. Lauren was supposed to meet me after school for a quick study session. It was the plan, anyway, except I hadn't heard from him all day. No "Hey, Marie, let's study later" or "Looking forward to our session!" Nope, just radio silence.

I stared at my phone, waiting for a text. Nothing.

Great.

I pulled my jacket tighter around myself and walked out to the parking lot where we usually met. Maybe he forgot. Maybe he just didn't want to hang out anymore. Who could blame him? It wasn't like I was the most exciting person to be around lately.

As I stood by the bike racks, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned, and there was Lauren-finally.

But instead of a smile, he looked... distracted. Like his mind was elsewhere.

"Hey," he said, giving me a small wave. "Sorry, I'm late."

"No problem," I said, trying to sound casual even though everything inside me felt like it was unraveling. "You've been busy, huh?"

Lauren shifted on his feet, glancing around nervously. "Yeah... Belle invited me to her thing this weekend. I just had to go over some stuff with her."

I felt something in my chest tighten. "Belle? Again?"

Lauren seemed oblivious. "Yeah. She wanted to make sure I wasn't getting behind on my assignments. You know how she is."

I wanted to roll my eyes, but I just nodded. "Right. Of course."

There it was again-that feeling. The distance between us, growing bigger every time he mentioned her name.

"So, uh, are we still doing the study thing?" Lauren asked, scratching the back of his neck like he was trying to figure out if I was still mad.

"Yeah, sure," I said, trying to keep it together. "Let's go."

We walked side by side, but I could feel the gap between us, even if we were just a few feet apart. Every step felt like a mile.

And just like that, it hit me again: I wasn't sure where things stood between us anymore. I wasn't sure if I was even someone he wanted to spend time with.

All I knew was that I was here-waiting for him to see me. But I couldn't help wondering: was I waiting for someone who wasn't really interested in me at all?

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