When I Met Her....

Laugh To Keep From Crying

* "All About the Benjamins" trailer in the media*

Laugh To Keep From Crying

Laurel's POV

"Do you have everything?" Melony asks, as she shoves her royal blue duffel bag onto her shoulder.

"I think so." I mumble, looking around the now bare hospital room.

Today I'm getting discharged from the hospital, which also means the clock has officially started ticking down the time I have to tell everyone that I'm leaving. I feel so guilty I can't even look anyone in the eyes.

"Alright, let's go."

"Yeah." I nod, keeping my eyes away from hers.

"Oh no. Hold up." She says, sticking her hand out and closing the door, blocking me from leaving.

"What?" I asks, shifting nervously.

"What's going on with you?"

"Nothing. What are you talking about?"

"You've been acting really weird since last night."

"No I haven't." I say, trying to force a smile.

"Sit." Melony tells me, taking my bags from my hand and setting them on the ground.

"Melony, we have to go. My parents are waiting outside for us." I sigh.

"We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on." Melony says, taking a stance in front of the door.

I groan internally. I didn't expect to have to tell anyone this soon.

"If I tell you, we can't talk about it right now because we really have to go."

"Fine, whatever." She shrugs.

"Promise." I demand.

"I promise." she says.

"Okay," I say drawing in a deep breath, "I have to go live with Amanda or she's going to destroy both Steph and Julia's career, and if she plays her cards right, she could send Julia to jail. When she leaves for Louisiana at the end of this week, I'm leaving with her."

Melony looks shocked.

"Laurel-" she starts.

"No," I interrupt. "You promised that we wouldn't talk about it right now so we're not. We can talk later."

I'm trying my hardest to maintain my emotionless composure because if I start crying I won't be able to stop in time to go outside to meet Steph and my dad.

"Okay. Let's go then." Melony says, eyeing me cautiously.

You can tell easily how her demeanor has changed.

"Act normal around my parents please. I have to figure out how I'm going to tell them, especially Steph. I promised her I wasn't going anywhere. This is going to break her heart. She's going to hate me so much after this." I say, feeling my tears surfacing.

"Just tell her the truth." Melony says, her voice taking on the tone of a beg.

"I can't and you know I can't. She'll give up her career to keep me here and I can't let her do that. Now please let's just go." I say, opening the hospital door.

Melony follows close behind, and soon we're walking side-by-side. It's almost like the same depressed energy is transferring between the both of us as we walk through the hospital to the exit. But as soon as we get outside and spot Steph and my dad, our postures straighten immediately and we both attempt to put on a facade of happiness.

**********************

I never realized how hard it was to avoid eye contact until now, sitting at the table, eating dinner with Steph, Melony and my dad. Melony agreed to spend the next couple of nights here with me since it would be our last together for awhile, though Steph and my dad don't know that...yet.

"Honey, are you okay?" Steph asks me, wiping the corners of her mouth with her napkin.

"Yeah I'm fine." I say, forcing a smile.

"Are you sure?" she inquires.

"Umm hmm, just a little tired." I lie.

I felt horrible for keeping something from her. I wasn't tired at all. In fact, since we'd left the hospital I'd been completely restless.

"Do you two want to be excused?" my father asks.

"Yes, please." Melony says, speaking for the first time since we sat down to eat.

My father nods, and me and Melony get up from the table and to my room.

"You're going to have to tell them." Melony says as she throws herself onto my bed, and I head for the bathroom.

"You don't think I know that." I sigh, pulling my shirt over my head.

"I'm just saying. It has to be soon. Don't wait until the day before."

"It would be so much easier that way." I say, almost longingly.

"Don't." Melony says, coming into the bathroom as I step into the shower.

"I'm not. It would be nice if I could though." I say as the hot water runs over my body.

"When are you going to tell Julia?"

"Probably the day before." I laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

"She'd kill you." Melony laughs too.

Though the topic of conversation was depressing, I had to laugh. Laugh to keep from crying.

"But on a serious note, I don't know who I want to tell first. Steph or Julia. I don't know which one I'm dreading most." I say, lathering my body with my soap.

"That I can't help you with. If I had a mom like Steph it would break my heart to have to tell her I'm leaving and not be able to tell her why. But I don't have a mom like her so it wouldn't be hard for me to tell my mom that."

"Oh, that helps so much." I grimace at Melony as I get out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my body.

"Sorry." Melony shrugs.

I walk into my bedroom after I put on my pajamas, and lay on my side. After she showers, she comes in and lays beside me, looking me dead into my eyes.

"Don't do that." I whisper, shifting my eyes away from hers.

"Do what?" she asks.

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" she laughs.

"Like...I don't know. How you're looking at me." I say, in joking frustration.

"I understand." she smiles, turning her head to look in the opposite direction.

She grabs the remote from between us and turns the TV on. She turns it to BET where the movie "All About the Benjamins" is playing and we were laughing in no time.

"I think I want to go to school tomorrow." I say, once my stomach has stopped hurting from it's previous laugh attack.

"Are you sure?" Melony asks, turning over to look at me.

"Yeah." I say, trying to sound confident in my answer.

She nods, and turns back over and we finish watching the movie.