Social Experiment

51 | My People

Finally an update! I haven't had a chance to write in awhile, so when I finally got some time, I wrote a quick chapter. It's short, but next chapter will be longer. Enjoy and don't forget to vote if you enjoyed & comment your thoughts!
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I was still nestled under my blankets by noon on Wednesday, the only light source in my room being the computer screen while I binge watched Netflix. By one thirty, I was tired of watching Grey's Anatomy and for once, I actually wished that I was stimulated by my teachers. But despite the smallest inclination to go to school, I was advised otherwise. 

Luke and my mom walked into my room together this morning, just before my alarm went off, and told me not to go to school today. The conversation went something like this: 

"Good morning honey," Mom tried to ease into the news. "Luke and I were talking, and we decided that you should stay home today. Just take a personal day, you know? You can catch up on your sleep, or do some homework, or maybe clean your room."

I looked straight and Luke and said flatly, "You told her, didn't you?"

Luke shrugged and muttered, "Does it matter?" Then he shoved his hands in his pockets and gave me a look. "Just take a day off, alright? I wish mom was telling me to skip school."

When a sleepy smile came onto my lips, they knew they had won me over. My mom was a very stubborn woman, but I was grateful that stubbornness was focused on me staying home from school. They left me to sleep in until I woke up just shy of eleven o'clock to an empty house.

I grew restless around one o'clock and decided to ditch Netflix for- get this- cleaning my room. The floors were ridden with clothes, my notebooks were strewn all over my desk, and I could see a bra or two hanging off the back of my chair. 

I temporarily stole Luke's speakers from his room and instead set them on top of my dresser. I scrolled through my favorite playlist and got started on cleaning the disaster with background music, provided by the Rolling Stones. 

While I'm cleaning, I hear the beginning to one of my favorite songs, blaring through the speaker at an unnecessary- yet completely necessary- high volume. "Wild, wild horses..."

I reach down to scoop up a handful of clothes and turn around to throw them into my laundry basket, but when I spin around, I see a person standing in my doorway. The clothes fell into a heap by my feet as my eyes widened and I screamed out of pure shock and as a reaction to my heart thumping wildly against my chest. 

"Lauren, calm down!" A familiar voice screams over the music, and Asher takes a step closer to me. "It's just me!"

Despite the surprise on his expression, an amused smile tugged his lips up. I threw a hand to my violently beating chest in an attempt to calm down as I stumbled over to the speaker to turn it down considerably. 

"You scared the shit out of me," I mutter, and then glance at him. "How did you get in?"

Asher smirks. "I tried knocking, but you didn't answer. The key was under the flower pot. It was a pretty lame hiding spot, if you ask me. First place I checked."

I'm about to scold him for breaking and entering my house so carelessly- and to hide the spare key in a different place- when I remember the context of his visit. This was the first time we've spoken since he found out about everything. With the way things have been going the past few days- first Vincent, then Tess- I shouldn't be so surprised that Asher was here. 

My demeanor shifts and I can see his smirk slowly fading. I straighten up and ask, "What are you doing here?" 

"You need to talk to Nathan," Asher tells me immediately.