FATED | camren

5

She's 16 when she meets Lucy Vives.

It's the first month of Junior year and she's late for the first class of the morning as usual—History.

Mrs. Edwards looks unimpressed but doesn't scold her, just gestures for her to take a seat. She never scolds her or sends her to the principal's office for her tardiness and that's probably because Lauren is actually one of the few in class that actively participate.

History is one of her favorite subjects. It teaches the nature of humans and what shaped the world into what it is today. Surely sometimes it can get a little dull and dry but for the most part, Lauren thinks History is important to learn from previous mistakes and hopefully avoid them.

Lately they've been covering the US foreign policies in the middle east which Lauren is rather passionate about.

So when Matty McGowan opens his ignorant mouth and says, "If you ask me, we should just leave them to drown in their own shit. I don't get why we gotta play the heroes and go running to rescue them only to get rapid by bombs going off in our backyards."

Lauren, naturally, can't stay silent.

"Oh look," she says dryly, "Someone didn't read their homework and is eating up whatever tride the media is selling."

"What, Jauregui?" Matty snarls and leans forward, his long shaggy hair falling over his narrowed eyes. He's got that 'dark' thing going on with his tattoos and ripped jeans and dark eyes and Lauren thinks he'd perhaps be her type if he wasn't such a misogynistic, ignorant and racist asshole. (Oh and if she was capable of feeling attracted to boys).

Lauren looks him square in the eye. "All that 'shit' the middle east is drowning in is directly because of the good ol' USA's fucked up foreign policies—sorry—" she says when Mrs. Edwards makes a noise of dismay at the increasing swearing, "Let's take Afghanistan as an example. It's being torn to pieces in the fight between the Taliban and the US. But did you know that the US were the ones to arm the Taliban in the first place?"

Matty sits back and rolls his eyes hard. "Bullshit."

"Matty," Mrs. Edwards admonishes, "If you aren't adding anything productive to the discussion then keep quiet."

"She's right," A voice says behind her and Lauren turns in her chair and is surprised to see a girl she's positive she's never seen in this class before. Her brown hair is pulled up in a loose bun, bandana wrapped her head and an oversized flannel thrown over a graphic t-shirt. She looks careless and carefree. She looks gorgeous. Lauren almost misses what she says. "The middle east has been wrecked by western powers who fought over land and people and resources that didn't rightfully belong to them. What better way to control a countries' oil than to completely destabilize the country and setting up a radical, ruthless dictator that they have in their pockets? It's what's happening in Iraq, Libya and even Syria."

Lauren sort of stares at her in awe, because this girl isn't just pretty, she's smart and well spoken too and it has Lauren feeling some sort of way.

"Right," Lauren says slowly and tries not to be too obvious in her staring, "I personally think a lot of things wouldn't have looked so bad if the US didn't invade Iraq back in 2003."

She's still looking at the girl, her body turned sideways in her chair and the girl smiles at her. She has the prettiest fucking smile and Lauren instinctively smiles back.

"Definitely the biggest failure in the history of US foreign policy," she says.

And Lauren thinks she's fall in love right then and there.