Annoying the Stubborn

t h r e e

"Did you just fucking make out with her?!" Camila asked, grabbing Lauren's arms and forcing her to meet her eyes. "Lauren, you're such a fucking legend!"

"Camila, calm the fuck down," Lauren said, pulling away from her friend's deadly grip. Lauren's eyebrows were knitted together as her gaze followed Y/N's figure walking away and all she wanted at that moment was to burn her alive, putting her in this situation that Camila wouldn't easily let go. "No, we didn't make out. Hell would freeze over first before I do that, okay?"

"But—but her lips, and her hair! It explains everything!" Camila pushed, believing that Lauren's telling her bluff.

"She did that to herself to do this to you," Lauren said flatly as she looked down at Camila's doe eyes. "To make you believe that I actually made out with her when I didn't. Why are you even crazy about that dick? She's so arrogant, and annoying, and she kept on talking shit about Rick! About my boyfriend! You're my best friend, Camila. You should be taking my side on this?"

"Girl, you dumb as fuck," Camila said, almost making Lauren laugh at how she talked like Dinah but she was still pissed. "Look, we told you the story between the two of them and we've been telling you the truth. Rick isn't the guy you think he is. He's only using you for his reputation—the entire jock image with a stunning girlfriend and shit—and because you're the only one who can stand him for more than two seconds."

"But that's not what I see."

"Because he doesn't want to let you."

Lauren grew quiet. She heard Y/N's words loud and clear back in the cafeteria and by the way Camila's looking deep into her eyes right now made her realize that she was indeed telling the truth and she thought that she should believe what everybody had been telling her—that Rick isn't the guy that she thinks he is. Rick was only putting up a front for Lauren to like him.

"We've been together for three months," Lauren said quietly, Camila stepping closer as she held her friend's hand to comfort her. "I liked him because he was so nice and sweet to me but it all disappeared after that three months and now . . . I'm not really sure on what we have. I mean, I still like him but lately, he didn't feel like my boyfriend anymore and we're lacking on communication—something that is essential to our relationship."

Camila looked around them before sighing, pulling Lauren back inside the restroom.

"Look," she started, brushing her hair up as she locked the door. "I'm sorry, Lauren. I'm so sorry that we didn't tell you any sooner because we're afraid of what Rick might do. You knew all along that we didn't like him for you but we never told you the real reason why, and that's because he's capable of hurting us without you even knowing. I know, three months—that's already a long time to get to know your partner but for the hundredth time, you don't know Rick."

"For fuck's sake!" Lauren yelled exasperatedly, throwing her hands up. "I'm sick of people telling me that! Y/N has been talking about the same thing the entire time we're here and now you? It's starting to make my head hurt, Camila."

"Normani's right that Rick runs the school because of his parents' share to the school and she's not lying either when she told you that we couldn't talk about anything about their history because we didn't have any protection," Camila said calmly, not really knowing how to explain this to Lauren and she didn't want to stress her out further. "We only decided to talk about it with you because Y/N's back. She isn't anything like a hero but she's someone who can prevent things from happening. She can hold Rick back because he knows that whatever he do, Y/N would find a way to humiliate him and he doesn't want that. If there's anything that Rick actually cares about—it's his reputation in the school and that's another reason why he's dating you.