Annoying the Stubborn

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Lauren huffed dramatically, poking on her mashed potato uninterestedly as her friends watched her with furrowed brows.

"Fight with Rick again, I guess?" Ally said, looking knowingly at the green-eyed girl who lifted her head up to meet her eyes before nodding timidly and focusing back on playing with her food.

"Girl, you're acting like it doesn't happen all the time," Normani said, not even worried if her words would hurt her friend. She knew that Lauren needed to see the truth and she wouldn't sugarcoat anything if that's what it took. "You're literally arguing every goddamn time and we're already used to it by now. Why aren't you?"

"You're not the one in my position, okay," Lauren answered instead as she grew defensive by every second. However, Normani didn't even seem bothered by it and Lauren knew she was right, but of course, she was stubborn and she thought otherwise. "If this was happening to you, I'm pretty sure you'd feel the same."

"Uh, no?" Normani's face contorted in disagreement. "If Reece was being selfish and would barely give time just to let me know where he is, I'd break up with him if he couldn't see my worth." Normani lowered her head as Lauren looked inquisitively at her before the girl whisper-shouted, "Rick is basically treating you like shit! When will you realize that?"

Patrick Hayden is Lauren Jauregui's asshole of a boyfriend, and as everybody thinks that they're perfect for each other, Lauren's friends weren't as blind as they were. When Rick was still hitting on Lauren, he was willing to give everything he had for her, but three months in their relationship, he suddenly changed. Sure, he still made Lauren happy with his small gestures but it wasn't the same anymore and everyone could see that something was off.

Rick was rich, good-looking, and sporty, and girls and guys on their school drool over him—despite the things that he does that only a few knew about—and that is only because they didn't know who he really is.

Rick would only show love to Lauren when he did something wrong and when he felt she was convenient for him—when he needed help on his homework or something. He might be sweet and all, but Lauren couldn't see that she doesn't really need him. Rick did things to Lauren that made her believe in romance for the efforts he showed to Lauren and that was enough for her to be in deep with him. He made her feel alive but Lauren knew he wasn't in love with him—she was in love with the things he did for her.

Recently, they've been fighting over Rick's failure of telling Lauren about his whereabouts. He had been doing it for the past few nights and as his girlfriend, Lauren grew frustrated with it so he lashed out on him.

Rick, who was supposedly apologizing, became angry instead and told Lauren that it doesn't always to have to be her business. But she's his girlfriend, right? It was a natural thing to keep your girlfriend on the loop just to keep her from worrying, but Rick sucks at being a boyfriend sometimes. He played the victim instead. So, the other night, they ended up yelling at each other on Lauren's porch and Rick decided to walk away after all the screaming because she was being a "brat."

What a fucking idiot.

Lauren knew Rick loved his freedom—even more than her—and she wanted to give him that but sometimes, it gets to the point where Lauren would just figure out from someone else that Rick had been in this party without her knowing. Lauren was trying not to be overprotective but she's scared of losing Rick no matter how shitty he was. A party meant alcohol and flirting and getting drunk and girls being there and Rick could be involved in all of these and he might have just had sex with somebody he had mistaken for Lauren and the thought didn't exactly sit well with his girlfriend.

It didn't because the two of them didn't have sex yet—she wasn't ready yet—and if he was to have it with somebody else that isn't Lauren, then it would definitely be a problem.