Meet Me Halfway (Prequel to BWIW)

Chapter 6

A/N: Last chapter, children! If it makes you too sad, go read BWIW again :P Although I quite like this as a standalone piece, since obviously some things don't match up. D: We hope all this has seemed natural to you guys - we want to get across their really stupid, impulsive teenage sides. xD We hope it shows that they mature a little and are able to work through their issues.

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October 2011

'Lolo!' chirps Taylor when she picks up the phone, cheerful as usual. Lauren winces at the nickname her sister uses; many members of her family seem to favour it, as if knowing it irritates her and conspiring to use it even more. Briefly, she pictures her mother, father and sister crowded around the dinner table poring over detailed plans and notes on how to wind her up. She shakes the image away quickly, focusing instead of what Taylor is saying. Lauren has definitely been spending too much time with Camila. 'You haven't called me in so long, sweetie.'

'I was going to email you the other day but I decided I should probably call instead.'

'Well, you're here now. I've missed you, little sis.' Lauren smiles at the term, rolling over on to her side. Just hearing her sister's voice and sinking into their usual familiarity makes her feel a little better about things. 'How've you been? How's school?'

'It's going okay. Normani, Dinah and I made onto the Cheerios.'

Taylor squeals in excitement. 'That's brilliant news, Lauren! I'm so proud of you. How's old coach Cole anyway? Broken anything during practice yet?'

'No, thankfully.' Taylor chuckles at Lauren's sigh of relief. 'I tried out on the second day of the semester. But Coach Cole isn't even the worst part of it. Taylor, I know you said the girls were bitchy and backstabbing, but I never realized exactly how much.'

'Ah,' says Taylor knowingly, 'yeah. I'd forgotten: Cheerios are a special breed of bitch, especially to freshmen. Have they been picking on you?'

Lauren thinks of the discoloured patch of skin crossing her stomach where Kelly punched her the other day. She absently lifts her shirt to touch it – it doesn't hurt much anymore, but it still looks pretty ugly. 'It's not been too bad,' lies Lauren cautiously. Her sister has always been able to tell when she wasn't telling the truth. Sure enough, Taylor makes a noise of disapproval.

'I might be miles away, Lolo, but I still know when you're trying to cover things up. Do I need to come back to Ohio and threaten someone?'

'You couldn't be threatening if you were wearing a hockey mask and carrying a meat cleaver, Taylor.'

'I could too,' she protests. 'Stop changing the subject, though. Is everything okay?'

'Yeah... Well, as okay as everything can be. The Cheerios are awful to me but I'm slowly getting used to it. And I'm slowly getting used to the fact that I'll never match up to them, in talent or looks.'

'Oh, sweetie. I've seen you perform– you can run rings around any of those other girls on the squad.

And you're totally pretty. You just need a bit of confidence.'

Lauren grunts in a disgruntled manner. 'Easy for you to say. You were always popular and nothing ever bothered you.'

Taylor laughs. 'Oh, Lauren. Lauren, Lauren, Lauren. You have no idea what high school is really like, do you? But,' she says, 'that's a story for another time. Besides the inevitable nastiness of the other girls and esteem is Cheryls, anything else bothering you? Schoolwork? Friends? Boys? If it's the last one, don't tell our father.'