Election [Laurinah]

Rain

Lauren smoked and watched as the world was drenched. Trees heaved a sigh of defeat as they curled and bent under the pressure of the rain. The outlines of plants blurred from the constant trickle of raindrops running the length of them, and the air was filled with a fresh scent that Lauren could only describe as being cleansed.  She sat on her windowsill, legs dangling out into nothingness. Her skin was soaked, tears of water running down to her toes as she swung her legs in the air of the cold night. She couldn't bring herself to care. Her upper body remained in the dryness of her bedroom despite how much she longed to dip her head out and let the rain cleanse her, hopefully washing away the previous week from her mind. 

Sighing, Lauren attempted to clear her thoughts, focusing only on the comforting pounding of the rain as she took another drag on her cigarette, watching lazily as the smoke curled up and out into oblivion.

All week Dinah had been trying to catch her eye in class, giving her hopeful half smiles that soon faded when she was met with the turn of a head. Lauren had retreated back into herself. She felt it in the way she ate less, preferring to escape wherever she was and smoke in peace. She saw it in the way Normani gave her worried glances as she stopped contributing to conversations in her usually witty, sarcastic manner. Most of all, she noted it in the way her heart clenched every time she thought about how Dinah, the one person who had always preferred her, had betrayed her for her brother. Picturing Dinah and Chris drove her to look for the nearest thing she could rip up or smash. It filled her with a tangle of jealousy, revulsion and hurt.

Speak of the devil, Lauren thought as she heard a knock on her door. She knew by its timidness that it was her brother. Lacking in any motivation to speak, she decided instead to send hate vibes with her mind so that Chris would get the message and piss off. No such luck. The handle to her door turned slowly and Lauren let her head drop forward against the window in frustration. "Ugh, what?" she grumbled. 

Chris stood in his usual awkward manner, hands hanging listlessly at his sides, clearly missing the pockets he could shove them into.

"Can I come in?" Lauren sighed and continued to stare out the window, taking another drag of her cigarette. The insecurity in Chris' voice made her feel bad. He didn't know why she was shutting him out, why she could barely meet his eye anymore. Chris had always been one of her best friends, they shared that twin security and understanding. Severing it now felt wrong but she couldn't help it.

Making the decision himself, Chris picked his way across Lauren's messy room, giving an anxious glance at the dartboard where a picture of him and Dinah were pinned, punctured several times it seemed by furious, well aimed shots. 

For a moment nobody spoke. Then Lauren felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, urging her to turn around. She did so and was met with Chris' wide, confused eyes. 

"Have I done something to make you angry?"

Lauren didn't say anything, only shaking her head and avoiding eye contact.

"Is it...something to do with Dinah?" 

"No." Lauren lied curtly.

Chris heaved an unhappy sigh. "It happened out of no where, like one minute she was jus' helping me out, then she was all up on me-"

"It's not Dinah, Chris." Lauren snapped, her green eyes flashing angrily. She couldn't bear hearing the details.

""o-kay." A shuffling as Chris fidgeted uncomfortably on the spot. "So its no issue to you if I was to ask her out?"

Lauren froze. Perhaps it was imperceptible from the outside, but inside her heart began to thud with panic. Of course she didn't want Chris to ask Dinah out, she wasn't his to ask out...and she didn't actually like him like that... did she? She swallowed, trying not to let her panic show. She was done caring about Dinah for the time being, and if that meant faking nonchalance then she would do it.

"Whatever Chris, if you want to go fuck my friend, do it! Just get out of my room!" She bit out, the words burning her tongue, sizzling away like poison until they shaped the word LIAR.

Chris jumped slightly at her harsh tone, raising his hands in defence. "Jeez, okay I will! You just really blew up at her the other day when you caught us, so I thought, you know, it upset you or something. But fine. Have it your way." He seemed finally to have tired of her shutting him out, deciding to attempt no longer at coaxing the truth out of her. Lauren was a hissing cat, cornered with her claws out, and he was done getting scratched. 

Later that night Lauren sobbed into her pillow, wishing desperately for summer again; a time when she had lived in a state of oblivious happiness, Dinah and her too lost in each other to realise that mundane life held the point to pop their bubble. 

A/N: Super short i know. more coming soon, i just wanted to get something out there since its been so long.