Finding Drew

Getting Ready

 "You totally need to get this. You know, for all of your sorority parties." Emma said, holding up a skimpy black dress. Lauren snorted, and I just shook my head. It had been 5 months since the funeral, and Drew was basically back to normal. "Emma, that looks like something you'd wear," Lauren replied. I giggled. "Yeah, when you join a sorority," I finished. Emma laughed, and shook her head at us. "I'm going to try it on," she said. Lauren and I watched as our friend walked off, and I grinned over at her. "Do you think she's actually going to join a sorority?" I asked. Lauren raised her eyebrows. "Is that even a question?" she retorted. We both laughed at this, and I was interrupted when my phone vibrated. I pulled it out, and smiled when I saw it was Drew.

Drew: hey baby girl...have you found your dress for graduation yet? Our moms think we need to match

I groaned and looked at Lauren. "I thought we were supposed to find graduation dresses today," I said. Lauren sighed. "We were, but then Emma saw that dress and now we're sorority shopping." I bit my lip. "I hate to say this, but we really need to find our dresses today. Graduation is next weekend." Lauren nodded. "I know," she said groaned. "And I still have to set up a hair appointment." I smiled. "We're really bad at planning ahead," I said before replying to Drew.

Me: ugh, not yet. We're sorority shopping

"Is that Drew?" Lauren asked, peering over my shoulder. I nodded and handed her my phone. She quickly texted him.

Me: Hey big D! This is Lauren btw <3

I laughed. "He hates when you call him that," I said. She smirked. "And that is exactly why I call him it," she replied. I shook my head and looked at my best friend. She wiggled her eyebrows, and stood up. "Do you think Emma will hate us for ditching her for an hour or so?" she asked. I grabbed my bag. "Probably," I admitted. Lauren grinned, and we quickly left Victoria's Secret. As we walked through the mall, Lauren's phone rang. She sighed as she looked at the caller ID. "What do you want, Austin?" she asked. I laughed and reached my hand out for the phone. She handed it to me. "Good luck," she said. "He's impossible to talk to." I snorted and put the phone to my face. "Hey Austin," I said. He groaned and I couldn't help but laugh. "It's good to hear from you," he said after a minute. I winced. "So how's college?" I asked changing the subject. Lauren and I headed into Francesca's and headed back to the dress section. "It's good, I love the dorm. But then again, anything is better than living at home and having to listen to my little sisters annoying friends." I could pretty much hear the smirk in his voice, and I rolled my eyes. "Admit it," I teased. "You miss me." He laughed and I couldn't help but smile. "Of course I miss you. Look, I have to go. Tell Lauren that I'm not coming for her graduation ceremony, and that I'm sorry and I love her." My eyes widened. "Wait- no, Austin tell her your-" I trailed off as I heard the dial tone. And I closed my eyes. Lauren peeked around the corner holding up a dress. "What did he say?" she asked. I turned slowly towards her, and forced a smile. "He said to tell you that he loves you, and that he hopes we have a fun time getting ready for graduation." I replied. She nodded and I joined her and my lips parted as I saw a white flowy dress. Lauren groaned. "How come you always buy white dresses?" she teased. I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Laur. This is gorgeous," I said, grabbing it from the rack. I held it out in front of me, and grinned as Lauren's eyes widened. The dress had off the shoulder sleeves, and it was covered in lace. "Wow." she said quietly. I ran my fingers over the lacy material and smiled. "I think I found my dress." I whispered.

About an hour and a half later, Lauren and I met up with Emma at the food court. She ordered Tropical Smoothie for us, and we sat at a small table near the back drinking and talking. As I took a sip of my smoothie, I remembered what Austin had said. I looked over at Lauren and saw the smile on her face as she and Emma talked. I sighed, and bit my lip. Five months ago, most of my happiness was gone, and I didn't want that for Lauren. I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text to Emma.

Me: We sort of have a 911 meet me in the bathroom in 5

I stood up and pushed my chair in. "I have to pee," I said. Lauren looked up. "Way to be subtle," she joked. I grinned. "There better be more than half of my smoothie left when I get back," I shot back as I hurried towards the bathroom.

5 minutes later, the door swung open and Emma walked in. "What's going on?" she asked. I sighed. "Austin isn't coming to the ceremony." I said slowly. Emma groaned. "Are you serious? He promised her that he would," she said. I nodded. "Trust me, I know. He told me to tell Lauren, but I can't. She's so happy right now, Em." She ran her fingers through her hair. "What are we supposed to do? I hate keeping secrets from Lauren," she whispered. I nodded. Before either of us could say anything, the door opened again and Lauren walked in. "What's going on?" she asked. I avoided Emma's eyes as I smiled. "I had an eyelash in my eye," I said quickly. Emma nodded and pretend to wash her hands. "Ready to go?" I asked. Emma nodded, and Lauren looked between us. "Is everything okay?" she asked hesitantly. I took a small breath. "Everything is fine, Lauren. I promise."