Bully in Love

Chapter Three

Lauren sat back against the plush pillows that were propped up against her headboard. Dressed in her nightgown for the evening, she was heavily engrossed in her latest novel. Her cell phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence. The raven-haired girl quickly placed a bookmark between the pages and picked up her phone from the nightstand. Reading the number, her hopes plummeted. She knew what this call meant. She took a breath and answered.

"Hello, mother."

"Hello, darling. I am dreadfully sorry for calling you at such a late hour. Were you about to retire for the night?"

"Not quite. I was just catching up on some reading."

"That's my Lauren; always with her nose in a book. Anyway, the reason I'm calling is..."

"You're cancelling our breakfast date," Lauren unhappily interrupted.

Clara sighed. "I'm terribly sorry, darling. I promise I will make it up to you. I have to catch a flight out to Paris this evening. I could not cancel such urgent business."

But she could cancel me. "Of course, mother. I understand," the raven-haired girl replied, attempting to hold off the blanket of loneliness that was enveloping her. "How long will you be gone?"

"Perhaps a week. Hopefully, less than that. And when I return, I assure you we will have that breakfast."

Lauren smiled sadly. "Sure, mother."

"Thank you for understanding, Lauren. Now, I must go. We'll chat soon, alright?"

"Yes, of course."

"Ciao, darling."

"Ciao."

After hanging up, Lauren was no longer in the mood to read. She set her book aside before shutting off her bedside light. Curling herself under the covers, she tried to hold back her tears. Clara often broke promises with her and she was used to it, but that did not mean the disappointment hurt any less. Her thoughts then went to the Cabello family. Sinu was a stay at home mother. How wonderful it must be to have that much attention and love 24-hours a day. Lauren was sure Camila and her sisters never felt neglected. Camila and her sisters... a smile spread across Lauren's lips. The football game. Hayley had invited her to come to watch them play tomorrow morning. She was not to be expected and that would totally throw Camila off. With a small smile still playing on her lips, Lauren closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.

Lauren looked at herself in the mirror one last time before heading out. She wore a simple sundress, her hair was down with perfect curls and she wore just a tad bit of makeup. She glanced at the time on her cell phone and saw it was five minutes until 10am. That meant the Cabellos have only been at the park for about a half hour now. Perfect. It was best to arrive fashionably late anyhow. Deciding not to bother her driver for the morning, Lauren took her own car to the park. Her beautiful black Lexus. She rarely drove on her own per her mother's insistence. But her mother wasn't there and she jumped at the chance.

She easily found a space in the parking lot and climbed out of the car. The park was fairly large but not many people were out. When she heard a bunch of shouting in the distance, Lauren followed it and soon came across a large grass field. She instantly spotted Camila running with the football in her hand as three other boys tried to catch her, but they were no match for Camila's speed. The brunette moved with such natural grace and agility, instantly impressing Lauren. Camila soon reached the area they marked for a touchdown and spiked the ball down in victory.