And Then There Were Three - Adopted by Jizzie

18~

Katelyn

Lauren. She stood in the doorway, beaming at me with a smile. A kind smile? No, this couldn't be right.

I exchanged a nervous glance with Lizzie, and took a deep breath. 'I'll handle this,' I mouthed. That's one thing I'd forgotten. Lauren had started attending mainstream school a few months ago after she refused to do homeschool. I was never sure why she refused, but if it got her away from me I was happy for it to happen. Silently, we headed towards a table in the cafeteria.

"Look, Lauren, if you're doing this just to bully me again, don't bother. I know your games and I'm tired of them, so don't waste your breath," I muttered.

"Katelyn, that's what I wanted to talk about. I know you probably hate me right now, but I need you to hear me out." I'd never heard her sound so sorrowful.

She began again. "After I met Eva and we became friends, I was so excited about having a friend that I didn't try to befriend anyone else. I wanted to try to talk to you, but it wasn't as easy as I thought. Eva was always very controlling over me and she didn't like you, but I guess you already know that. Anyway, Eva started to get annoyed at me for complaining about her bullying you that she threatened to cut off our friendship. She told me that the only way we would stay friends was if I joined in with her. I was so worried about not having friends that I agreed. But, once I got older I stopped enjoying it, yet I knew it was too late to make friends with you. I was desperate to be friends with someone who was genuinely nice but I had ruined my chances. I saw this opportunity as a second chance, and I know that you might not want to, but... forgive me?"

Honestly, I was in shock. I didn't know what to make of it. She seemed genuinely sorry, but how could I know that this wasn't all a cover up?

"How do I know I can trust you?" I asked.

"I can't make you trust me, I know. But, I seriously want to try again. I've ruined so much in the past and I want a fresh start. I can't make you trust me but I would like to try," she murmured.

I thought about it. I guess that after the previous years of what was quite frankly hell, there could only be an up, right?

"Okay, sure. Let's start over. I'm Katelyn!" I smiled, reaching over my hand for a handshake.

"And I'm Lauren!" Lauren giggled. We burst into a fit of laughter, and I felt like I had a proper friend, even though what had happened in the past still floated through the back of my mind.

***

As of that point, the day went by quickly. School was better than I had expected, and it was nice to see the real side to Lauren. I started to trust what she said, she seemed so calm around me and was pretty honest. I was excited to go home and explain to Lizzie and Joel what had happened.

"See you tomorrow then, yeah?" I asked as we left school.

"Yeah, meet you in the hall," Lauren smiled. I smiled back at her and rushed home.

***
I practically fell through the door out of excitement. Lizzie and Joel were waiting for me in the kitchen, with nervous looks on their faces.

"How was Lauren? Was she okay around you?" Joel stuttered.

"You know what, she's actually really cool,"