discontinued. The Way We Live Now ⇔ Mileven {3rd - "Wake Up, Mike" Trilogy}

Twelve

Lauren
June 1, 1990
Three Days Later

"Max, that's for your eyebrows, put it down," I huffed a bit, fumbling with my comb as I raked it through El's hair.

"This shit is for eyebrows? Why the hell?" Max laughed a bit, showing it to Erin and reaching forward to brush her eyebrows. Erin laughed with her, scrunching up her nose a bit at the feeling of the bristles on her skin.

"Max, please put it down and help me," I snapped a bit, making them look over at me while El looked at my reflection in the mirror.

"Laur, calm down. We have plenty of time," El assured me, and I tried to listen, but the stress was incessant today. I don't know what's wrong, I just feel like there's a time limit on everything.

"Here, let me help," Erin offered, walking forward and starting to adjust strands of El's hair. I looked over at her briefly, noticing her red nail polish that she wears constantly, and felt slightly annoyed.

"Erin, red doesn't even match your dress," I nearly whined with how exhausted I was, not really thinking about anything else. Erin pulled her hands back and hid them in her skirt, her eyes shooting to the ground.

"I don't change the color, you know that," she whispered, and I nodded a tiny bit.

"Yeah, but your dress is navy blue, and it doesn't match with bright red," I insisted, fully aware that I should've just let it go. But I didn't, I kept telling her. Probably more than was necessary, considering the end of the conversation only came when she left the room.

"Lauren, I know you're stressed, but they're just nails," Max pointed out lightly, making me sigh deeply and rub my eyes a bit. I ignore Max, then reach down to finish doing El's hair. It's silent for a long minute. "It's because of her mom, Lauren," Max speaks up again, now sounding a bit angry. I stop curling El's hair and stare at the small ringlet I made. I blink hard, then nod and hand the curling wand to Max.

"I'll go talk to her," I assure them, then I walk off to find Erin. I didn't know the red nail polish was about her mom, and I wouldn't have brought it up if I did. The annoyed feeling lingered in my stomach, a numb ache that was telling me it's Erin's fault for not telling me. I can't avoid saying certain things if she doesn't tell me what bothers her. That's just common sense.

Either way, I know I hurt her. And we've been best friends for too long for me to care whose fault it is. I'll apologize anyway.

I rounded a random corner in the small church, spotting Erin leaning against a column. She sat with her knees to her chest, putting her underwear on full display, which made me frown deeper.

"Erin, hun, put your legs down," I spoke gently as I joined her on the ground, putting my legs out straight and crossing my ankles, hoping she'd mimic my actions. She slowly did the same as me, still just fiddling with the hem of her dress. She wasn't crying, which wasn't a surprise. She doesn't cry often. "I'm sorry, Rin. I shouldn't have been like that with you, I just feel so much pressure today. I know I'm best at makeup and everything, so I feel pressured to make El look perfect. It made me snappy, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you," I apologized as good as I could, but it just sounded like I was making excuses. She didn't reply for a long minute, and when she spoke again, it wasn't what I expected.

"The night my mom disappeared, I was at my dad's wedding. I wanted nothing more than to stay home with her, but I couldn't, she said I needed to be there for my dad. I didn't understand why, considering how much of a fucking dick he could be to her," she started, which made me freeze for a minute. She never talks about her family, especially her mom, so I was shocked when she started to explain the day she disappeared. But I quickly forced myself out of it and nodded lightly, continuing her on with a gentle smile. "Before I went, she sat me down at the table and painted my nails red. She told me it was her favorite polish, and by wearing it, I won't be alone at the wedding. Then she never picked me up, and...I never stopped wearing this polish,"