Best Friends Don't Lie {Remastered}

~1~

Lauren Queens could be described as "pleasantly average." She was twenty-two years old, pursuing an art education at a local college where she was hoping to become a professional artist- not having a preference for media. She was on the shorter side and just as thin with a kind and empathetic soul.  Her smile could brighten a dimly lit room and her laugh rang like church bells. She was an introvert, only leaving with those she knew well and heavily trusted, or only going to familiar locations that she felt safe in. In the public's eye, she was easily one of the nicest girls you would ever meet. She was an optimist with creativity, compassion, and a glass half full.

Harper Jade, however, could be described as "incompatibly unique." Harper didn't go to college and didn't have a dream to pursue. At the young age of 26, she was already well into the career of living a double life. She was taller and thicker than most, with a more muscular and masculine build. She was created with a tough, hard exterior shell on the outside with her soft inner core only being struck by the strategic blade held by very few. She was more of an extrovert to the credit of her career but was mysterious enough to be unable to hold onto long-term relationships, even while being as social as she was- or tried to be. Her job left her unavailable and unreliable with a schedule not at all repetitive. In the public's eye, she was one of the most social yet horrifying creatures placed on this earth. She was a pessimist with a cautious eye and a paranoid gut feeling that the worst was coming.
Her glass was spilled and empty.

In the picture-perfect world, these two would have never even met. Nothing linked them together, or came similarly, or even brought them to each other. They were polar opposites- two people who would never even make eye contact at the grocery store. They could never be friends- and they weren't friends.

They were best friends. Twin flames- pieces of a puzzle that expertly slid together in perfect harmony. Like they were made in the same factory and put in the exact same box. The trust they had in each other was stronger than anyone else's in the world. They loved each other more than anything.

However, that had nothing to do with the secrets that they kept.

Harper and Lauren's relationship was no different than anyone else's- they kept secrets.
Plenty of them. These two contradicted each other so much that the two were similar enough to work out. Opposites attract, as they say.
Maybe, just maybe, that's why they kept so many secrets.

Or

It could be that Harper's secrets were keeping Lauren alive. Harper's hidden life, stowed far away from her confidant with locks and chains. A secret so in-depth and protective that if discovered, could risk everyone around them, and even the world.

Good thing it was a part of Harper's nature, and her greatest skill- to hide a secret. To lie. She was born with a solid voice and poker face most gamblers would stake their savings for. 

So, Harper lied. Lauren was safe.

Every day the two followed some "sort" of a schedule- Lauren having a more solid one than her friend. Every day, Lauren woke up roughly at 7 in the morning- just as the morning light flowed like waves in through her window's curtains, shining in golden rays of sunshine. She would pull herself from the softened bed, stretching with a small smile as she took in the room she fell asleep in every night. Beside her was her cat, Cinnamon, a fluffy orange tabby who was previously slumbering at the feet of her bed. The cat would stretch with Lauren tiredly, yawning with its small fanged mouth. Lauren would stand, leaving the room with her furry friend close by, trotting behind her curiously. Lauren would get ready for her day with a shower and change of clothes; she'd brush her teeth and hair before heading downstairs.

On this particular day, there was a body collapsed on the couch in an awkward, uncomfortable position. No blanket or pillow, just a tired face shoved harshly into crossed arms while they lay on their stomach. A medium-sized curly-haired dog lay in between the body's feet, snoring happily while resting its head on her thigh. This of course was Harper, whose hair was messily falling around her entire head- her previously tight bun was loose from a long shift. She still wore her uniform of black jeans and a t-shirt from the previous day. Soft snores came from her body as it relaxed into a tired slumber it so rightfully deserved.