Clarity ~ m.c.

•Chapter 24•

***Lauren's POV***

"Lauren!" Luke snapped his fingers in my face to get my attention.

"What?" I asked startled from being lost in thought.

"Who is the current Prime Minister and what year was he elected?" Luke asked me as he was the only one of the guys who could help me study.

"Oh um..." I started flipping through my notes I had laid out on my bed. "Tony Abbott and in 2013."

"Correct" he said and I sighed with exasperation with the stress of last minute studying for my citizenship test tomorrow. As much as I want to take this test so I can qualify for tryouts, I'm dreading taking it because I have to take it on my birthday, December 24th, and on that very same day I found out my mom died. I know great birthday present right? So little enough said I hate that day even if it is my birthday and Christmas Eve.

"You okay?" Luke asked me.

"Yeah" I unbelievably lied.

"Liar." He chuckled lightly hitting me with my note book, causing us both to laugh. "Come on, what's wrong?"

"It's Nothing." I sighed.

"Is it Michael?" He asked nervously, worried that something might have happened.

"What no." I denied the question immediately. Next to Michael, Luke I one of my closest guy friends I can tell him everything, and I mean everything, he can practically read me like a book, so it was a little hard to keep what Michael and I did a secret from Luke.

Ever since the other day, in the rain, Michael and I have officially become a couple. We have managed spent every waking moment together as possible, because his leaving at the end of the week to go to London and tour with One Direction. I'm so excited for him and the guys and even though I'm going to miss him and the rest of them I know they have to go in order to follow their dreams.

Yet at the same time Dominique is here for the rest of this week as well; so I can't just ignore her so I'm going to spend as much time with her as possible too because we live in two different countries and I miss her like crazy too.

"The what's wrong?" Luke asked, putting down the notes.

"It's just . . ." I tried to find the words to explain how I'm feeling. "I have to take the test on my birthday."

"So what's wrong with that?" Luke asked.

"Three years ago I also found out my mom died on my birthday." I confessed.

"Well that's an awful birthday present."

"I know." I sighed. "So needless to say I hate that day even if it is my birthday and Christmas Eve and that day could get even worse depending on my test results."

"Lauren it's going to be fine. Relax." Luke reassured me. "You can do this."

***

Waiting in the lobby of the building where I will be taking my citizenship test, Uncle Tom and I sat in seats waiting to be called along with the other aspiring citizens to take the exam. This is it; my future depends on what happens in the next two hours.

"You ready?" Uncle Tom asked me.

"Yeah sure." I lied.

"Lauren it's okay to be nervous, just calm down." He chuckled rubbing my back to try and calm me down.

"This test is going to determine my future of being an Olympic athlete, how can I be calm?" I asked rubbing my hands together and slightly rocking back and forth.