And Then, There Was Fire.

eight.

Trey's arm stretched out on his bed as his eyes narrowed on his Macbook's screen that was placed on his lap. His phone began to ring on a low volume, feeling the vibration beside him on his bed but was too focused on what he was reading to pull his eyes away from it.

He finally broke his focus from the laptop and looked at Lauren's picture appear on his ringing phone. "What's up?" He answered, almost idly as he turned his focus back onto his laptop.

"I'm about to get off soon. You still wanted Moe's?" She asked as he could hear the commotion of her workplace in the background.

"Yeah." She could hear the absent-mind in his tone.

"You must be reading."

"Yeah." He answered again in the same tone. "You ever heard of Theo Myths?" He asked.

"Not really. Why?" She asked.

"Something I came across." He then stopped himself short, leaning back while resting his head on the leather bed head as he ran his hand over his fresh haircut. "Never mind. When you want me to meet you?" He asked, pulling his phone from his ear to check the time.

Overtime, she later learned that with most of the things they discussed, they weren't to be brought on to anyone and everyone; whoever is suppose to know, will know. So, she learned to drop topics whenever he ended certain conversations abruptly. At the time, Trey felt it wasn't a bright idea to explain certain things to her that he could barely explain to himself just yet. He wanted to continue reading and studying whatever it was he stumbled across before bringing it to her attention.

"Um, you can leave in ten minutes."

"Alright, don't tell bitch-boy anything either. He's been hitting Alexia up lately with our whereabouts, whether we with the squad or not. Shit gettin' annoying cause she's starting to harass people I work with." Trey warned her about Aubrey, leaving her to lightly roll her eyes at the news. Since the night at Frank's, they found ways to keep their selves preoccupied to avoid Aubrey and Alexia, such as hanging out in groups with their mutual friends more often to avoid having to lie on their whereabouts.

"I won't, just don't leave me there waiting too long like last time."

After they ended their call, Lauren slipped her phone into the back pocket of her black, high-waist jeans. She continued clearing her area at the front desk of Paul Mitchell's Hair School and Salon, that she shared with two other women who worked as receptionists at the long, white front desk.

"Going to lunch with Aubrey?" One of the ladies at the next monitor asked, focused on the computer in front of her after a client just left the salon.

Lauren inhaled deeply as she kept her eyes down on her workspace while placing her iPad and notebooks in her Louis Vuitton tote.

"Something like that." She answered, knowing that the girls she worked with were waiting to hear that they broke up, just to leave Aubrey single and available. If they were to know she was spending more time with someone else, they would gladly run to Aubrey, in hopes that it would cause a dramatic break-up where either of the two could swoop in and steal him off his feet. What they didn't know, was that Lauren would be forever grateful for them if this was to happen, but Aubrey isn't letting her go that easily.

"Ren," Her flaming manager walked briskly to the side of the counter as his hips stopped swinging once he pressed against the desk. She looked up at his bright, makeup-beat eyes that were hidden behind his thick-rimmed glasses. "can you guys receive these products into inventory before you all go, please, and thank you." His voice began to fade once he begged a feminine 'please' and started to rush back behind the tall, white, modern half-wall behind the reception desk.